Laptop requirements

[Parr8hed]

Since we seem to be able to bring up anything here from wich shaving razors we use to how we groom our facial hair.......

My wife wants to get a portable DVD player to sit in the Expedition for road trips. The ones that I have seen that look like they are anything at all are ranging from 250 to 300 dollars. I immediatly think wow, I could get a used laptop for that!! So what do I need to look for in a laptop? I have a decently fast home machine already with a 120 gig hard drive and a 1.2 gig processor and 512 of ram. It is not the best, but will get by for a couple of years. Would like to buy a cheaper laptop but I need to be able to watch DVD's on it for the kid on a roadtrip. I also need built in wi-fi so I can get a wireless router for my broadband and surf the net while I am on the toilet. Anyone have recomendations on a cheap laptop and what requirements should I look for? I do not know much about them. Used is OK. Have been on ebay a bit but not sure what speed or memory to look for.

Thanks

[DiverRay]

Get a cheap DVD player. The laptop won't work as well, unless you spend the money on a newer one. I've seen players for around $125 here. And yes, that is for a portable player, but with a 7" screen. The 10" screen is about $200.
Ray

[beechfront]

i agree with you travis. if you are going to spend 300 dollars on a portable dvd player, you might as well spend another coulpe hundred on a cheap laptop.

granted, you aren't going to get much for that price - but the screen should be bigger and you can play other media files if needed.

as far as processor, you aren't going to get anything too fast for that price. as far as memory goes - absolutely no less than 256mb.

(also make sure the laptop has a dvd drive )

[mro]

You don't need much for DVD/Wi-Fi. I like the Pent-M processors but Celerons would do ok for what you want. 256 meg mem will work also. Some of the older LCD screens are not suitable for movies. Would not buy a used one with out trying it first unless seller is willing to take it back.



My daughter is currently using a Fujitsu at home because her reg. computer is down. 1.6 Pent-M w/512 ram, DVD-RW etc..
It does everything except play games well.

Problem w/lap tops is that parts are expensive compared to desk top computers.



mro

[Parr8hed]

don't mind to spend a little more to get something decent. what processor speed is minimum? Diver Ray you ARE NOT helping in the new toys category!!!!! Are men not supposed to support other men in the act of persuading women to let us buy new toys?

[Parr8hed]

thanks mro. maybe will go out and see if any are on clearance at circuit city or hhgreg or something. if you buy one with CDROM is it possible to upgrade to DVDROM like a home PC?

[mro]

I'm not a dell fan, but they do have some pretty good deals sometimes. Think they have payment plans too. You can upgrade lap tops, but cheaper to just get what you want the first time. (would never buy a desk top from them or anybody else though)

Check sony/gateway/dell etc.. sometimes they have sales that are pretty good.



mro

btw
need to replace a lcd in a laptop. 14.1 xga, best used price I've found about $300.00 plus shipping, new up to $800.00
Probably going to save it for parts.

[DiverRay]

OK, I'll help...
I agree with the Dell web site. I just got a desk machine for my daughter, and it was cheap. Look in the "clearance" area, and put in a minumum of 512MB of RAM. You should be able to get a nice laptop for about $500 to $600, plus another $150 for a 3 year onsite repair.
Ray

[CWilliamson]

I've never had a Dell laptop that I've liked (I've had several for work). I might suggest a refurbished laptop from HP. You can get something with more horsepower and media center quality for a lot cheaper than new and they have been gone over by a tech at HP. My $.02

Clark

[Jerry]

Bought my son - for college use - an HP model, 15 inch screen, DVD/CD combo drive, upgraded memory to 768mb, upgraded to Win XP Pro operating system. There was a rebate going. Cost $850, rebate was $150, so $700 net price. Took a while to get the rebate but it did come through. Nice little unit. Don't have the model number handy here at work, will try to find it at home. This was last fall, may have been a model change over but check.

[strom]

I got my GF a notebook... it is a 500 mhz celeron, 160MB RAM, 6.4 gig hdd, combo drive, etc.... got a wireless PCMCIA card for it and an old USB apple keyb and a mouse. Plays divx, dvd..... with winxp pro installed. She uses ms office applications, a few java games and thats bout it. So, don't look for anything slower, it you get something better,.... good for you
I got a 1.7 celeron, 512 RAM and 20 GB HDD, combo,... for bout 400$ last year. 14" display... had to sell it (for 500) since I was saving up for a car...

LP

[beechfront]

ooops. didn't mean to post this one.

[TopCatGr58]

Laptop Love, Portable player puke!

Hey Travis,

From what I've read about DVD software players, you will need at least a 750Mhz processor. I could be difficult to find a used laptop AND get WinXP on it, since each one is registered and verified with MS, necessary to use for accessing the NET, and getting access to MS Updates, they require Verfication of OS!

The combo drives are usually DVD player/CD-RW type drives, not DVD-RW!! The wireless cards are available, so the WI-FI isn't necessary to have it "BUILT IN"!!

The battery life for laptops are about 1-2 hours, possibly enough for 1 movie, but if you're talking a multi-hour trip, then you'll need to consider OTHER power options! I've not seen 12 volt auto type adapters for laptops? But I have seen POWER INVERTORS, that you can generate 120volts from your Cig. Ligher outlet, that you can then plug your laptop AC adapter into to be able to have unlimited power for those extended trips!

We got a little cheap Dell Inspiron 1000 bottom of the class, and it had DVDrom/CDrw, 256MB, WinXP home, media center for playing DVD movies, wireless card, 14" screen, about $600.00, been working just fine for over a year! I don't bother with those Xtended warranties, if it works for a few months, it'll work for a long time. IF it does die after a few years, will probably be cheaper getting new replacement, than the hassles trying to get it repaired!?
T.C.

[Pat Kelly]

I'm reading this on an HP pavillion, 2 Ghz AMD Athlon64, 512mb RAM, 128mb dedicated video RAM, 75GB hard drive, DVD-rw, wireless LAN.
I get almost 3 hours on the battery watching a DVD movie. Havn't taken it on a trip yet.

I bought 2 Sony DVD players at BigLots for $200 ea. and put them in the Suburban. Each can play it's own movie or link them. A lifesaver on trips having 4 kids.

[trbig]

Don't know why noone has mentioned it, but Ebay is a great place for comps. I bought the one I am using here for Christmas at half price off of what the Dell store prices are... new in the box.
I am also looking for a portable DVD player and Sam's Club has a really nice one with a carrying case and all the batteries and 12 volt adapters... screen pivots up and down and sideways... for 119 bucks.
Find a good price on Ebay and buy the DVD player with the money you save! lol.

Tod