Looking for a laptop

[hoofhearted4]

So i just started school again and I think it'd be nice to get a laptop. I don't need one but it'd be nice.

 

Here's what I'm looking for. Any tips on what I should consider would be greatly appreciated.

 

I'll be using this mostly for coding (Computer Science), so a decent processor to help with the compiling would be nice. We won't be doing thousands of lines or anything so it won't really matter too much, but after school who knows, so a good processor is going to be a key point.

 

I wouldn't argue with graphics capability either. I won't be using this for gaming, however I'd like to be able to play Guild Wars 2 on it. I have a gaming desktop and that's where I'll get my gaming done, so this laptop doesn't need anything special. Low medium with 30fps give or take is all I'd need. This however is the least of my worries so yea.

 

I'd take Windows 7 over Windows 8 but any new laptop is going to have windows 8 so I guess it's time I learn. Though my desktop has win7. Does anyone know if this could cause issues transferring files and such between the two with USB?

 

On that note, USB ports are a must. I'll be using a flash drive often as well as hooking up an Arduino board to it for one of my classes.

 

I wouldn't mind one of those tablet laptops. However as I said a USB is a must and im not sure how my luck would be being able to try and find one capable of light gaming. Otherwise a small laptop is preferred. No bigger then 13". I'll be carrying this a lot so it needs to be portable.

 

Lastly price. I need cheap. I'm looking for under $500, cheaper is better. I'll be heading out after work to Best Buy just to see what my options and price range is. If I can't get one cheaper then that then I won't be getting one. As i said it's not a necessity but a luxury.

 

Thanks all for any input you can give!

Edited August 30, 2014 by hoofhearted4

[hoofhearted4]

Didn't get to go look in person, but saw this on the website. Seems to fit what im looking for. I slightly over estimated what if get for $500 or less though. Haha

http://m.bestbuy.com/m/e/product/detail.jsp?skuId=2990013&pid=1219085427753&pcatId=abcat0502000

 

small screen which is nice, light as well. CPU doesnt seem like the greatest, its only dual core, and doesnt give me a specific model number either. it has integrated graphics, looked at a couple of sites and it says it could handle games like StarCraft, Diablo 3, WoW and GW2, on med/low with like 20-30fps. which is all i ask for (wouldnt be a deal breaker even if it couldnt)...its got 6GB RAM which is nice as almost everything seems to be 4GB, even better is its upgradeable to 8GB!...also its a touch screen laptop, which with Win8, i can see being useful.

 

all in all it looks like a decent enough laptop for the price.

Edited August 30, 2014 by hoofhearted4

[hoofhearted4]

i doubt anyone will respond to this, since no one did before, and if not, ill end this here, but I just wanted to make some closing remarks on my laptop escapade.

 

first off, i am no longer in the market for a laptop. currently anyways. That specific laptop I linked to must have been on sale, because when i was looking at it, it was $499. then i saw it at $599, which i believe was also the price in store. now the link says $649. i realized that I would be doing myself a disservice in looking for a laptop so cheap. Yes it would mean I could get one right away, Yes it might hold over for school, at least at first, but If im going to buy a laptop, I want to buy a good laptop. one thatll hold up for awhile. As i said in the OP, one i could potentially use to code (as thats what Im hoping to get into), and itd be nice to be able to do some light gaming as well. as such, To get the laptop I really want Id have to spend more. Ive decided that I'm going to wait until Black Friday/Christmas to maybe get one. that would allow me to save up, potentially find some good deals and give me time to see if i still need/want one. its possible I might not have the funds by then still so who knows, this whole venture might have to wait till next summer, when my funds open back up (glory of school is i get less hours. plus i currently work in a resteraunt (hope that changes any day now lol) and hours get cut during the winter anyways).

 

the real reason i post here though is to hopefully (unlike my previous attempt) get some input. I visited a couple of custom PC websites to see what I could build myself for a laptop. the Sager NP7338 is the best/cheapest laptop i could build (customize) on any of those websites, that also best fits my needs. Quad Core Hyperthreading CPU for coding. 16gb RAM for VMs and a dedicated GPU for light gaming. SSD, backlit, and I can opt to not put an OS on there saving me some money since I have disks here. Plus its a 13" screen (which is 1080, I see many sub14" screens that are only like 1366 or whatever), small and lightweight which makes it perfect for school as well. the only thing is its not touchscreen, which i dont care, but i thought that would be a nice little feature for a laptop. however that was more of a thing I wanted If i had to have Win8 on there.

 

so what I want to know is, can anyone find/build/customize a laptop thats as good/better for a similar/cheaper price? otherwise, this is what ill be aiming for If i decide to go ahead with it. Its no where near as cheap as I originally intended, nor as cheap as i would want. and that may be what prevents me from buying it. im not sure ill be entirely for spending $1200 on a laptop I could argue i dont entirely need.

 

but enough of me rambling. thanks for listening all, responses or not! have a great night (day, evening, dusk, whenever you are reading this)!!