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Thread ID: 88704 2008-04-06 07:53:00 Laptop help sBoff (13587) Press F1
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656410 2008-04-06 07:53:00 Hey all!! :)

I've got to buy a laptop for a friend, their budget is 1k . This isnt much i know :(

Its been forever since ive looked at buying laptops/notebooks so im feeling well in deep water . .

It wont be for gaming, mainly the basics, internet/email/uni projects etc . but would still like it to be the best for the money .

Would like it to have its own grfx card (if vista installed) or 2gb ram if its not got its own card . Duel core would be nice but not essential, a FAST hard drive IS essential, the laptop my parents have i dont think ive EVER seen such a bad bottle neck in a computer before . . Laptop with 7200 rpm hard drive??

Possible for price or am i dreaming?

Anyways, peoples ideas and suggestions would be cool :)
sBoff (13587)
656411 2008-04-06 08:55:00 Are you in NZ??

I doubt you'll get one with Vista for under $1000

And I doubt you'll get one with dual core

If youre in NZ, you could have a look at the Dick Smith site
Speedy Gonzales (78)
656412 2008-04-06 09:02:00 Or have a look on pricespy. Driftwood (5551)
656413 2008-04-06 09:15:00 I've got to buy a laptop for a friend, their budget is 1k .

Would like it to have its own grfx card (if vista installed) or 2gb ram if its not got its own card .

No laptop has a graphics card . They are all integrated, they have to be - how do you put a graphics card in one?

They will ALL have Vista, however if it has Vista Business or Vista Ultimate then you can get an XP Pro CD with it .

ASUS here:
. pricespy . co . nz/cat_22 . html" target="_blank">www . pricespy . co . nz
pctek (84)
656414 2008-04-06 09:30:00 Some of the Toshiba's also have XP downgrade as they call it,
Sat Pro A200 C2D T5450 1.66GHz 160 1GB + Free 1GB
Satellite Pro A200 Core 2 Duo T5450 1.66 Ghz
Vista Business with XP Pro Media downgrade
1GB DDR2 667 15.4"WXGA (CSV) 160GB (5400 rpm)
802.11 a/g/n DVD SM D/D.Intel Webcam

I have that one for a customer that he wanted, it comes with Vista Business installed, but not for the amount you mentioned of 1K ---- RRP =$1539
wainuitech (129)
656415 2008-04-06 09:38:00 There is this one, with vista but only one g of ram,
www.portables.co.nz

It is $999 after Cash back or $999 at Noel Lemming i think...


Edit: And it has Dual Core!!!
password (5384)
656416 2008-04-06 09:44:00 Try http://www.laptopuniverse.co.nz/

Also look on trademe i got a intel core 2 duo with geforce go 7600 (second hand but mint condition) for $1100 on trademe, but i was lucky, most laptops like this go for between $1000 - $2000 (on trademe)

For around $500 - $800 you can get maybe a centrino 2ghz with a ATI Radeon 9600 (also trademe prices)

Ram and Hard drives can be upgraded so I'm not going to mention them.
Mateo1981 (12187)
656417 2008-04-06 10:47:00 Wow thank you for all the replies :)


Are you in NZ??Sorry yes i am in New Zealand

I thought it would be a far stretch to get something of the specs i would prefer for the money, i wouldn’t mind going to about 1300ish if it was going to mean they would get one that was substantially better.

Im trying to judge where the best cut off point for value for money is etc. because im so far from up to speed with all this im hesitant to purchase one however, it does need to be ordered by this coming weekend (11th).

Things i realy dont know..

1) How well does Vista run on 1gb of ram with shared graphics? It looks quite graphically intensive?
2) I havent even seen a laptop with a 7200rpm hard drive yet, do they even exist or is it considered too much of a battery drain to be running at that speed?
3) Is it possible to get packages that dont come with these "recovery cd" packages where you do a format of the laptop wanting a fresh install of the system only to find that when the instaillation has finished you have a whole load of crap installed also.. i would like just the raw OS.

At the end of the day i would be very happy with one that didn’t perform miracles but did everything relatively solidly. I know that’s vague but just something that runs nice, well built etc, isn’t a sloth, isn’t a stallion.
sBoff (13587)
656418 2008-04-06 10:56:00 1) How well does Vista run on 1gb of ram with shared graphics? It looks quite graphically intensive?
Get at least 2GB. 1GB or less is usable until you actually start using it :)

2) I havent even seen a laptop with a 7200rpm hard drive yet, do they even exist or is it considered too much of a battery drain to be running at that speed?
I think they are expensive and put a large drain on a laptop's battery. best to get a 7.2k RPM external USB drive.

3) Is it possible to get packages that dont come with these "recovery cd" packages where you do a format of the laptop wanting a fresh install of the system only to find that when the instaillation has finished you have a whole load of crap installed also.. i would like just the raw OS.
You can get a "plain Jane" OEM CD (with just the OS) of XP/Vista from a friend then reinstall using the serial key on YOUR machine, thus wiping all the crud the manufacturer loads.

Personally I would spend at least $1400 to get a decent laptop. $1000 is really to little for a machine to last any decent length of time (Windows can slow considerably after you install programs that load at start up - eg firewalls, antivirus software etc).

But it's your choice.
jwil1 (65)
656419 2008-04-06 11:11:00 well... for 1399 there is this... www.portables.co.nz

Or how about a dell...
www1.ap.dell.com
I am looking at the 1,199 one. 2gb ram =)
password (5384)
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