Buying a new laptop
JP
I am interested in buying a laptop soon for college. I was just
wondering if anyone knew any good deals or places to get a good
laptop? Also, what features should I look for when buying a next gen.
laptop?
My price range is under $1000.
Thanks in advance.
JP
Anonymous Jack
> I am interested in buying a laptop soon for college. I was just
> wondering if anyone knew any good deals or places to get a good laptop?
Well, no one has taken this one up yet...
What will you be doing with it? If you have a desktop and are just
looking at something for web browsing and carrying around to take
notes, and money is a issue, there are lots of used Pentium 233
computers on eBay for $120-$150. You'll probably have to spend
another $100-$200 for a battery, modem, etc.
If this will be your primary system, I would check out Bestbuy.com and
Compusa.com for weekly specials on new computers. Recently saw an AMD
2400 (new, of course) for about $850-$900. If you're looking for
used, I would go with Dell's or IBM's auction sites, though new laptop
prices are low and used laptop prices tend to be high. Don't forget,
although new laptops come with an operating system, the other software
may be sketchy. Figure in the price of software you'll need to buy vs
what the laptop comes with. Sometimes the higher priced laptop is a
better deal because of the software bundled with it.
> Also, what features should I look for when buying a next gen.
> laptop? My price range is under $1000.
Most new laptops come with integrated network cards, modems, USB 2,
20-40 GB hard drives, and a minimum of 256mb RAM. You'll probably
also get a CDRW, though a combo DVD-ROM/CDRW is preferable.
Avoid the Intel (Pentium 4-based) Celeron laptops unless you are
primarily doing light duty work such as writing and web browsing; that
processor is a relative dog. If this is sufficient for you, Dell has
some in the $700 range.
Essentials on a new laptop - integrated Ethernet network card and USB
2.
If you can use a screwdriver and follow instructions, buy the laptop
with the minimum RAM configuration, and buy/install additional RAM
yourself; it's alot cheaper.
Some laptops use the desktop Pentium 4 instead of the mobile Pentium
4-m; the desktop processor really drags down the battery run-time.
Centrino systems run a minimum of $1300 but include integrated
wireless networking capabilities, and the the Pentium M processor is
more efficient than the Pentium 4s with faster clockspeeds. You'll
get better battery life (2x or better) with a Centrino system.
If you're looking to play games, edit vido, etc, check out the video
system. The best have upgradable graphics cards. Next up are systems
with integrated video that allow you to select the dedicated RAM for
video; load up the laptop with RAM and assign the max RAM you can to
video.
Personally, I'd be very positive that I had a way of backing up my
data and had lots of insurance on my laptop. A drop, spilled beer, or
larcenous roommate/visitor could ruin your year.
Good luck, HTH