ATOT.. Help me spend some money

[DnetMHZ]

Ok, here is what I'm trying to find. I need to buy 8 laptops in the $900-$1000 range.

What I need is:

14-15" LCD
Win XP PRO
Office XP Small Biz.
at least 256MB RAM
onboard NIC (wireless also would be a plus, but not required)

Any major brand is ok (except IBM... long story)

Can ya help me out?

Thanks
DnetMHZ

 

[Colt45]

give me the dollas

 

[DnetMHZ]

Originally posted by: Colt45
give me the dollas

take a check?

 

[Colt45]

cheque, cash, money order, wire, weapons, illicit drugs, crude oil, brandy, fine tobacco,

any currency goes

 

[beer]

You're looking at a pretty bare minimum spec for those laptops. XP SB adds about $350 to the cost of any laptop, so in reality, you're looking at spending $700 for each laptop. That's much harder to do, and you're looking at the lowest of the low Dells to break that price-point.

$1000 for a laptop gives you a lot of decent options
$700 doesn't

 

[DnetMHZ]

Originally posted by: Elemental007
You're looking at a pretty bare minimum spec for those laptops. XP SB adds about $350 to the cost of any laptop, so in reality, you're looking at spending $700 for each laptop. That's much harder to do, and you're looking at the lowest of the low Dells to break that price-point.

$1000 for a laptop gives you a lot of decent options
$700 doesn't

yeah, that's why I've been struggling so far.

 

[beer]

The cheapest Dell, the Inspiron 1100, runs $1166 - $100 MIR = $1066.

EDIT: On this link, for some reason, it includes a 2-year warrenty. Knock it back to 1 year to save a bit more money.

I think $1066 is reasonably close....

EDIT2: My link is fuxored. Go to dell.com, and then go to Small Business. Go to laptops, the inspiron 1100. They have a free upgrade from 128 -256 MB RAM, and from a 20-> 30 GB HD. With a Celeron 2 GHz, a CDROM (instead of the DVD), and the 1 yr warrenty instead of 2, it came to $1166.

 

[AbsolutDealage]

You can go with the Inspiron 1100 over at dell... but even that is barebones (no floppy, no carry case, small battery, 14" screen, etc.), and it is still over budget ($1087 AR).

I think you are going to need to set your budget a little higher. Either that, or consider getting desktops instead of the laptops (if it is a possibility for your environment). When we are buying systems here, you can generally count on a laptop being about twice as expensive as a desktop. Something to consider, anyways.

 

[beer]

Since I work(ed) for an IT dept this summer, and for the last two, here is my opinion on laptop and desktop purchases:

With every system, there is a base price in which you can expect to pay for anything. Right now, with laptops, that is around $700. You cannot find a new laptop for anything less than that (on a regular basis). With each percentage over it, you get a much better return. Better quality, better specs, better speed, happier employees. This is why it seems like $700 gets you a sh!tty laptop, but $1000 gets you something much nicer, much more powerful and reliable.

Add $300 to the numbers assuming your software. If you are looking into possibly refurb systems, Dell has a lot of them, but I doubt you could find 10 of the same with the exact specs....

 

[DnetMHZ]

Originally posted by: Elemental007
Since I work(ed) for an IT dept this summer, and for the last two, here is my opinion on laptop and desktop purchases:

With every system, there is a base price in which you can expect to pay for anything. Right now, with laptops, that is around $700. You cannot find a new laptop for anything less than that (on a regular basis). With each percentage over it, you get a much better return. Better quality, better specs, better speed, happier employees. This is why it seems like $700 gets you a sh!tty laptop, but $1000 gets you something much nicer, much more powerful and reliable.

Add $300 to the numbers assuming your software. If you are looking into possibly refurb systems, Dell has a lot of them, but I doubt you could find 10 of the same with the exact specs....

Thanks for your help! The reason I'm looking for these is we are setting up a computer training area at my office. My boss wanted portables so that while no training was going on they could be used by others around the office. Looks like I might have to talk him into
desktops instead, or possible a bigger budget!.

Thanks again

DnetMHZ

 

[beer]

Originally posted by: dnetmhz

Originally posted by: Elemental007
Since I work(ed) for an IT dept this summer, and for the last two, here is my opinion on laptop and desktop purchases:

With every system, there is a base price in which you can expect to pay for anything. Right now, with laptops, that is around $700. You cannot find a new laptop for anything less than that (on a regular basis). With each percentage over it, you get a much better return. Better quality, better specs, better speed, happier employees. This is why it seems like $700 gets you a sh!tty laptop, but $1000 gets you something much nicer, much more powerful and reliable.

Add $300 to the numbers assuming your software. If you are looking into possibly refurb systems, Dell has a lot of them, but I doubt you could find 10 of the same with the exact specs....

Thanks for your help! The reason I'm looking for these is we are setting up a computer training area at my office. My boss wanted portables so that while no training was going on they could be used by others around the office. Looks like I might have to talk him into
desktops instead, or possible a bigger budget!.

Thanks again

DnetMHZ

Also -

When dealing with Dells, our deptartment always got the 3 year warrenty. While Dell has made their desktops easier to work on, their laptops have become more difficult, and their reliability is plummeting. Good luck. PM me if you need the 1100s. You can get a much better 1100 with a P4 for $1300 with your software. It'll make your guys a lot happier. I'd just get the cheap desktops though, you'll save a whole lot of money, between cheaper up-front cost, cheaper maintenance (DIY....no hassles dealing with Dell India) and they'll probably have a longer life, too.