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I have a laptop used purely as my 'catch-all' that is separate from my work laptop. I basically do all my non-work stuff on it. It's dying a slow and painful death and I am looking to replace it. I don't need much, just something that has a good processor that can handle multiple tasks and Windows XP. I do not want Vista right now. I've found a few sites that are still carrying XP computers, but just wondering what our computer guru's might recommend. The one I like the best so far is - http://www.gateway.com/reman/sb_Notebook_1009442_832_Certified_Refurbished_NX570_Notebook.shtmlAny suggestions?
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I recommend getting vista. You'll kick yourself later for not getting it... Really any laptop will do as it looks like you're looking to spend about $600. Grab a dell, IBM, sony, or even gateway that looks like it will suit your needs. If you're asking us what you need, you don't need anything elaborate.
We use Gateway's at work (unfortunately) however our newest model laptop we are getting is really nice (model M255) and I would like to have one myself. It's a $1200 laptop though...
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I'm typing this message on that model right now. I haven't had the least little problem with it, and I've had mine for about 8 months now. I'd recommend it. Its not a top-of-the-line model, but it does everything that I need.
[color:"green"] "World domination has encountered a momentary setback. Please talk amongst yourselves." Get Fuzzy[/color]
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About 3 months ago, I picked up a Compaq Presario V6000 with a Celeron processor... Cost at Best Buy was under $600 out the door.. Didn't bother with a case since I have one from my old Dell..
This is not a machine that you want if your doing tons of high level stuff like programming etc,, But for me it's perfect.. Has both wired and wireless highspeed modems built in and it also has a modem built in for standard Dialup connections.
It came with XP but I get a free upgrade to Vista if I want it.. Haven't decided yet however.
I sit on my patio or in the living room and get on line wireless basically to surf the net etc,,, Nothing major. I'll also use it on vacation so that I can get my email etc...
It's a nice machine for that purpose and it's cheap.
#GMSTRONG
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Daniel Patrick Moynahan
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I applied for a technology grant thru my college and found Dell has some pretty decent systems at a good price right now. The company I work for also has a deal with them so I get a little discount as well but I found a good system with Vista for $650. I just need it for work/school so I don't need anything too fancy, but it will do most of what you would want it to.
From friend experience,,compaq and gateway = :fart noise:
Our honor defend, we will fight to the end, for OHIO! GO BUCKS!
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I agree on Compaq and Gateway,,, But for what I wanted,, there wasn't a better deal out there...
#GMSTRONG
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Daniel Patrick Moynahan
"Alternative facts hurt us all. Think before you blindly believe."
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Yeah the 255 is the same model. Ours have more RAM, an 80 gig hard drive,a gig nic, and a dvd burner, in them but other than that pretty much the same. We have our own licensing for the OS and other software...
They're pretty solidly built. I think you would like it.
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If you don't want your vista upgrade, I'll take it 
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No your right and during christmas I really wanted to get that Compaq, but I remembered my friends and how he hammered the damn thing b/c it always broke. I tried fixing it too and it took me seriously an hour just to get to what I needed to work on. Not all of them are crap but if something does go wrong it sucks.
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I've been using a Compaq Presario M2000 for well over a year now. Haven't had any issues with it. I need a new battery and perhaps a new power cable (or power jack, not sure). Other than that, it's served me well. I do realize it's time on this Earth will probably be over in the next year or so....but, I don't use it for much other than surfing the net and talking with you fine people.
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Follow up question - how much RAM do you think is good? I'm not doing anything real fancy on this computer, but I want enough so that it runs smoothly. Typically I will have multiple internet windows open, Word, Excel, maybe Adobe. That kind of stuff; however I would like to learn how to use Adobe Creative Suite more as well. I'm assuming that is RAM intensive.
The gateways I am looking at have 512, 1 gig and 2 gig. Everything else being equal, what should I consider?
And then, is it best to purchase a system with little RAM and upgrade myself or just let them do it? I have installed RAM before, so that does not worry me. I'm just wondering if I can get 'better' RAM by purchasing myself vs. whatever they throw in it. Is there 'better' RAM?
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I would go with a gig. It's more than adequate, not that more expensive that 512, and if you do go with Vista will allow that to run better. I have 2 gig in my machine at home, but I run virtual machines. I want to get a couple more gigs for that reason...
