Friend bought used 2010 laptop for $275 since new laptops are now junk ?!

[GoodEnough]

Friend is not happy with new laptops

My overall annoyance with the layout of windows 8 combined with this new dell's crappy build quality (plastic-y, creaky, lousy keyboard action, no dedicated buttons for audio etc, overall cheap feeling) combined with the fact that it does not have a backlit keyboard (nor is it available for this model) requiring me to put on GLOW IN THE DARK stickers so I can use the damn thing at night sealed the deal. Dells used to be built like Mercedes, now they're built like the worst 80's GM products.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-Studio...6DOrF3mcYpV%2Bg06cTo8%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

So, he bought this 2010 laptop for $275. Seems like a lot for a WinXP 4GB 500MG laptop with 2010 year CPU. What is a better buy in this price range? Just spend $350 for a new entry level Lenovo PC?

 

[dave_the_nerd]

It's true - some brands have changed build quality for the worse.

But if you're going to buy an old laptop because they're built better, get a non-crappy business line model, not a junk hunk of consumer grade plastic. There's nothing about that ebay link that makes me trust the seller or want to buy their laptop.

Hardware wise - for $275, he didn't get completely screwed - new entry level PCs aren't really any more capable.

The best way to not have a crappy new laptop is to not buy a cheap crappy laptop though. (Backlit keyboards are pretty much standard on anything over $500, for instance, and build quality of more expensive models tends to also be quite good.)

If your friend can't get used to Windows 8, well... tough noogies.

 

[skriefal]

A backlit keyboard is a feature - not a sign of quality. Never cared for the things, but to each his own.

If the Windows 8.1, Office 2013, and Photoshop are legal licenses then $275 is a very good deal. But they're probably not legal. And since when has an i3-350m been a quad-core processor?

Too many warning signs on this one.

At the ~ $275 price I think something like a Thinkpad W510 or T510 would be a better choice.

If Windows 8 annoys, install the free Classic Shell software and you'll get something that behaves much more like Windows 7.

 

[sandorski]

4 year old used Laptop? Never. If it still works, it likely won't last long.

 

[holden j caufield]

not a dell studio, but my gf has one and it works fine but at that price you might an i5 sandy bridge would be better. Like someone said, a thinkpad, precision/latitude, tecra or eltebook would be better.

 

[GoodEnough]

Is a Thinkpad W510 the gold standard for the used $300 laptop category?
What would be the gold standard for a used $500 laptop category?

 

[ninaholic37]

requiring me to put on GLOW IN THE DARK stickers

That's an interesting idea. I gotta try that now! My current strategy is just to turn up the monitor brightness when I need to see the numbers on the top row, then turn it back down again. I think even one glow in the dark sticker might help me figure out the positioning. I just noticed that my wi-fi light is right above the 6 and F7... this might come in handy... ^_^

 

[alkemyst]

At $500, you really don't need to go used for a quality laptop. You can get decent, modern systems at that price. The main thing older laptops are limited by are the level of the mobility GPUs they are stuck with.

That said, most aren't hanging on to their PCs/Laptops for years and years like in the past, one is almost forced to upgrade to keep up with software (esp games).

For a web browsing/email/social media device, I'd still go new at $500 than used.

 

[Bateluer]

He complains about the build quality on his new Dell, so he buys an older Dell?

Too many things don't pass the smell test to me.

 

[GoodEnough]

He complains about the build quality on his new Dell, so he buys an older Dell?

Too many things don't pass the smell test to me.

This is not irrational. If new BMW's are junk, one might be inclined to buy a 2008 BMW that is in mint condition.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

This is not irrational. If new BMW's are junk, one might be inclined to buy a 2008 BMW that is in mint condition.

Yeah, but the model linked in OP... I mean, your metaphor is sensible in its way, but this is like "new Mercedes are junk, so I'll buy a 2008 Smart that a fat kid sat on."

Junky low end consumer laptops are junky.

 

[PhIlLy ChEeSe]

Friend is not happy with new laptops




http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-Studio...6DOrF3mcYpV%2Bg06cTo8%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

So, he bought this 2010 laptop for $275. Seems like a lot for a WinXP 4GB 500MG laptop with 2010 year CPU. What is a better buy in this price range? Just spend $350 for a new entry level Lenovo PC?

Brand new Lenovo.......

 

[mpo]

Wow, that ad throws up so many red flags--no battery, XP, Win7, and Win8.1 all listed/shown as the OS, and it is a Studio line.

