[Smallville]

I just sold my netbook because it was too slow for me. I would be using this laptop mainly for school. While I wait for another deal, what are some good alternatives to these two? These seem to be the best that fit my needs. I am leaning towards the Thinkpad x120e because of bad experiences with HP. Has HP improved their laptops so they won't die after 1-2 years in last couple years?

What is your maximum budget?

$500 after taxes/shipping. LOWER IS BETTER

What country are you in?

USA

What will be the uses of this laptop?

Schoolwork, watching HD videos, playing Heroes of Newerth

Do you have brand loyalty or care which brands we select for you?

No brand loyalty, but I'm skeptical about HP because of their high failure rates.

What screen size do you require?

Anything under 14" and above 10"

What screen resolution do you require?

Anything higher than 1024x600

Are you looking to buy NEW or would refurbished/recertified/used be okay?

Any of these would be fine but no Paypal-related transactions

How long should the battery last? (Under optimal conditions, no movies/games/heavy internet)

5ish hours. Longer is ideal.

What games would you like to play with your laptop? And on what settings?

Heroes of Newerth, maybe World of Warcraft, Counter-Strike:Source all low settings

What operating system do you need? (if any)

Any OS works, I can always dual boot

Is there a certain style of laptop you want? (aluminum, black, gaming, etc.)

I would prefer something lightweight because I will be carrying this around a lot.

How much hard drive space do you need?

Any size is fine. I have flash drives/external HDDs.

Do you need any special hardware? (blue ray, webcam, specialty ports, etc.)

Webcam, USB 3.0, and HDMI out would be nice, but no webcam isn't a deal-killer.

Is there anything else we need to know?

I am on a tight budget and I would like a light laptop with a smallish screen for class. I do not want a single core netbook because those are way too slow for me. I just sold an ASUS 1001P so I expect MUCH faster performance from my future laptop. I already have a gaming laptop so this laptop is mainly for portable use.

 

[s-x]

Honestly with what you want they are still the best choices. Cheap, good battery life, and excel at everything in their price range and size except pure cpu power; which doesnt look like you'll need much of anyways.

I found this, which fits inside your price range and has very good specs for the price, but the reviews are very mixed so It's a grab bag:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220893&Tpk=N82E16834220893

 

[pelplouffe]

Acer Aspire One 752, 11.6 Inch Screen, Celeron Dual Core 1.2Ghz, 2GB ram (1 slot used only the other is free), 250GB Sata (WD Blue), Intel GMD HD4500M with HDMI and VGA out.

Got mine for about 300$+tx at CanadaComputer and i thinki under 400$ a\t the acer outlet.

 

[Smallville]

Ugh, the buyer backed out at the last minute. =\ I think I will probably settle for the x120e as soon as I get unload this netbook. Has there been any issues with them or Thinkpads in general?

 

[trueg50]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Smallville;13023355
Ugh, the buyer backed out at the last minute. =\ I think I will probably settle for the x120e as soon as I get unload this netbook. Has there been any issues with them or Thinkpads in general?

Go with the Thinkpad.

Acer and HP's are a mixed bag, especially when going with a netbook (where corners are more likely to be cut to save money).

 

[Smallville]

Quote:

Originally Posted by trueg50;13023390
Go with the Thinkpad.

Acer and HP's are a mixed bag, especially when going with a netbook (where corners are more likely to be cut to save money).

That's a very good point. Are there any deals/coupons for a x120e at the moment?

 

[Riggs.]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Smallville;13041575
That's a very good point. Are there any deals/coupons for a x120e at the moment?

Provantage. I got mine for 200 less than on Lenovo's site. It's a reputable reseller, and if they're in stock it will ship within a few days. I originally had an order with Lenovo for an x120e with worse specs and for more money, but the estimated ship date was 6 days shy of a month from when I placed the order so I cancelled it a got one from provantage. Most people are getting their orders from lenovo before the estimated ship dates, but it's still held up to like a 2 week wait at least I believe.

I love this thing.

 

[Ivan TSI]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230005

This is the asus e350 netbook,same performance as the dm1z/x120e with a 12.1" screen.

 

[curb]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ivan TSI;13061226
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230005

This is the asus e350 netbook,same performance as the dm1z/x120e with a 12.1" screen.

I was going to pull the trigger on this one but found a really good deal when I was on my way to actually get it.

 

[Smallville]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ivan TSI;13061226
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230005

This is the asus e350 netbook,same performance as the dm1z/x120e with a 12.1" screen.

This seems better than the x120e/dm1z since it has USB 3.0 and LED backlit. I find ASUS's build quality to be pretty good too. Why doesn't anyone else mention this one?