Looking for a Laptop for my cousin - any suggestions?

[MassachusettsKingsFan]

Let me start off by saying im in quite a unique living situation, but without getting into it too much, lets just say im semi responsible for my younger cousin, and im only 19 myself.

Anyways, her computer ( laptop, my old one ) finally died. I know she uses it a ton for stuff other than school work but having just been through high school myself I know how important it is.

She just started her sophmore year of high school and Im thinking about getting her one for her birthday ( january ) but give it to her early.

Nothing fancy .. just as much memory as possible. Im looking to spend under $400.00. I looked briefly at walmart.com or bestbuy.com, and I found a few that were in my price range, but I know there are better sites out there where you can get more bang for your buck (newegg, ect. )

So if anyone has any ideas/suggestions thatd be useful ..

 

[CruzDude]

First suggest "Craigslist.org". You can search by item (computers), by geography and by price.

Second, try "ebay.com". Search by region, price and any specs you wish.

The benefit of Craigslist is it requires face-to-face dealing with the actual product. If it does not then don't deal with person as you don't know where in the world they may be. Also NEVER pay by money order. It is same as cash. And the old adage remains true: you get what you pay for!!!

Local classified ads can be good too. Call local computer stores, not the big national chains. But laptops, especially in that range go quick. So try before you buy and remember the old adage above.

I'm a Mac laptop user for 17 years now. In that time, I've upgraded through 7 or 8 Mac laptops (and probably a dozen desktops) and have had only two hardware problems in all that time. Since the advent of Mac retail stores I have not spent one penny on any service or repair item on any Apple product. Those stores are great: if you have an issue or problem or need to learn how, they are there FREE 7 days a week at their Genius Bar. Saved my butt on real issues as well as dumm issues cause I didn't read the manual.

If you don't try it, don't buy it is final advice.

 

[Kings Faithful]

Let me start off by saying im in quite a unique living situation, but without getting into it too much, lets just say im semi responsible for my younger cousin, and im only 19 myself.

Anyways, her computer ( laptop, my old one ) finally died. I know she uses it a ton for stuff other than school work but having just been through high school myself I know how important it is.

She just started her sophmore year of high school and Im thinking about getting her one for her birthday ( january ) but give it to her early.

Nothing fancy .. just as much memory as possible. Im looking to spend under $400.00. I looked briefly at walmart.com or bestbuy.com, and I found a few that were in my price range, but I know there are better sites out there where you can get more bang for your buck (newegg, ect. )

So if anyone has any ideas/suggestions thatd be useful ..

If your looking to spend under $400 bucks I would have to say that a Netbook is a way to go...

Its basically a laptop but a very small version and it doesn't have a cd/dvd drive (you can buy separately for cheap). The benefits are that it is cheap, performs well, and is totally portable. Its also pretty cute, something alot of girls take into consideration when buying things. The hard drives are also pretty huge on these things as well ranging from 120-250 gigs. Here is a good list of them...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&SubCategory=772&N=2034940772

 

[AyeCarly]

As far as netbooks go, I'd recommend something with Nvidia Ion graphics (geforce 9400m) like the HP Mini 311. This is just a step up in graphics compared to most netbooks w/ integrated graphics. It is capable of running high def videos on youTube and such, whereas they are choppy on most other netbooks (standard videos do run fine though). The screen is also bigger than your average netbook at 11.6" and has a higher resolution 1366x768 compared to 1024x600 on most netbooks, which will result in a lot less scrolling while viewing webpages. It weighs about 3 lbs so it's nice and light. They are going for $400 right now on HPs website.

http://www.shopping.hp.com/series/c...series/3/computer_store?jumpid=reg_R1002_USEN

If you want something with a little more processing power than the Intel Atom that comes in most netbooks, go with an Intel CULV processor notebook/netbook, like the Acer 1410. It's like a netbook, but has a faster processor. This also has an 11.6" screen and weighs about 3lbs as well. Although the graphics chip is integrated, it is said to be on par with entry level discrete (standalone) graphics chips. Cheapest I've found is $400 at J&R.

http://www.jr.com/brand/acer-computer/n/2737-202-4294346467/

I don't know what tasks your niece will perform on her laptop, but if it doesn't include gaming or video or sound editing than a netbook is a fairly capable computer. Also take into consideration most netbooks don't have an optical drive, so USB drives will need to be your friend. Well, if netbooks do interest you, you may want to wait until the launch of Windows 7 on Oct. 22 as more Nvidia Ion netbooks are scheduled to be released.

 

[Jerryaki]

it sounds like the laptop you will need should have more power than a netbook, but is in the price range of a netbook. netbooks are okay but tend to be slower and can't do much else.

my suggestion is to keep an eye on bensbargains.net (for deals) or techbargain.com (for coupons) and wait for some specials (likely from dell). good luck.

 

[MassachusettsKingsFan]

Thanks for all the help, I'll start looking into what you guys have said. Im a little scared of netbooks to be honest, but we'll see. I think im going to start checking eBay first.

Ive seen laptops ( not netbooks ) go for 350 - 400 at best buy and walmart, but Im not sure how great they are. I mean, they dont have to be anything special, but I want it to last too. From the descriptions you guys gave me, It looks like the Acer1410 might be a good buy, so thats where I'll start my search.

... Windows 7 also gives me something to think about ..

 

[Warhawk]

Thanks for all the help, I'll start looking into what you guys have said. Im a little scared of netbooks to be honest, but we'll see. I think im going to start checking eBay first.

Ive seen laptops ( not netbooks ) go for 350 - 400 at best buy and walmart, but Im not sure how great they are. I mean, they dont have to be anything special, but I want it to last too. From the descriptions you guys gave me, It looks like the Acer1410 might be a good buy, so thats where I'll start my search.

... Windows 7 also gives me something to think about ..

I think most sales now come with a free upgrade to W7, but that also means you have to upgrade. Might want to wait until it is available.

 

[Kings Faithful]

Thanks for all the help, I'll start looking into what you guys have said. Im a little scared of netbooks to be honest, but we'll see. I think im going to start checking eBay first.

Ive seen laptops ( not netbooks ) go for 350 - 400 at best buy and walmart, but Im not sure how great they are. I mean, they dont have to be anything special, but I want it to last too. From the descriptions you guys gave me, It looks like the Acer1410 might be a good buy, so thats where I'll start my search.

... Windows 7 also gives me something to think about ..

Word of warning. Laptops going for 350-400 commonly become unsuable after a year. ... especially if its running Vista or Windows 7. By unusable I mean painfully insanely slow. If your going to stay in that price range get something with XP. If you end up with a netbook, again, i suggest Xp. That way you are paying for the quality of the computer, not the operating system.

 

[Warhawk]

Word of warning. Laptops going for 350-400 commonly become unsuable after a year. ... especially if its running Vista or Windows 7. By unusable I mean painfully insanely slow. If your going to stay in that price range get something with XP. If you end up with a netbook, again, i suggest Xp. That way you are paying for the quality of the computer, not the operating system.

I think it costs more for XP than Vista now, doesn't it? I thought you had to order with Vista and then pay extra for the older XP OS.

 

[Kings Faithful]

I think it costs more for XP than Vista now, doesn't it? I thought you had to order with Vista and then pay extra for the older XP OS.

If your buying a laptop that might be the case. I think most netbooks come with XP. If your forced to get Vista with your laptop make sure the laptop has at least 2 Gigs ram before considering it.