Is there a better deal than this BB laptop?

[CocheseUGA]

Gateway Athlon 64 X2, Vista Premium, 1GB DDR2, 160GB HDD, GeForce GO 6100 video and DVD burner. $549.99+tax, so around $600 OTD.

I need a better laptop, one that doesn't take five minutes to boot up when I get to school. Problem is, I don't have a lot of money to spend (read: I shouldn't really be buying this at all). Really, I need something that will run XP flawlessly, or Vista well. If no OS would reduce the price, I could handle that (I have XP, or I could run Ubuntu again). I'd like to read DVDs, writing them is a plus. It needs a good battery, too. Something that can work for a few hours without worry. Thanks.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8408092&type=product&id=1181347957887

[PenguinMaster]

It sounds like that Laptop is way more powerful than you need. Also, Gateways aren't known for being reliable.

[johnnypark]

I always use Cnet for reviews, I researched laptops for 6 months before getting my Dell 700m Inspiron. I always get emails from them now, and must admit they have some beautiful laptops available, esp. for under $1000.

Warranties through manufacturers are always better than Best Buy warranties, too, at least in my somewhat limited experience. A friend of mine had a 4 year repalcement plan through BB that cost a ton of $$, and it doesn't cover accidents/spills/drops etc. The one I have through Dell covers basically anything that could happen to it, and provides free house calls, and it was cheaper than my friend's BB warranty.

Funny thing is, I never thought I'd need it b/c I take good care of my things, but the video card went bad a few months ago, and they replaced the whole mobo for me. For the record, it was over 2 years old at the time, so don't let that discourage you from getting a Dell :)

Just checked the link, though - very nice specs on that laptop! And it only weighs 5 lbs, so transporting wouldn't be a bitch. Good luck making a decision.

[CocheseUGA]

Well, I'm constrained by price. I want this to get me through the next year of school, and still be at least useable after that.

BB also has a Gateway Celeron machine for $400, but I'd probably need to double the memory to get it to run Vista acceptably. It also doesn't have a DVD burner, something I was going to eventually buy for my desktop (oh well, they are around $30).

So, I could do $400+$43 for another 1GB of memory. Better deal?

[Thongsy]

I'm thinking of buying this exact same notebook, I really just need it for basic school task, internet and Office. I doubt the battery will be any good though, as most batteries that come stock suck ass. Also while the celeron is cheaper, it is a celeron. Not sure if they make dual core celerons either but this gateway is a dual core processor.

[CocheseUGA]

I'm thinking of buying this exact same notebook, I really just need it for basic school task, internet and Office. I doubt the battery will be any good though, as most batteries that come stock suck ass. Also while the celeron is cheaper, it is a celeron. Not sure if they make dual core celerons either but this gateway is a dual core processor.

I was thinking as I added a desktop DVD burner then the extra memory, I might as well get the $550 one anyways.

Hmm. I wish I could sell a kidney to afford it, though. May have to keep looking for cheaper deals.

[shrike4242]

Stick to your original choice, though an additional 1GB of RAM wouldn't be a bad idea when you can afford it. Vista likes 2GB+ of RAM, especially with the built-in graphics card that your laptop above has.

For an extended warranty, I'd go directly to Gateway and tell BB to fuck themselves for their warranty coverage.

[Brian9824]

If you can wait Black Friday after thanksgiving will be your best bet for finding a good laptop

[n25philly]

Gateway Athlon 64 X2, Vista Premium, 1GB DDR2, 160GB HDD, GeForce GO 6100 video and DVD burner. $549.99+tax, so around $600 OTD.

I need a better laptop, one that doesn't take five minutes to boot up when I get to school. Problem is, I don't have a lot of money to spend (read: I shouldn't really be buying this at all). Really, I need something that will run XP flawlessly, or Vista well. If no OS would reduce the price, I could handle that (I have XP, or I could run Ubuntu again). I'd like to read DVDs, writing them is a plus. It needs a good battery, too. Something that can work for a few hours without worry. Thanks.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8408092&type=product&id=1181347957887

It's a nice choice that will do school stuff with no problems. Gaming is a totally different story. If you don't care about gaming you'll have no problems with it.

