VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

COURVO · Posted: Tue May 22, 2007 10:47 pm Post subject: PotPal is LapTop backwards

But beyond that.... I'm looking for the best buy on a workhorse laptop for my daughter to take to college.

Anybody got any ideas on where to look for a great deal or a supposed great deal, or maybe comparison shop?

Just wondrin'

Courvo
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billelder · Guest

What is your price range? If your daughter doesn't need firewire, you can get a decent laptop at Best Buy for under $1000. Sometimes "woot.com" has nice ones. I got mine from Overstocked.com. Some have operating systems, some not. This would be a good weekend to be on the lookout for sales. My favorite place is Newegg.com for drives and such. They have an Acer Aspire for $599.. Hope this helps.

Don G. · King's Row Joined: 11 Nov 2004 Posts: 1071 Location: MA

IF you were to consider a Mac in your upcoming purchase, I'd recommend you check this site periodically. They recently had a great deal on a refurb MacBook for $799. Full 1 year warranty and they're eligible for Applecare, as well. Deals like that usually don't last very long, so you have to be diligent.

Again, that's assuming you'd consider a Mac. My daughter absolutely loves hers.

davidmonteath · Posted: Wed May 23, 2007 6:30 am Post subject:

I have used Macs for years and can happily attest to their reliability and strength, particularly when around students. Wink

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Hart · Posted: Wed May 23, 2007 6:54 am Post subject:

Depends on her needs, but you can get pretty good basic systems from tigerdirect.com and then upgrade any needed components.
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glittlefield · Posted: Wed May 23, 2007 8:59 am Post subject:

I've run into the most trouble with Toshibas as far as getting parts or support goes, so I'm not too terribly hip to them. The only Acer I've worked on was a Ferrari series and had a hard time getting a new motherboard for it. I'm not sure what they're regular line is like. Looks like Dell has Inspiron 1501's for $549 at this moment. I've had mostly good luck dealing with them.
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Donovan · Posted: Wed May 23, 2007 9:11 am Post subject:

Buy.com usually has some great deals on laptops (and everything else). Theirs are frequently refurbished, but still under warranty.
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Doc · Guest

::: ummm, didn't Dave recently have some issues with a Mac laptop? :::

Dave,

I'd also consider exactly what your daughter's computer needs will be. It's easy to go way overboard and spend more than is necessary. Processor selection can mean a difference of literally hundreds of dollars. I personally think the Dell's are sweet, but there are many good ones out there. Also, some real clunkers are out there. For a college student, I'd recommend great security measures. Many get stolen and such. There are ways to protect yourself.

You're going to find that prices are quite competitive these days. So, look for extras, like tech support, repair, etc.

TheVoiceOfBob · Posted: Wed May 23, 2007 10:57 am Post subject:

If you get a Dell, don't go cheap and buy an Inspiron. Go ahead and purchase the Latitude models. We support Dell on campus here and I can tell you from experience the defect rate is much higher on the Inspiron.

We also support the Macs. Good devices. I have 2 Dell desktops and a MacBook Pro sitting in front of me right now. Yes they are all on and yes I'm using them all!
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Jowillie · Posted: Wed May 23, 2007 2:54 pm Post subject:

http://www.discountlaptops.com/
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richgates · Guest

If you decide on a PC a good site to check is http://www.gotapex.com. They have all the latest Dell deals as well as other laptop manufacturers.

COURVO · Posted: Wed May 23, 2007 5:41 pm Post subject:

Thank you all!!

Doc's right... no Macs... for reasons we'll not go into... but fully recognizing they are sweet machines... no question.

I gotta think of portability,too. I'd love to get her the 17" screen... but is that practical for lugging to class everyday?

I promise to check out each and every lead provided here.

Thank you Donovan, Doc, Rich, JoWillie, Bob, Greg, Brian, David, Don, Bill, Sleepy, Dopey, and Grumpy.

I love this place! Have I mentioned that lately DB?

'Love you too!

Courvo
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Frank F · Posted: Wed May 23, 2007 6:13 pm Post subject:

"Dave Courbosier is HOT!" quoting the ladies at VOICE 2007.

It's true... the temperture is going up in Las Vegas as I write this...

Make sure you hook her up with Skype, so she is able to call you for FREE!!!!

Dave, many universities have reccomedations for laptops, contact the school to see if your daughter's has guidelines. This will help make yours an easy choice. Normally they will mention things such as speed, dual-core, minimum amount of RAM, hard-drive size, screen size, wireless internet campabilities, LAN capabilities, etc. Good luck in your search.

Frank F
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TheVoiceOfBob · Posted: Wed May 23, 2007 7:33 pm Post subject:

louzucaro · Posted: Wed May 23, 2007 9:32 pm Post subject:

Also, the battery life on most 17" laptops isn't stellar.

I have one that has a battery life of a whopping 25 minutes. Yup. Sucks. It's got that nice, wide screen and even a full-on numeric keypad, but it's useless unless it's plugged in.

My new laptop, with Vista Home Premium, bought at Best Buy for $899, has a 15.4" widescreen and a battery life of about 3 hours.

Smile

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