[Recommend] <$900 laptop for Programming and College?

I need a laptop and I'm super bogged down trying to find a new one.
I live in the USA.

Less than $900

• Purpose: Programming
  
  
• Screen size preference: 15' or bigger
  
  
• OS preference: Windows
  
  
• I don't game at all. I watch Netflix.
  
  
• Any particular style that you like (examples are great): I've had a Sony Vaio and liked it, but I've heard Lenovo and Asus are better.
  
  
• Which of the following qualities would you prefer? (Choose one, the other, or balanced)
  
  
• Long battery life
  
  
• Build quality
  

• High resolution screen: Needs to be decent
  
  
• A great keyboard: Yes
  
  
• A great touchpad/mouse buttons: Yes
  
  
• Great audio: It would be nice, but not essential
  

Need: Fast processing, RAM, and reliability. Battery life would be nice.

 

Did you check ebay?

I am not sure if you want a cheap laptop or a laptop with just those specific qualifications or both. You can probably find what you want (with all the specs listed for each laptop) on ebay:

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro....TRC1.A0.H1.Xlaptop&_nkw=laptop&_sacat=175672

 

I've been a Dell customer for many years and I was never disappointed with their products.

Here's a list of some of their deals on their webstore. Copy and paste the link below into your browser. Great deals.
http://www.dell.com/us/p/laptops.aspx?~ck=mn#!facets=280848~0~18078819,55846~0~5930680&p=1

All the laptops on the page have the most-reliable Windows 7. A very stable and trusted OS.

 

I would really prefer not ordering anything on eBay.

 

I feel the same say... With Ebay, you don't know just who you're dealing with. Order from either the manufacturer or from a well-established retailer, such as BestBuy or WalMart.

 

Obviously you take a certain risk by buying from ebay, but it's not a huge one. I bought laptops from ebay's sellers in the past, never had an issue. If you can buy the same thing for $200-300 less that is almost like new, why not? You can have 10 date nights with your girlfriend on the money saved. But to each their own, I guess.

 

Well, I've heard some great things about Sony Vaio and I know Asus makes great products too... But I've never tried Lenvo, nor have I spoke to anyone who has... I bought 3 Dell machines in the past (2 laptops and one desktop) and all 3 devices worked great.

Whatever you do, DO NOT get a Toshiba! A co-worker of mine was issued a Toshiba laptop for work and it's a total crap-chute. I've been his tech support guy since he got it, since Toshiba's support has been anything but reliable.

Dell and Asus are a great start to shop around for. I'd compare both brands with pricing vs. tech specs and any other features that may apply.

If you'd like some assistance on this, just send me a PM.

 

Hi Michael,

Your main need is programming, which requires little resource on it's own.
I would suggest Asus for the specific needs you requested.

The new models have a great feel on the touchpad with multi-functions and matched with comfortable keys.
The new models come pre-installed with Windows 8 and optional functional touch-screens.
Asus battery usually runs a solid 4-5 hours under constant use - depends on what you do, watching Netflix drains faster than typing ect..
Build quality is still good, although Asus use to be better, the functional elements are still great and under warranty.
Good screen resolution and image overall with them as well, sound I don't know much on as I never use on-board.
I selected only 15" models for you as 17" option comes with a spike in cost.

I compiled some options from NCIX US below, if you don't know them, they are a very big distributor and very good place to shop online and not have to worry about support or returns.

I picked nothing under an i5 for an important reason. Even though you could get away using an AMD or even a celeron or dual core i3 for your needs, I always suggest to buy a good CPU to all my customers. It adds longevity to your device and will run optimally with new OS versions or heavy software demands, while slower CPUs will fall quickly behind with the times. The extra investment is worth every dollar and the computer can last years and still run optimally for your needs.

I also kept Ram in mind, the more the better if you are a tab browsing maniac like me. Even though you don't game, it helps to have the extra memory when browsing and using software simultaneously. Add a screen to your setup and you might find yourself having twice as much open.

http://www.ncixus.com/products/?sku=94291&vpn=K550LA-DS51-CA&manufacture=ASUS - $650 - i5 - 6Gig Ram
http://www.ncixus.com/products/?sku=94298&vpn=S551LA-DS51T-CA&manufacture=ASUS - $750 - Same model but with touch screen for Win8

If you want to go all out, these models offer the i7 CPU along with more memory, space, and a much more powerful graphics card
http://www.ncixus.com/products/?sku=98210&vpn=K550LNV-DB71-CA&manufacture=ASUS - $900
http://www.ncixus.com/products/?sku=96679&vpn=N56JN-DB71-CA&manufacture=ASUS&promoid=1046 - $1025 ($200 off)

Good luck on your search!

 

There are many laptops under $900 that fits your criteria. I would recommend getting at least an i5 processor and 4gb of ram. Since you don't game, intel hd graphics should work just fine. I recommend getting acer, asus and dell. Hp could work fine as well. Just don't get toshiba. Their customer support is crap.

 

any i5, 8 gb ram, 3.0 processor will be good for programming.

 

Not sure why you replied, his post was back in August....
If he has not found anything by now, then he never will
However, no matter what the laptop is used for; Win takes
up good portion of ram; Games, Videos, no games, whatever,
I would not choose anything with less then 8gb Ram....
many computers can be found for less then $1000
consult a few computer stores for your needs....