Laptop recs? Dell Inspiron vs. HP Pavilion vs. Acer Aspire

[SLaurP]

Looking for guidance in choosing new laptop.  We've had a MacBook Pro since 2011 and don't use enough of the features to justify the cost of another one!  

My needs are:

• MS Office
• Netflix/Hulu/Etc. streaming
• Reliability for interacting during live online grad school classes.  

Preferences are:

• Intel i5 or i7
• SSD
• Comfortable keyboard 
• 15 inch screen

Any advice, warnings, and guidance are welcome!  Thank you.  

[JennWilhelm]

Lenovo yoga

[bibliophile222]

Ditto! You took my post! ?

[SLaurP]

4 hours ago, JennWilhelm said:

Lenovo yoga

Thank you for the recommendation!  The Lenovo Yoga is a little more expensive than what I'm looking to pay ($600-$700 for 15" screen).  Looks great, though.  I'll keep it in mind if I decide to shell out more.  

[SLaurP]

11 minutes ago, bibliophile222 said:

Ditto! You took my post! ?

Just curious - ditto on the Lenovo Yoga recommendation, or you are also looking for laptop recs?  

[bibliophile222]

Ditto on the Lenovo Yoga, it's the best computer I've ever owned. Super light, portable, durable, good audio, fast, good battery life, etc. I'm not sure about the 15 inch screen, but I got the 11 inch screen on Amazon for $375. I do remember it was an extra 100 or so to get the 14 inch. I feel like if you look around on various websites you could find a 15 inch for less than $600. I probably should have splurged on the 14 inch, since the 11 inch screen can be a little small. If I were 10 years older I might have issues with the small print! 

[SLaurP]

9 minutes ago, bibliophile222 said:

Ditto on the Lenovo Yoga, it's the best computer I've ever owned. Super light, portable, durable, good audio, fast, good battery life, etc. I'm not sure about the 15 inch screen, but I got the 11 inch screen on Amazon for $375. I do remember it was an extra 100 or so to get the 14 inch. I feel like if you look around on various websites you could find a 15 inch for less than $600. I probably should have splurged on the 14 inch, since the 11 inch screen can be a little small. If I were 10 years older I might have issues with the small print! 

Looked at Amazon and it actually is within my budget ($642)... hoping some others will chime in with opinions.  Thank you!!  

Edited November 4, 2018 by SLaurP

[smarieSLP2b]

I recently helped my cousin purchase a Lenovo Ideapad from Staples, they are still on sale. I don't think the screen is comparable to the MacBook but the price is great for a school laptop and the features. They have other sizes and different tech specs on the Staples site also!

https://www.staples.com/ideapad-330-81de00lcus-15-6-laptop-computer-intel-i3-128gb-ssd-8gb-ddr4-windows-10-home/product_24328358?cid=PS:GooglePLAs:24328358&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=24328358&KPID=24328358&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI7ef-6rnA3gIV0EoNCh3hdQNHEAQYASABEgJCOvD_BwE&akamai-feo=off