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   Laptop assistance, please!

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Topic: Laptop assistance, please! (Read 856 times)

luci
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Laptop assistance, please!
« on: Oct 20^th, 2003, 1:54pm »

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Here's my dilema! (did I spell that right?)
I want to purchase a laptop, just to keep in the kitchen, trips, etc., so I can keep up with email and of course, what is happening on this forum.

What kind do I purchase? I do not want to spend up in the thousands. Sam's had one for just over 700 and that looked good to me, but will it last? (yes, I know it wil probably outlast me!)

Do I need to be very concerned about the mega----however you spell it? What else do I need to look for when making this purchase?

Thanks ya'll!

« Last Edit: Oct 20^th, 2003, 1:55pm by luci »

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Addams
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Re: Laptop assistance, please!
« Reply #1 on: Oct 20^th, 2003, 2:51pm »

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In these days you might consider wireless Luci.

Gives you lots more flexibility

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Rhune
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Re: Laptop assistance, please!
« Reply #2 on: Oct 20^th, 2003, 2:51pm »

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Some of the best laptops and deals, are the dell refurbished machines. You not only get a great machine for an excellent price, but you get a 3 year warranty standard (for 1 year they come to your house and fix it if it breaks, and for 2 years after that they overnight you the part). Dell simply has one of the best warrantys out there, and this alone makes their systems worth it. You will pay closer to $1000 than $700 for one, but they are probably a much sturdier/powerful machine and have a much better warranty.

This link should take you to their refurbished inventory and then you can sort by price, etc.

http://outlet.us.dell.com/Dispatcher?target=InventoryPage&action=sor t&sortColumn=price&lob=INSP&sessionID=1U86HBds!-512846521!-1743311955!1066679418290&tgtSeg=I

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Rhune
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Re: Laptop assistance, please!
« Reply #3 on: Oct 20^th, 2003, 2:54pm »

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If you decide that's what you want to do, I'd be happy to help you sort through the technical features.

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Rhune
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Re: Laptop assistance, please!
« Reply #4 on: Oct 20^th, 2003, 2:59pm »

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Like this one is not a bad deal here:

SYSTEM SPECIFICATION
Inspiron 5100 (System Identifier FX9R745B)
Dell Inspiron 5100 Notebook: IntelŽ PentiumŽ4 Processor, 2.66GHz, 533MHz Front Side Bus, 15 XGA Display
MicrosoftŽ Windows XP Home

------------------------------------------------------------------------ --------

System Price $1,238.00
Promotion Discount ($275.00)
Discounted Price $963.00

Operating System: MicrosoftŽ Windows XP Home
Memory: 256MB,DDR,266MHZ SDRAM(2 DIMMS)
Hard Disk Drive: 30 GB EIDE Hard Drive (4200 RPM)
Video: 16 MB ATI Mobility Radeon 7500
NoteBook Screen: 15 inch XGA Notebook Screen
Modem: Internal Modem
Network Interface Card: Internal NIC
CD ROM Drive: 24X Max-Variable CD-ROM Drive
Software: DPS Image Expert Standard Software
Software
Software
Software
Dell Picture Studio, Paint Shop Pro Edition
MicrosoftŽ Office XP Small Business
Dell SecurityCenter by McAfee, 90-day introductory offer
AOL 8.0 ISP Software
Dell Support 2.0 Software
Dell Support 2.0
Misc: 12 Cell Battery
Miscellaneous
Shipping Material
Shipping Material
Keyboard on Notebook
12 Cell Battery

It looks like they are running a "free shipping" special right now too on the laptops.

« Last Edit: Oct 20^th, 2003, 3:08pm by Rhune »

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Rhune
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Re: Laptop assistance, please!
« Reply #5 on: Oct 20^th, 2003, 3:05pm »

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I'm trying to look up the Sam's club one so I can compare it. Does this look like the machine you looked at?

