What do you think about this laptop for $699

[rh71]

... and it comes with free shipping...

http://www-1.ibm.com/shop/epp/pi_mktg.nsf/WWWProductByIDPrintable/BEAF208B93FE51D4852569760015711F?OpenDocument&System&F1&price=$699.00

[This message has been edited by rh71 (edited 11-04-2000).]

[codybear]

not too bad there...will need more ram but now is the time for it also

[rh71]

just noticed that the display is "12.1 in 800x600"... is this bearable? Friend is planning to use it for typical applications & web surfing.

[Thud]

I'd think the monitor would be good enough for standard apps. The only thing I see that you might find lacking is a floppy drive. Overall, looks like quite a deal. Best of luck!

[Rat]

It also shows the processor cannot be upgraded, that small viewable area is a definate turn-off for me. For $699, you get what you pay for I guess, I'd rather get the 1400 series laptop.

P.S.: There is only one DIMM slot, if you want more memory, you'll have to toss what's in there now.


Rat...

[This message has been edited by Rat (edited 11-04-2000).]

[rh71]

gonna have to do something about that floppy disk... thanks for noticing!

What is the minimum viewable size (inches) you'd be able to deal with on a laptop? Thanks for your advice guys... buying this for someone else and I don't have much experience with laptops.

[This message has been edited by rh71 (edited 11-04-2000).]

[TechJumper]

sound great, best of luck

BTW- for future reference this should be posted in "PC Steals and Deals"


Thank you,

Mike
TechJumper

[socalgal]

Either General Tech or Steals and Deals is fine for a price check.

[Richard_Cranium72]

At a quick glance, looks like a GREAT buy to me.

However, I hate notebooks, nearly impossible to work on.
Upgrades are much higher that desktops.
Slower than a comparable desktop.
Dadgum "touchpad" or ball mouse is aggravating to use.

But, in some cases, a notebook is a must.
On the ram, it says one slot "available"
I'd get clarification from IBM on that.

Looks like a buy to me.

[codybear]

go and look at some laptops and see for yourself the screen size in person and judge for yourself.....ask alot of questions and then ask some more until you are satisfied that you have enough knowledge to make an informed decision

[Axel]

the combination of that operating system and only 32mb of memory - you're asking for trouble unless you do a custom re-install of the operating system ina minimum format without all of the "house-keeping" functions installed......

I wouldn't do it for that reason alone. - one DIMM slot???!?!?!?! - no way...... the price of replacing the RAM to get any kind of good performance would bump the price up another $200 easy.....

Talk about buying something that's immediatly obsolete..... I'd avoid it. - save your money - earn a little more interest on it - add whatever you get for christmas and look for a sale in mid January.... you'll get a much better system -

Lastly - IBM laptops didn't get the nick-name "stink-pad" for nothing - I'd look for a nice Toshiba or HP system - but avoid Sony and some say avoid Compaq.....

[wyvrn]

Not bad for a bottom of the line book. You will need at least 64 MB RAM to do anything on a notebook. Also, pay attention to only 2 MB of video RAM. This will limit the applications you can use on the machine, and is not easily upgraded. Spend 500 more and get the extra RAM and video memory and you will not be sorry.

[rh71]

I found out today that the product is currently out of stock. I'm not so sure about that "stinkpad" remark - first time I've ever heard it on any of the dozens of boards I've been on.

Secondly, this laptop isn't for me. I'd stay away from it as well because I can't deal with a machine that's not upgradeable, but people don't usually go upgrading laptops anyway - they buy what they want the first time around. This laptop is for a friend who is living on her own now and just needs something to word process & surf the web with. She's not a computer person in the least so something like this is perfect for someone like that - YES/NO ?

BTW, what I've heard - stay away from Compaq at all costs. Do go with Toshiba and IBM laptops.

[This message has been edited by rh71 (edited 11-06-2000).]

[wyvrn]

Compaq definately sucks. 32 MB of RAM on a notebook running Win98Se is going to be slow as molasses, trust me. Get at lest 64Mb or you will be spening most of your time waiting for apps to open and wondering why Win98 locks up so much.

[Thud]

rh71--

As for your 4th post, I'd answer "NO", unless your friend has a specific need for a portable computer. You could build her (if you were so inclined) a more upgradable desktop system for the $$, IMHO. Best of luck!

[rh71]

Yeah, I told her I could build her one,... even offered her a great offer on an IBM desktop ( http://www-1.ibm.com/shop/epp/pi_mktg.nsf/WWWProductByIDPrintable/B555C35C62709BB38525698A0070CB44?OpenDocument&System&F1&price=$599.00 ). Of course, under normal circumstances, she would have taken it. Hell, I'd take it if I needed another machine. But she has very limited space in her room in her shared apt.