Student efficent laptop

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TRex22

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Im a new student who needs to find a good, decent laptop to use to help me with my studies. I used an Acer Aspire One ZG5 in school (which I got as a gift on the condition I get it working since it was not at the time.) I have subsequently lost 2/3 the battery capacity. I have a budget of maximum R 5000 which is the scholarship I received. Im just not sure what laptop type device I should get, and what make and model. It has to have decent battery life, windows and perhaps i3 to low end i5 mobile cpu. Can anyone give me suggestions of devices to look at?
 
Three things.

1. Buying second-hand can really stretch your budget. My dad found my Acer Aspire 1410 11" for some ridiculously low price, 6mths old, and it was used about four and a half times by the seller's teenage daughter. It has a proper 1366x768 display and a Celeron dual-core processor, so it completely covers every base I need from it.

2. If you want to take notes in class, I suggest a small laptop (10-13"). Portability is a big factor. Beware of true netbooks, though, as the lack of computing power and low-res screen may become very frustrating.

Many people will tell you at this point to buy a tablet with a keyboard extension; I disagree as tablets have much reduced functionality (can't install proper programs on them).

3. Depending on what you're studying, battery life is something to take into account. I have long hours of lectures and tutorials every day, so an i3/i5 would probably not last long enough. If you only have a few lectures a day that's obviously not an issue.

At the top of my wishlist is a detachable laptop (e.g. http://www.asus.com/vivo/en/transformerBook.htm). This is probably the ultimate student computer, but it'll be a while before one of those will fit into your (or, for that matter, my) budget ;)
 
Have a look at the Acer netbook unless you have a requirement for more processing power.

For a low (sic) cost I3 have a look at the Lenova B580, but it may be out of your price range.
 
Just be aware that while having a laptop for taking notes does sound like a great idea it does have its shortfalls. Drawing diagrams or taking down equations will become problematic and you will end up using paper. That being said for organizational purposes having a laptop is amazing.

When looking at netbooks be careful. In my experience they are hard to type with so PLEASE, I urge you PLEASE, test out the typing and make sure it is good enough to type fast one. The last thing you want is to have a new piece of hardware that is made redundant quickly as you can't type fast enough to get everything down. Yes, that will be a problem, you will be copying notes from others regardless of how you write :P

Try Carbonite (www.carbonite.co.za) for second hand ones. Here is an example of one (http://www.carbonite.co.za/f10/dell-inspiron-1564-laptop-44227/)
Try esquire's specials (http://www.esquire.co.za/e_catalogue/esquire_special.html) and check the MBB forums for their weekly specials

I know you are concerned about battery life, but sitting by a plug will normally sort that out, but just remember to take a multi-plug as plugs tend to be in a short supply.
 
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TRex22 said:
Im a new student who needs to find a good, decent laptop to use to help me with my studies. I used an Acer Aspire One ZG5 in school (which I got as a gift on the condition I get it working since it was not at the time.) I have subsequently lost 2/3 the battery capacity. I have a budget of maximum R 5000 which is the scholarship I received. Im just not sure what laptop type device I should get, and what make and model. It has to have decent battery life, windows and perhaps i3 to low end i5 mobile cpu. Can anyone give me suggestions of devices to look at?
Click to expand...

Your university should be part of the Student Laptop Initiative which has arranged good discounts on Acer and Lenovo laptops. The Lenovo is handled by Pinnacle at https://www.studentlaptop.co.za/ and the Acers by Tshwane Computer Solutions at http://www.aceredu.co.za/StudentLogin.aspx?ReturnUrl=Default.aspx.

You'll need a valid student number and the first six digits of your ID number. UCT has a lot of details at http://www.icts.uct.ac.za/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=5495
 
I already have an Acer Aspire. I found it to be too weak for my purposes. I want something which is good for note taking and more intensive stuff like programming. Im going to be studying Computer Science. The Acer's battery has kicked the bucket so basically its smarter to find a new laptop. I used it since 2010 to take note and I got good a drawing diagrams on it quite quickly so that is not a problem. I do have big hands but I managed to find a way to type quickly ie verbatim of the teacher. My geography notes were about 1000 pages when at the end of matric I printed them to study. (Waste of paper but by then my laptop was unusable as a learning device. Its old and slightly damaged). Thanks for the advice. Im going to keep looking for the moment. Luckily my scholarship (WITS awards for distinctions) is quite high for a decent low end to low mid range. I might ask my one sister if I can use her laptop since she now has a work one.
 
TRex22 said:
I already have an Acer Aspire. I found it to be too weak for my purposes. I want something which is good for note taking and more intensive stuff like programming.
Click to expand...

I bought a Acer Aspire 5750G, Core i7 with 8G RAM and Nvidia Optimus. It plays Diablo3, EvE and Skyrim without hesitation. It is about a R9000 machine. The i5 model with normal graphics is still a powerful machine unless you are after heavy graphics.
 
Look at this special from Makro:
image-5598_50FBBB34.jpg



Here's one from Nivo:
Acer TravelMate 5744 15.6" Notebook Computer - R 4,639.00


Here's a i5 one that comes with a bag and wireless mouse, however it's over your budget by R660:
Acer Aspire 5733 15.6" Notebook Computer (NX.RN5EA.010) - R 5,599.95


Here's the best one I was able to find on laptopdirect:
http://www.laptopdirect.co.za/laptop_specifications.php?laptop=70163 - R4441


Here's one from Rebel Tech:
GIGABYTE Q1532M - R4,813
 
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