I just need something basic..

word processing, e-mail, the occasional mid-class flash game...

8/13/2007 11:39:25 PM

MacBook

8/14/2007 12:28:44 AM

8/14/2007 1:31:53 AM

Dell Inspiron e1505's are only $499 now.

8/14/2007 1:35:10 AM

sorry, got it mixed up. that's inspiron 1501 not 1505

8/15/2007 12:56:53 AM

its ok i forgive you

8/15/2007 1:00:17 AM

dell is way backed up from what i've read

8/15/2007 10:46:19 PM

olpc ftw

8/15/2007 10:52:06 PM

Dell is way backed up. Had a customer call into the bookstore today saying that dell wouldn't even ship their PC to them for four weeks, so he was checking to see if we had anything in stock.

As far as basic goes, check out the office depot, best buy, and the rest of the big box store's weekly flyers for what laptops are on special. There was an HP laptop marked down to $750 as part of an HP sale that was $500 with an extra discount available at office depot. I'm pretty sure that's over by now though.

8/16/2007 12:18:23 AM

fwiw... i ordered a dell inspiron 1501 on 7/31 and it was delivered on 8/8 (3-5 day shipping)... suprised me since the "estimated ship date" was 8/22

the "bundle" pack was delivered the next day for a surge protector, wireless mouse and flash drive and the estimated ship date was 9/6 (ordered at the same time)

again... fwiw

8/16/2007 8:30:11 AM

If you plan on carrying it around with you everywhere, MacBook or one of the 14 inch dells (if you can find one with an acceptable ship date.) The problem with ultra-cheap laptops from any of the manufacturers is that they're usually not very good at being laptops. Just make sure you pay attention to the weight and battery life. If you absolutely don't care about portability... well then buy a desktop.

8/16/2007 10:45:19 AM

Quote :

"Dell is way backed up. "

AFAIK this is only for their laptops with the painted lid options and those with the LED backlights.

8/16/2007 10:49:03 AM

Dell is just a reseller. buy straight from the manufact.

8/16/2007 10:51:57 AM

who is the manufacturer?

This is what i don't know.
who makes good laptops
and don't say ibm/apple
i dislike macs and lenovos have turds for graphics cards.

8/16/2007 10:29:45 PM

Macbook

8/16/2007 10:42:57 PM

Quote :

"Dell is way backed up."

use the dell.com/outlet... they're refurbs, but since it's just stock and no customizing you should be able to get it much sooner

8/17/2007 5:28:12 PM

Quote :

"Dell is just a reseller. buy straight from the manufact."

Wrong.

Quote :

"Macbook"

If you want an el-cheapo, wait for a dell deal, or wait for black friday for the killer in-store rebate deals.

8/17/2007 8:07:07 PM

Quote :

"Dell is just a reseller. buy straight from the manufact."

once upon a time it was..not so much now.

Quote :

""Macbook""

hahahaha, you're kidding, right?

and yea, I guess I pretty much copied noen's post but who cares

8/18/2007 1:00:20 AM

I got my Macbook for about $650 from the Apple store

8/18/2007 2:57:51 AM

^^ no, they're laptops are still constructed in china and taiwan by odms... they just put in the main components stateside (hd, processor, ram)

[Edited on August 18, 2007 at 9:26 AM. Reason : not technically a reseller...]

8/18/2007 9:26:23 AM

Hey,
I bought an IBM T40. It's an older laptop that cost $3000 in its day, but now costs $500 at TigerDirect. There is a TigerDirect outlet store in Raleigh off Capital Blvd just a bit outside the beltline. Check it out:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1904159&CatId=2242

I'm happy with mine. Unlike a lot of new, cheap laptops, the parts are not second-rate parts. This was a top of the line laptop when it first came out, and now there are a ton of off-lease T40's coming back onto the market.

-Mike

8/18/2007 1:10:27 PM

Is this a good value?

Compaq Presario f560us Notebook

AMD Mobile Sempron 3500+
15.4 inch screen (max resolution 1200 x 800)
512 MB Ram
80 GB HD
DVR RW
GeForce Go 6150 128 MB
Windows Vista Home Basic

$399.99 after MIR

http://tinyurl.com/2gw4q6

8/21/2007 2:00:57 AM

Looks good to me.

8/21/2007 9:18:04 AM

is a 2 year notebook service plan plus screen worth $140?

8/21/2007 10:34:17 AM

Definitely worth it, although, that's like 40% the price of the laptop, so you might wanna consider how long you're going to keep the laptop.

8/21/2007 11:30:52 AM

Quote :

"is a 2 year notebook service plan plus screen worth $140?"

no, not for a $400 laptop.

8/21/2007 11:39:50 AM

So I hear that 512 might suck running vista, and that I will probably need an upgrade. Can I just add a 1 gig stick to the ram already in there, or will I need to replace it?

I'm not up to date on laptop tech.

8/22/2007 9:21:13 PM

are those laptop sellers on craigslist trustworthy by any means...?

8/22/2007 9:49:26 PM

Used IBM or Lenovo. Will be superior and longer lasting than any of the other bargain brands mentioned thus far.

8/27/2007 10:24:54 PM

my compaq broke a year and a month after i bought it so i would suggest the 2year warranty if they fix it completely for free and if so break that shit right a month or 2 before the warranty
then extend the warranty when they fix it.

8/27/2007 10:58:39 PM

Exactly why a lot of companies don't allow you to extend the warranty after a certain amount of time. Assuming that the laptop warranty covered accidental damage, doing what you suggest to a perfectly functional laptop is still a horrible idea. Most companies service their computers using a mix of serviceable used parts and other "acceptable" parts that differ from those originally included in the computer. This is all spelled out clearly in each company's warranty by the way. This means that you could actually have whatever parts you broke replaced with older used/refurbished parts or "comparable" but different parts. The end result is that the replacement parts may actually be in worse condition than the parts you just broke.

8/28/2007 5:07:03 PM