Help me buy a laptop.

[TNDemo]

I need a laptop for just word processing. We have another computer for surfing. My husband thinks we should ante up the money for an Apple since they have good support but they are so high. We have looked at several other brands and have thought about ordering on-line from their site or via Amazon. We have some concerns about service doing that, though. So what is your expert opinion? I just want a decent laptop that does not need a lot of graphics or memory or CD burning or processing speed, just the basics. Any help much appreciated. :loveya:

[villager]

1. Maybe an Asus laptop with Linux as the operating system?

http://www.bizrate.com/laptopcomputers/operating-system-compatibility--linux/brand--asus/products__att249--3690-__att259--43486-.html

[Iwasthere]

2. I think it was Target (might have been Walmart [ewww] ) hat has a good one for $298.00

Tomorrow morning. Early Black Friday. Got to Slickdeals.net

[RichardRay]

3. Linux on the desktop is for geeks. If you want productivity

and can afford it get a Macintosh. There is a premium, but it's not as steep as it looks after you start comparing features and capabilities.

If you are need to save some money or have to integrate easily with a corporate network that doesn't explicitly support Mac's then get an ASUS laptop. I've purchased dozens of them in the last couple of years and couldn't be more pleased. If you want something unique get their bamboo model - designed to be recycled easily and tres elegant. See ASUS Bamboo Series.

[Lance_Boyle]

5. Mac for just word processing is INSANE

Linux with open office (or office on crossover) is a far better option. Hell, Windows is a better option, since you pay for the license with most hardware, anyway.

OP - try one of the netbooks for just word processing. Asus Eee, MSI Wind, or one of the others. They're small, cheap, and capable of more word processing than you can crank out in a lifetime.

[RichardRay]

7. That's true, but it's been my experience that no one really

stops there!

Within a couple of months the folks who 'just want to do a little word processing' are trying to author content, run a business, write code or at least integrate several types of information!

That said, Open Office is way cool, and very easy to integrate into a predominantly Microsoft environment.

[Lance_Boyle]

8. often true, but this is a secondary machine

for the OP. I'd even recommend hitting craigslist for someone's 2-year-old XP laptop. Grab a pre-lenovo thinkpad for $25, slap ubuntu on it, and word process away. Of course, I'm a sysadmin bridging the windows/linux worlds. I may be slightly biased. ;-)

[NMDemDist2]

4. I have always bought corporate lease returns from eBay

I have two now that I bought a couple months ago for $350 delivered!

It's my daily box and I love em, hubby has the exact same unit and he's very happy too!

I got mine here

http://stores.ebay.com/Merg-tech-Laptops-and-More

[TNDemo]

13. What do you do about warranty or service on a used one?

And they do wipe the hard drive, don't they?

[NMDemDist2]

25. they do wipe the hard drive, other than an operating system

and that's one of the selling points for me, I don't want Vista and I hated all the crap they'd load on new PCs from the manufacturers


I don't have a warranty (but I think you can buy one) and if I need service (which hasn't happened yet) I'll just take it to my local computer place or for the $$$$ I spent, trash it and get the next one.

I had a Toshiba that I replaced with this Compaq and I just gave the Toshiba to my father in law. It was 5 years old and still running ok

[Ikonoklast]

6. I go through laptops at an alarming rate

I use them in high-stress environments; dirt, heat, cold, high vibration, etc., so I usually go to Overstock.com and get either lease trade-ins, or refurbished. I purchase the extended warranty, usually a nominal amount.

My needs for a laptop are similar to yours, as far as my portable needs go.

This one is an IBM T42 running XP. The CD drive was faulty when delivered, and they took $100 off the price instead of shipping it back, replacing it, etc., and I found a drive on eBay for $30 delivered.

I have been happy with both the products and suppost from them. But, you are buying used, and the attendant problems along with that.

FWIW.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

9. Costco

Check the refurbs on their website. Costco refurbs for a lot of maufacturers and what you get is great stuff at great prices.

