what are the odds...

[genie62]

of finding the notebook/laptop etc that I want for under $1,000

I am looking for at least a 1.5GHZ processor and 512 MB RAM or more. I'd also like a 30 GB hard-drive and a cd-rw.

Am I being unrealistic in my search? Best Buy or staples offers something like this at about $1500, but I'm thinking that I may be able to find a better price online or at an upcoming puter show in St. Louis.... What do you guys think?

[Strawbs]

In the UK a spec like that could be had for just under £1000 (for an honest comparison just change the "£" to a "$"), but the internals would be made up of cheapo parts! you will probably be better off buying a name brand that you can trust rather than looking to save money, as it may end up costing more on repairs\replacements in the long run.

[genie62]

ok, here is what I need, maybe I should have asked for suggestions right off the bat. Sorry about that.

I do not game, but I like to make graphics (paint shop pro) and audio files for fun. I am a college student, majoring in MIS and minoring in CS. This coming spring semester I will be learning some C++ and Java. I plan on investing in Visual Studio 6. I want a laptop that can keep up with me in the graphics department, as well as handle whatever I throw at it while learning my programming. I might add that I intend to run WIN XP Pro on it. I will also be running office 2000 or 2002 on it as well.


Am I looking for the right specs, or would you guys suggest something different. I can only spend $1500 max on computer stuff this month, and I'd like to upgrade the RAM on my desktop too.

[Hemond]

...you will probably be better off buying a name brand that you can trust rather than looking to save money, as it may end up costing more on repairs\replacements in the long run...

I'm not so sure how true that is. Some of the brand name suppliers put some god-awful el cheapo parts in their machines. Such as some recent offerings from Compaq. If your not a geek you'll never know it and they work well enough. Until they fail.

Many of the second tier system builders put very high quality parts in their computers. I have an old P3 laying around here made by a now bought out system builder called "Proteva". It is built with some of the best componetry i've ever seen. Yet they sold it at a discount because they did not have brand name recognition.

The fact that outfits like Compaq and HP have established a "brand" gives them the power to charge more. They have market clout and know that people will buy their products on name recognition alone.

I've replaced failed hard drives, CD Roms, and modems on numerous Compaqs while that old Proteva keeps on plugging along.

[Strawbs]

Originally posted by Hemond


I'm not so sure how true that is. Some of the brand name suppliers put some god-awful el cheapo parts in their machines. Such as some recent offerings from Compaq. If your not a geek you'll never know it and they work well enough. Until they fail.

Many of the second tier system builders put very high quality parts in their computers. I have an old P3 laying around here made by a now bought out system builder called "Proteva". It is built with some of the best componetry i've ever seen. Yet they sold it at a discount because they did not have brand name recognition.

The fact that outfits like Compaq and HP have established a "brand" gives them the power to charge more. They have market clout and know that people will buy their products on name recognition alone.

I've replaced failed hard drives, CD Roms, and modems on numerous Compaqs while that old Proteva keeps on plugging along.

Point taken, I stand corrected.

[user0209]

inspiron laptop p4 1.7 is on sale for 910 + tax

go to ableshoppers.com to see

[genie62]

I found a laptop and bought it yesterday at Best Buy.

It's a Sony Vaio PCG-FXA63

Processor: AMD Athlon 1600+
DVD-ROM/CD-RW Combo
dual battery capable
floppy drive (hard to find now on new laptops)
2 10 GB hard drives
512 MB RAM (came with 256MB, had them install another 256 for about $100)

The video card isn't the greatest, but since I don't game, the 8MB will work fine for my purposes.

total with RAM update was $1409 plus tax. That's alot of puter for the money. I would have preferred have all 20GB on one hard drive rather than split between two, but it's do-able for school stuff.

Thanks for the input you guys!!

[DougM]

Hmm I have a Sony and I wouldn't buy one again. In fact I wouldn't have bought this one except I got if from a company that went under.

Do all laptops need a TSR program to make their hotkeys work? My sony does and it's a pain. My old AST didn't.

The Sony support isn't very good either.