Price $799.84

Model: 3123XS

IntelŽ 1.2 GHz Mobile Celeron
256MB PC133 SDRAM
30GB
DVD/CD-RW
12.1" XGA TFT
XP Home
Item: 634159

Features
1.3" thin
Built-in DVD/CR-RW combo drive
Modem/LAN card
Multiple USB ports and sturdy magnesium alloy casing

Product Specifications
Processor: IntelŽ 1.2 GHz Mobile Celeron (.13 micron process)
Cache: 256KB advanced transfer cache (integrated on die, full speed level 2)
Screen: 12.1" XGA TFT (1024 x 768)
Memory: 256MB PC133 SDRAM (384MB maximum memory)
Hard Drive: 30GB, 9.5mm
Optical Drive: Built-in DVD/CD-RW combo drive
Communication: Built-in 10/100 Network; Built-in 56K data/fax modem
Battery: Smart Li-Ion, approximately 2.5 hour battery life
Video: SiS 630ST AGP 2X Video w/32MB SMA VRAM
Audio: AC '97 v2.1 Compliant PCI Audio w/3D audio; Built-in stereo speakers; Built-in microphone
Ports: 3 USB 1.0a ports; 1 15-pin VGA port (monitor); 1 Audio Out port; 1 Microphone In port; 1 RJ-11 port (fax/modem); 1 RJ-45 port (LAN); 1 Type II PC Card/CardBus
Instant Access Quick Buttons: E-mail; Web Browser; Search; Favorites
Keyboard: 85-key full-sized keyboard, 17mm pitch
Touchpad: Large Synaptics TouchPad w/scroll buttons
Operating System: MicrosoftŽ WindowsŽ XP Home
Included Software: Microsoft Works 6.0; Roxio Easy CD CreatorŽ InterVideo WinDVD
Dimensions: 10.6" x 9.6" x 1.3"
Weight: 4.4 lbs. with standard battery

Country of Origin
Assembled Country of Origin: Taiwan
Components Country of Origin: Imported

Warranty and Service
1 year limited
6 months battery

« Last Edit: Oct 20^th, 2003, 3:06pm by Rhune »

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Red
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Re: Laptop assistance, please!
« Reply #6 on: Oct 20^th, 2003, 6:19pm »

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Totally agree with Rhune about the Dell's...that's what I have (an inspiron 4100) and when I did have a problem with it - they paid to have it sent to them and it was back 3 days later...cannot fault the service that they give! I am so glad I did get the one I got, because with the amount I move around and between work and school it gets as many miles as I do!

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Rhune
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Re: Laptop assistance, please!
« Reply #7 on: Oct 20^th, 2003, 6:27pm »

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The last 3 machines I got are all Dell Refurbs. I've never had a problem with any of them, and I probably won't ever buy anything else again. I like the service Dell gives and I really like the prices on their refurbished machines, especially since they have the same warranty as the brand new machines.

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Bumper
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Re: Laptop assistance, please!
« Reply #8 on: Oct 20^th, 2003, 7:59pm »

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Ditto oh what Rhune says. I have two Dell machines, one for me and one for the son, and I am MOST pleased with them. The service and support is first class.

It is also interesting to note that as we have accompanied my son around to various colleges to look the places over, most of them have recommended Dell laptops as the machine for incoming freshmen.

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luci
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Re: Laptop assistance, please!
« Reply #9 on: Oct 20^th, 2003, 8:17pm »

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Thanks for the info, this help me a lot. All of the folks I know who have replaced their computers have bought Dell. Now where woudl I fina good deal on refurbished laptops. I know Dell is made in Austin, Texas. So do I just go to google and type in refurbished Dell Laptop? I'll give it a try.

Yes, Rhune, that is the one I saw at Sam's also. Don't all the laptops work on battery? I told ya'll I need a good 'puter lesson!
Thanks again! Grin

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Rhune
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Re: Laptop assistance, please!
« Reply #10 on: Oct 20^th, 2003, 8:39pm »

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You can find a good deal on Dell refurbs through that link I provided. That goes right to their current stock and you can place an order there and the whole shebang, if that's what you decide to do. I don't think you can buy a Dell refurb off the shelf anywhere, but with free shipping, it will cost you the same as if you did. The only difference would be the delay in getting it since you don't get to walk right out of the store with it.