[pimpinc333]

Mos Def go with 2GB of Ram for Vista. I bought my Laptop when Vista came out and it only have 1GB. Really need 2GB though since Vista is always using 66% of my Ram.

Also don't go with a Celeron. They suck ass. Stick with AMD for lower cost.

[PenguinMaster]

I wouldn't imagine Vista would need that much ram unless you really wanted to use all the stupid graphical features.

[hiccupleftovers]

No, Vista really needs a minimum of 2GB of ram. I think there's a HP for $599 on sale this week at Office Depot with 2GB of Ram, 120 GB HDD, AMD Turion 64 X2, DVD/CD Burner with Lightscribe, webcam, microphone, wireess a/b/g pretty much way better than that BB IMO. I know that CC (before they screwed Speedy/CAG) had an Acer a couple weeks back with similar specs, but a more powerful processor and 160 GB HDD for $599 as well (before coupons, but there were a couple you could add like a 10% off I saw going around the net). Acers are actually considered to be quite good computers over in Europe, but out here come in as entry to lower level PC/laptops since they are still trying to get a stronger presence in the states. It was actually the same laptop that Walmart has I believe, so you could have bought it there and then PMed it for a greater discount.

[kuri]

Just thought I'd toss in my two cents.

HP/Dell, despite their bad repuations with customer service, are better options than Compaq (yes, a division of HP, but still with its horrendous laptop construction and spec offerings) and Gateway.

If you're going to use this computer for purely school purposes, I'd highly recommend either what you found, or something with even less specs in the $3-400 range.

If you plan on playing some games, firstly, 14.1" might be too small for your tastes. I know what I do on a PC requires at least 15.4" to be able to see what's going on while having the GUI be readable. Your PC specs might be great, but if you can't see clearly, what's the point?

Here's a slightly better alternative I got off Office Depot's website: http://www.officedepot.com/ddSKU.do?level=SK&id=476730&Ns=p_Price_2|0&Nr=200000&N=265454%204294933379&Ne=5&An=browse (http://www.officedepot.com/ddSKU.do?level=SK&id=476730&Ns=p_Price_2%7C0&Nr=200000&N=265454%204294933379&Ne=5&An=browse)

[CocheseUGA]

Thanks for all the input.

I ended up finding a replacement CD-ROM for my current rig for about $15, I'm going to try and stick with Ubuntu for as long as I can, and if I need XP, well I have a copy.

$40 to fix this one versus $400+ seems a lot better to me.

[BattleChicken]

Refurbs from the manufacturer websites are usually some of the best deals, If you find a model you like I would suggest checking for refurbs there. (even thought you found a cheaper fix)

[scion of ys]

check slickdeals.com for deals on laptop, they post almost one everyday.

[Thongsy]

Here's a slightly better alternative I got off Office Depot's website: http://www.officedepot.com/ddSKU.do?level=SK&id=476730&Ns=p_Price_2|0&Nr=200000&N=265454%204294933379&Ne=5&An=browse

That's a good deal, but the mail in rebates kills it for me. My position is whatever I pay up front is how much it cost and any mail in rebates is like an additional bonus since I have to wait 6-12 weeks and hopefully get it back.

[getfckedx]

yeah. definately keep an eye on the slickdeals forums. i picked up a dell vostro 1500 for 630$ and i'm pretty happy with it.

t5470 1.6 c2d
120gb HDD
128mb 8400m nvidia video card
1.00 gb ram
windows xp
d/l dvd-rw drive

with the vostro line it has a 30 day return policy too. a little heavier than i wanted as i use to have the 700m and loved it, but its definately a great computer so far.

[ch3zyp00fs]

Umm.. circuit city has sales on laptops for like 699 with 2gb of ram already installed. check it out.