I Am Getting a New Laptop so I need help choosing

[DarkRuler]

Since Im planning on using my hard drive I do not want a new one

 

so that would mean no Office, Operating System or anything like that

 

I am currently using an

 

Acer 4420-5963 Extensa

-AMD Athlon 64x2 Dual Core Proessor TK-57

(1.9 Ghz, 2 x 256 kb L2 cache)

-14.1 WXGA Acer Crystalbrite LCD

-Up to 896 Radeon Xpress 1250

Hyper Memory

-2 Gb DDR2

-160Gb Hard Drive

-DVD-Super Multi DL

-802.11 b/g WLAN

-2 Gb RAM

and when using the Windows 7 Experience Index it gives it a 3.2/7.9 (1.0 - 7.9)

 

so if anyone can point me to a website or a store with laptops under $400 with no hard drives then that would be great

 

I need an upgrade on the graphics card and RAM

 

Another reason that I need a new one is that the laptop is shit and the screen now is having white bars go across it a lot. The charger plugin is also loose. It can be slow at times too. I am actually using my TV as a monitor right now.

 

I will be getting it after Christmas because thats when the deals start showing up

 

+rep to anyone that helps and keeps it within that price range

Edited December 10, 2009 by DarkRuler

[360]

Get a desktop computer, or bulid your own.

[iBotPeaches]

Laptops suck, unless you prebuild one thats hella expensive, or get a netbook.

 

Theres honestly no way to build a Windows 7 fast computer under 400.

[DarkRuler]

I found a really nice Dell XPS M2010 that a guy paid $3800 originally and is now selling it cheap

 

it is in good condition except that when it boots up it goes to a black screen

 

Im not sure if I should go after this one if its an easy fix, or hold off and try and find a not broken one

[Randomrocket]

Anything but a Mac. I think you should build a desktop too.

 

I have a tutorial on here on how to. It's not done yet, but every time I try to add the last part, ibm is down.

 

laptops cannot play games unless they are freakin expensive.

[Curtis]

stick with XP, windows 7 and vista blow,

 

as long as you know what virus protection is, you don't need or want vista or 7.

 

plus only get a laptop if you travel lots. Laptop= twice as expensive for same specs.

 

then when it breaks, good luck fixxxxing it/ kkk

 

pluszzz dont get dellllll

[Quinn]

stick with XP, windows 7 and vista blow,

 

as long as you know what virus protection is, you don't need or want vista or 7.

 

plus only get a laptop if you travel lots. Laptop= twice as expensive for same specs.

 

then when it breaks, good luck fixxxxing it/ kkk

 

pluszzz dont get dellllll

 

Windows 7 is faster than XP for me. I've dual booted them to test

 

@Peaches, my $400 eMachines notebook runs Win 7 real fast, as long as you don't have something big open, like Autodesk 3DS Max 2010 open.

[DarkRuler]

but should I go after that Dell XPS thats being sold for because the guy doesn't want to try and fix the black screen boot up problem?

 

is that an easy fix?

 

or should I try and find another?

[Pargy]

I would just save up for a little while, the computer you have now isnt bad, and you cant really buy a good notebook for $400.

 

And if you go with that dell and you cant fix it, your screwed.

[Curtis]

justt about guarantee you, XP would run faster if you set it up good.

 

and no you can't get a good laptop for 400, it'd be decent but cheap, and way behind in hardware

Edited December 15, 2009 by Curtis

[Reaper222]

DarkRuler, if I were you I would build a desktop instead of a laptop. But if you need a computer for on-the-go or for school, get a laptop.

[Kurrupted Ninja]

what i have it a laptop with two monitors

it fine i can get parts for it

but if you really want a good computer follow randomrockets tutorial and make one

much better

[Quinn]

but should I go after that Dell XPS thats being sold for because the guy doesn't want to try and fix the black screen boot up problem?

 

is that an easy fix?

 

or should I try and find another?

