Is there a such thing as an "inexpensive laptop?"

[Spacemom]

My son had decided he wants a laptop computer. Just something basic that he can use to play games and check email with. I guess I'll also need some sort of wireless connection so he can use our DSL.

Help!

[ET Awful]

1. As reluctant as I am to suggest it, Dell makes some very inexpensive

laptops, but I wouldn't want to give them my money :).

[Goldmund]

2. Actually, playing games is very power-intensive

I second Dell -- they make cheap laptops that are halfway-decent. There are cheaper ones, but you want to stay away from that.

[youspeakmylanguage]

7. It depends on what games he is interested in...

If he wants to play the absolute latest and greatest, a $1,500 to $2,000 investment will have to be made.

If he wants to play older games (?-2002), then an older laptop will work just fine.

I personally stopped playing computer games after the first Quake game on my old Pentium 1 computer back in 1997, not counting the open source PrBoom (which plays Doom WADS - levels in a game thats 11 years old). I don't understand how anyone can justify spending the money you have to spend on video cards and processors these days just to play games, especially when console systems are a fraction of the price.

[TrueAmerican]

3. Yes,

check out the Hot Deals forum at Fatwallet.com

There is one at Circuit City for $299.99 after 300 dollar rebate. The only catch is the laptop is pretty much out of stock. See http://www.fatwallet.com

Deal Link

http://www.fatwallet.com/t/18/494397/

[Midlodemocrat]

4. Check EBay.

I got mine, an IBM thinkpad with XP on it for $250. There are some companies that buy off lease products, refurbish them and sell them on EBay. I have had no problems at all with mine.

[LynneSin]

5. Yes - Used

I bought my laptop used through ebay and I've had great sucess with it. The only thing is that come may come without an operating system (usually you can find a disc somewhere). Maybe getting your son a laptop, make him learn out to install the software - it'll be a good chance to steer him in the right direction.

Thing with gaming is you do NOT want a Celeron processer which many of the inexpensive ones from Dell have. Stick with Pentinum or AMD (which is actually cheaper and more powerful)

[Sentath]

6. First, What games?

Second, find the games and look on the box for the minimum and recommended systems. (usually on the bottoms)

Then you'll know what you're shopping toward.

After that its an all out cat fight between your desire to save and the laptop maker's desire to get money.

At least thats how I try to do it..

[hunter]

8. My laptop cost me $150

It works great for wireless "high speed" internet, especially in motels, but it wouldn't work for the latest games.

It runs Windows 98SE and Firefox.