That machine at Sam's is basically half as powerful as the one at Dell I listed above. So, for twice the bang for your buck it would only cost you about $150-$200 more.

Here's what you should look for, for sure when trying to pick one:

P4-2400 (That's a Pentium 4, and 2400 mhz (or 2.4 ghz) Now higher than 2400 is faster and good, but I wouldn't go below that, especially since they have so many at that speed around $1,000. You'll see some that say CEL instead of P4. That means it's a Celeron processor rather than a Pentium processor. Some people may argue this, but I think a Pentium is faster/better.

Screen size - you'll see mostly 14 or 15 on here. That's how many inches across the screen is diagonally. The bigger the number, the bigger the screen size (but also the wider the laptop). For comparison, the one you looked at, at Sams was 12.5 inches.

HD Size - the size of your hard drive - how much software and e-mail and stuff it can hold. The higher the number, the more it can hold. Since you are not a gamer (as in big graphical memory eating games) you will probably never need more than a 30g HD. I noticed that most of the ones listed there are 30 or 40.

RAM - this is a part of the memory that makes your system go faster. The higher the ram, the faster your machine will load up programs and run them. I have 256 on my machine at home, but as a gamer I probably should upgrade to 512. 256 is probably more than you'll ever need, but it's still an ok amount to get. 128 would be fine too.

CD Speed - Pretty much anything listed here is gonna be fine for you. CDRW means that it reads and writes - you can burn your own cds with it. DVD means it's DVD compatible and you can play movies on it. If you think you might ever want to travel and play movies, like if you have the grandkids in the car on a long trip, that might be good to get.

Video card - If you get the DVD then you want to get one of the machines with the 32 mb video card (or bigger) listed. If you're not going to get the DVD drive then probably the standard video card that comes in it will be fine and you don't have to worry about that field.

The rest of the stuff are all fields that don't matter so much for what you're gonna do with it, so I would just focus on those other pieces and pick one out that matches close to what you want.

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luci
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Re: Laptop assistance, please!
« Reply #11 on: Oct 20^th, 2003, 8:41pm »

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Thanks, and I shall write all of this down before I take the plunge!

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Re: Laptop assistance, please!
« Reply #12 on: Oct 21^st, 2003, 7:23am »

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on Oct 20^th, 2003, 8:17pm, luci wrote:

..I know Dell is made in Austin, Texas...

None of Dell's laptops are manufactured in the USA. Most are made in Taiwan.

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MzWings
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Re: Laptop assistance, please!
« Reply #13 on: Oct 21^st, 2003, 11:19am »

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on Oct 21^st, 2003, 7:23am, Reset wrote:

None of Dell's laptops are manufactured in the USA. Most are made in Taiwan.

I thought most everything was manufactured in Taiwan. But out of curiosity I Googled and found this:

http://www.itmweb.com/f052297.htm

"Clearly Dell computer has come a long way from its beginnings at Michael Dell's dormitory room at the University of Texas. To get a better understanding Dell's recent accomplishments, take a moment to read the following two articles":

Fortune: The Resurrection of Michael Dell (Bad gateway)

Business Week: Michael Dell: Whirlwind on the Web: http://www.businessweek.com/1997/14/b3521131.htm

It appears to me that Dell is indeed manufactured in Austin - or am I missing something?

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Re: Laptop assistance, please!
« Reply #14 on: Oct 21^st, 2003, 1:13pm »

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I did not read the entire linked article, but something must be missing. Dell does have some manufacturing in Austin, but not laptops. For more information go here http://www.laptopworldwide.com/ or here http://tuxmobil.org/laptop_oem.html

I promise to read the whole thing when I get home from work.

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