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  1. Member
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    Hello everyone!
    I am hearing some strange noises from my laptop today, and am concerned on its longevity. I would like to get a new Win 10 laptop with optical drive, so I can continue to burn DVDs and rip them from my computer. Are they any in the $400 price range anyone could recommend?
    Thanks in advance!
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  2. Member Cornucopia's Avatar
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    Just get an external usb drive, then you can use it with all modern laptops.
    I'm partial to the LG ones.

    Scott
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  3. Member
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    What modern laptop would you recommend for about $400?
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  4. Last edited by TreeTops; 9th May 2020 at 11:22.
    Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence -Carl Sagan
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  5. There is nothing really to "recommend": modern budget-priced laptops have mostly been a commodity wasteland for years now. Plus they're a moving target, with each individual model having the market lifespan of a fruit fly (i.e., by the time Consumer Reports or Cnet recommends one in a roundup, its been replaced twice by a newer version). Choice is an illusion: all you'll find at stores or most online vendors are HP, Asus, Acer and Lenovo. Every third year, HP accidentally releases a laptop that doesn't stink on ice out of the box and self destruct within 90 days, so unless you enjoy problematic hardware and arguments with sellers I'd steer far clear of HP. The remaining three are interchangeable for all practical purposes (Lenovo trends just slightly better than Asus and Acer at $500 and up, but in the $400 range they're all a wash).

    Optical media has one foot in the grave, one on a banana peel, and just banged its head on on a tree branch: its a rapidly dying concept increasingly omitted from consumer laptops. Do as Cornucopia suggested: choose the laptop first, then if it doesn't include a built-in optical drive just buy an external USB drive for it. Yes, its a gigantic PITA to have to deal with the external drive hanging off, severely limiting the toss-around, easy-storage advantages of using a laptop. But this is where we are now: cloud storage and streaming have (very unfortunately) killed physical media dead for the mass market. Mfr of the drives themselves is winding down officially and unofficially: if you expect to continue doing a lot of work with optical discs, its a good idea to stockpile two or three additional backup drives NOW while you can still get decent ones for minimal cost. Ditto the blanks discs: just about everything "quality" is gone or disappearing fast.

    Another economical option is to troll sites like eBay for second-hand laptops from two or three years ago: these typically include barely-used internal optical drives, and can often be had for almost nothing ($200 or less, I picked up a couple fantastic deals for $99 apiece). At current second-hand prices, you can buy a separate older laptop dedicated to disc work for very little cost, and a more modern, powerful, portable laptop for everyday tasks.
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  6. Member
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    Thanks for your input guys! I want a reliable laptop that will last me as long as my current computer has lasted (5 years). It's a Toshiba Satellite laptop, Harmon Kardon speakers. Not a fancy GPU or CPU, but decent nonetheless. I want to be able to make CDs and DVDs (I am a childcare provider and need CDs from time to time.) I probably won't need to rip DVDs since I haven't recently bought DVDs. My wife has a simple Lenovo Ideapad laptop, but her mousepad is so weird, I was hoping for a different choice. I agree about the HP crap. My wife and I bought two HPs about the same time. Hers was about $1000 at the time, but there was something wrong with the motherboard, and it would cause the screen to go black. We brought it to Best Buy to be serviced, but it kept having an issue every few months. Ended up selling it for parts. We both had Toshibas, with a better result. Sorry for the rant. I just wanted to give a backstory of why I want a cheap computer.
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  7. Member
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    Jun 2005
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    I have had very good luck with refurbished laptops. I'm now on my 4th one and have never had a bad one. I prefer either Dell or Lenovo. If you get something in the price range you're talking about you should get something really decent. I've had good luck with both Tiger Direct and Newegg. I would say to get one with a 15 inch screen if you're doing video work. The one from Walmart that was suggested does NOT have a DVD player. I do have an external DVD player but still prefer a built in. If you have any questions let me know.
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  8. Member
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    I am nervous to buy another refurbished laptop. I bought an HP elitebook from on online seller for Best Buy. The battery life was horrible, and a few other issues occurred.
    It could be the seller and item I picked. I am looking for a reliable brand in my price range with windows 10 Home, and an optical drive.
    Thanks for your help.
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  9. I swear by my $25 external optical drive. So many machines today without an optical drive so having a usb drive means you can use it across other devices, and internal drives make for bulkier machines. My fujitsu lifebook is super slim without one.

    Consider an 'A1' refurb laptop.
    I just got the lifebook i7 with ssd for £600 instead of £800 and it is in mint condition with a fresh W10 install.

    There are plenty of dedicated refurb suppliers, don't do it via best buy or a high street store. search online

    I have had 5 fujitsu laptops since day one, I would never have anything else.

    A sidenote for fujitsu is that they don't fill up thier laptops with useless trial software, and not once has a fujitsu let me down, other than an internal optical drive which failed, hence the external drive.

    Personally, I would never touch HP.. way too much bloatware installed

    Lenovo would be my second choice
    Last edited by super8rescue; 10th May 2020 at 05:17.
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  10. Member
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    Thanks super8rescue, what sellers do you recommend? I guess dfisher052 likes Tiger Direct and New Egg. I may not buy yet, but in case it dies I want to know my best options.
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  11. I am in the UK so I can't help you.
    Best friend is google.
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  12. Member
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    I saw the prices you quoted, so I figured as much. I haven't heard of Fujitsu as a laptop brand, must be more popular where you are. Thanks again!
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