Not Worth a Title
Speaking of the corruption of money, and desire as the source of all suffering, I want a replacement laptop, and I don't want to spend too much, so I thought I would amuse myself by perstering my more compu-conscious colleagues with asking:
1) What is the best budget laptop available new?
2) Is a used, more powerful laptop a better deal?
3) Which brand of computer can help me break the cycle of endless rebirth?
posted by JAB at 2:33 PM
10 Comments:
I say get whatever is on sale at Best Buy, CompUSA, (note: of course, both of these places are notorious for bait-and-switch), or Costco. Or buy online from Dell. I don't think used laptops are a good value. Some (like me) prefer IBM laptops, some I know prefer Sony, but both of these brands cost more while providing only marginal added value.
The Laird has already given you precisely the advice I give my friends and clients when they ask me.
But you ask a seemingly reasonable question about used ("recertified") laptops, and I'd like to address it directly.
Used laptops *could* be a could value, and the fact that so many outlets sell them seems to confirm that they must work well enough on the whole. Friends of mine who have tried it - and let me now admit that this a very small sample from which to generalize - have almost universally been frustrated by hidden problems, such as PC Card slots that don't work, or hard drives that fail suspiciously quickly.
Even if you are willing to take that risk, the amount of money you stand to save isn't that great. Take this selection of new laptops between $400 and $600 at NewEgg.com (a mail order vendor I can recommend):
http://tinyurl.com/3exw5q
Dr. X posts this from CompEU:
"This is written on a $400 H-P Celeron laptop I got used at a store in Berkeley. It's fine. It spontaneously turns off without warning once or twice a day. Otherwise it's fine. Really."
I've got a used (6 year old) Dell laptop you can have for free.
And I believe it's worth every penny.
I got 'Tor 2/3rds of a laptop for christmas, and I went the Dell + "google 'dell coupon'" route.
But as the Laird said: Go into a reputable store and just buy one. In some ways it's better to do it in person just so you can see what you're getting.
Or go the "look in store, buy online" route. In any event, as long as you do just a little comparison shopping, it's hard to go wrong.
And let me know if you need Office. I've got a connection...
Thank you for the sage advice, gentlemen.
I believe I will dawdle for two weeks, then, in a fit of pique, pester Dell relentlessly for a good educational discount, then hesitate, then obsess with a mythical deal on ebay for a while, use CNET to check to be sure the one I thought I wanted is not horrible only to be distracted by a camera review, then troll Cragislist for my stolen Inspiron, despair of justice, then remember that I do need enough power to handle near-professional image manipulation, then be annoyed at the additional cost, then stew and use the ancient imac at the coffee shop for another week before I make a decision.
You might want to keep an eye on www.techbargains.com . I use them allot to get a good idea of what good bargains are available. They often point out good deals from Dell on laptops.
One more thoughts. If you can avail yourself of the UW Bookstore discount, it is quite good and they carry IBMs which I am in agreement with my friends is certainly the most well-build laptop on the Market. They are now made by Lenovo but so far their "fit and finish" has been of the same quality as when they were made by IBM.
One more piece of advice: make sure to check the return policy, especially when buying a defect-prone thing like a laptop.
By the bye, I want to second the Undersecretary's recommendation of NewEgg. Their prices are good, and I had a good 'return' experience with them, too.
Your plan seems sounds; I wish you good luck.
if you get a dell, get something with a true mobile processor in it. like pentium m. my inspiron 8600 is 3 years old now and the [original] battery still holds enough of a charge for 6 hours of computing. no joke. 6 hours. and it's insanely quiet 'cause it rarely gets hot enough to need the fans to run.
also, with laptops, factor in $300-400 for a complete "save my ass" plan. remember, laptops get shat on (well at least mine does)
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