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[Naked Snake]

Never bought a laptop/notebook (is there a difference?) before and I know almost nothing about which brands/models are good and what not... So I'm in need of the good old GAF expertise.

What can I get for $1000? Requirements include: A good quality large-ish screen, CDRW/DVD-ROM combo drive, DSL internet capable, and some 3D graphics muscle wouldn't hurt, but not necessary if it's gonna compromise other features. A DVD burner would be great, but I understand that'll probably add a lot to the cost so it's by no means necessary, or is that even available in laptops? I need Composite/S-Video TV-Out (there's no component out is there?)... Please forgive my ignorance... What other features should I be looking for?

Oh and it would be REALLY sweet if it's available on Amazon.com

 

[Shogmaster]

Amazon thing is gonna kill any chance of a bargain IMO.

Newegg has something that's a little over a grand, but it's tough to find a DVD+-RW drive in a laptop under a grand in general.

If you give up the DVD burner, there's a bunch of Acer laptop at newegg with Celeron-M that's in the high $800 range.

 

[Tarazet]

Never bought a laptop/notebook (is there a difference?) before and I know almost nothing about which brands/models are good and what not... So I'm in need of the good old GAF expertise.

What can I get for $1000? Requirements include: A good quality large-ish screen, CDRW/DVD-ROM combo drive, DSL internet capable, and some 3D graphics muscle wouldn't hurt, but not necessary if it's gonna compromise other features. A DVD burner would be great, but I understand that'll probably add a lot to the cost so it's by no means necessary, or is that even available in laptops? I need Composite/S-Video TV-Out (there's no component out is there?)... Please forgive my ignorance... What other features should I be looking for?

Oh and it would be REALLY sweet if it's available on Amazon.com

For under $1000, it shouldn't be hard to get a 15" screen and internet capability. You'll probably have a hard time getting a DVD-ROM drive (why do you want DVD-ROM, anyway?) and you're definitely not going to find much graphics muscle, because most laptops are tuned for efficiency rather than all-out graphics performance, and the few that go for performance are expensive. S-Video out is pretty tricky, too. I'm not sure I know of anything that fits the bill.

 

[Naked Snake]

Amazon thing is gonna kill any chance of a bargain IMO.

That's what I feared... Well, dealing with Amazon would save me from a lot of headaches (for off-topic reasons), but if the price difference is big enough it might be worth going through a few hoops to get it from somewhere else...

 

[MaverickX9]

Seriously, though, I would check FatWallet out and look for a deal from Dell or something.

 

[LinesInTheSand]

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/HP-P...sem/rpsm/oid/114387/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do
http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/HP-P.../sem/rpsm/oid/95419/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do
http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Comp.../sem/rpsm/oid/95729/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do
http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Comp.../sem/rpsm/oid/95420/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do
http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/HP-P...sem/rpsm/oid/114792/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

 

[Naked Snake]

For under $1000, it shouldn't be hard to get a 15" screen and internet capability. You'll probably have a hard time getting a DVD-ROM drive (why do you want DVD-ROM, anyway?) and you're definitely not going to find much graphics muscle, because most laptops are tuned for efficiency rather than all-out graphics performance, and the few that go for performance are expensive. S-Video out is pretty tricky, too. I'm not sure I know of anything that fits the bill.

Hmm, are you sure your info isn't a bit outdated? Cause I just took a very quick glance on Amazon.com and the first laptop that popped up was the Toshiba Satellite A75-S209 which comes with a combo DVD/CD-RW drive, and S-video out, plus tons of other sexy stuff (3.06 GHz Pentium 4? Wowza)... And all that for only $1049, so finding a similarly equipped one for under $1000 shouldn't be a problem I recon.

 

[Tarazet]

Hmm, are you sure your info isn't a bit outdated? Cause I just took a very quick glance on Amazon.com and the first laptop that popped up was the Toshiba Satellite A75-S209 which comes with a combo DVD/CD-RW drive, and S-video out, plus tons of other sexy stuff (3.06 GHz Pentium 4? Wowza)... And all that for only $1049, so finding a similarly equipped one for under $1000 shouldn't be a problem I recon.

P4's in a laptop are a red flag. They eat up twice as much power as Intel Centrinos/Pentium M's, without really outperforming them. You're going to get shit battery life.

I wasn't aware that you could get that much stuff at that price point, though...

 

[Naked Snake]

P4's in a laptop are a red flag. They eat up twice as much power as Intel Centrinos/Pentium M's, without really outperforming them. You're going to get shit battery life.

Good point, well noted.

 

[Naked Snake]

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/HP-P...sem/rpsm/oid/114387/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do
http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/HP-P.../sem/rpsm/oid/95419/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do
http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Comp.../sem/rpsm/oid/95729/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do
http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Comp.../sem/rpsm/oid/95420/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do
http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/HP-P...sem/rpsm/oid/114792/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

I thought Compaq/HP are "crap" mainstream brands? I always heard Toshibas are among the best in notebooks... Anyway, I'm bumping this in hope for more replies.

 

[tedtropy]

If you want a nice laptop with a high-res larger screen, you're going to pay in excess of $1000. The screen alone will insure that. Your best bet is to hop on Dell, pick a particular model, and tweak its features until you find a compromise between what you want and what you're willing to pay. They really let you adjust the features to what you need, plus their support is top-notch.

 

[cubicle47b]

I use http://slickdealz.net and give myself a good window to buy. They have good dell coupon codes. I bought my 8600 for $1137 with a $500 off coupon and we found my boss a 5600 for $750 off (free shipping, no tax on both).

Current deal:

Up to $750 off Dell Laptop Coupons: Inspiron 6000 $899
Exp: 03/03/05 comments Comments(159) | Tell A Friend Tell a Friend | AIM AIM | Top

Dell Home has coupons for Inspiron 8600, 700m, 600m, 6000, 1150, and 1000 laptops. Free shipping. Expires 3/3 5:59am CST or after 3000 uses whichever comes first. Thanks technxd0tcom.

* $500 off $1399: CG3VLZX4?Z$796
* $600 off $1699: 5?NZT7QZ8$CTTN
* $750 off $1999: 2?KC764LWR8$WQ
* Inspiron 6000
$1399 - $500 = $899
PentiumM 1.5GHz, 15.4" WXGA, 512MB, Radeon X300 PCI-E
* Inspiron 700m
$1299 + $100 upgrades - $500 = $899
Pentium M 1.6GHz, 12.1" WXGA, 4.1lbs
* Inspiron 600m
$1119 + $280 upgrades - $500 = $899
Pentium M 1.6GHz, 14.1" XGA, 4.98lbs
* Inspiron 8600
$1397 - $2 upgrades = $899
Pentium M 1.6GHz, 15.4" WXGA, 6.9lbs