[AllieB]

10. I bought a Gateway about a month ago.

I like it all right, but I'm used to Dells. The Dell Outlet has some pretty good deals for off-lease, refurbished, or dent and scratched. Also, try to get Windows XP OS if you can. I am not a fan of Windows Vista.

[FreeState]

11. Check out Apples refurbished laptops

They cost a lot less and come with the same warranty as a new one that has not been refurbished.

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac?mco=MTE2NzY

[LiberalHeart]

12. Panasonic Toughbook isn't cheap, but it lasts forever & has 3-yr. guarantee.

[sam sarrha]

14. bare bones at http://www.newegg.com

http://www.newegg.com

[PatriotGames]

18. That's cool if they can put it together themselves.

[XOKCowboy]

23. Newegg sells new laptops ...

http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCategory.aspx?SubCategory=32&name=Laptops-Notebooks

They also sell components. I'm not sure what you meant by your post.

[underpants]

15. You may want to hold off until after Christmas

Circuit City is about to go down the tubes-even if you can't buy something at their clearance the flood of technology on the market will mean deals deals deals

[Evoman]

16. For word processing? Look around to see if anybody you know has an old laptop you can use.

You don't need a fancy new computer to do word processing.

You can certainly find something cheaper than a mac. And if you don't want to do much internet surfing, it's unlikely you can screw up your computer enough to need any sort of servicing.

Although, my brother has a apple laptop, and he loves it, so if you have the money, I guess they aren't a bad choice.

[Matariki]

17. This is what I'm saving up for

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B001FWXCFM/ref=ord_cart_shr?_encoding=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&v=glance


As portable as a paperback. 7.5 x 10.5 x 1.1 inches 3.2 pounds

[BabbaTam]

19. cheap laptop

My solution to a cheap laptop was to buy one surplus (from a medical supply house) and then have a 40 gig hard drive put into it by the local college geek shop. It was an old Dell P3. It cost $25 and the geeks charged me $75 to put the hard drive in. I then installed a Linux operating system in it (Ubuntu) which was free. I had no experience installing software so it took some time and patience, but now I am very pleased with it. It works just about as well as my other laptop (a P4 with XP) I hear Kubuntu is even more user friendly than Ubuntu, but I haven't tried it yet.
Just for kicks I just checked out ebay. I searched for "buy it now" and asked them to sort the list by price. I found several for a hundred bucks with free shipping included. The hard drives were small, but for text that doesn't matter. good luck and have fun!
:argh:

[Flubadubya]

20. How much do you need?

:evilgrin: :silly:

[FatDave]

21. Buy anything made in the last five years.

And put Xubuntu Linux on it and use OppenOffice as your word processor. It should cost you less than $100.

[XOKCowboy]

22. Try Newegg.com

http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCategory.aspx?SubCategory=32&name=Laptops-Notebooks

Walldude recommended them to me and they have good prices and an excellent reputation. I've bought external hard drives, DVD burners, etc from them and was very satisfied.

As to which laptop? I like my HP. Their customer service has been excellent. I've used Acers and though "low-end" seem to work fine. I had a Gateway laptop many years ago. The CS was great back then (they were still South Dakota based). Not sure about now.

[CatholicEdHead]

24. Lenovo IdeaPads are cheaper and reliable

not as much as the Thinkpad line, but you can get IdeaPads at stores.

I would look for refurbished laptops online, you can get them for $300-400 or so. They are a couple of years old but you do not need that much power. If you want to stay Windows and not Mac, look for used IBM Thinkpads (T42 lease returns). A good place to look for refurbished is ecost.com.

[demodonkey]

26. Buy a good used MacBook, iBook, or Powerbook, preferably from a place w/ a warranty.

Apple IS THE BEST. I've had Macs since 1989 and I would have no other computer. Used laptops can be dicey, but if you are careful you can get one from a used dealer that offers a warranty, or if very lucky you may find one that has not been abused for a fair price. I recently bought a used Powerbook 12" on Craigslist in wonderful condition.

If you break down or have trouble, seems the passionate Apple fans are always willing to help each other too.