Need help finding laptop.

[Scotty 757]

Ok, so I am no expert on computers. I am looking for a laptop with a few features. I was wondering if anyone could help.

What I want in a laptop

~Between $400 and $500
~Windows 7
~Pretty fast
~Runs computer games at normal speed and graphics.

I found the first two combined but know nothing about the others. If this is impossible just tell me. The games are not that big of a deal but I atleast want a fast laptop for internet. Please help me out. I am only 15 and know nothing about computer speed.

 

[KiLLrB]

Ebay is one place to look. Also google "refurbished laptops" there are few deals out there

 

[zaery]

If you didn't add that second criteria, ninja_tux and I would probably have some good advice XD

Ignoring that, then I can tell you that new FPS's and such would be pretty much impossible in your price range.

PS: I know nothing about computers that come preinstalled with that OS, just computers in general. Also, if you get rid of that preference, things get cheaper, faster, and prettier.

 

[Scotty 757]

Should I stick with Vista. :undecided:

 

[zaery]

Should I stick with Vista. :undecided:

No, you should switch to Linux.

 

[KiLLrB]

No, you should switch to Linux.

WHy do you suggest that? If he takes my opinion into consideration he can get a nice lappy with the COA and windows installed. for ~400... Just gotta be patient an do some looking.

 

[Bandanna]

I'm on a micro-laptop right now.
An Asus-EEE. It was cheap, about 250$ for mine. You can really only browse the web and type documents. It's good for my needs but maybe not yours.

I'll teach you a little about computers. These are things you need to look for, the higher these stats get, the higher the cost will be. You get what you pay for.

Look for processing speed; measured in Ghz- higher the number the better.
(Increases overall speed of computer, determines the speed at which it can process instructions.)
Look for amount of RAM or Memory; measured in GB- higher the number the better.
(The more RAM you have, the more programs you can run at once without your computer freezing or running incredibly slow. With about 2GB you can have windows media player open, watch a video on youtube, have LPF open, play minesweeper, maybe some other things all at once.)
Look for Harddrive space; Also measured in GB- Allows you to hold more data on your computer.

and if you want to be a real geek about look at things like the amount of USB ports on it,
USB ports are useful for many things such as, flash drives, wireless mice and keyboards, external drives, etc.
You should also ask about how well the cooling system is.
You should never leave a laptop in your lap... despite it's name. You should always have it on some flat, hard surface. *A book underneath the laptop, on your lap is fine.*

And, as far as fast download and upload speeds (watching youtube vids, uploading photobucket pics) that is mainly determined by your internet service provider... You'd have to talk to your parents who pay the internet bill every month if you want it faster.... good luck with that lol.

Hope this helped. Good luck on your computer journey.

 

[KiLLrB]

@ bandanna its so much more than those specs nowadays. Two computers that appear to have the same specs can be waaaay different in computing speeds...

Other factors to consider:

L1+L2+L3 cpu cache
memory speed needs to be considered along with the fsb speed
memory cas and timings
dual core tri core or quad core
gfx (onboard or dedicated) and so on and so on...

If you do some looking OP post some potential buys and we can tell you if its worth it.

 

[Bandanna]

@ bandanna its so much more than those specs nowadays. Two computers that appear to have the same specs can be waaaay different in computing speeds...

Other factors to consider:

L1+L2+L3 cpu cache
memory speed needs to be considered along with the fsb speed
memory cas and timings
dual core tri core or quad core
gfx (onboard or dedicated) and so on and so on...

If you do some looking OP post some potential buys and we can tell you if its worth it.

The OP said that he didn't know really anything about computing speeds so I didn't want to overburden him with a million things... But that is true.. I suppose there is more to look at it.. I just wanted to give him a general idea of things.

 

[Scotty 757]

I'm on a micro-laptop right now.
An Asus-EEE. It was cheap, about 250$ for mine. You can really only browse the web and type documents. It's good for my needs but maybe not yours.

I'll teach you a little about computers. These are things you need to look for, the higher these stats get, the higher the cost will be. You get what you pay for.