If it was a business class laptop from that era, sure, it might be a deal. But a consumer level one, no chance it is going to be a better deal than a similar priced contemporary consumer laptop with a 1-year warranty.

 

[GoodEnough]

If it was a business class laptop from that era, sure, it might be a deal. But a consumer level one, no chance it is going to be a better deal than a similar priced contemporary consumer laptop with a 1-year warranty.

Well, that's his whole point.
Today's consumer level laptops have poor build quality.
Consumer level PC's from 4 years ago had a much better build quality.
So, it is logical to get an older one, since a new one is junk, according to him

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Well, that's his whole point.
Today's consumer level laptops have poor build quality.
Consumer level PC's from 4 years ago had a much better build quality.
So, it is logical to get an older one, since a new one is junk, according to him

Except they didn't, so he's full of crap.

And probably warez.

 

[skriefal]

Consumer level PC's from 4 years ago had a much better build quality.

Your friend apparently believes that. But it isn't so.

 

[ninaholic37]

Except they didn't, so he's full of crap.

Your friend apparently believes that. But it isn't so.

Care to elaborate?

 

[alkemyst]

Care to elaborate?

The build quality at the various price points really has not changed. What has changed is now people can get what was a higher end laptop 4-5 years ago for cheaper than an entry level laptop now.

Sadly, that entry level laptop will be more capable.

 

[Raduque]

Care to elaborate?

I paid over $700 for a Dell Studio 17 around 2009. The left hinge froze up and caused the left side of the lid to disintegrate in early 2013. It's also creaky, and the cheap paint on the cheap plastic is wearing off bad. I almost regret buying it, except at the time it was a beast. 17", 1440x900, Core2Duo, 3gb ram, Radeon HD3650 mobile.

I also have two of Dell's much older laptops (Inspiron 6000m and B130) and the build quality of those are as good as the day I got them. Same with a Gateway business laptop from 2010.

I bought a cheap Toshiba C55 back in November of last year and my dad's been using it every day with no problems, but it looks and feels cheap and empty, like it has no substance.

I've since switched to Ultrabooks, and I got a Lenovo u530 touch which was just replaced on Thursday with a Lenovo Y50. Ultrabooks are definitely where the build quality is these days.

 

[infoiltrator]

I have a 2009 business laptop I bought cheap, it needed a battery right away, and battery life is short even with new one. Replaced wifi card, much dated (not always possible).
The screen is not great by todays standards, and it is heavy and runs warm.
For not much more purchased a Samsung I3 laptop I3 2350M (admittedly discounted) which, except for keyboard feel, is much better. Samsung not bad just not as good.
Screen and battery life are much better. Went from 6GB RAM to 8GB RAM.
Old Laptop can not go above 4 GB.
Keep putting off SSD for Samsung. Not sure SSD would help old one enough.

 

[doubledeluxe]

I have an older laptop and the heat is what is killing me. I can't keep anything near the left side of it and my palm gets very hot on that side as well while typing. I would like to think that newer laptops have much better noise and heat management.

What I like about older laptops is the old aspect ratio.

 

[thecoolnessrune]

"I don't want to pay the cost of a modern, high quality laptop, so therefore I'll get a used, older laptop and generalize that all newer laptops are junk."

Yeah, I know a few guys who act like that.

 

[GoodEnough]

I am now tempted to buy a used business class laptop.
Best Lenovo to buy? I will sell my Gateway to subsidize the purchase.
Best bang for buck in used laptops ONLY for internet/web/email (not games, not dev)

 

[dave_the_nerd]

HP Elitebooks are nice.

 

[artemicion]

Stupid. My few months old Dell Inspiron 15 7000 series is completely fine in the build quality department, and I only paid something like $600 for it (albeit from Dell Outlet during a sale). Has a backlit keyboard too.

And maybe I'm overly paranoid, but all the extra software on the eBay laptop is worthless IMO because it probably doesn't include license keys and I sure as hell am not going to use an eBay laptop without wiping the hard drive and doing a clean OS install first.

IMO, it's pretty stupid to rely on limited anecdotal experiences to postulate as to overall build quality of a computer manufacturer. Every label offers tiers of products with varying build quality and every label is going to use the cheapest labor and materials they can at each tier. And every label is liable to contract out to a different parts supplier or manufacturing factory every year, so unless you know something about who supplied the parts or you know something about which factory the laptop is built in, I don't think knowing that it's a Dell vs. Lenovo is going to tell you much.