Can anyone help me here?

[Chickenrandomness]

i'm getting a laptop for Christmas. Could anyone help me out to choose one?
My grandparents are getting it for me and have a budget of $500 including shipping costs and anything else with it
I'm looking for a laptop:

that is fast so i can download lots of games

that is relatively virus resistant or at least comes with a reliable antivirus software

has a CD/DVD drive

Has lots of space on it (around 320GB)

and runs on Windows



thanks in advance!

 

[Ec_Prokta]

Why not get a refurbished Mac? They're fast, virus resistant, they all have a DVD drive, and you can always buy storage later for them, even though they have around 32 GB. Remember, a GB is a lot of space

 

[Chickenrandomness]

Quote:
i'll have to look into that

i'll need all the GBs i can get because of all the games i plan on downloading

the thing about Macs is that they don't run on windows though. theres nothing wrong with the Mac program, but its just one of the main games i'm looking to download (World of Tanks) on;y works on Windows right now

 

[Chickenrandomness]

does this one look good?
http://www.teksale.com/laptops/refu...2ghz-512-60-Superdrive-14in-Airport-10228.htm

what about this non-mac?
http://www.switched.com/2008/02/14/best-laptops-under-500-2/

 

[Chinchilla2]

Quote:
i'll have to look into that

i'll need all the GBs i can get because of all the games i plan on downloading

the thing about Macs is that they don't run on windows though. theres nothing wrong with the Mac program, but its just one of the main games i'm looking to download (World of Tanks) on;y works on Windows right now

Windows can run as a service on Macs if set up properly.

 

[Chickenrandomness]

Quote:
i'll have to look into that

i'll need all the GBs i can get because of all the games i plan on downloading

the thing about Macs is that they don't run on windows though. theres nothing wrong with the Mac program, but its just one of the main games i'm looking to download (World of Tanks) on;y works on Windows right now

Windows can run as a service on Macs if set up properly.

really? but doesn't that slow down Macs?

 

[Stephanie739]

Acer makes a good computer, and is one of the least expensive. You can get a lot of 'stuff' for the $500. My daughters Acer netbook is almost 3 years old and we haven't had any issues. Get a dual or quad core processor, and look for at minimum 2 gb RAM and 2.0 GHz.

You need virus protection. All computers, especially those running on Windows are prone to viruses. I'm using Norton for the first time, and love it! I had been using McAfee for many years, and just became use to to the issues...so far no issues with Norton (lagging during scans, software update problems, etc.)

Just a personal opinion, I like purchasing extended warranties. I usually use them at some point...just got a new hard drive in my Dell

But I haven't really needed it for the Acer.

 

[Stephanie739]

Quote:
Not enough RAM in the Apple. I have never heard of the other brand.

 

[Stephanie739]

Quote:
Not enough RAM in the Apple. I have never heard of the other brand.

The Linux OS is installed instead of Windows. Its Freeware. I think Linux is probably very good, and will probably try it one day, but I think (just my impression) it might be better for people who are really computer savvy (imo w/o ever using it) You would have to purchase Windows if you wanted that as your operating system.

 

[Stephanie739]

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=16652445&findingMethod=rr This one only has 1.0 GHz but has many of the features I would look for and less than your budget. Has good reviews too. My dad bought a Toshiba. I never have before, but I would be willing to try it. You might be able to upgrade to a faster GHz if you went to the Toshiba site.