[WMCoolmon]

Basically, I'd like something for schooling stuffs. It'd need to be small, fairly responsive, and able to do word processing and internet. Wireless would be nice but I can always buy a PCMCIA or USB device to get that. It would also need a good battery life (Both in terms of how long it lasts and how long it can power the computer between recharges). OS isn't terribly important, either; I could load Linux or Win2k on it. It'd be nice if it had a higher resolution + bigger screen size (Although I can settle for 1024x768 or so).

It wouldn't need to have *everything* with it, I've seen a computer that had the CD drive as part of a sort of docking station - that would probably not cause problems.

Reliability/durability is also a good thing. I'm sure I'd drop it more than once.

Other than that, I don't really care about processor speed, RAM size, video chipset, or audio chipset (As long as it HAS those things. )

Finally, it should be cheap. This may be a bit optimistic, but based on my last perusal of used laptops, I'd like to stay ~$500.

I wouldn't mind if were used as long as the above conditions are met (Stuff like pixels dying or the battery pooping out within the first 1-2 years is not good though.)

[Setekh]

Can you get a laptop for that much where you live? Even the cheapest laptops over here cost around AUD$1200.

I think you're going to have to hunt pretty hard through some reviews to make sure you get reliable stats on things like battery life, though.

[mikhael]

Take a look at Tigerdirect.com's refurbished/off-lease laptops. You can get pretty decent (assuming you don't mind <1.3gHz processors. I'd get a Thinkpad T22 myself. Kickass laptop.

[Kosh]

I've never seen a new laptop cost $500. Even if there was one, quality and performance often (but not always) suffers in the extreme low end.

[WMCoolmon]

That's a good point about battery life, Stehk.

Refurbished stuff sounds good, right up my ally, since I think refurbished items commonly come with some sort of warranty.

And I'm not too big on performance, I just want something that I can use without it seeming agonizingly slow.

And mik, the thing about the T22 is that I dislike the button-type mouse control. Touchpads are also a pain, but a little less so.

[Anaz]

Look at the sunday color ads for circuit city, best buy, and the office clones. At least two of them have had 500 dollar laptops after lots of rebates this last weekend, and neither of them were slouches either, IIRC.

[Nuke]

my ex laptop was a gaming powerhouse but it only had an hour or two of battery life, if you didnt use 3d, you could get another hour out of it. as fir drability, theres a laptop that is designed for military and industrial applications (i forget who makes them), and it could probibly survive a nice fall. lighter laptops might survive falls better, but only in theory. i dont see myself ever buying another portable device as i have the worst luck with them. i did order me $400  in computer parts today, i still have to spend another 400 on the vid card and processor as soon as i get my pay.

and a tip, never let anyone use your laptop. ever. somone will always break it. i certainly took better care of my computer than say my ipod, id died when my mom spilled her coke on it. id advise you to knife anyone who even looks at it.

[WMCoolmon]

I'd just make people sign a very serious-looking document giving me rights to sue the pants off their ass to replace anything damaged on the laptop while they're using it.

Maybe some of the dollars from their pocket/bank account too, if they wear cheap pants from a thrift shop, and not classy, overpriced designer ones I could sell for a profit.

[IceFire]

Fujitsu...I'm a big fan right now.  Top notch laptop.

[MatthewPapa]

I have a T21, it works great.

[Sesquipedalian]

Originally posted by WMCoolmon
Basically, I'd like something for schooling stuffs. It'd need to be small, fairly responsive, and able to do word processing and internet. Wireless would be nice but I can always buy a PCMCIA or USB device to get that. It would also need a good battery life (Both in terms of how long it lasts and how long it can power the computer between recharges). OS isn't terribly important, either; I could load Linux or Win2k on it. It'd be nice if it had a higher resolution + bigger screen size (Although I can settle for 1024x768 or so).

It wouldn't need to have *everything* with it, I've seen a computer that had the CD drive as part of a sort of docking station - that would probably not cause problems.

Reliability/durability is also a good thing. I'm sure I'd drop it more than once.

Other than that, I don't really care about processor speed, RAM size, video chipset, or audio chipset (As long as it HAS those things. )

Finally, it should be cheap. This may be a bit optimistic, but based on my last perusal of used laptops, I'd like to stay ~$500.

I wouldn't mind if were used as long as the above conditions are met (Stuff like pixels dying or the battery pooping out within the first 1-2 years is not good though.)

