Looking for basic multimedia laptop

[Corban227]

hey guys, im having trouble selecting a laptop for a friend. the main uses of the lap top are for multimedia (from watching videos to writing music. not much photo work), and internet browsing. not sure what core to recommend be in the lap top etc.

budget is roughly 500-700 and she will be getting it within the next month. the purpose of this laptop is more for getting her through the rest of college. it doesn't need to be top of the line and she plans on getting a new computer in about 2 to 3 years anyways.

i was mainly looking at laptops with i3s in them but i wasn't sure how AMD compared on budget cores for laptops. ill post later what her current laptop is running, but right now its bassically dying. she said something about the mobo being useless but i haven't had a chance to see the computer yet.

would it be a good idea to get something like this acer which is at the top of her budget or a laptop more along the lines of this Asus?

also how about a recertified laptop from newegg? do they normaly run ok? Asus

any recommendations welcome

 

[HardwareGuru]

For $500-$700 budget, you can get a 15.6" laptop with an Intel i3-350M dual core cpu @ 2.26ghz for $500. AMD has the AMD Turion II Dual cores series cpus such as the AMD P520 @ 2.3ghz and the AMD P320 @ 2.1ghz but, it's slower than the Intel Core i3 350M @ 2.26ghz or the 330M @ 2.13ghz. Consider these Core i3 & Core i5 notebooks

Notebook with Intel Core i3-350M @ 2.26ghz
MSI A6200-206US for $499.99
http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/497949/MSI-A6200-206US-156-LED-Backlit/

Notebook with Intel Core i5-450M @ 2.4ghz
MSI S6000-017US for $599.99
http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/541572/MSI-S6000-017US-156-LED-Backlit/

Oh, by the way, what's the current specs of your friends laptop?

 

[Corban227]

im not sure exactly. have to check it out for her cause she doesnt know how to check the specs. ill repost on this thread when i know them. any opinions on that refurb laptop i listed?

 

[HardwareGuru]

any opinions on that refurb laptop i listed?

You know, I don't see why you'd bother with that Asus refurbished for $500+ dollars and only 90 day parts/labor warranty. You might as well buy a one new with 1 year parts/labor. Plus, it's a i3-330 cpu @ 2.13ghz vs the MSI notebook I listed with the i3-350 @ 2.26ghz for $499.99

 

[Corban227]

Ok i finally found out my friends laptop specs.
apparently its 5 years old so anything she gets will be amazing.

it has:
AMD Turion 64 mobile technology1.99 Ghz
512 mb ram
integrated graphics
111GB HDD

also she did express an interest in a blu ray player. but im not sure if the price difference would make it worth it. any opinions? i.e. would it be better to get a comp with an i5 or a graphics card rather than a bluray player?

here are some other laptops i found.

http://www.amazon.com/MSI-CR620-033US-15-6-Inch-Laptop/dp/B0036OR9CO

http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/497949/MSI-A6200-206US-156-LED-Backlit/#firstTab

how are acer computers? i haven't heard anything about their quality.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834115791

We went to frys and she really liked how the sony laptops felt (she liked the touch pad and the key board) but they seem over priced for what your getting. are their any sony laptops out there that are worth the money?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834127027