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Quote:
and talking with you fine people.
 
RIP My Love
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All Pro
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Quote:
I do not want Vista right now.
I think you're making a mistake.
Quote:
I have a laptop used purely as my 'catch-all' that is separate from my work laptop. I basically do all my non-work stuff on it. It's dying a slow and painful death and I am looking to replace it.
I wouldn't recommend getting a slower CPU than a Pentium Dual Core T2060 or Core Duo right now. Even the high-end Core 2 Duo machines are pretty reasonable now. You could buy a cheapo Celeron machine at Best Buy for $400 - $500, but I think the extra $200 - $300 is worth it for a better dual-core machine.
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Follow up question - how much RAM do you think is good? I'm not doing anything real fancy on this computer, but I want enough so that it runs smoothly. Typically I will have multiple internet windows open, Word, Excel, maybe Adobe. That kind of stuff; however I would like to learn how to use Adobe Creative Suite more as well. I'm assuming that is RAM intensive.
If you're going to use Adobe Creative Suite, you ARE doing something "fancier" than a normal user. If you're using that software package, you'll want at least 1GB of RAM. 512MB is plenty for XP alone, but CS and the files you create with it can use up a lot of RAM. Also, the latest version of CS is multi-threaded so it screams with dual-cores.
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And then, is it best to purchase a system with little RAM and upgrade myself or just let them do it?
It's always cheaper to upgrade yourself. When we bought an XP laptop 4 years ago, I configured it with a pathetic 128MB of RAM at HP and then popped in 2 x 256MB when I got it. It's the same situation today. Dell will give you 1GB of RAM standard, but then will want to charge you like $175 to upgrade to 2GB. Well, you could buy 2 x 1GB of RAM yourself at Newegg for less than that upgrade cost and then sell the original gig of RAM on Ebay. So you'll have 2GB for less than $100 instead of $175.
We just bought a Gateway MX8711 last week, but it had a $150 rebate at the time:
http://www.officedepot.com/textSearch.do?uniqueSearchFlag=true&Ntt=mx8711
As a bonus, Gateway gave us a faster processor than was listed! We got a Core Duo T2250 instead of the Pentium Dual Core T2060. Huge upgrade for free.
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Thanks aldamon for the great advice!!
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Quote:
If you don't want your vista upgrade, I'll take it
As if
#GMSTRONG
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Daniel Patrick Moynahan
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Quote:
No your right and during christmas I really wanted to get that Compaq, but I remembered my friends and how he hammered the damn thing b/c it always broke.
Again, it's like anything else. if you buy something that meets your individual needs, and your expectations aren't more than what you bought the thing to do, then your alright otherwise, yeah, it might suck.
I did pay about $30 extra to get the extended warranty on it,,, just in case.
I travel to Florida once a year, NYC once a year and generally one other place like Vegas once a year..
I take the laptop with me. It stays in the room and gets used to check Email every couple of hours...
I don't beat it up at all. So I'm pretty much getting all I need from it.
Frankly, if the thing lasts me 2 to 3 years, for that kinda money, heck, I'll just go buy another...
#GMSTRONG
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.”
Daniel Patrick Moynahan
"Alternative facts hurt us all. Think before you blindly believe."
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Yeah thats perfect then for ya, and your right for the money you paid if it did break it isn't a huge loss, just get another. I have wanted one for a while now for school. It's hard for me to go to class, then work, and come home and have to sit here and do my HW. I have a wireless network set up and it would make things so much easier for me to be able to do my work on the couch or even laying on my bed. Parker Hannifan(sp?) gave my school a bunch of money for technology grants so I applied for it and find out this week if I got it or not. They give you $600 towards a computer and with the deal I have thru my job I found one for like $630 shipped 
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Now that's sweet, only have to put $30 out of pocket for a laptop.........sign me up
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Yeah it is pretty cool. I jumped all over that when my Prof told me about it.  Now watch, I won't get it 
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Keep positive thoughts dude! Positive thoughts only.
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I got the letter saying I didn't get the grant Ohh well, it would have been good. So I have been looking around and found a Sony Vaio I really like. It's $850 though. Anyone have one and had any problems with it?
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Quote:
I got the letter saying I didn't get the grant Ohh well, it would have been good. So I have been looking around and found a Sony Vaio I really like. It's $850 though. Anyone have one and had any problems with it?
