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Finance a laptop

E

EmperorIQ

Platinum Member
Hello everyone,

I'm a college student, and now that i work on campus, i'm on campus for >10 hours a day and i feel that i need a laptop to work on my programming and matlab projects. My parents can't afford a laptop for me and i would like to buy it on my own. My question is, should i go to bestbuys, or frys or dell and see if i can just pay off a laptop for a year or something? that i can do, i can't spit out 1200 but i can pay it off slowly. Is it worth it or no?

thanks
 
What I did is I got a credit card and I got like 6 months for interest free financing. I paid off my 900 dollar laptop in 3 months so it wasn't a problem, plus I didn't have to pay squat in interest. Just make sure you pay it off.
 
yea, i hear bestbuys sometimes offers no interest too. My credit card with 0 interest ran out, i gotta pay interest now.
 
Rule #1: Never buy what you can't afford (exception: Things that appreciate in value).
Save up for one until you can afford it. That will also give you time to decide if you really need one or not.
 
Why don't you use Dell's interest free financing. I think it's 6 months and that is PLENTY of time to pay it off.
 
Originally posted by: dtyn
Rule #1: Never buy what you can't afford (exception: Things that appreciate in value).
Save up for one until you can afford it. That will also give you time to decide if you really need one or not.
Click to expand...

for car and house too? 😛
 
Originally posted by: DaWhim
Originally posted by: dtyn
Rule #1: Never buy what you can't afford (exception: Things that appreciate in value).
Save up for one until you can afford it. That will also give you time to decide if you really need one or not.
Click to expand...

for car and house too? 😛
Click to expand...

I'm bought my car with cash, I think car notes are assinine, and a complete waste of money. I'm also buying a house for cash, and have already started a fund for that. However, I think it's complete fine to take a loan for a house, as house generally appreciate in value. Note my exception. 😉
 
First determine the system requirements that you actually need for school work.
Programming can easily get by with a lappy that has a 300-500HZ processor, 10GB Hardrive w/ CD-ROM , Network & USB, Win98/2K and 256MB memory.

What the requirements are for Matlab, I am not sure.

Getting an expensive $600-$2K lappy may not be needed.

Also, by getting a low end, you will get it cheap.

It will not be powerful enough for gaming nor have the storage capacity for games and other things that can be distracting.

Such a lappy can be had from $100-$300. No need to finance at that price.
 
Originally posted by: dtyn
Originally posted by: DaWhim
Originally posted by: dtyn
Rule #1: Never buy what you can't afford (exception: Things that appreciate in value).
Save up for one until you can afford it. That will also give you time to decide if you really need one or not.
Click to expand...

for car and house too? 😛
Click to expand...

I'm bought my car with cash, I think car notes are assinine, and a complete waste of money. I'm also buying a house for cash, and have already started a fund for that. However, I think it's complete fine to take a loan for a house, as house generally appreciate in value. Note my exception. 😉
Click to expand...

I guess it helps when you are given a car, eh?
😉
 
Originally posted by: iamwiz82
Originally posted by: dtyn
Originally posted by: DaWhim
Originally posted by: dtyn
Rule #1: Never buy what you can't afford (exception: Things that appreciate in value).
Save up for one until you can afford it. That will also give you time to decide if you really need one or not.
Click to expand...

for car and house too? 😛
Click to expand...

I'm bought my car with cash, I think car notes are assinine, and a complete waste of money. I'm also buying a house for cash, and have already started a fund for that. However, I think it's complete fine to take a loan for a house, as house generally appreciate in value. Note my exception. 😉
Click to expand...

I guess it helps when you are given a car, eh?
😉
Click to expand...

Well, I was talking about my Si, but yea, it helps to be gifted with a car (a fvcking awesome car at that) too 😉
 
Originally posted by: EagleKeeper
First determine the system requirements that you actually need for school work.
Programming can easily get by with a lappy that has a 300-500HZ processor, 10GB Hardrive w/ CD-ROM , Network & USB, Win98/2K and 256MB memory.

What the requirements are for Matlab, I am not sure.

Getting an expensive $600-$2K lappy may not be needed.

Also, by getting a low end, you will get it cheap.

It will not be powerful enough for gaming nor have the storage capacity for games and other things that can be distracting.

