Laptop Died... Fix? or Replace?

[Iplayfarmer]

Anyone have opinions on refurbished vs. new? Is it worth the cost savings to get re-furbished?

 

[bonefish101]

Overstock.com has good prices on refurbished, propertyroom.com has great prices if you have a copy of windows already. Id go new for your price range, your not going to save a whole lot by going used plus you will be buying older technology. Stay under 500, there are tons of capable machines in that price range. Check circuitcity.com, they are probably having a sale this weekend. Look for a dual core or better and a couple of gigs of ram or more and you will have a decent machine for your needs.

 

[IslandTractor]

There really are a ton of acceptable machines in the under $700 price range. The issue as always is to define what would work best for you and then make a compromise with price and features. I find Amazon a great place to shop because of the generally reliable customer opinions and discussions which bring out both the pros and cons of different models as seen by actual users.

Here is an example for about $460: Lenovo G560 Series 067999U. Amazon.com: Lenovo G560 Series 067999U Laptop (Black): Computer & Accessories Has Intel Dual Core processor, 4gb RAM and 320gb harddrive. Excellent screen and keyboard. DVD. Solid basic laptop from an excellent manufacturer. As you probably know Lenovo bought out IBM's laptop business about five years ago and they had built the IBMs for years before that. I have owned several of these IBM/Lenovo computers and really like them. The keyboard is second to none which is my main draw. They are also solid machines and don't have a lot of silly frills. The model I noted above is not exactly light at 7.5lbs. That is a good example of what you trade off for the low price. This computer will be just as fast as some of the more expensive ones that are weighing in at 3-4 lbs. If you carry it you might appreciate the lighter weight but if this is a desktop replacement who cares about the extra weight?

 

[dmccarty]

Seems like buying a laptop is a roll of the dice. The laptops I have used at work have all be very reliable and when they have been replaced it is because it was "time" and not because the system was no longer working.

These laptops have all been IBM or Lenovo. Lenovo has consumer grade and business laptops. We get the business laptops. I only know of one system that was a complete POS and that was the T43. The ones at work had lots of problems and the one we bought for home use is now a "desktop" because the battery has died and the power supply connector is iffy to use when mobile. We have managed to get over a years use out of it which surprised me. This is only the second system I have every owned that has broken. And I have owned a bunch of micro/personal computers starting with an APPLE II+ 30 years ago...

With the exception of the T40 and a system that was built with the "best" parts, all of my systems still worked when they were taken out of service. The desktop that died did so when power supply caught on fire. We were lucky in that I was home working on the computer when it burst into flames. Normally I would have been working on our land but it was raining.

I *** MIGHT *** consider a refurb if I could find reliable reliability information on that particular system.

Later,
Dan

 

[IslandTractor]

I have had similar experience with the Lenovo/IBM laptops. I now have four of them around the house. One is my active laptop and the others are functional but out to pasture and now serve as convenient WiFi web access points. One in the kitchen, one next to the TV remote and one that rides in the back of the car. I have outgrown disk space and needed more memory or an upgraded operating system but in ten plus years of global travel I've never damaged or killed one. They are solid business machines without gaming friendly or entertainment oriented features.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

I pulled the trigger on a laptop today. I got a free fridge to go with it!! :thumbsup:

I ended up paying $350 +tax for a Toshiba from Office Depot. I bought it online and had it delivered since the closest Office Depot is a 4 hour drive. Shipping was free, though.

Based on the sage advice from TBNers, I compared the lowest priced laptops I could find and got the unit with the best specs. I am amazed how many laptops are available right now for very low prices. This one has a 15.6" display, dual core 2.2 Ghz processor, and 3 MB of RAM. That should work for my needs. If it will do TBN, netflix, and sketchup I'll have all I ever need. A ten key was a must for me, and I'm excited to see how Toshiba's multi-touch track pad works.

The fridge was just for kicks. I was looking around for coupon codes because I hate to miss any kind of discount. The only thing I found that would work was the free Travel Mini Fridge with a purchase of more than $150. It has a warm function. This may become my welding rod storage spot if it has room for welding rods in it. It looks pretty small in the pictures.

 

[dcyrilc]

This one has a 15.6" display, dual core 2.2 Ghz processor, and 3 MB of RAM. That should work for my needs. If it will do TBN, netflix, and sketchup I'll have all I ever need. A ten key was a must for me, and I'm excited to see how Toshiba's multi-touch track pad works.

You should be happy with that. My laptop has duel 2.0 processers and is pretty fast for most things.

 

[IslandTractor]

Sounds like a great deal. I'm sure it will handle the tasks you listed.

I'd mount that fridge on the tractor though!

 

[Iplayfarmer]

Sounds like a great deal. I'm sure it will handle the tasks you listed.

I'd mount that fridge on the tractor though!

Oh, GOOD IDEA!!

I could make the first 3 point refrigerator of TBN!

 

[sodamo]

Oh, GOOD IDEA!!

I could make the first 3 point refrigerator of TBN!

it IS 12 volt