Question:
Desperate college student on the hunt for a good deal
Basically for the last month and a half, I've been looking at laptops, scouring Fry's ads religiously and figured out what are good processors and what are bad ones and I can't find one that is "the one". HELP!
1) What is your budget?
$800 or less, since it's coming out of my parents' pocketbooks. :)
2) What size notebook would you prefer?
At least 14"
3) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook?
word processing, internet, itunes, AIM, maybe a little Adobe Illustrator...
4) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk?
mostly leaving it at the desk
5) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games?
none
6) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
not Acer, Sony, Compaq, obscure "no-name" brands...I've been looking at HPs and Lenovos/IBMs especially, Macbooks (those are too expensive though!), middle-to-high-end Dells...
7) How many hours of battery life do you need?
not really a concern. At least 3 maybe?
8) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person?
not a concern. there are fry's, best buys, radioshacks all around here, and if worse comes to worse, i can buy it online.
9) Please select your country's flag as a post icon and tell us what country are you buying this in? USA
Screen Specifics
10) Would you prefer standard or widescreen?
n/a
11) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer?
b. SXGA - 1400x1050 - Compromise resolution between XGA and UXGA.
12) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?
n/a. to tell you the truth, i don't even know the difference.
Build Quality and Design
13) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
as long as it doesn't look it was built from materials from a dumpster, please.
14) When are you buying this laptop and how long do you want this laptop to last?
buying ASAP (by late August) and I want it to last 3-4 years
Notebook Components
15) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 120GB?
the bigger, the better but should fit into budget. at least 60gb for my music and movies, preferably
16) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD-ROM, DVD-CD/RW or DVD-RW drive?
DVD-CD/RW would be nice.
THANK YOU SO MUCH. And one other thing. I'm not allowed to get an Intel Celeron processor, not that I would get one in the first place. :)
Answer:
Re: Desperate college student on the hunt for a good deal
For 800 your options are limited. I would say your top contenders would be the Dell E1405 or E1505.
Answer:
Re: Desperate college student on the hunt for a good deal
As jtom said - the Dells -
also look into HP/Compaq - they have a lot of budget notebooks
Answer:
Re: Desperate college student on the hunt for a good deal
Yea the hp/compaq are also good for your price range but I have configured them and you do get a little more for your money with dell. Either is fine though.
Answer:
Re: Desperate college student on the hunt for a good deal
Please see this thread:
Asking $600 and is in excellent condition...you can get 5-7 hours of life out of this little machine.
Answer:
Re: Desperate college student on the hunt for a good deal
The Compaq V3000 or HP dv2000 seem like good choices.
Answer:
Re: Desperate college student on the hunt for a good deal
thanks for all the suggestions! i have been looking at the hp dv2000 for a while and i'm definitely considering the dell e1405 because of the discounts.
Answer:
Re: Desperate college student on the hunt for a good deal
The dv2000t is a better laptop than the e1405, my opinion of course.