The laptop market is doing great these days and makes available choices for any budget. What’s even more important is that the budgets necessary for affording the Second Generation Core CPUs signed by Intel and AMD’s Fusion are getting smaller and smaller. So, if you don’t have available a large budget, you shouldn’t feel discouraged and go for the first laptop that you find compatible with your budget. Instead, you should stay optimistic and conduct an extensive search that will help you uncover the best value laptops that the end of 2011 and the beginning of 2012 have made available. Here are a few choices that you should definitely consider if you are looking for an affordable, but powerful laptop.
Best Value Laptops 2011
1. For larger budgets I recommend the Sony VAIO SB Series that in exchange for around $1,500 makes available an exciting hardware configuration that will never let you down. Many reviewers feel like this laptop offers the top qualities that matter to laptop owners: reduced weight and thickness, a reliable and sturdy design and an attractive hardware configuration. This laptop seems most suitable for business users because it’s a 13.3-inch device, slim and light, that offers a Second Generation Core i5 CPU signed by Intel and clocked at 2.5GHz. The battery is another asset because it’s said to keep you going for an entire workday.
I also think you won’t mind the availability of 4GB of RAM and the 320GB hard drive that’s enough to store documents as well as media content. If you are also a fan of games, you shouldn’t worry because the graphics card is more than able to support this task. That’s because this Sony VAIO is actually built to use either the integrated Intel HD 3000 graphics or the AMD Radeon HD 6470M discrete graphics adapter. Because these two graphics options are available, you will be able to choose at any time between the 3D performance required by video editing and games and a longer battery life that’s necessary when travelling. The port combination available won’t disappoint you either because you will be able to use usual USB 2.0 ports as well as a fast USB 3.0 port, VGA and HDMI outputs and Gigabit Ethernet. Wi-Fi is also supported and is accompanied by the possibility to read SD and MemoryStick Duo cards and video conference. If you have carefully read all these specifications, I think it’s hard not to find the Sony VAIO SB Series to be one of the laptops that manage to stand out from the crowd and prove that they are worth every penny.
Best Value Laptops 2011
2. If your budget is not so high, you should consider the Toshiba Satellite L750 for which you will have to pay around $1,000. This time we are talking about a laptop that makes available even a built-in burner while keeping its weight at only 1.9kg. Just like the previous option I’ve mentioned, this Toshiba laptop makes available a 13.3-inch display and a Second Generation Core i5 processor that ensures the performance level of interest. What’s also nice is that the processor is accompanied by 4GB of RAM and a 640GB hard drive that’s more than enough for ensuring the portability of your documents. Graphics won’t be a source of concern either because they are handled by an Intel HD 3000 adapter. That means Full HD graphics will be within reach as well as modern games such as StarCraft 2.
Overall, benchmarks have shown that the performance of this Toshiba laptop is more than desirable. The only source of downsides seems to be the 13.3-inch screen that supports a resolution of 1,388 x 768 pixels but it’s susceptible to reflections. On the sides of the laptop, besides the DVD burner that I have already mentioned, you will also find USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 ports, HDMI and VGA output and the possibility to use Gigabit Ethernet. This best value laptop is also able to support Wi-Fi connections and Bluetooth. You will even find a SD card reader. A little disappointing is only battery life, because if you intensely use the laptop, only around 3 hours of battery life are delivered. However, if you choose to reduce screen brightness, not keep Wi-Fi permanently enabled and use Toshiba’s Eco mode you should be able to get at least double the use time provided when the laptop is intensely used. So, on the whole, the Toshiba Satellite L750 remains a desirable investment.
Best Value Laptops 2011
3. For an even lower budget I recommend the Dell Inspiron 15R N5110 laptop with a price tag of around $700 and reliable performance. For the money you will even get USB 3.0 ports and HDMI output. The processor is not less desirable either, because it’s a Second Generation Core i3 processor signed by Intel and paired with 4GB of RAM and a 500GB hard drive. This feature combination makes it suitable even for video editing and gaming. The overall design is not bad either because the total weight is 2.6kg while the touchpad is huge and responsive.
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