I've been kicking around the idea on getting a cheap laptop. I went on Ebay but most everything there is used or refurb. Not sure if I want refurb even though it has same warranty as new but rather buy new. Does anyone know of any brands to look for or stay away from? I'm looking for one with not much gaming need but more playing on the internet/work. I have wireless netwrok here at the house to supply it so really don't need WIFI as of yet. Anything out there that is cheap but decent quality?

Whatever you get, make sure you get something with at least 2yr warranty.

Avoid Sony laptops at ALL COST! The Vaio laptops are utterly inferior products. Our entire company has stopped using them completely, they break ten times more than our Dell laptops or the very few IBM and HP units we have floating around.

Avoid generic laptops or no-name brands. Stick with a leading manufacturer.

I personally prefer Dell myself, and their refurbs are great. They have them listed regularly at http://outlet.dell.com - but they go quickly, so once you find one you want and stick it in your cart, it only stays for 15 minutes before being handed out to someone else.

HP makes several inexpensive systems and I normally buy all of mine from a very inexpensive place on the web called Compuvest. Here is a direct link to their laptop section:

http://www.compuvest.com/Items.jsp?cid=573&sid=138

Now, these are the least expensive brand-name laptops you're going to find anywhere (see insider secret below before buying :)). If you are curious about a specific model and want to read up on the pros/cons of a model, plug in the model number at the search feature over on http://www.notebookreview.com/ - there are often times pictures and review information for most laptops out there, good solid reviews (sometimes the good reviews are the 4th or 5th or later search result in the list, so browse the titles before clicking links!).

If you cannot find anything at notebook review, go to Google.com and type in the model number followed by the word review. Example: HP Presario V2555US review - this will normally net you at least one good review page.

Remember, even if you are looking for a cheapo laptop, the most important thing you can do is shop it out, read reviews and do your research on several models. These reviews tell you most of the features, the shortcomings, and they will help you to make an informed decision.

Other notes for you to remember:
* NEVER buy a computer with a Celeron processor.
* Always! Buy 2-3 year warranty, most laptop parts fail within the first 72 months.
* With computers, especially laptops, you nearly ALWAYS get what you pay for. If you buy something cheap that isn't scored using some killer deal on the web, you're probably going to get cheap. Remember this if/when the laptop breaks later.
* Try to get something with at least 256MB of RAM, bare minimum, but preferrably 512MB or more. You can buy replacement/upgrade RAM cheap at www.crucial.com - I can even help you to install it right here on the forum.

Insider secret:

You can find great up-to-the-minute deals at www.dealnews.net (http://dealnews.com/categories/Computer/39.html) - This is a direct link to the computers section, but if you're starting from the home page, just click on the "Computers" section on the left. If you look at the dropdown menu up in the top right-hand corner, you'll be able to use that to sort your deals that will show based on price. I sorted by "Under $500" and there was a deal for a decent HP widescreen for $350 (after rebate - details HERE (http://dealnews.com/deals/HP-Compaq-Presario-v2000-z-Sempron-1-8-GHz-14-Widescreen-Laptop-for-350-after-rebate/131176.html)).

The new "Core Duo" pentium laptops kick some serious ass for processing power.

I think that's all I can share with you. If you need any help with any of this stuff, feel free to ask, myself or anyone else can help you out.

Thanks for the info Shifty. I was curious on why you don't like the Celeron processor?

That last link you posted is a killer deal. I may look at getting one of those with a extended warranty. Thanks!!

Celeron is the lowest of the low-end processors.

If you were to rank processors like cars, it would probably be something like this:

Celeron: Ford Pinto or Geo Metro
Pentium 3: 3rd Gen Iroc Z
Pentium 4: TransAm WS6
Pentium D: Corvette Z06

Pentium-Mobile: Honda S2000
Pentium DuoCore: Porsche Boxster

The Sempron processors are made by AMD and they are a great 64-bit budget chip. If you want to think of them as far as power and bang-for-buck, it's really like getting one of the new Impala SS cars or a Cobalt SS or something. It's petite, economical, packs a hell of a punch, and actually can do something on a track. Most of AMD's budget CPU's are great bang-for-buck.

The Celerons are just piss-poor though. Operating a computer with one is like driving a Geo Metro. When you're on a country road and you're trying to pass someone at 55MPH, You jump on the gas and it sputters. Takes a mile to pass. It just doesn't have the capcity to do more than that, that's how it's designed - it is for a person who wants something budget that has absolutely zero upgrade potential, and is the bare minimum to get from A to Z. Performance is a joke, so are options, so are looks, etc.

You do not want one, trust me.

It's important to get a good processor with your laptop. You can't upgrade it easily like you can with most desktop computers/workstations. Once you buy your laptop, that's pretty much it - what you see is what you get. No upgrades available except extra RAM (memory), larger hard drive (storage), and maybe some add-on mini-PCI modules.

PS - This is pretty important - That deal with the laptop expires tomorrow. Like I said - deals come and go - something great might pop up in 2-3 days, or maybe in 2-3 months. You never know. So, if it looks right and feels right .... I'd do it while you got the shot.

I did see that it was ending tomorrow :( I was looking at some time later this month when the $$$ get here. Thanks for the comparison. I was looking at the Dell site and saw a bunch of the refurb. but all were the celeron like you were talking about. I defiantely want to stay away from them. I'll look at the reviews versus prices on the sites you gave.

One last thing- I have a wireless router here at the house. I have a wireless USB port I could hook up to it but if I decided to go with a card on a laptop would I still be able to use the wireless connection here at the house? That's all if I decided to use a card versus my cell phone connection.

Most laptops these days come with built-in wireless.

If you get something that uses the Pentium-M (mobile) chip, it will have integrated (built-in) wireless and you can use your wireless at home.

Basically, it doesn't matter if you go with a wireless card or the wireless USB or whatever - you can use it w/your laptop at the house. Should not be a problem (if I'm understanding you correctly).

Don't sweat that deal - just bookmark this thread or that website and pop in around the time you're ready to buy. I assure you that there will be more deals like this one around that time. Just heed my advice above - most laptop manuf'ers will let you add/remove features for a few extra bucks and it's best to look into this before you buy.

Shifty , My wife has the 3400 semprom processor in her HP - SR1710NX . It is slower than a snail and the pages often come up in fragments .I talked to HP on the phone for almost an hour and they suggested changes that made no difference. Their final advice was to upgrade the memory . I can't get by the thought that the computer is defective . How would you approach a situation like that ? Thanks .

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Sempron is the equivalent of Celeron, but I've found the Sempron systems actually to be pretty nice, lots more processing power than the Celerons I've worked with.

How much RAM is in the laptop, just for my reference?

Also, what version of Windows is it running?

When she is surfing pages, is she using a dialup modem, or broadband?

When you do an online speed test using her computer, what is the average score? Here is a link to a speed test: http://reviews.cnet.com/7004-7254_7-0.html

Have I looked at a Hijackthis log for her computer yet?