Thoughts on/about laptop computers?

[clubmaker15]

Describe your experience about the type of laptop you use? I am getting on for Christmas and have a broad idea of what kind I want to get. I can spend no more than $350 and what it in time for Christmas.

I need enough space for: iTunes, Word documents(ALL OF THEM), web surfing(TST), CD and DVD compatibility, WiFi, and basic functions

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated

Looking at eBay for some slightly used ones-What should I be looking at?

Thanks

[Big_M]

I have had two Dells... unsatisfied with both. To be honest I would go the apple route with a laptop if I had the money... otherwise, I don't really have any great advice accept that I have had problems with my Dells.

My Gateway home PC is great so far (knock on wood)...

P.S. I grew up in Rochester, MI... just a bit west of downtown.

[PiKapp23]

I work in the IT industry and have a lot of experience with laptops (the vast majority of which is not good). Unless you absolutely must have a laptop due to travel needs, I would not recommend a laptop. They are less bang for more buck. If you require the ability to not be tied down to a desktop for whatever reason, then go for it. For the money you are talking about you're going to be getting a lower quality or outdated laptop that you will probably be unhappy with in a short period. As long as you do not want to do anything advanced, though, you'll probably be fine with a used laptop with just the basics. Just make sure laptop comes with a hard drive size of at least 80 GB (preferably 150 GB+) and memory of at least 2GB and ensure it comes with USB 2.0 ports. As for brand and models, it's not that important as most are made by the same 2-3 manufacturers anyway and almost all contain almost the same basic components. LCD size is another thing to consider.

Also, if money is an important factor make sure it comes preloaded with a 'legal' version of Windows (or whatever OS you choose). You might also want a version of Office, which can be very expensive to purchase. There are some cheaper office suite software packages, but they are pretty inferior depending on what you want to do. I have seen used laptops sold with illegal version of Windows that will function fine but will not allow you to get updates, which are critical if you intend to web surf and even more so if you want to use Wi-Fi. Also make sure you get anti-virus software immediately - this should not be optional.

[clubmaker15]

What happened to your Dells? Was it slow, bad battery, what was it doing wrong?

I was actually looking at the Dells, maybe not anymore

Compaq HP's look solid

Thanks

P.S.I was a mile and a half west of downtown too, but now live about5 miles north of town

[Snake]

THIS looks like almost exactly what you're looking for. And ASUS laptops usually get great reviews.

[flopdarock]

id def go with a mac

[cstorms]

i have 2 mac laptops. they are great.

[SubPar]

You can hardly recommend a MAC to someone who only wants to spend $350.

I have a Dell laptop and I have purchased several for my kids. No tech problems. Decent features for the money. I agree with the notion that you'll get more for your money with a desktop system. Laptops are inherently more expensive.

If you only want to spend $350, look for a trusted source for used equipment.

SubPar

[Big_M]

What happened to your Dells? Was it slow, bad battery, what was it doing wrong?

mine wants to run scandisk constantly... for 2 years it was great... next 2 years it just got increasingly "bugged"... lots of errors and slow running. IT friend of mine thinks hardisk has irrepairable errors or some such thing. Also, touchpad quit working properly.

In another Dell I had the power source died... costly replacement and not worth the money. It was OK for about 3-4 years before incident. Both computers were always up to date on anti-virus and taken good care of. Laptop was used a LOT though... I was in law school, so I used it for 5-10 hrs a day and many days much more. Dell Tech support is pretty bad lately as well... but that's the industry standard, so???? I also second the desktop statements, I would like a laptop, but on a tight budget I just couldn't see getting so much less of a machine and I spent $600. But, if you NEED a laptop... just be careful when buying used...

[cstorms]

You can hardly recommend a MAC to someone who only wants to spend $350.

I just sold my first mac laptop, an old 12 inch g4 for $300. That thing was very solid. I believe you can get them for around that price on ebay.

[Fraser]

THIS

My father has one of these amongst his fleet of laptops and he uses it pretty much for travelling as it is so small. Boots up in about 15 seconds. He's happy with it and for basic functions like what you are looking at probably just the ticket.

You can hardly recommend a MAC to someone who only wants to spend $350.

Quite, even at second hand levels you don't know much about the history of the machine. The G4 is a pretty old platform, my wife had one that eventually ground to a halt as laptops do when they are a few years old even when performing basic functions. She does a lot of graphic design work though and says they are much better for the job so we got her another. Don't know what it is and don't care to be honest. I'm just glad to have my own Dell desktop, I was fighting that stupid Fisher Price computer for 3yrs before I woke up and went back to the real world

[glebert]

I usually check pricewatch.com, they tend to have good lines on refurbished computers.