I bought a PVR Matrix from Best Buy 5 years ago when I started my current job. It was a good deal for a P4, firewire, DVD-RW, etc at the time, maybe $1000. Here are some tips I learned.
My wife claimed dibs when we moved here permanently. It has worked flawlessly except the battery finally totally croaked at the end of last year. There are no batteries available for my laptop now. It is difficult to find "non-name brand" replacements. I did a lot of research to find that Samsung had the same model (P-10?) and batteries, which are identical are avaiable for about $100. Search before you buy, and see if batteries are avaialable.
My laptop also totally sux in the way it is laid out. I was thinking of upgrading the hard drive to a larger, faster model. Unfortunately, I have to take the thing apart because the drive sits under the keyboard as I recall, not easy, could I do it, yes. Make sure it is easy to change ram, drives, and batteries, CPU if possible.
I bought a very nice Lenovo for $599 AR ($250 rebates+vista) for a relative, providing I ever get the rebates. Lenovo paid on time, Office Depot has not, says in step 3/5 now afer 3 months. Both were sent in very early January. I also requested the "free" VIsta Business upgrade. It was listed as approved/pending for 2 months and now says canceled. I am getting tired of fighting these buttheads for rebates they promised but have not delivered. If they have rebates, check online to make sure others are getting them. Pay the extra $0.50 so you can check mail delivery confirmation online for records, glad I did.
I will likely just replace the laptop for $500 instead of buying a $100 battery and a $100 hard drive. My purchase criteria are in bold. I will avoid rebates and buy from places like BestBuy and OfficeMax if buying locally.
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