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I'm thinking of getting a laptop. All i need it for is web stuff, army builder, iTunes and watching movie trailers, etc. won't be doing any gaming on it since I have a PS3 and Wii for that, but who knows I might try some demos here and there. I want something that will last a while and not be "cheapy" and fall apart easily, and not cost a fortune. And under $1000, preferably around $700-$800. Any recommendations? Or what kind of guts should I be looking for in a laptop that will still run good 3 years from now?

Don't get Acer. Whatever you do don't get Acer!

I am having the same problem. I want a good laptop, but I don't want to pay a fortune. Unfortunately I can't really be of any help because my search for the perfect laptop is as of yet, fruitless. My advice: don't get a mac. They have nothing under $1000 bucks, which I think is ridiculous.

I love Macs, I've always been a Mac geek. I have an old G5 that's I think 6 years old now and still runs great. I'll probably be turning that into a music server kind of thing. But I want a PC laptop just because they're so much cheaper. If I had that kinda money I'd definitely get a Mac laptop but thats just out of my price range, and I don't really want the lower end macs.

check tigerdirect.com they have the best laptop deals I've seen. Their customer support is great too if you have issues.


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rubiksnoob wrote:They have nothing under $1000 bucks, which I think is ridiculous.

It depends on who their demographic is. I would say that they cater more to the artistically inclined. You'd be an idiot to buy a mac just because they're cool. I dropped $3000 on my macbook pro back in 2007. I do loads of music production and I've never once had an issue of performance.

edit: I'd totally be the idiot who bought a mac just because they're cool/run from windows at all costs

rubiksnoob wrote:I am having the same problem. I want a good laptop, but I don't want to pay a fortune. Unfortunately I can't really be of any help because my search for the perfect laptop is as of yet, fruitless. My advice: don't get a mac. They have nothing under $1000 bucks, which I think is ridiculous.

Technically, our entry level MacBook is exactly $1 short of $1000 and will have a higher resale value at the end of it's life than your typical PC laptop, and with more included features, in terms of both software and hardware, than a typical laptop at the same price point.

On the other hand, if you prefer a more disposable system and are really just doing Army Builder, Web, etc, there are definitely cheaper boxes available from other companies.

Macs are brilliant but they are expensive. I have two (not boasting, one's a desktop about 4 years old and the other is my laptop, a year old.)

I've just bought a Asus Eee PC 701 for superlight travelling but it's too small for what you want to do, and it runs on Linux.

You might want to look at one of the larger Eee PCs running Windows XP. You can get a 10-inch screen model for under £300.

yeah I'm thinking "disposable" .. something affordable that I can replace in 3 years or so

I do have to admit that I Macs are cool, and I have been tempted, but the price is just too prohibitive. I find that there are several laptop pcs that are just as versatile but hundreds of dollars less.

But then again being stymied by the prohibitive cost of macs is slightly ironic considering the fact that I spend a lot of money on minis.

IF you only want on for "web stuff, army builder, iTunes and watching movie trailers" buy one with Solid state hard Drive and an Atom Processor.


You can find great deals on them (around $250) They are very durable since they don't have a spinning HD and you wont feel bad if you have to buy another one in a year and a half.

Clthomps wrote:IF you only want on for "web stuff, army builder, iTunes and watching movie trailers" buy one with Solid state hard Drive and an Atom Processor.


You can find great deals on them (around $250) They are very durable since they don't have a spinning HD and you wont feel bad if you have to buy another one in a year and a half.

True that. Double true. Netbooks (same thing pretty much) are a great value. You can usually get one anywhere from $200 to $400.

aren't netbooks small though? I was hoping for at least a 15" screen.

Netbooks are small. Larger screen sizes increase the cost pretty quickly. Again, just head over to tigerdirect.com and see what they have on sale.


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http://www.tigerdirect.com/email/WEM1962.asp?SRCCODE=WEM1962LI&cm_mmc=Email-_-Main-_-WEM1962-_-post

This ad has a 250gb hard drive with 3gb ram, 15" screen for $350

I was doing some searching and I think I might wanna wait a week now.. apparently any pc you buy after july 1 will be eligible for a free upgrade to Windows 7. I was going to just go to best buy because all this month I can get triple reward points, but that would come out to like $50 back, a windows upgrade would be what, $200?

Ya, I think so. I would do some research on windows 7 though. I hear that its way more stable than Vista, but make sure that you at least have a copy of XP in case it turns out to be poo.

yeah I do, I have an original XP disk from when it first came out, and I still have my windows 98 CD because the XP is an upgrade so I need to put the 98 cd in the drive so it knows i'm really upgrading.

I was also thinking of going with a Mac mini and having windows on that, but I think I'd rather just get a PC laptop. then I can take it with me if I need to.

That sounds pretty good. The mini's are my least favorite in the mac line. They are pretty underpowered.

Keep Checking Woot.com or better yet DL wootalyzer,


Over the last week there has been at least 5 laptops for under $300

When buying a laptop you have to compromise between size, weight and expense.

I got my Toshiba about a year ago for 600$. Dual core, decent HD, enough power to play Fallout 3 (albeit at lower graphics settings).

Its pretty much become like an appendage. I use it every day, often for most of the day, watchin vids or listening to music.