Budget laptop?

goblin1

Hi all,

Newbie here.

I'm looking for a laptop on a strict budget - would http://www.ramblax.com/p~p-33233713~Hewlett-Packard-Compaq-nc6400-EN176UT-PC-Notebook.aspx do the trick? Just a basic, reliable but no-frills setup?

Thanks in advance!

kuhlmeye

From what I'm looking at, that HP appears to be a discontinued model from 2006. Just for some perspective.

I don't know exactly how strict your budget is, but I was going to recommend one of these. ASUS EEEpc netbook. Very basic, has a much larger hard drive and more RAM than the one you're looking at, and it's still in production too. But then, if your budget is really super strict, it'll be hard to find them for sub-250 prices.

Regrettable

Do you want a netbook (~10" screen) or a traditional laptop (~15")?

If you already have a desktop then I'd suggest a netbook as they're far more portable, have better battery life, and are (generally) cheaper.

Have a browse in the Technology forum for some info on good models etc.

goblin1

I'd possibly settle for a netbook. I do already have a desktop.

I'm considering http://ramblax.co.uk/p~p-95386302.aspx if I do go down that route..

Paladin

With laptops, it's all about what you're going to use it for.


So ... what are you going to use it for?

Synthetic Orange

At that sort of price range/power, you're basically looking at portability, battery life of the netbook vs the larger screen but more to lug around of a 15" notebook. If you can deal with the tiny screen and slightly more cramped keyboard, then the netbook will probably do for you.

Chanus

I picked up one of these: http://bit.ly/c1WsYl

It does pretty well. It's not a powerhouse, but for the price it's pretty decent. Only complaint I have is it doesn't have Caps/Num/Scroll Lock indicators... which is weird.

John Matrix

I'm in sort of the same boat. About to start law school and need a laptop. I purposely don't want it to be a gaming laptop due to the cost and its ability to distract me with games.

I'd like a decent-sized screen (17 inch?) laptop for word processing and watching videos/movies. I'm just lost in the woods with the wide range. Reliability is an absolute must. Asus?

amateurhour

Acer Aspire AS7736Z-4809 Laptop T4300 17.3in 4GB 320GB DVD+-RW 11n

This was a model from Christmas, and staples routinely had it for under $500. It can still be found for that price from a few places, but there's not many of them still floating around. It's got a dual core processor, 17 inch screen, 4 gigs of ram, and I think it's got the GMA4500 graphics, which are enough to do whatever you need aside from hardcore gaming.

oldsak

John Matrix wrote: »

I'm in sort of the same boat. About to start law school and need a laptop. I purposely don't want it to be a gaming laptop due to the cost and its ability to distract me with games.

I'd like a decent-sized screen (17 inch?) laptop for word processing and watching videos/movies. I'm just lost in the woods with the wide range. Reliability is an absolute must. Asus?

As someone who has just finished law school, I'm going to suggest you consider a smaller screen. You will get tired of lugging a big one around with you. I have a 15" and wish I'd gone with something smaller. I suppose if you live right by campus and can just drop it off at home it's not that big a deal. Between classes and internships though you end up carrying the thing around a lot. Keep in mind you also have several thick books to carry around as well.

John Matrix

My wife said something similar about her laptop during law school, I suppose I just don't want to be squinting at the screen in class or the library. I'll look into a 15" or smaller, maybe use some of the saved $ to get a monitor for my desk and use that when at home.

VeritasVR

I just got an Asus Eee PC 12.1" notebook for $250 (refurbished) from Woot.com and it's great. Not a gaming rig by any means, but has more than enough power to run an internet browser and word processing software with an 8 hour battery. It's just large enough to fit a full-size keyboard too, and the resolution is 1366 x 768 so I don't have to struggle to read the screen.

Trillian

I have the Asus EEEPc 1001P and it is a delight and a half.
I love that little computer to bits.
And even if I literally love it to bits it's got a 1 year accidental damage warranty

Bionic Monkey

amateurhour wrote: »

Acer Aspire AS7736Z-4809 Laptop T4300 17.3in 4GB 320GB DVD+-RW 11n

This was a model from Christmas, and staples routinely had it for under $500. It can still be found for that price from a few places, but there's not many of them still floating around. It's got a dual core processor, 17 inch screen, 4 gigs of ram, and I think it's got the GMA4500 graphics, which are enough to do whatever you need aside from hardcore gaming.

If you want something with a little more power, Gateway has an i3 with a 17.3 inch screen, 4 gigs of RAM and a 500 gig hard drive, but no dedicated video card for $600.

goblin1

Thanks for all the comments guys, much appreciated it would mostly be for Internet browsing, Word/Excel and mp3 playback

stah

goblin1 wrote: »

Thanks for all the comments guys, much appreciated it would mostly be for Internet browsing, Word/Excel and mp3 playback

Depending on how you feel about the small size, you could prolly get away with using a netbook for this.

I've got an ASUS EEE PC 1005HA and I'm a big fan of it. It's not a gaming rig or anything along those lines, but I've used it for syncing my Zune and for MP3 playback while at work (using a pair of speakers). Plus, super portable and great battery. I'd highly recommend going this route.

I think I picked up mine for ~$300 (American) last year and it's about the same stats as the one you posted.

goblin1

I'm definitely open to a netbook, that sounds good, thanks for the recommendation

amateurhour

Just my opinion, but if you're going to be using this laptop just for word/excel and mp3 playback, I'd advise against a laptop. If you're going to be doing reports, essays, and projects, your fingers are going to hate you without a full size keyboard and larger monitor or screen.