After six years of heavy usage my Mac is on the blink. I'm a student and I can't afford to buy a replacement Mac, so I'm in the market for a Windows 7 notebook. I don't know much about computers, so the array of cheap notebooks quite confusing to me.
My absolute budget limit is $701 (I literally have $701 in my bank account). A netbook is too small for me as I do a lot of online research and a 10" screen involves too much scrolling up and down when reading PDF journal articles.
My minimum requirements are:
- 13" screen
- 320 GB hard drive
- 2 GB RAM
- Wifi (I have a b/g/n wifi router)
I use my computer for:
- word processing
- browsing the web (including YouTube)
- lots of emailing
- reading PDF files
- iTunes-related activities (listening to music, renting movies, syncing with my iPod)
- storing digital photos
I also use a Canon USB scanner and a Samsung USB laser printer. I don't do any gaming. I only work at my desk, so battery life doesn't matter.
I'm happy to consider any brand except Dell (two of my friends had problems getting replacement Dell power bricks). I need this computer quickly, so ideally it needs to be from a retailer who has a Dunedin presence, or can deliver to Dunedin within 48 hours.
Please can you advise the best notebook I can get for under $701? Look forward to receiving your advice!