Now I need LAPTOP buying help!

Robinrs

DIS Legend
Joined
Sep 7, 1999
Messages
38,405
My sister and my aunt want to buy a laptop. Neither need anything special but would like the following:

Fast internet access, both have small businesses on the web

Some documents

Lightweight, small

The basics. They're thinking of bidding on Ebay. They came to ME of all people and I have no earthly clue.

Can you guys give me Laptop 101???? And is Ebay safe??

Any websites you can recommend to link them to?

Thanks!

Robinrs
 
I would suggest Costco. I just bought a great lap top there. I had previously bought off EBay but was not impressed with the prices for laptops. I had a laptop for work that I priced on EBay. By the time I bought off EBay I would have had to buy the operating system and software it was better to buy new.

It depends on what they will use the laptop for. I used mine for Photoshop at conventions. So I needed more memory and faster processor.

For fast internet access they would need a laptop with a network card.
 
I have an IBM Thinkpad with a pentium 4, writeable CD/DVD Rom drive, and all the bells and whistles. I absolutely love it. I'll never go back to a desktop.
 

Ebay is safe, but you are buying from an individual (most likely). Its about as safe as seeing an ad in the paper or on a bulletion board and buying it. Most of the time it comes with no guarentees.

My advice on laptops though is to buy it from somewhere like a best buy or dell and to buy an extendand warenty. Laptops can be fairly delicate. We have one and we REALLY wish we had bought the extended warenty. 3 weeks after getting the laptop beer got spilled on the keyboard. To have it fixed was going to be $200 and several weeks without a keyboard. We finially found a place to buy the keyboard from but it alone was $100. Several months later while picking the laptop up off the floor with the wireless card in, it slipped like 3 inches off the ground and broke the pcmia slot (my dh wants to get a new slot to sodder onto the motherboard, but thats a repair most computer geeks won't attempt).

It'll cost alittle more but buying it from a store and getting an extended warenty is worth it. For a laptop and only a laptop. I would buy parts or other electronic parts off ebay, just not a laptop.
 
My first laptop I got from Ebay. It was a Dell and I paid $300 for it. I still have it and it still works. I bought it about 2 years ago. I just recently upgraded to another Dell, but I bought that one direct from Dell. Check out the Dell site. They have a lot to choose from with many different options.
 
you can always buy from Dell's Factory Outlet .. the systems carry the same warranty as new.. and there are currently some great deals going!

Dell also offers a "complete care" warranty on their portables, this allows for accidental damage to not void the warranty - which can be a great thing for a new portable user!

My advice is to not bid on a portable on Ebay until you are an experienced user - too many variables to play with.

:)
beth
p.s. the fast internet connection has more to do with their service provider than the computer - getting a new computer won't speed things up if they still have dial-up! :)
 
Ditto on the Dell Factory Outlet. That's where we bought ours from. Bryan wanted it for the gaming capabilities, so we have a Pentium 4, 384 mHz processor. That sucker runs FAST! We also have it set up for wireless Internet. And a nice big screen for watching DVDs. All in all, we saved about $800 buying from the outlet rather than a new Dell, AND you can buy a warranty from Dell, too, which isn't something you can get with eBay. I *think* Gateway also has an outlet?
 
I personally love my HP Laptop I bought from Staples. It's just like the whole FORD/Chevy Debate I hate Gateway and Love HP.
 
1 word:

Refurb!

I spend more money in 1 month buying PC's and related junk than most people do in their whole lifetime. I haven't bought a new unit since I can remember. I have yet to have any serious headaches/problems from any of them. If you are really worried, get the "smash it and get a new one" extended warranty. You will still end up way ahead :)

Don't waste your/their money on a new PC, ever ;)
 
Thanks, everyone! I emailed the refurb links for Dell and HP to my aunt and she said it's like being a kid in a candy store! I'm sure she'll find something.
 


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