Know a better deal than this $275 15.6", 2GB ram, Celeron 900, 250 GB HD laptop?

[hanzj]

Hello,

Does anybody know a better deal than a $275 factory-refurbished Compaq Presario laptop with:
15.6-inch display
2 GB RAM
250 GB Hard drive
Intel Celeron 900 processor
DVD±RW/CD-RW drive with double-layer support
3 high-speed USB 2.0 ports


I'm thinking of buying this laptop in two weeks, unless you helpful folks know of a better deal (same or equal price for same or better configuration).

Thanks.

[IWantFroyo]

I would suggest you look a bit more. I looked at that very same laptop model before someone told me how slow Celeron processors are... That's the reason its so cheap. I would advise you spend $100 more on a Toshiba laptop.

[Timmer1240]

I would suggest you look a bit more. I looked at that very same laptop model before someone told me how slow Celeron processors are... That's the reason its so cheap. I would advise you spend $100 more on a Toshiba laptop.

They always ask me too!Makes me glad I run Linux at least mine runs great!

[Bandit]

Hello,

Does anybody know a better deal than a $275 factory-refurbished Compaq Presario laptop with:
15.6-inch display
2 GB RAM
250 GB Hard drive
Intel Celeron 900 processor
DVD±RW/CD-RW drive with double-layer support
3 high-speed USB 2.0 ports


I'm thinking of buying this laptop in two weeks, unless you helpful folks know of a better deal (same or equal price for same or better configuration).

Thanks.
Not sure. I frequently see laptops on tigerdirect and newegg for about $300 USD and free shipping.

[hanzj]

I thought that the reason it's so cheap is not so much because it's got a Celeron processor, but because it's a refurbished model... ?

[jerrrys]

spend 5 dollars more and get the same thing new.

193687

[krapp]

That sounds like a rather crappy deal in the US, at least. There plenty of laptops with dual core processors at that price.

[hanzj]

That sounds like a rather crappy deal in the US, at least. There plenty of laptops with dual core processors at that price.

Thanks for your post. Could you provide some links? I'm a newbie to this sort of hi-tech shopping. I have not found any better deal at this price.

[jerrrys]

for new and used. eBay is great. just stick with the big companies and check their references

[Bandit]

spend 5 dollars more and get the same thing new.



That sounds like a rather crappy deal in the US, at least. There plenty of laptops with dual core processors at that price.

I agree with both of you..

[hanzj]

i went on ebay, and limited my search (http://goo.gl/vRMD1) for laptops that have the same or better configuration, but i don't know how to compare processor speeds.


For example, how does this compare


Currently at $300
Dell Latitude D830 laptop computer- CORE 2 2.0GHZ 4GB
D830 2.0Ghz 4gig RAM 320gb HDD with 90 Days Warranty

Processor Type: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2,000 MHz
Screen Size: 15.4 inches
Processor Configuration: Dual Core
Operating System: Windows Vista Business
Memory (RAM): 4,000 MB
Primary Drive: DVD+/-RW
Hard Drive Capacity (GB): 320 GB


Or


Currently $300

Processor: AMD Turion II Dual Core M520 @ 2.30GHz
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium
Memory: 4GB DDR2
Hard Drive: 320GB @ 7200RPM
Optical Drive: DVD Multi-Drive
Display: 15.6" LED-LCD WXGA
Video Card: ATI Radeon HD 4200
Speakers: Integrated
Keyboard: English
Wireless: 802.11B/G/N
Communication: Webcam, Card Reader
Ports: USBx3, VGA, HDMI, Ethernet
INCLUDES:
Laptop
Original OEM Box
AC Adapter NOT INCLUDED
Battery
Recovery Discs NOT INCLUDED

Or, third example:


Currently $200 + $40 shipping
Acer Aspire 5737Z
Condition: Used:
Brand: Acer
Processor Type: Intel Core Duo
Processor Speed: 2,000 MHz
Screen Size: 15.2 inches
Processor Configuration: Dual Core
Operating System: Windows XP Professional
Memory (RAM): 4,000 MB
Primary Drive: DVD+/-RW
Hard Drive Capacity (GB): 320 GB

[Bandit]

Why buy used..

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834115979

Those are average prices.. not on sale!

[wolfen69]

I'd rather spend a little more and get something faster.

[hanzj]

Wolfen:

1. How much more would you spend, and for what increase in speed?
2. What you then buy if you had more than $275 to spend?
3. Is the Celeron 900 too slow for you? What would you need a faster processor for? And more importantly, what is the Celeron 900 fast enough for?

[jerrrys]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_Core_Duo#Core_Duo

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMD_Turion

[hanzj]

jerry,
your links are answers to which question?

[jerrrys]

comparing processors

[Macskeeball]

jerry,
your links are answers to which question?

He was replying to your post about you know knowing how to compare processors. The three examples you gave were a Core 2 Duo, an AMD Turion, and a Core Duo. He was linking you to info on those processor families so you'd be able to know something about them and compare them better.

I'm not familiar with AMD stuff, but I do know that Core 2 Duo is better than Core Duo.

[LowSky]

I wouldn't spend less than $400 on nearly any computer. If I'm buying a laptop I would only buy new. The reason is the battery, most only last 2-3 years at best. The next is the size of the battery, anything smaller than 4 cells is barely going to last 2-3 hours on a charge. Best to get a laptop with a 6 or 9 cell so you get 6-12 hours of play. I wouldn't buy a laptop with a screen over 15 inches. The bigger the screen the more the PC will weigh and use more power. Processor speed means nearly nothing these days. For best results search for their current line ups. A new processor might only say 1.6 Ghz and yet it will run circles around a much older 2.5 GHz model, make sure its at least a dual core chip, if not walk away. Hard drive size should be over 120GB by this point. 250-320 should be standard if it uses a standard hard drive and not an SSD, expect less than 120GB for those, but faster read times and much higher cost. Ask yourself if you really need a DVD drive, models without are becoming the norm and should cost a few dollars less. Also I like to use business oriented models over consumer lineups, like Lenovo's Thinkpad, or Dell's Vostro. The business lineups usually better built to withstand movement and falls. They may cost more but usually last longer.

[jerrrys]

just ran across this in another thread

http://www.freegeek.org/thrift-store/computers/

[krapp]

If you don't mind netbooks, I'd have a look among those. If you can live without an optical drive and dedicated GPU, you can get a brand-new super-Linux-compatible, super-power efficient, super portable dual-core machine for just over $300 including shipping. I did in the EEE PC 1015 PE.

[BrokenKingpin]

I would look for something above a Celeron if you can. I know you can get Linux to run ok on that, but I think if you look around you can find better for not much more.

[hanzj]

brokenkingpin,

how bad is the celeron in running windows 7?
Computer makers wouldn't sell computers that would be slow at the outset, would they?

[PEM59]

I would look at Dell Auctions or DFS (Dell Financial Services) I got 2 good deals on Computers (1-Desktop and 1 Laptop) though them.

Some of the machines do not have an Operating System. Perfect to Install Ubuntu without having to deal with Microsquish.

[jerenept]

brokenkingpin,

how bad is the celeron in running windows 7?
Computer makers wouldn't sell computers that would be slow at the outset, would they?

Isn't 4.00=3.95643556?

Also, Intel Atom.... it's enough for general use (slow compared to i3/5/7series and Athlon/Phenom), but very efficient... Celeron is similar.