Could be a lot of things, could be as simple as changing one thing in the bios, to it being completely ******. You never know with Dells

 

justt about guarantee you, XP would run faster if you set it up good.

 

and no you can't get a good laptop for 400, it'd be decent but cheap, and way behind in hardware

 

$429, was what my laptop costed. 1.6ghz AMD Athlon, 2gb or DDR2, Same graphics as a laptop twice the cost, 15.4' screen. Pretty respectable for just over $400

[DarkRuler]

what i have it a laptop with two monitors

it fine i can get parts for it

but if you really want a good computer follow randomrockets tutorial and make one

much better

yeah, I might end up doing that, I just need to make sure I can be able to get all the parts, Im still looking for deals on laptops

 

 

Could be a lot of things, could be as simple as changing one thing in the bios, to it being completely ******. You never know with Dells

 

 

 

 

Since this was on ebay.com it was bid up to $200 with a few days left (right here

 

Ive found a few other laptops to watch and I also looked at dell.com since they seem to be on the lower end with prices

 

Also on Dell.com I used there "Build a System" tool and I got to this laptop

_____________________________________________________

I appreciate all the input everyone has been giving

Edited December 15, 2009 by DarkRuler

[gruntmods]

Dell laptops cannot game, period. Their gaming section is alienware, and those are not cheap.Build a pc.

[Kurrupted Ninja]

Maybe you should get a HP desktop

[iBotPeaches]

Or buy your own parts for 10x cheaper and assemble yourself. It saves your computer from getting 10gb of bloatware installed, and it will last longer than that foreign imitate product called dell.

[gruntmods]

Or buy your own parts for 10x cheaper and assemble yourself. It saves your computer from getting 10gb of bloatware installed, and it will last longer than that foreign imitate product called dell.

actually, dell doesn't install bloatware, but building your own is still better

[Quinn]

actually, dell doesn't install bloatware, but building your own is still better

 

My brother's dell came with bloatware...

[DarkRuler]

is there any tutorial on building a laptop?

[gruntmods]

is there any tutorial on building a laptop?

You cant, they use custom parts.

 

and my dell didn't have bloatware.

[Randomrocket]

but should I go after that Dell XPS thats being sold for because the guy doesn't want to try and fix the black screen boot up problem?

 

is that an easy fix?

 

or should I try and find another?

Buying a broken computer is like buying a broken car. You don't know if you can fix it or how much it will cost you to.

[Curtis]

Don't use Dell, just a rip off company with junk parts.

 

and remember every company you order a computer from, they make mark up profit, so build your own,

 

if you don't know how, im sure a friend of your does.

[Diggy]

is there any tutorial on building a laptop?

I dont think so, google it!

[DarkRuler]

since I can't seem to find any good tuts for building a laptop, I guess I will have to buy one

 

I used Dell.com's 'build a system' tool and are the specs for this laptop good, Im going to have to increase my budget to $900 though

 

Dell Inspiron 14 Notebook

 

Processor - Intel® Core⢠2 Duo P8700 (2.53GHz/1066Mhz FSB/3MB cache)

 

Memory - 4GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 at 800MHz

 

Display - 14.0â High Definition+ (900p) Bright LED Display with TrueLifeâ¢

 

Video Card - Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD

 

Hard Drive - 320GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM)

 

CD ROM/DVD ROM - 8X CD/DVD Burner (Dual Layer DVD+/-R Drive)

 

Sound - Soundblaster X-Fi Hi Def Audio - Software Enabled

 

Wireless - Dell Wireless 1397 802.11g Half Mini-Card

 

Battery - 48 Whr Lithium Ion Battery (6 cell)

 

Total $850 (with tax and shipping)

___________________________________________________________________________

I know its definitely a few steps up from my current laptop

 

Is the processor quality good?

Are Dell Inspiron 14s good?

 

I know a lot of you have said that Dells are bad, but is that with specific brands of theirs or just all?

and about that bloatware Dell problem, I found a few programs that I could use to take off the bloatware if I do run into that problem