Frustrated with choosing the right laptop? Don’t want to spend more than you have to? Looking for the best quality for your dollar? This is the series of articles for you, my friend! Throughout the course of the next few weeks, I will be going over each type of laptop from Net and Chromebooks, to business grade laptops all the way to high quality gaming titans! I will compare the best available laptop from each category and even give you the best place to shop for them.
The first stop is the Netbook realm. These are those insanely low priced laptops that get you in the door to most large retail electronics stores only to be upsold with a thousand dollar laptop that you may or may not utilize. The question is, is this a good fit for you, or do you need a “real” laptop?
A netbook is a portable network computer. Its main purpose is browsing the web and checking email. A tablet with a keyboard, you can’t expect to run Photoshop or even Publisher on these bad boys. On the flipside, a lot of my residential clients tell me that web browsing and email is all they do and that is exactly who this is for.
Pros: Lightweight, not prone to virus infections (Chrome OS), simple user interface, low priced.
Cons: Microsoft Office is watered down (Mobile Office version on Chromebooks), Small screen size, Smaller range of programs available, Cannot multitask resource intensive programs.
Now to the comparison. Most of these netbooks run on “Chrome OS” which is an operating system similar to Android which most of us use on our tablets and smartphones. This OS is very basic, easy to use and is not resource intensive, which allows them to use the same processors (CPUs) as you will find on some phones and tablets. Windows 8.1 is also available and you can run the Microsoft Office Suite (which will also cost you half as much as the computer) but with the extra risk of infection from viruses. That fact will lead you to need a third party anti-virus software available at Partner I.T. These are my rankings of each brand’s top netbook on the market now:
5. HP Stream 11 (MSRP $199.99)- The main reason this is ranked last on my list is that it wouldn’t turn on at the store and when I asked about it, the salesman told me it’s been like that and they didn’t bother to fix it. HP usually doesn’t put much effort in their consumer grade products, so I wasn’t surprised. Nonetheless, this laptop comes with a 2.16 GHz processor and Windows 8.1 and a 32 GB Solid State Hard Drive, which is double what the Chromebooks offer. You can also purchase a larger 13” screen compared to the 11” standard for an extra $20 (HP Stream 13). Another cool feature is that they have multiple color cases, which should be fun for the kids. Yet, more fun when said kids get viruses for Partner I.T. to cleanup for you.
4. Toshiba Chromebook CB-A3120 (MSRP $179.99) – Lowest priced for a reason. It may be tempting to grab this under $200 bait, but I have to tell you, I get Toshiba’s coming into my shop regularly and the quality is terribly low. Take it from someone who has been inside these toys and seen everything. The specs are on par with other Chromebooks, but I wouldn’t risk my money on one of these.
3. Acer C720 Chromebook (MSRP $269.99) **currently on sale at Best Buy for $199.99**– This is a safer bet than a Toshiba. The Celeron 1.4 GHz Processor and 2GB of Ram with 16 GB storage is standard for most Chromebooks, but it is overpriced in my opinion. If you are looking at this Chromebook, you might as well spend a little extra to get a low consumer grade option. Acer makes a Windows 8.1 machine with twice the capability for around $299, and you can probably get one on sale for less.
2. ASUS C300MA-DB01 Chromebook (MSRP $229.99) **currently on sale at Newegg.com for $209.99**– This is a decent buy. The Celeron 1.4 GHz Processor and 2GB of Ram with 16 GB storage is standard and found in a lot of tablets nowadays. The consumer reviews should speak for themselves at 4.5 stars out of 5. One advantage this laptop has over the others is that it has a larger, 13”, screen. So, if size was a top priority for you in your quest for a inexpensive laptop. Another great perk is that the battery life is better than any 13" Chromebook to date.
1. Samsung Series 3 (MSRP 219.99) **currently on sale at Walmart for $199.99**– Samsung makes quality electronics and they are my favorite brand when it comes to consumer grade products. Yes, I am completely biased with this pick because 75% of my home electronics are Samsung. The only problem I ever had was finding an external part that broke because a client had dropped their Samsung laptop (which was a slick looking laptop prior to the tragedy). This Chromebook has the highest speed processor (Exynos CPU) at 1.7 GHz running a Chrome OS. At an MSRP of $219.99, the Series 3 is a no-brainer.
Stay tuned for another segment of the Best Laptops 2015, where we will be digging into consumer grade laptops for personal use. When you do decide on purchasing, give a call to us at Partner I.T. for moving your data from your old computer, and setting up any applications on your new purchase.
