Budget Laptop

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maj0r_pawnage
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Budget Laptop

Post by maj0r_pawnage »

Well my mom is going to be buying a laptop, she will only be using it for work so no high end stuff, with a pretty small budget of 300-400USD. I don't really have much experience in the laptop department so if anyone could point me in the right direction it would be much appreciated.
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dicecca112
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Re: Budget Laptop

Post by dicecca112 »

Not gonna happen for that price. Maybe the Asus EEE. Gotta be 500-700 for low end
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w00fd06
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Re: Budget Laptop

Post by w00fd06 »

i agree, the 4g is great, loved by all who review it

what does she have for a laptop now?
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Re: Budget Laptop

Post by bubba »

You can pick up a basic Dell for around $500, $600 if you want to keep XP.

Now if you know someone that can order on the small business side then you can get a Dell Vostro 1000 for $400
http://www.dell.com/content/products/ca ... l=en&s=bsd

Hell walmart has some HP's for around $450-500.
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ibleet
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Re: Budget Laptop

Post by ibleet »

For that price, you're better off going with Pre-owned.
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maj0r_pawnage
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Re: Budget Laptop

Post by maj0r_pawnage »

Yeah I guess I'll tell her to spend more if she wants a real laptop :P. Ty for the help.
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Re: Budget Laptop

Post by camaroguy1998 »

bubba wrote:You can pick up a basic Dell for around $500, $600 if you want to keep XP.

Now if you know someone that can order on the small business side then you can get a Dell Vostro 1000 for $400
http://www.dell.com/content/products/ca ... l=en&s=bsd

Hell walmart has some HP's for around $450-500.
I bought one of the Dell Vostro 1000 series just before Christmas, I used a real business name but did not provide a US tax ID number so they charged me tax but did not hesitate to sell me the laptop. Less than $450 delivered.
Try buying one, it will probably work!
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Re: Budget Laptop

Post by DemonicDerek »

maj0r_pawnage wrote:Well my mom is going to be buying a laptop, she will only be using it for work so no high end stuff, with a pretty small budget of 300-400USD. I don't really have much experience in the laptop department so if anyone could point me in the right direction it would be much appreciated.
At 300-400 you are looking at getting a low-end used laptop (don't do it! I would just spend the extra for a new low-end laptop).
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Re: Budget Laptop

Post by hnzw_rui »

Springing an extra $100~$200 would probably give your mom a significant performance boost over bottom of the barrel offerings. However, she might not need that extra performance. If you can get a brand-new laptop with Windows XP for $400 (I forgot if the Vostro 1000 can be installed with XP), then by all means, choose that. Even with just 512MB RAM, XP works quite well without the need to tinker with settings (disable services, turn off Luna, etc). With Vista, the minimum is 2GB RAM if you want a responsive system. Maybe 1GB for Vista Home Basic.

You don't really need to have a business in order to buy from the Dell Small Business website. I've ordered there several times because they usually have better deals than Dell's Home Office store.
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Re: Budget Laptop

Post by stev »

The Everex StepNote series of laptops will fit the ticket well for the average person without the high costs.

Mainly the models using the Via C7-M processor at 1.5Ghz are the good deal. Both TigerDirect and CompUSA have them listed for $399.
Wal*Mart has the same unit selling for $448. Avoid the 1.2Ghz or slower CPU speeds.

Everex StepNote NC1502
15.4" screen, VIA C7-M 1.5GHz, 802.11b/g Wireless, 512MB DDR2, 80GB HDD, Dual Layer DVD RW, 15.4" WXGA, Windows Vista Home Basic

Here's the CNET review ... http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/everex- ... 16121.html

If you can find this laptop, WinXP Home or Pro works much faster than Vista on this box. I have a Toshiba laptop with Vista with a faster processor and more memory than my boy's Compaq laptop with less memory and a slower processor. GUESS WHAT, his machine is so much faster with XP!

Everex also has the Everex StepNote VA4103M at TigerDirect for $399 using an Intel CPU.
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications ... CatId=1905

The only thing about TigerDirect is their warranty. 3 months parts/3 months labor. Usually when a laptop starts to go worng is in the first 6 months of use. So, the other 3 months isn't covered. But, many of the on-line merchants do something similar as well. Selling it "refurbished" removes the manufactures warranty time period too.
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Re: Budget Laptop

Post by Alathald »

What about an ASUS Eee PC, not exactly top of the line (not even close) but it'll do the basic office and internet stuff and she could probably fit it in her purse :shock: ; at $200-400 depending on the model, it's a decent buy.
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Re: Budget Laptop

Post by w00fd06 »

Alathald wrote:What about an ASUS Eee PC, not exactly top of the line (not even close) but it'll do the basic office and internet stuff and she could probably fit it in her purse :shock: ; at $200-400 depending on the model, it's a decent buy.
that's what dicecca said:
dicecca112 wrote:Maybe the Asus EEE.
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Re: Budget Laptop

Post by Alathald »

w00fd06 wrote:that's what dicecca said:
Opps, that's what I get for surfing on drugs :shock: J/k but it has been a long day and I wasn't paying close attention :oops: thanks for pointing that out and sorry for the duplicate post.
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Re: Budget Laptop

Post by mebens »

Check out http://www.medisoncelebrity.com/. I know it's not all that great...but it's $150 new. Good for a starter or basic use i suppose.
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Re: Budget Laptop

Post by hnzw_rui »

$150 for a laptop... I'm sensing scam...
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Re: Budget Laptop Help

Post by pcuser31 »

ok so i have an asus 7100z and i've had it for a few years now and it weighs a TON. i just saw that asus released the ee pc for windows and w/8GB. Does anyone know of a vendor where i can get it customized? and does anyone know where i can buy one? :?
I basically need a new laptop, i don't want a mac and i loved my asus. I also need a good deal. suggestions?
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Re: Budget Laptop

Post by maj0r_pawnage »

:P, she got an average one from dell and its pretty good(not really gaming but everyday stuff) someone from my school has the asus eee and I dunno I think it sucks lol, but you can find them on ebay and there are alota extras u can get for it i think...
E6300 @ 3.51GHz 1.392v
Asus Maximus Formula
Antec 550Watt Psu
Mushkin DDR-1206@ 5-5-5-15 / 2.28v
Zalman CPU Cooler CNPS7700
6408800GTS(OC 691MHz Core/2.132GHz Mem)
2x80mm case fans +2x120mm case fans
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