Deciding between two budget laptops

[nehas91]

Hello,
I hope this is okay to post here (non-mac laptops) but if it's not, mods please delete.

I am looking to buy a budget laptop for my dad. He's mainly going to use it for viewing hd vidoes, web browsing, emails, etc. However, I will also be using it occasionally to run Apophysis to render fractals.

I've narrowed it down to two laptops but I'm having trouble differentiating which one would be best suited for the above needs. My budget is less than $400.

For $394 @ Sams Club
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7708074&csid=_61

For $369 @ OfficeMax
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicat...agenumber=2&RSort=6&csid=ITD&recordsPerPage=5

 

[alexrmc92]

Hello,
I hope this is okay to post here (non-mac laptops) but if it's not, mods please delete.

I am looking to buy a budget laptop for my dad. He's mainly going to use it for viewing hd vidoes, web browsing, emails, etc. However, I will also be using it occasionally to run Apophysis to render fractals.

I've narrowed it down to two laptops but I'm having trouble differentiating which one would be best suited for the above needs. My budget is less than $400.

For $394 @ Sams Club
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7708074&csid=_61

For $369 @ OfficeMax
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicat...agenumber=2&RSort=6&csid=ITD&recordsPerPage=5

They look nearly identical, but i find ASUS build quality to be much better than acer

 

[keysofanxiety]

I've found that both ASUS' and Acer's low-end models have horrendous build quality. However as I can't really provide an alternative I can only suggest wait/save up for a better model if you can afford to wait.

Sorry

 

[talmy]

I teach engineering classes in the evening and see lots of different laptops from all the manufactures and in various states of decline. And these cheapies decline real quickly. Prepare to replace them every year. Frankly, if I had to buy a budget Windows laptop I'd look for a used, off-lease Lenovo ThinkPad -- their business models such as the "T" series, not their consumer models which are a junky as the rest.