337 - I have been spending quite a bit of time recently on the net looking at laptops. I found some of the best pricing at tigerdirect.com. As for Sony's, I've read they are good, but I found for some of the same pricing you can get a model from another company with better processors, more RAM, etc. I think part of it is paying for the Sony name.
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TG is a good place. I have used them for building my sisters computer. Shipping can be slow but I blame UPS more than the company.
The $850 is actually a good price for those I found out. Most are over a grand. But your right I can get a better overall system for less since it's not a "Sony" I was interested in a Mac book but screw that, way out of my price range.
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Man, I hate asking questions that expose me as the idiot flat-earther of all time, but I'm also looking for a new laptop and I'm interested in wireless. I have to admit I'm clueless about it. What else will I need to buy when I buy a laptop with wireless capability? Do I need to subscribe to a Verizon or Sprint type service with monthly charges and such? How does that all work?
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If you're talking about internet access, you clearly already have it, so you would need a wireless router connected to your main computer. It can then transmit the signal to your wireless computer.
I have DSL through at&t/yahoo and it is hooked in to my desktop computer. The wireless router (I use a Linksys) sends wireless signals to my laptop, Wii, and DS.
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Thanks, Michelle ... does your desktop need to be powered up and online to use the router?
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No, it doesn't have to be on...and isn't 99.9% of the time I'm online. 
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So let's say I have a dial-up connection on my desktop and I take a wireless laptop - along with a router - to Florida in March (spring training!) ... would I need to change my dial-up connection to a local Florida number to avoid long distance charges? Could I do that from a remote location? (We go to Winter Haven first, and then a few days at the ocean in Cocoa Beach - different area codes, different dial-ups.) Or am I making this more complicated than it really is?
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If you only have dial-up Michelle's suggestion will not work.
If you get a laptop with a wireless card in it you can take it and use it anywhere there's a WiFi signal available to you. Most hotels offer them, some for free, some not.
The Sprint, Verizon, etc cards are used for when you don't have a WiFi signal available to you. As long as you are in the range of one of their towers you'll have faster than dial-up to broadband speed, depending on the signal strength and such...
Last edited by YepTheBrownsRule; 02/11/07 12:07 PM.
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Thanks Yep and Michelle for your replies.
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Sorry, Dave....I almost edited my post to say that wireless won't work with dial-up. I had to upgrade to DSL...which was actually cheaper than using AOL dial up.
When I take my laptop with wireless card built in to various places, it's hit and miss on whether they have wireless connection capabilities. The information for hotels should be online, however, so you can check in advance.
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I have been meaning to switch to DSL ... it's about $7 cheaper per month from AT&T ... but would involve some additional wiring / installation in my house, I think. And then there is the fact that I am bone lazy ... I checked our hotels in Winter Haven and Cocoa Beach, and neither have wireless connections. The Winter Haven hotel does have an available grill for cooking out and - get this - a 24 hour laundromat ... so I call that a wash. BTW, wireless cards from Sprint and Verizon run from $60 to $80 per month, so maybe the switch to DSL and the purchase of a router is the way to go. Thanks again.
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Not sure why you would need wiring upgrades....DSL uses existing telephone jacks.
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Oh, and for what it's worth, most McDonald's and Panera Bread restaurants have Wi-Fi connections. I'm sure there are many, many other places where you could use a wireless laptop.
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Yeah you need the broadband connected to your wireless router. There not too expensive and most laptops have the wireless netword cards built in now
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Quote:
Not sure why you would need wiring upgrades
Well, this is a little embarassing too ... our house still has the original wiring and Dial (pulse) phone from when it was built in 1952. My wife likes the dial phone for some reason, like its a piece of Americana or something. Someone else told me they didn't think DSL would work on a pulse (as opposed to digital) phone line. So, its just like every other project when you own a house ... what seems to be a simple thing turns into a cluster-bleep of what to do first. "Nothing" usually ends up being the answer. I think I'll just call AT&T and say "Help!".
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So, do you still have the 4 prong phone jacks? Otherwise, you should be able to set your phone to pulse or non-pulse dialing. I think.
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My house still has the old 4 prong phone jacks...  But I did get cable instead of DSL, so I'm good to go for wireless (kinda, need to figure out why my laptop isn't picking up a signal right now)
RIP My Love
1969-2025
20 years was not enough
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