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Question

what laptop should I buy?

Apr 24, 2018 3:09PM PDT

Hello everyone! I want to buy a good, high performance laptop. I have had a pretty hard time finding one to meet my specifics, so I thought I'd ask someone who knows more about this than I do.

here are the specs I would like to aim for:

something that is good for editing videos, and very lightweight and portable.

Ideally I would want to have a 14 inch display.

I'd like to stay in the $500-$600 range.

I've heard that an SSD is the best option for storage, and that it is way faster than an HDD. so I would like to aim for something with an SSD.

I'm not entirely sure if some laptops don't have it, but I'll also want wi-fi and bluetooth.
Thanks!

Discussion is locked

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Answer
I can see why.
Apr 24, 2018 3:32PM PDT

That price spot puts you out of the usual go to laptops for what you listed. You'll have to do this another way. Find what hits your price points then whittle that down to your top 3 or so then share those here.

In short, that price point is about 1/2 of what I'd suggest for such today.

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here are a few laptops
Apr 28, 2018 8:54AM PDT

there are a few more than three on here, but these are some possibilities.

ASUS C302CA-DHM4 Chromebook Flip
12.5 inch display size is probably too small

ASUS ZenBook UX330UA-AH55
I would have to watch eBay to get one in my price range

ASUS UX360CA
again, I'd have to look around on eBay.

ASUS VivoBook F510UA
this is a possible contender. But it has an hdd.
There is an option to buy this with both a 1 tb hdd and a 128 gb ssd, but it costs $100 more

https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Inspiron-5000-Theoretical-i5379-5893GRY-PUS/dp/B0764LNTCZ/ref=sr_1_11?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1524930459&sr=1-11&keywords=dell+inspiron
here is a link to another one on amazon. again, much cheaper on ebay.

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How does the Chromebook meet your needs?
Apr 28, 2018 9:11AM PDT

Video editing is very different on a Chromebook. And quite time consuming as you upload and edit on a web service.

The price is too low, even you admit you have to shop heavily for a deal. This is where a forum search usually fails as we don't have shopping concierge services.

Maybe you can check out https://camelcamelcamel.com/
And of course Groupon. My brother and I filled in desks with laptops from groupon and saved 5 figures of cash. Some did write we would be sorry but at a year later, all's well.

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one more...
Apr 28, 2018 9:00AM PDT

the acer aspire could potentially be an option

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top 3
Apr 29, 2018 6:31PM PDT

asus zenbook/asus zenbook flip (preferably the flip version)

dell inspiron 13 5000

asus vivobook (probably my least favorite)

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Answer
Look at this
Apr 27, 2018 12:19PM PDT
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thanks!
Apr 28, 2018 8:11AM PDT

this was helpful, thank you!

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Answer
CNET reviews the 600 buck Acer Aspire.
Apr 28, 2018 10:12AM PDT
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oops...
Apr 28, 2018 3:27PM PDT

I actually meant the Acer Aspire R 15

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Answer
Base model of Dell XPS 13
May 3, 2018 3:28AM PDT

I think you should try the base model of Dell XPS 13 if you compromise in the display. Otherwise, it is the best for your need. You will get base model of Dell XPS 13 around $600 from eBay or Amazon.
I found an article that helps you to better understand the features of Dell XPS 13 and comparison of 3 best premium brand laptops.
https://www.lokesharyan.com/which-should-i-buy/
I hope it might help!