TheRoper Posted July 15, 2007 Share Posted July 15, 2007 (edited) EDIT: THIS TOPIC WAS JUST BUMPED, it's not new, please see my new post way down below. Thanks. Hello folks, been a while since I posted in here... Anywho, as the topic title says, I need some help with purchasing a new (or used) laptop. My budget is a bit slim as far as laptops go, $400-$600, but it's going on the corporate card so I can't really complain. I have a decent desktop, so this would be a secondary comp, but I'd still like something not-too-sh*te. Expandable is probably the way to go, as I can do whatever I want with it if I'm using my own cash. SO, no macs (too expensive anyway, I think), at least 512mb base RAM (again, expandable, to 2G maybe?), at least an 80GB HD, decent graphics card, you know... Basically, what's the best I can get for that price? Primary uses are supposed to be Word/Excel/Web stuff, so I could get away with something super basic, but I'm gonna use it for other stuff too (gaming and what have you)... PLEASE HELP FIND ME A GOOD DEAL!!! Thanks, guys. Edited August 31, 2007 by TheRoper $$$ MAKE MONEY WITH NEOBUX $$H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fozzy Fozborne Posted July 15, 2007 Share Posted July 15, 2007 I looked around at the top 3 (dell, gateway, hp) and the only new laptops from them in your price range are the HP dv6000t series and Gateway NX570S series. Both of them come with a gig of RAM. The HP has an 80 gig hard drive with a free upgrade to 120GB, the Gateway only has 60 gigs standard. The gateway has a 1.86GHz Celeron M and the HP has a 1.6GHz celeron M. Neither comes with a standard discrete graphics card, but the HP offers an 7400GO as a $50 option. They both come standard with a DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive. Now, the crucial bit, they both come with Vista standard (only the Gateway offers XP media center as a $90 option). Vista is still very immature, and has been known to cause all sorts of problems with PCs including crashes. However, it's getting better everyday and more and more people are saying positive things about it. Overall, I'd say they're pretty evenly matched. The HP is $580 and the Gateway is $540. I'm not exactly sure what you could get on ebay for $600, but last year's laptop will be about 1/3 the price it was last year, and I'd think it could outpower these machines if you can find a good one. Hope that helped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRoper Posted July 15, 2007 Author Share Posted July 15, 2007 Wow man, thanks a lot! Those both actually seem pretty sweet. A few questions though: What's the low-down on a Celeron M? I don't know much about processors, but I've heard that the Pentiums are much better than the Celerons... Could be wrong though. Also, I've never used a Gateway, any opinions? The OS doesn't really matter 'cause I have some legit XP Pro discs (actually, they were from desktops, does that matter?), and I can't believe this, but I honestly didn't even think to check eBay. I don't have any idea why, I look there quite frequently for all sorts of things... Weird. Thanks again, Fozzy, you're awesome. Still open to other finds though, and I'll definitely check eBay too! $$$ MAKE MONEY WITH NEOBUX $$H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fozzy Fozborne Posted July 15, 2007 Share Posted July 15, 2007 Celeron processors are basically Pentium processors with lower cache memory (the extremely fast memory where the CPU stores information it will need again) the higher amount of cache, the faster the processor (because less information has to be sent to the vastly slower RAM or hard drive). However, lower cache means a much cheaper processor and much less heat making it better for mobile use. So, for raw speed, the Pentium processor of equivalent speed will outperform a Celeron, but it will cost significantly less and put off less heat. Considering both of those choices have integrated graphics, you're not going to get very good gaming out of either of them (and from what I've seen, all laptops in the sub-$600 price bracket). That said, they will be plenty good for working on, and will provide some good gaming, as long as you keep that graphics setting from low to medium. I found another page featuring new sub-$600 laptops on Newegg They all feature Celeron M's or AMD Sempron Mobiles (AMD's equivalent to the Celeron). Out of all the laptops I've shown you, the COMPAQ Presario F553US is probably tied for the best with the Gateway. It has 1 GB RAM, AMD Sempron 3500+ mobile, Nvidia 6150 integrated graphics card, and an 80 GB hard drive. It's $569 after a $30 mail in rebate. I'm sure you'd be happy with any one of these laptops but my vote goes to the Compaq or Gateway. To be honest, I've never owned a Gateway computer, or a Compaq computer, or in fact an HP computer. I've owned two dells, which I'm satisfied with. I also own one computer I built myself and one I had built for me that I'm more than satisfied with. I doubt any computer from a good brand name would give you any trouble. I'm always happy to help people with their problems! