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Time to purchase: What do I need?

S

spitz10

Member
Hey guys, I started a thread a little while back on whether or not it was worth it for me to get a laptop:

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=51&threadid=1990062&enterthread=y

But since I am taking a trip for spring break, I have determined that I definitely am going to buy a laptop in the next 2.5 weeks. I am a lifelong desktop guy and have done my fair share of gaming and video editing in my day, so I am used to having at least close to top of the line equipment. With that being said, I have decided that my laptop is only going to be used for essentially basic use: chatting, internet, papers, movies, burning dvds. My main use for it will be to connect to my main desktop. So basically, no gaming, no video editing.

I guess my question would be, what is the cheapest set-up I could get, that isnt just a complete POS with no warranty? There were a few deals over the last weekend in the 500-600 range that seemed pretty good:

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=40&threadid=2005140&enterthread=y

And one last thing - I know that in my price range getting a dedicated GPU is basically out of the question, and apparently you cant run vista aero glass without it, so I have also decided that I am just going to do a fresh install of xp once I get it. Would that be advised? I have tried to find set-ups that come with xp, but they all seem to come with vista.

Thanks for all the help.
 
A couple other things: I am looking in the 14-15 inch range, I do want it to have pretty decent looks, and I am not real picky about a keyboard.

Also, after reading a few reviews on some of these budget laptops, I think the best way to go is just to get one that has vista already installed, and then if I want, I will just go back and install xp. The reviewers said they surprisingly had no problems running aero on vista with integrated graphics.
 
You're not going to find pre-installed XP unless it was a machine manufactured before Vista was released. If you want to get something that cheap, I suggest looking in the Dell outlet (most likely looking at the E1405). Keep an eye on the hot deals forums as sometimes, really good laptop deals spring up at B&M stores.
 
if you want something really cheap, there are a few deals going on at places like office depot/best buy etc. some with rebates, some without. one example would be Text

 
how much impact do the slow hard drives have, and how much difference is there between the 4200 and 5400 rpm ones?
 
i've never had a 4200rpm but i've heard bad things from them. i have a 5400rpm and see no bottlenecks from the hdd. definitely go with a 5400rpm drive, whether the laptop comes with one or you choose to add one
 
Originally posted by: spitz10
sorry, basically just a hard drive or ram
Click to expand...

i have never done any replacement of parts part i've heard these are the easiest. i think the ram is easiest, then the hdd. you do need to remove the battery/plate for the hard drive (i think).
 
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