Laptops

[Reality]

Bring it on.
You guys have brought it extremely well on previous tech discussions.

Looking for a new pc laptop.  Doesn't have to have the latest gaming gadgets, park my car or launder my shirts.  Does need to have speed such as i can compete in the Sheep Shooting game.  Not overtake SpursXs3 but certainly overtake Jamold, i mean Jamal.  And does need to iron shirts.

Ideas?
What are must have minimums?

[WayOutWest]

Bring it on.
You guys have brought it extremely well on previous tech discussions.

Looking for a new pc laptop.  Doesn't have to have the latest gaming gadgets, park my car or launder my shirts.  Does need to have speed such as i can compete in the Sheep Shooting game.  Not overtake SpursXs3 but certainly overtake Jamold, i mean Jamal.  And does need to iron shirts.

Ideas?
What are must have minimums?

If you are NOT going to get a top end laptop then stay away from Windows Vista.

Decent laptop specs:
2 GHZ Core 2 Duo Processor or better
2 GB RAM or better
80 GB Hard disk, most are 100 GB minimum now a days
DVD RW
14 to 15 Display
128 MB Video Adapter minimum.
Wireless
NIC
Modem
Blah Blah

You can pick up a Dell with those specs anywhere from 499 to 640 on www.slickdeals.net  You just have to keep an eye on that website cause good deals expire fast.

[westkoast]

 Really even lower end laptops are more then powerful enough for you to surf, email, and do basic photo editing.  If you are really getting into photoshop then you may want to get a core duo 2 machine and splurge on some memory.  If not go pretty lower end. 

Order online. You'll find better deals online any time of the year.  The pain of having to tell some pimply face kid "NO" to the millions of things they peddle at best buy is not worth it if there are no sales.  Although there was a 500 dollar amd powered HP there that I know is a good buy around January.  If you can hold off for a while you'll see slight price drops at the retail stores.

Stick with xp.  There is no reason to get vista if you don't have to.  Its a dud OS if you ask me.

[rickortreat]

Definitely stay away from Vista.  Remember, Laptops are always slower than the equivalent PC because of hard drive speeds.

The big expense for the Laptop comes with the size of the attached monitor. You will pay more for a wide-screen model, but it will double as a good DVD player.  Wow's specs are fine for everything else.

Really, PC's haven't changed that much in the past few years, 5 year old machines run XP just fine.  You can often get real deals on used equipment from large companies who routinely replace theirs as a matter of course.  Just be careful since some employees really destroy theirs while others seem like they were barely used. The business ones often come with dock stations which can be nice if you want to use a big monitor and a full size keyboard.

[Reality]

you and dabods had posted that before about monitors.
How does one find said businesses unloading their laptops?

[WayOutWest]

you and dabods had posted that before about monitors.
How does one find said businesses unloading their laptops?

www.slickdeals.net  Dell unloads current tech laptops to make room for the latest and greatest technology.

[Reality]

If you are NOT going to get a top end laptop then stay away from Windows Vista.

Decent laptop specs:
2 GHZ Core 2 Duo Processor or better
2 GB RAM or better
80 GB Hard disk, most are 100 GB minimum now a days
DVD RW
14 to 15 Display
128 MB Video Adapter minimum.
Wireless
NIC
Modem
Blah Blah

You can pick up a Dell with those specs anywhere from 499 to 640 on www.slickdeals.net  You just have to keep an eye on that website cause good deals expire fast.
[/quote]
I will check this.
Any other brands you would or would not go with?
Gateway at Costco too much of a cheapie?  $699.

[WayOutWest]

I will check this.
Any other brands you would or would not go with?
Gateway at Costco too much of a cheapie?  $699.

There are tons of good laptops out there but you just can't go wrong with a Dell.

Keep checking this site for Dell specials:
www.slickdeals.net

[Derek Bodner]

I've had good luck with acer as well.

[SPURSX3]

Bring it on.
You guys have brought it extremely well on previous tech discussions.

Looking for a new pc laptop.  Doesn't have to have the latest gaming gadgets, park my car or launder my shirts.  Does need to have speed such as i can compete in the Sheep Shooting game.  Not overtake SpursXs3 but certainly overtake Jamold, i mean Jamal.  And does need to iron shirts.

Ideas?
What are must have minimums?

If you are NOT going to get a top end laptop then stay away from Windows Vista.

Decent laptop specs:
2 GHZ Core 2 Duo Processor or better
2 GB RAM or better
80 GB Hard disk, most are 100 GB minimum now a days
DVD RW
14 to 15 Display
128 MB Video Adapter minimum.
Wireless
NIC
Modem
Blah Blah

You can pick up a Dell with those specs anywhere from 499 to 640 on www.slickdeals.net  You just have to keep an eye on that website cause good deals expire fast.

If you need it soon, you CAN go into a Best Buy, or Circuit City and find a deal like this is you look at the models they are taking OFF THE FLOOR.  I got two laptops like this for under 600.00 each.  one amd 64x2 the other Pentium dual core.  I just went with my sister in law to get her a computer and she got decent deal - the laptop had a wireless g in it and I know a  lot are coming out with wireless N built in.

But yes, online sales, for patient people, can be a better deal.

[JoMal]

Looking for a new pc laptop.  Doesn't have to have the latest gaming gadgets, park my car or launder my shirts.  Does need to have speed such as i can compete in the Sheep Shooting game.  Not overtake SpursXs3 but certainly overtake Jamold, i mean Jamal.  And does need to iron shirts.

Didn't I get the fastest time in the Sheep Shooting game?   

[Reality]

no.  SpursXs3 pulled a .1409 or somesuch.  None of the rest of us has cracked below .1500

[Reality]

Look under the Electronics icon and then dropdown box Computers & Office.
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Navigation?Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Ns=P_Topseller_Sort|1&N=10000003+90401+500337&rpp=12&langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053&style=A   <<<Hmmn I don't know why it is not showing the same laptops it showed me.  Is this some regional thing.  When i go direct to the site it shows a bunch of HP lappers.  This link i put on the board does not.  Yet i cut it right of my pc.  What up?

Situation is person is getting paid via clients Home Depot account.  Which of these Home Depot online laptop buys is the best?  Quality/price combo, with quality being criteria #1.  Go boardies!

[Reality]

BTW i ended up getting an ACER for $499 reg $799 that Costco was discontinuing.  Thanks dabods and WOW for the input.  Will def use slickdeals.com in the future.
Also dabods, have you and rt ever answered how one finds these companies that are selling/giving away their office models as they are upgrading?

[westkoast]

BTW i ended up getting an ACER for $499 reg $799 that Costco was discontinuing.  Thanks dabods and WOW for the input.  Will def use slickdeals.com in the future.
Also dabods, have you and rt ever answered how one finds these companies that are selling/giving away their office models as they are upgrading?

Costco is a good choice actually.  As far as warranty/returns go.  They are pretty good about it and don't really hassle you.

Speaking of computers I feel really bad for people spending all this extra money on quad core chips for their desktops.