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Buying a laptop (1 Viewer)

Holadem

Senior HTF Member
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Nov 4, 2000
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Hello people, I am looking at laptops for a friend, for mostly productivity tool like MS Office, and surfing.

She found the following:

Averatec brand
1.6 GHz
256 MB
CD-read/write
DVD-read only
30 GB
56K modem (plus 10/100 Network Integration Card, for cable or ethernet)
Windows XP Home
MS Works
some Soundcard stuff and Videocard stuff
12.1 inch screen

$899

Any experience with the Averatec brand?

What do you think?

Must-haves are floppy drive, CD burner and DVD player.

What would you recommend for $900 (not a dollar more!!!)

--
H
 

Seth--L

Screenwriter
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Jun 22, 2003
Messages
1,344
That sounds overpriced. Is warranty included in the price?

Checkout Dell. They have significantly better setups for the same price.
 

Zen Butler

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Christ Reynolds

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CJ
what kind of cpu is it? 1.6 ghz could mean anything. if it is the new pentium M dothan, it would be the steal of the century. i thought i could do better than that price on HP, so i just configured this machine...

HP ze4800
AMD Athlon(TM) XP-M 2800+ 2.133 GHz
Microsoft(R) Windows(R) XP Home
256MB DDR SDRAM (1x256MB)
40 GB 4200 RPM Hard Drive
DVD/CDRW Combo Drive
Built in 56K Modem+10/100 LAN
14.1" TFT XGA (1024 x 768)
ATI Mobility Radeon(TM)
Microsoft(R) Works/Money
8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery

$899 with $50 mail in rebate, final cost $849.

you can spend/save a few bucks here and there, too. you can get a 15" screen for an extra $50, so that would be $949 - $50 mail in rebate. hope this helps.

CJ
 

Holadem

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Nov 4, 2000
Messages
8,967
Thanks people. Right now, Best Buy and Circuit City have the Tosh A65-S126 for $850. Specs are:

Celeron 2.8 GHz
256 MB
CD-read/write
DVD-read only
60 GB
56K modem (plus 10/100 Network Integration Card, for cable or ethernet)
Windows XP Home
ATI video card or somesuch
15 inch screen

I am leaning toward this.

--
H
 

Greg*go

Supporting Actor
Joined
Jun 14, 2002
Messages
941
Does she want the bigger screen? With laptops, it is a pretty mixed opinion on what size the screen should be.

And make sure that Tosh A65-S126 comes with a floppy. They are disappearing on laptops.
 

Bob Graz

Supporting Actor
Joined
Sep 26, 2002
Messages
798
Floppies are disappearing for a reason. They are old technology with such limited storage capability that they are outdated. Mailing files, burning them on cd-r's or cd-r/w's or storing in a USB memory device are examples of better methods. If I never see a floppy again I'm fine with that.

That Tosh does look like the best bang for the buck I've seen. In terms of reliability or support, I don't know what there record looks like. Hard to argue though with all you get for less than $900.
 

Alf S

BANNED
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Apr 23, 2000
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3,475
Real Name
Alfer
How about this Medion? I hear a lot of folks snap these things up like hotcakes when they are on sale (this week they are). Great customer service from the manufacturer as well. Sure it's $99 more, but appears to have more goodies on it.

Found at Aldi's http://usa.aldi.com

MEDION
 

Thomas Newton

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Thomas Newton
An internal floppy on one of today's CD-burning laptops is dead weight.

If you must have a floppy drive, get an external one (proprietary or USB). Then you can throw it in a drawer at home when you realize that you are almost never going to use it.
 

JustinCleveland

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Justin Cleveland
I have a Toshiba that I use at home and on the road and love it. It's a 3.0 Ghz processor, P4, and has a modified Geforce 4 graphics card. Plays DVDs, video files, all without a hiccup. I love it. It's basically the laptop your describe with a better processor and more memory. I like it a lot, but the battery isn't the best. I get about 4 hours, and it heats up quickly.
 

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