Look for processing speed; measured in Ghz- higher the number the better.
(Increases overall speed of computer, determines the speed at which it can process instructions.)
Look for amount of RAM or Memory; measured in GB- higher the number the better.
(The more RAM you have, the more programs you can run at once without your computer freezing or running incredibly slow. With about 2GB you can have windows media player open, watch a video on youtube, have LPF open, play minesweeper, maybe some other things all at once.)
Look for Harddrive space; Also measured in GB- Allows you to hold more data on your computer.

and if you want to be a real geek about look at things like the amount of USB ports on it,
USB ports are useful for many things such as, flash drives, wireless mice and keyboards, external drives, etc.
You should also ask about how well the cooling system is.
You should never leave a laptop in your lap... despite it's name. You should always have it on some flat, hard surface. *A book underneath the laptop, on your lap is fine.*

And, as far as fast download and upload speeds (watching youtube vids, uploading photobucket pics) that is mainly determined by your internet service provider... You'd have to talk to your parents who pay the internet bill every month if you want it faster.... good luck with that lol.

Hope this helped. Good luck on your computer journey.

Yes this has helped. Thank you for the nice tips. I will consider all of this.

 

[KiLLrB]

The OP said that he didn't know really anything about computing speeds so I didn't want to overburden him with a million things... But that is true.. I suppose there is more to look at it.. I just wanted to give him a general idea of things.

Ya you definately helped (i +1'd ya for it) I hope you dont think i was trying to be rude i know i come off like that sometimes I just have to add my 2 cents for some reason

 

[zaery]

WHy do you suggest that? If he takes my opinion into consideration he can get a nice lappy with the COA and windows installed. for ~400... Just gotta be patient an do some looking.

Sure, your idea's good, if you want to trust a refurbished laptop.

Oh crap, here we go again. I know that when I try to convince someone to use Linux, it ends up bad, but I can't resist, you asked.

I'll just start with some basic points.
It's faster.(That's a fact, it's been tested by many, many people)
IMHO, the startup and shutdown speeds are very important, because I have a laptop. When I turn off Ubuntu, I hit shutdown, pack up my charger, and when i go to pick up my laptop to put it in my bag, and it's already off. With Windows, I sit around for a good minute or two.

It's more secure. Yes, this argument works for saying that macs are more secure too, it's because they're both based on Unix, not that ugly, insecure stuff Microsoft uses.

For a small laptop like you want, there's netbook remixes of some Linux distros that make everything much more intuitive and easier to use on a small laptop, or a normal desktop look and feel.

It's much more customizable.

It's cheaper(namely free).

Wi-fi drivers are better(at least for the Intel 5300) I've tried it myself. My laptop, sitting in the exact same spot: In linux, it's mediocre, in windows, it's slow and frequently cuts off for no reason.

Also, you can download an Ubuntu CD, burn it, and try it without changing anything on your computer, just to try it out.

If you want more reasons to switch, i can keep 'em coming, but right now, I'm gonna go comatose for a few hours, hallucinate vividly, and then maybe suffer amnesia about the whole experience.

 

[KiLLrB]

So basically you think a person that hardly knows anything about computers should use linux? I really believe that linux is only advantageous to windows if you know how to manipulate it and program/code/mod it. this is MY opinion only just mine. I personally love linux and have a dual boot setup currently myself. I know the advantages and disadvantages and I would never reccomend it for a novice user but once again thats just me.

 

[StardustSprinkles]

Linux is not so user friendly...

 

[zaery]

I dare you guys to try Ubuntu 9.10 for a few hours and tell me it isn't user-friendly. The only reason I've seen for people to not switch to Linux is an unwillingness to try something new.

PS: Just out of curiosity KillerB, what distro?

 

[KiLLrB]

I dare you guys to try Ubuntu 9.10 for a few hours and tell me it isn't user-friendly. The only reason I've seen for people to not switch to Linux is an unwillingness to try something new.

PS: Just out of curiosity KillerB, what distro?

Ubuntu 9.1 been using it since feisty fawn

I personally love Linux but I dont think its right for everyone zaery. I do suggest those interested try a "live cd" like you suggested but you dont get the full experience from that.