G/F wants to replace 2012 MacBook Pro with Windows laptop

My g/f has a 2012 MacBook Pro (not retina) and she has been having lots of issues lately with reliability, both software and hardware, and doesn't want to put any more $ into repairing it. She prefers a Windows laptop to an apple laptop. I'm more familiar with Sager/Clevo gaming laptops and not so much cheaper, more business oriented laptops so I was hoping for some opinions. Thanks!

General Questions

1) What is your budget?
Ideally, she would like it to be under $700-$800. Cheaper is better

2) What size notebook would you prefer?
c. Thin and Light; 13" - 14" screen
3) Where will you buying this notebook? You can select the flag of your country as an indicator.
Continental USA. Either in store or online, doesn't matter.

4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
Anything besides Apple
5) Would you consider laptops that are refurbished/redistributed?
Most likely not unless it was a killer deal and/or had some sort of warranty

6) What are the primary tasks will you be performing with this notebook?
Mostly basic tasks. She mostly uses it for Word and Excel at work, and web browsing, streaming Netflix at home.

7) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places, leaving it on your desk or both?
Back and forth to work.
At work it would be on a desk
At home, she uses it on her lap in bed or on a couch.

8) Will you be playing games on your notebook? If so, please state which games or types of games?
No gaming

9) How many hours of battery life do you need?
No set amount. Whatever is reasonable.

10) Would you prefer to see the notebooks you're considering before purchasing it or buying a notebook on-line without seeing it is OK?
Doesn't matter

11) What OS do you prefer? Windows (Windows 7 / 8), Mac OS, Linux, etc.
Windows 10

Screen Specifics

12) From the choices below, what screen resolution(s) would you prefer? Keep in mind screen size in conjunction with resolution will play a large role in overall viewing comfort level. Everyone is different. Some like really small text, while others like their text big and easy to read. (Scroll down to see screen resolution information.)
She's not picky. Probably not anything super high res like 4K.

13) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen? (Scroll down to see explanations.)
Either is fine

Build Quality and Design

14) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
She is a lawyer and needs something that looks professional in the courtroom, but she would rather have reliability and dependability over looks if she had to choose.

15) When are you buying this laptop?
Sometime this week

16) How long do you want this laptop to last?
Minimum 3 years, Ideally 4-5

Notebook Components

17) How much hard drive space do you need? Do you want a SSD drive?
She doesn't need a ton, but probably at least 256Gb would be nice. Doesn't need to be SSD

18) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD Burner, Blu-ray Reader or Blu-Ray Burner? Not needed

 

Well you want a business laptop, but only want to pay $800 ish... Try the dell outlet (or HP, or Lenovo, whatever floats your boat). Pick up a mid range business notebook @ 14 inches like the E5450/E5470, with coupons, you should be able to get a good "new" or "certified refurbished" laptop. All of them come with full warranties so I wouldn't worry about that.

 

I would say a "Windows equivalent" of Macbooks is either Dell XPS 15 or Razer Blade 2016. Seeing how that's obviously out of your budget you could maybe try a Thinkpad (T or X) or a Yoga (both models).

 

The XPS13 is also an option, it's kind of the macbook air competitor and it is a pretty nice machine as well, on the expensive side though. A refurb Latitude E7000 series with a decent display is what I'd try to aim for.

 

Thanks guys, those are good suggestions. The XPS 13 looks really nice, I have a feeling she will gravitate towards that one.