Well, I came upon some extra money this summer and decided to try scoping out a few computer options. I figure that a laptop would be best, as I have way too much takey-upy-space stuff anyway. I technically already have a computer. It's an emachine 300 that has a bad modem and will need an ethernet card anyway if I want to use it at my apartment and it only has a CD-ROM and floppy drive. It was free as it used to be my grandma's. I've never used it, so I'm seriously considering just leaving it at home due to the issue of my having too much junk as it is.
So, at the very least, I want something with Word, an ethernet port, a decent amount of memory, and a CD burner/DVD player. A decent soundcard/videocard would be nice if I ever want to play a few games on it, and something that would stand the test of time and still be good in a few years without me calling IT support every five days would make my day.
Budgetwise, I might have as much as a thousand dollars, but my optimum price range would be closer to the 800s. A mac is just too expensive, but I've seen a few refurbished dells for about that price.
Do the smart ones of Hatrack think I have a decent budget or am I being too hardnosed? What would be the optimal choice for a college student without a whole lot of money?
Posted by Richard Berg (Member # 133) on :
Used or refurbed Pentium-M with as much RAM as you can afford. (Disk swapping is always slow, but it's torture on a laptop.) There are some really nice screens in every size category now; exact pick depends on your size/weight preferences. Ergonomics you can test on a comparable model before you buy are a plus.
Reliability goes something like this: IBM >> Dell > Toshiba, Compaq > Gateway, Sony
(edit) Don't count on playing recent 3D games on an affordable laptop anytime soon.
[ August 19, 2004, 12:37 AM: Message edited by: Richard Berg ]
Posted by Insanity Plea (Member # 2053) on :
$800 is a great range for a good new laptop, how soon do you need to get it, if possible, I suggest waiting for the day after thanksgiving, prices drop by as much as $200-300 then. my laptop comparo from last time
And personally, I would put toshiba above dell, for the fact that they use better parts, and service is better for home users, with dell you have to call tech support in India, for Toshiba you take it to Best Buys. Satyagraha
[ August 19, 2004, 12:54 AM: Message edited by: Insanity Plea ]
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
my experience has been good with averatec and gateway.
*stabs sony repeatedly*
Posted by Rappin' Ronnie Reagan (Member # 5626) on :