Such a lappy can be had from $100-$300. No need to finance at that price.
Click to expand...

he will need a high-end laptop for matlab. at least 2ghz and 512mb ram. seems to me that he is engineering major. you will need that kind of laptop. there it goes about $1200-$1500
 
it is a bad idea to finance anything with computer since its value drops like a motha, but if its 0 interest why not? but rossman seems to be the leading man in this forum about saving money and such, so i won't finance it. and i can probably save up enough by the end of the quarter. 1 more quarter w/o homework on campus will be alright, i'll have plenty of programming to do in the future. thanks everyone
 
Originally posted by: DaWhim
Originally posted by: EagleKeeper

he will need a high-end laptop for matlab. at least 2ghz and 512mb ram. seems to me that he is engineering major. you will need that kind of laptop. there it goes about $1200-$1500
Click to expand...

All the computers in the labs here are Pentium IIIs with 256 mb of ram, and they run Visual studio, matlab, pspice, etc. You definetly do not need a P4.

Yes, a faster computer would be nice, maybe once a week, for those things, but he'd be much better off paying cash for an older laptop then financing a newer laptop.
Click to expand...
 
Originally posted by: EmperorIQ
i can probably save up enough by the end of the quarter. 1 more quarter w/o homework on campus will be alright, i'll have plenty of programming to do in the future. thanks everyone
Click to expand...

Good idea.

Technology is always improving, things get faster, smaller, better and cheaper the longer you wait.

Sure right now you tell yourself you'd have the 0% paid off within 6 months but what if something happens and you don't end up paying it off until 2006?

Save up your money and pay for it using a credit card, then payoff the credit card immediately. Why should you buy it with a credit card? Because most cc's offer 1 year extended warranty coverage for FREE.
 
Originally posted by: RossMAN
Originally posted by: EmperorIQ
i can probably save up enough by the end of the quarter. 1 more quarter w/o homework on campus will be alright, i'll have plenty of programming to do in the future. thanks everyone
Click to expand...

Good idea.

Technology is always improving, things get faster, smaller, better and cheaper the longer you wait.

Sure right now you tell yourself you'd have the 0% paid off within 6 months but what if something happens and you don't end up paying it off until 2006?

Save up your money and pay for it using a credit card, then payoff the credit card immediately. Why should you buy it with a credit card? Because most cc's offer 1 year extended warranty coverage for FREE.
Click to expand...

omfg, you are the fg, 1 year extended warranty for free? please tell me more!
 
Originally posted by: EmperorIQ
Originally posted by: RossMAN
Originally posted by: EmperorIQ
i can probably save up enough by the end of the quarter. 1 more quarter w/o homework on campus will be alright, i'll have plenty of programming to do in the future. thanks everyone
Click to expand...

Good idea.

Technology is always improving, things get faster, smaller, better and cheaper the longer you wait.

Sure right now you tell yourself you'd have the 0% paid off within 6 months but what if something happens and you don't end up paying it off until 2006?

Save up your money and pay for it using a credit card, then payoff the credit card immediately. Why should you buy it with a credit card? Because most cc's offer 1 year extended warranty coverage for FREE.
Click to expand...

omfg, you are the fg, 1 year extended warranty for free? please tell me more!
Click to expand...

Is your credit card a VISA, MC or Amex?
 
Originally posted by: EmperorIQ
Originally posted by: RossMAN
Originally posted by: EmperorIQ
i can probably save up enough by the end of the quarter. 1 more quarter w/o homework on campus will be alright, i'll have plenty of programming to do in the future. thanks everyone
Click to expand...

Good idea.

Technology is always improving, things get faster, smaller, better and cheaper the longer you wait.

Sure right now you tell yourself you'd have the 0% paid off within 6 months but what if something happens and you don't end up paying it off until 2006?

Save up your money and pay for it using a credit card, then payoff the credit card immediately. Why should you buy it with a credit card? Because most cc's offer 1 year extended warranty coverage for FREE.
Click to expand...

omfg, you are the fg, 1 year extended warranty for free? please tell me more!
Click to expand...

It's one of the VISA card benefits if your credit card is eligible. To find out if your VISA cc is eligible call VISA at 1-800-847-2113 and ask if your cc qualifies for "warranty manager" service?
 
I wouldn't do it because in 6 months or 1 year from now, I would feel bad about making payments on the full price of something that has depreciated so much in value.

But if you have no other choice, put it on a Platinium credit card (as mentioned above) and get that free year of warranty. If you get in on an no-interest promotion, just make sure you have it paid off by the time the promo is over.
 
i paid off my gateway in about 3 months.. the APR was high but i didnt pay more than 50 bucks in financing..

next time i wont finance, but i had to cause i was in a jam..
 
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