I just had a Dell Inspiron 2200 laptop stolen which I need to replace and I probably want to buy a second identical unit for my friend so I am looking around for probably two identical laptops.
I believe that in general used computers are overpriced for their value and given the low prices of new ones I would normally buy a couple of new ones except that I do not want Vista, not at all, no way, no how, no buts, no ifs.
This is the configuration I had which worked quite well for my needs.
I think I would want something only slightly better. I do not think I need much more for my traveling needs and I like to have the least value which will cover my needs. That way if it is lost or stolen or dies I lose the minimum. Having two alike simplifies configuration and maintenance.
If I can find brand new laptops with XP I think that would be the best solution and the best value for money but I believe this is no longer possible. So I am inclined to buy a couple of used laptops on ebay if I can find them at a really good price.
I believe a configuration something like this might work for my needs:
Processor: P4- 1800 or equivalent or a bit better
RAM: 1 GB DDR
HDD: 40 GB bare min, 80 GB better, 160 GB best
(I am seriously considering having the data on an external USB drive which I can carry with me at all times)
Optical drive: CD burner min, DVD burner best,
Display: 1024 x 768, 14" min, 15" better
Video card: Advice? I do not game but an old one does not work with Google Earth - I love Google Earth.
Modem 56K
Integrated wireless & ethernet
2~3 USB 2.0 ports
Integrated webcam
Serial port for my legacy gadgets
OS: XP Home min, XP Pro better, No way Vista.
I think this should pretty much cover basic internet surfing, word processing, Google Earth, and the little more I do on the laptop.
All advice and opinions welcome. What can I buy and what should it cost me?
I am traveling in Asia and my Internet access is ocassional so don’t be surprised if It takes me a while to return to this thread.
Well, the reason I want to stick with XP is that I do not feel like learning new stuff. And Vista and Win7 will run slower on the same machine. So, I really want to stick with XP if at all possible. I am in Guangdong and laptops here are not noticeably cheaper that in Europe and America, and they come with pirated copies of XP which I would like to avoid unless I really have no other choice. I think I would rather buy in America as first choice and Europe as second choice.
BTW, for anyone visiting Guangzhou, there is a huge computer market at Tianhe, 23.13565, 113.32970, and a smaller one at 23.13785, 113.32327.
There is also a big one in Shenzhen at 22.54388, 114.08189.
You really are sacrificing some serious bang for the buck horsepower with your ‘XP only’ insistence. I’ve looked around and this is one of the best deals on a a 14" notebook. Expires today.
On the personal side I’ve gotten three of these beauties lately and on my personal unit upgraded the drive to 500 gigs ( 110 - newegg ) and upped the RAM to 2 gigs ( 20 -newegg). They come with XP Home and run Office 2007 & multimedia apps just fine. They run about $ 350 (shipped in US) at various discounters for the1 gig RAM 160 HD version .
I did look in their web site but could not find anything downgradeable. I know they used to but I heard they stopped offering the downgrade option and it was rather expensive anyway.
I know but I get irritated whenever I have to work with Vista because they have changed things around for no good reason and it takes me three times the time to do anything. And I think that if I am going to learn a new OS I’d rather learn Linux which I have been putting off for some time.
Yup. If it came with XP I would buy it.
That’s not quite what I’m looking for.
I might still go with a couple of used or refurbished laptops, 2~3 years old, with XP, if I can find a good deal (under $300?). But I think they are overpriced in general.
Is there anything you like on http://www.dfsdirectsales.com? It’s the Dell off-lease site (slightly different than their refurbished site) and none of those machines come with Vista.
They are more or less what I could use but I was hoping to find for about $300. For a little more than those prices I can get a brand new one with much better hardware.