Try this  You should find somthing to meet all the above requirements.

[redsniper]

get a Toughbook. They can stop bullets.

[WMCoolmon]

:bump:ing the thread as I'm on the lookout again...mostly I'm focusing on good battery life and screen size. This, for example, looks nice but from what I read the screen is a bit small, although the battery is very nice.

I looked at the W2 toughbook, but the only good prices I could find were on eBay. (Granted, the T-140 isn't exactly affordable either. )

So far I've found a few HP and IBM notebooks that look somewhat promising, but also seem somewhat meh.

[CP5670]

You could also consider getting a barebones laptop chassis and adding in the components yourself. We all know that saves a lot of money for desktops, so I'm guessing it would be similar with laptops.

I am still using the Dell Latitude D600 laptop that I got at the ISTS competition last year. It's a POS despite the good specs (when I got it), as the construction is cheap and flimsy, the cooling is not very impressive and the bottom gets incredibly hot. I certainly wouldn't have bought it myself, especially since it normally costed over $3000 at the time. The most annoying thing is that the 1700mhz Pentium M CPU seems to throttle down to 600mhz whenever I run any 3D accelerated game for about ten minutes and causes everything to become very choppy all of a sudden (can't play much with the cut down 64-bit Radeon 9000 anyway, but still). I've tried just about everything; don't know if it is overheating, a driver bug or what, but I have basically given up on it at this point. No dead pixels, but the screen has a non-uniform backlight problem. The battery life is actually quite long at nearly four hours, but I basically never use it on battery, so that's a moot point for me.

It also came with a strange looking...thing...that I still haven't been able to figure out the purpose of. It's something like a port replicator but much bigger and heavier, and one of those was already included anyway, so I have no idea what this could be other than a very large paperweight. Sort of looks like the automatic feeders on some printers. The laptop fits neatly on top of it, but it doesn't provide any extra functionality. Only Dell knows what this is for.

Anyway, I will probably continue putting my money into the desktop and use this crappy laptop for school/work related tasks only.

. It'd be nice if it had a higher resolution + bigger screen size (Although I can settle for 1024x768 or so).

I find that just about all modern laptop LCDs have way too high resolutions for their size, making text look really tiny and hard to read. This one has a 14" display and a native resolution of 1400x1050, and I am normally used to my desktop 20" viewable CRT at 1280x960. You should still be able to find older ones with 1024x768 though.

[Kosh]

the cooling is not very impressive and the bottom gets incredibly hot.

That's the way all laptops are these days. That's why they don't technically call them "laptop computers", now they are "notebook computers".

The CPU cooling of my Dell is pretty good, but pretty loud.  It's like there is a miniature jet engine inside my computer sometimes.

But as for the flimsy construction, that must be specific to yours. Mine is pretty solidly built. It's taken a few falls over the years (all two of them) and it still works as good as when it was brand new.

[CP5670]

I think I would prefer more powerful fans, since that throttling problem could be due to heat. Mine has just a single 60mm fan and it spins fairly slowly too. This is a business model though, which probably don't have the same cooling that their home models have.

Some parts on the casing seem like they are made of cardboard. I can actually push them in slightly. It hasn't broke or anything, but these flexible parts don't really give a feeling of solid construction. Also, the battery has a tendency to fall out of its socket every now and then.

[Martinus]

[color=66ff00]Like mikhael and MatthewPapa I recommend Thinkpads, there's quite a few of them on ebay, the replacement parts are widely available and they're built well enough to fend off a small horse.

I picked mine up for about £270 including P&P which as far as I'm concerned is a steal.
[/color]

[karajorma]

Originally posted by Maeglamor
[color=66ff00] and they're built well enough to fend off a small horse.[/color]

Is that a regular source of peril over on the Emerald Isle then?

[EtherShock]

Tech for Less, I once got a brand new travel surge protector there for my laptop for 2 bucks (before shipping).

Cyber Power
iBuyPower

If you decide to spend a little more.

[aldo_14]

Originally posted by karajorma


Is that a regular source of peril over on the Emerald Isle then?

My lovely horse running through the field,
Where are you going with your fetlocks blowing in the wind?
I want to shower you with sugarlumps,
And ride you over fences,
Polish your hooves every single day,
And bring you to the horse dentist,

My lovely horse,
You're a pony no more,
Running around with a man on your back,
Like a train in the night,
Like a train in the night.