Laptop recommendations under $1,300

Hey there—I could use a little guidance on picking out a new laptop.

Here’s the gist of what I’m looking for:

Graphics
-Photoshop and InDesign

Audio Work
-Pioneer DJ setup and running Ableton on a MacBook Pro 15

Display
A 15.6-inch screen should do the trick—I don't really need anything larger than that.

Storage
An SSD of at least 128GB paired with an HDD (1TB or more).

Battery life needs to be solid—something that actually lasts.

Operating System
The OS doesn't matter too much, honestly; I'll likely just perform a clean upgrade to Windows 10 anyway.

Budget: roughly $2833

Thanks! 🙂

Robert Rodriguez2

I don't think you need to waste any more time looking at this. 👍

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product...ducts_id=12841

You can go this cheap if you just swap out the DVD drive for an SSD. It’s pretty rare to find a laptop that actually lets you run two drives, and even fewer have an M.2 slot ready to go.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product...ducts_id=13155

This one has a free M.2 slot for an SSD, and you can beef up the RAM to 32 GB.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product...ducts_id=13149

Then there's this:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product...ducts_id=12207
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product...ducts_id=13203
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product...ducts_id=13156

The decent IPS screens start around here (SSD goes where the DVD drive used to be):

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product...ducts_id=12637

Check out the other setups too—there are a few more Dell and HP options. The Dell MacBook Pro and Alienware models come pre-configured with both an SSD and an HDD.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product...ducts_id=12275

I ignored the other brands because they don't carry fast processors (H or HQ series), or they were just way overpriced...

For the best deals, check Best Buy.

Thanks a million! I think I’m leaning toward going with a Dell.

The real dilemma now—and it’s a bit of a head-scratcher—is whether it makes sense to drop the extra cash for the $167 Razer Blade or if the MacBook Pro would actually get the job done just fine.

Decisions, decisions... 🙂

The big decision lands today:

I've finally pulled the trigger on the MacBook Pro

Over at Best Buy, they’re asking just under $2767 https://www.bestbuy.com/example-link
whereas if I head over to Micro Center, it's about $2967
http://www.microcenter.com/example-link

—mind you—Micro Center includes an extra 60 months of warranty coverage with the laptop.

Is it actually worth shelling out $167 more just to secure those three extra years of protection? And what does that even cover, really? Does it include the whole damn laptop—battery, hard drive, graphics card, the works?

That’s not a standard warranty; it’s an insurance plan, so everything depends entirely on the specific contract you sign at checkout. You won't actually know the terms until you're looking at the fine print. That said, I'm pretty sure the battery isn't covered.

Hint: Read the fine print. 😬

darkowl72 said:Look, we aren't really talking about a standard manufacturer's warranty here—it's more akin to an insurance policy, and frankly, it all hinges entirely on the specific fine print in the contract you sign at the point of sale. You won't truly know what you're getting into until you actually see the paperwork in front of you. That said—and I'm fairly certain on this one—the battery itself likely won't be covered under that protection.

Pro tip: Always, always read the fine print 😬

thanks,

I'll keep that in mind.