OT: Computer question
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=12347224
I know this post ties into the Wal-Mart Christmas post below, and for that I sincerely apologize. I don't have much time if this is indeed the laptop I decide to purchase so your help would be much appreciated.
I need a computer expert to help me with this one. My laptop just died for good. This laptop @ WalMart is listed at $298 on sale for a single day Nov 7.
I'm only look for something to get me through school, so I need a good solid computer for typing and surfing the web. This seems like a decent buy but I want to know what you think. Thanks for taking the time!
November 6th, 2009 at 4:35 AM ^
...this laptop for basically surfing/taking notes, music, etc. this should be good enough. Just a quick breakdown:
Celeron Processor 900: Not the best processor out there but should work for your purposes
3GB RAM: This is pretty good
250 GB Hard Drive: A ton of space to store basically everything and still have a lot left.
Overall I'd give it a 3 out of 5 but for your needs, this should suffice.
November 6th, 2009 at 6:17 AM ^
Than what I have on my ancient laptop:
1.6 GHZ processor (this one has 2.2)
100 GB hard-drive (this one has 250)
etc, etc
What I'm trying to say is that I only use my computer for surfing the net and that computer kicks the crap out of mine so that is a very good deal for you. Happy hunting!
November 6th, 2009 at 8:29 AM ^
The Celeron processor is pretty bare bones when it comes to computing power, but if you're not going to be doing any gaming on this machine, then it should work just fine for you.
November 6th, 2009 at 8:55 AM ^
The key is, don't plan on having 50 tabs open in firefox, or word, internet explorer and excel open and busy all at once. As long as you don't treat it like a mid-range desktop you'll be fine.
Then, when this thing goes out to pasture, take out the hard drive, buy one of these and you've got a portable hard drive that fits in your pocket:
http://www.nextag.com/2.5-external-hard-drive-enclosure-sata/search-html
November 6th, 2009 at 2:35 PM ^
the OP didn't mention the manner of death for his current laptop. If the HD is still good he should pull it out and get an enclosure for it.
Edit: nevermind - old computer's HD was IDE. Not worth buying an enclosure.
November 6th, 2009 at 9:36 AM ^
I'm hesitant to recommend a computer without reading customer reviews, but the specs do seem to fit your basic computing needs. I'm a stickler for keyboards, though, since I do a lot of word processing on my laptop. If I were you I'd test the keyboard to make sure the layout and feel of the keys is something you're comfortable with, and also check the weight to make sure it doesn't feel like a brick.
Personally, I'd fork over the extra $30 and buy a Lenovo IdeaPad, but that's just because I've had a good track record with Lenovo.
November 6th, 2009 at 9:22 AM ^
If all you are doing is word-processing and web-surfing, then just about any new computer should be good enough. If you want the computer to last more than a few years (in terms of upgradability for software), you should really consider trying to find something with a dual core processor. Everything else is good.
November 6th, 2009 at 9:37 AM ^
I think RR creates his plays on the same computer. And look how that's been working out for him! :P
All kidding aside, to echo others, "if you are just going to do word processing and surf the web" then it's a perfect computer that won't cost you a lot of money.
November 6th, 2009 at 12:16 PM ^
+1 for you guys, and thanks for the help
November 6th, 2009 at 12:22 PM ^
It comes with Windows 7, though with only 3 GB of RAM and a Celeron processor it may be a bit clunky if you have lots of resource-heavy applications running. Still, basic computing it will do (and yes, Yoda speak), and the DVD writer is a nice little addition considering the price point. If all you plan on doing is word processing (use free OpenOffice), web browsing, listening to music, and other assorted basic computer functions, it will be fine. Can probably even run some older games, though the embedded Intel video card won't be blowing you away. Still, sounds like a decent deal.
http://www.notebooks.com/2009/11/05/black-friday-hp-g60-519wm-notebook-for-298-at-walmart-november-7th/
November 6th, 2009 at 3:04 PM ^
"only 3 GB of RAM"
He won't have a problem. My computer idles at around 500MB of memory. When I installed it would dip below 400 immediately after startup with no programs running. I regularly have IIS, SQL Server, MySQL, Visual Studio, and Firefox open with the occasional virtual machine or MS Office product opening as well. I do this on 2GB of RAM.
November 6th, 2009 at 4:39 PM ^
I have 3 GB on my main laptop at home, and it sometimes chugs when I have Songbird, Firefox, and Eclipse running along with the Android emulator. Of course, Vista doesn't help the situation much.
I probably was a bit too harsh about the memory. Microsoft recommends 2 GB, and though the video card shares the 3 GB, basic usage and even some light gaming should be no problem.
A good buy overall. A+++++++++ :-)
November 6th, 2009 at 5:15 PM ^
They changed the memory management scheme (along with numerous other performance issues) in 7. When I was running Vista, my computer would burn my leg. After upgrading to 7, I don't even notice any heat coming from it.
November 6th, 2009 at 7:40 PM ^
Eclipse is a mfin memory HOG.
November 6th, 2009 at 12:28 PM ^
is there any way to upgrade/replace the processor?
November 6th, 2009 at 12:39 PM ^
The processor might be soldered on. To use a word from Rich Rod, "irregardless" of the processor, the notebook will be fine for what you want to do. If you want to edit video and do other really processor intensive things like complex photoshop actions, then this isn't the computer for you. Otherwise you'll be just fine for word docs, surfing the web, pRon downloads, etc!
November 6th, 2009 at 1:53 PM ^
http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/hp-pavilion-dv1000/4507-3121_7-31000131…
this is my dead laptop. any comparisons? i noticed on the $298 computer it has a faster GHZ, celeron 2.2GHZ compared to my dead processor a pentium 1.5GHZ.
November 6th, 2009 at 2:05 PM ^
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=40000772&De…
They run a more appropriate OS for the hardware provided.
November 6th, 2009 at 2:14 PM ^
The HP Mini 311 looks interesting:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834157032
$399, 11.6'' screen, Atom, but with NVIDIA 9400 graphics, and a basically full sized keyboard. This one has XP, but I'm sure a 7 equipped one is on the way.
Also, to OP, if you go with a netbook budget $50 for an external optical drive.
November 6th, 2009 at 2:48 PM ^
If you're just going to be typing and surfing the web, you might want to take a look at buying a cheap older computer from a private party and installing a form of Linux as your OS.
It's free, and with Open Office and Firefox you'll be good for just about all of your basic computing needs. Ubuntu is pretty user-friendly and it will run well on older machines.
Plus, it's free. Can't really argue with that. Did I mention it's free?
Just a suggestion, but I've gotten new life out of a couple of older used machines that I bought by putting Linux on them.
November 6th, 2009 at 3:13 PM ^
This one has a 64bit processor which has to be better than the Celeron.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Acer+-+Aspire+Laptop+with+AMD+Athlon%26%231…
November 6th, 2009 at 4:30 PM ^
I really hope you are kidding.
November 6th, 2009 at 3:24 PM ^
I checked this out. The retail price is like $498 so it's $200 off. Good deal. You'll want to line up early.