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nucflash Posted July 16, 2007 Share Posted July 16, 2007 (edited) I would recomend a AMD processor laptop AMD LAPTOP for example... AMD Turion 64bit mobile processor 2.2ghz 1GIG RAM DVD+DL burner Vista Premium 80 gig HDD $599 Best buy has deals like this all the time on amd processor laptops with a gig of ram. I recomend amd from experience. My amd 64 is a very cool running processor, and much faster than the celeron in my girlfriends laptop (allthough the numbers brag its suposed to be FASTER than my amd) Or something like DUAL CORE for $50 more... Edited July 16, 2007 by Nucflash Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fozzy Fozborne Posted July 16, 2007 Share Posted July 16, 2007 (edited) That's an impressive deal, but this one's even better: HP Pavilion 15.4"! Intel Pentium Dual Core T2080 120 GB hard drive 1GB RAM DVD Burner Integrated Intel Graphics Vista Premium It's $549 after a $50 rebate. That's an astonishing deal . This laptop would be better for most of the time, however Nuc's laptop would be better for gaming. Dual-core allows you to run two programs at once with each program getting their own dedicated core. It also has a larger screen. The dedicated graphics card in Nuc's laptop would get you better framerates than this laptop with an integrated card. I'll keep you posted if I find anything better. Edited July 16, 2007 by Fozzy Fozborne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRoper Posted July 16, 2007 Author Share Posted July 16, 2007 I love you guys! <-- I mean that as hetero as possible. No but seriously, thanks so much! Most of the ones I've found on ebay are either refurbs or missing an OS (which, BTW, can I use an OS for a desktop on a laptop?), or some other thing about them... I'd rather go through a store of course, so that's probably what I'll do... THANKS GUYS, keep 'em coming, both of those last ones look ace! PS - How's the Acer brand? $$$ MAKE MONEY WITH NEOBUX $$H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fozzy Fozborne Posted July 16, 2007 Share Posted July 16, 2007 (edited) Yes, all software (including OS's) will work on a laptop. However, XP will only work on ONE PC at time. Most of the time you can transfer your product code to a new PC, but your old PC will not work with XP. I would definitely recommend avoiding Ebay's refurbished or used computers. Who knows what their owners put them through before shipping it to you? I have used an Acer laptop and I wasn't very impressed with it. Everything I touched felt cheap and chintzy and the touch pad was terrible compared to the other laptops I've used. That said, it was a cheap one, and their higher-cost products are probably better. Edited July 16, 2007 by Fozzy Fozborne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRoper Posted July 16, 2007 Author Share Posted July 16, 2007 (edited) Okay thanks. The OS issue is not a problem as the discs are from PCs that are... well, they're gone. [EDIT: Yes, I got the digits first] As for the Acer, coincidentally I've just been summoned to go pick up this one for another employee... Not what I'm looking for, but it will be fine for the person who will be using it. Strictly a work unit (Word, Excel, etc). I'll be getting a Gig of mem for it though, just 'cause Vista's min is 512 and we don't want the bare minimum of course! I'll get to toy with it a bit too, so that'll be good. I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks so much guys, still looking but getting there! Edited July 16, 2007 by TheRoper $$$ MAKE MONEY WITH NEOBUX $$H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRoper Posted August 31, 2007 Author Share Posted August 31, 2007 Bumpitty-bump-bump. Hey guys, I know it's been a little while, but the new laptop had to get put on the backburner for a bit. Anyways, quick recap: Need a decent laptop (512ram or more, 80gb HD or more, etc) for $400-600. You guys have been a great help so far, and posted some awesome choices, especially the last few. But, I've found a couple more that I'd appreciate some input on. I plan on making my purchase within the next day or two. Maybe tonight if I feel impulsive. Toshiba Satellite - $499 -Intel Pentium Dual Core T2080 1.73ghz -80GB hard drive -1gig ram -Built-in wireless -15.4in screen -256mb shared graphics. Toshiba Satellite - $549 -AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-52 1.6ghz -160gb HD -1gig ram -built-in wireless -15.4in screen -319mb shared graphics RECERTIFIED Gateway - $549 -Intel Pentium dual-core T2080(1.73GHz) -160gb HD -1gb ram -wireless -15.4in screen -dual layer dvd -Intel GMA950 graphics w/shared memory RECERTIFIED Gateway - $599 Same as above except 2gig ram and 1.6ghz processor So, what are your thoughts? Which is the best one (including the ones you fine