Looking for a versatile laptop

[cartersball]

I am looking for a laptop to use for both work and entertainment. I don't have a lot of cash to work with so I am looking somewhere in the range of $450-$550. I have researched most of the brick and mortar stores and have found this to be an option and considered upgrading to 8GB of RAM.

Any other suggestions?

What is your budget?
$550

What country will you be buying this in?
USA

What size notebook do you prefer?
Mainstream (15 - 16-inch screen)

Would you consider a refurbished laptop?
Maybe

What are the primary tasks you need this notebook for?
Web Surfing, Office and Productivity Software, Listening to Music, Video Editing, Movie Streaming and Viewing, Output Video to TV or Large Monitor, Casual Gaming

Where will you be using this laptop?
Will be used different places

How many hours of battery life do you need?
5

Will you be buying online or in store?
online or in store

Which OS do you prefer?
Windows 7

List the screen resolutions that interest you:
Standard Resolution (1366 x 768)

Do you prefer a glossy or matte screen?
Matte is fine

Is the laptops design important to you?
Yes

Approximately what date will you be buying this laptop?
Around 09/18/2012

How long do you want this laptop to last?
3 years

How much storage capacity do you need?
500 GB

Are you interested in SSD for storage?
Maybe

Do you want a built-in optical drive, what type?
DVD Burner

[idiot101]

Latest hardware in a budget business machine. Please try to find some reviews.
HP ProBook 4540s B5P39UT Notebook PC - 3rd Gen Intel Core i3-3110M 2.4GHz, 4GB DDR3, 500GB HDD, DVDRW, 15.6 Display, Windows 7 Professional 64-bit at TigerDirect.com

The one you have linked to is last generation hardware.

[cartersball]

True that it is a last gen processor, but what am I getting out of a third gen processor that I won't out of a proven Sandy bridge? I've read a few articles here and there so forgive me if I am incorrect. The power difference is only around 100mhz and ivy bridge processors don't overclock as well. Results I've seen show between a 5 and 10 percent increase overall. Does Sandy bridge not support ssd drives if I choose to upgrade the hdd as well?

Sent from my N860 using Tapatalk 2

[idiot101]

You get small improvements on the CPU side, but you do have significant gains on the GPU side. It isn't anemic now and will play any form of media that you throw at (the all important Direct X11 support and browser GPU acceleration). You are getting small improvements in power efficiency too. And business laptops are generally better built. They will last you longer (unless you get a lemon). You have better driver support as well. I would rather recommend a business machine for your purpose.

[pepper_john]

Yeh in general business grade notebooks are better built. I would highly recommend Thinkpad E430 as I have used an E420 for two yrs and love it.

[cartersball]

Thanks for both of the recommendations!! Lots of research going into this laptop as I want something that will last awhile. I will definitely look into the Lenovo. I like the HP ProBook and would love to get a little hands on time with one. In the past I have been leery of HP's build quality due to many stories I have heard. I had a chance to test drive this Asus K55A-BBL4 that a co-worker recently purchased today while in a meeting, and was quite impressed with the boot speed and capability of the i5 processor as I zoomed through some random tasks. I even flipped it over and wrote down the model number so I could research it a little more.