folks have already mentioned for me), or if you find any others, that's just fine too! THANKS AGAIN! $$$ MAKE MONEY WITH NEOBUX $$H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fozzy Fozborne Posted August 31, 2007 Share Posted August 31, 2007 I personally would never buy a "recertified" (refurbished) expensive piece of electronics. When something is refurbished, say a 1 year old laptop has anything wrong with it replaced. That leaves everything else one year old. Perhaps the parts will last for 10 years, but it's more likely to fail because it's old. That said, before any of the laptops leave the factory, they are tested to make sure they are up to quality standards. It's up to you whether or not it's worth it to you to get a refurbished laptop, or to spend a little more on a new one. I would go with the Intel-powered Toshiba, personally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Picolini Posted August 31, 2007 Share Posted August 31, 2007 I would go with the Intel-powered Toshiba, personally. Ditto Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRoper Posted August 31, 2007 Author Share Posted August 31, 2007 (edited) I would go with the Intel-powered Toshiba, personally. Ditto Awesome, that's what I was leaning towards as well. Cuz then I can add another Gig of memory, and getting a bigger HD is a no-brainer as well, right? Never done it on a laptop, but I figure it's straight-forward. Thanks a lot guys, I really appreciate it! edit: In order to UPGRADE your system memory to 2GB, you need to replace both cards (comes with 2 512's installed). This borders false advertising since all resources say on slot is open, leading you to believe that there is a 1GB card in there only using one slot!I am really upset about this Argh, that's a pain in the ass, but still not a deal-breaker. Edited August 31, 2007 by TheRoper $$$ MAKE MONEY WITH NEOBUX $$H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lesfleanut Posted August 31, 2007 Share Posted August 31, 2007 I would go with the Intel-powered Toshiba, personally. Ditto Yeah, that's what I'd do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRoper Posted August 31, 2007 Author Share Posted August 31, 2007 I would go with the Intel-powered Toshiba, personally. Ditto Yeah, that's what I'd do. Then that is what I shall do. I'll pick it up tomorrow and let you guys know what I think of it. THANK YOU! Btw, that Acer that I picked up for a co-worker is working out fine. Feels solid, runs good. Actually picked up another for a different co-worker today as well. Gotta say though, Vista just seems like an XP theme with a sh*te-load of are you sure?'s $$$ MAKE MONEY WITH NEOBUX $$H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fozzy Fozborne Posted August 31, 2007 Share Posted August 31, 2007 If you mean "are you sure?"s as in, every time you run something it says "are you sure you want to run this game/peripheral, it could damage the system" then you can turn that off in the User Account Control portion of the control panel. I hope you like your laptop . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Picolini Posted August 31, 2007 Share Posted August 31, 2007 Yeah, Vista does ask you constantly "Are you sure you want to run this program?", it was a little annoying at first. I turned it off, but then I turned it back on because I had some problems with what I think was AIM, and it ran some program in the background from it which caused problems with my audio. So I turned it back on... I think it's safe to turn it off now, but I'm too lazy It doesn't bother me that much. It does have some other features, as well as updated Microsoft software. in MS Paint, you can now crop (woohoo, lol), and there's speech controls, it's set up well for using pen tablets... plenty of other things. It also looks sharper than XP imo. I wouldn't recommend going out of your way to update an older computer with Vista over XP, but if you're getting a new one, I'd say stick with the Vista. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRoper Posted September 1, 2007 Author Share Posted September 1, 2007 Yeah, I figured you could disable the confirmations, but I just haven't gotten around to it yet. And yeah, it does look sharper than XP, that's for sure... The only reason I'd 'down'grade them to XP is if I get any complaints from my computer-illiterate co-workers... Luckily I've got some XP disks so that's no worry. As for my own laptop, it's charging up right now, haven't turned it on yet, but I want to so bad! Gotta wait though, don't wanna f*ck with my battery life. And yeah, I'll toy with Vista some more, probably keep it. Luckily it came with a recovery disk including Vista so if I do put XP on it then change my mind, I can always bring it back to square one, so that's nice. Thanks again everyone, much appreciated. $$$ MAKE MONEY WITH NEOBUX $$H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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