I am a single mom in search of a new computer for myself.?

Question

We currently have a Dell that was given to us by a very nice organization. The problem is I have 4 teens and a pre-teen, so computer time is way limited. I was browsing on ShopNBC and saw a Laptop from Acer, complete with a Printer, a 17-in LCD monitor, wireless keyboard and mouse, a wirless router...for only 1100. Needless to say, I am skeptical. Is this a good purchase? I am on a serious budget, but a laptop would help me stay on top of my work at home. Please help.

I say the 1100 is a good price because it can be paid in 6 payments of 184.99 with a money order no less!

Im not sure why the monitor is included, unless they are just trying to get rid of it. But: Intel Celeron M 420 (kinda slow huh?), 512MB RAM (expandable), 60GB, DVD Combo Drive, 4 USB Ports, Integrated Intel Graphics Media Acc (huh?), Microsoft Directsound and sound blaster pro, etc. AND $110 in rebates.

Answer 1

That laptop seems a little pricey for the specifications you listed. I think you could easily get that same machine from dell for less then that. I recommend the dell inspiron 1501. Go ahead and configure it with the specs you have and i am sure you can get a better price.

There is also a 20% off coupon for inspirons $999 and over at http://www.24houredeals.com/Dell-coupons-23-mer.html Use that coupon and you will get a great deal.


If you do decide to go to shop NBC for that computer, there is a $50 off $550 coupon at http://www.24houredeals.com/shopnbc-coupons-417-mer.html

Good luck.

Answer 2

I don't know if i'm ignorant or confused. You say that you found a laptop, but then you go into the whole description about a 17" monitor, keyboard, mouse, and router. A laptop is a self-contained unit with the monitor, keyboard and mouse/fingerpad and a USB (except maybe for really old ones) and wireless capabilities. The biggest one i've seen is about 12"x12", more or less. Don't know much about them, cuz we don't have one. But if they are offering all of these other things PLUS a laptop, then i'd say that's an incredible deal.

Not sure about the States, but here in Canada, in the city i live in, we have a few places that take old computers, give them a once-over and then consign them out. You can get really good deals on them.

Another place you can check is an online directory called Craig's List. If you live in or near a major city you might check them out. But before you buy it, take someone with you who knows about computers to look at it. Also, i would never go alone to anyplace advertised there. Ya just never know what you're walking into. Use good judgement. If you don't like the looks of the place, just drive on by and when you get home, you can email or call (make sure you always block your number before calling) them and just say that you changed your mind.

Just remember, there are no gaurantees that a new computer will be problem free. If you buy used, it's one way to recycle and keep computers out of the landfills. Good luck with this.

Answer 3

ACER is a good brand. i personally like it better than Dell. in fact from the usage u told me the Dell gets i'm kinda surprised it still works. ok enough Dell bashing

ACER was a component compay. they made individulal parts for people to use in custom making PCs. they recently moved into full systems. i have had almost no bad reviews about them, and i have seen a lot of ppl with them. it would be a little more helpful to know th emodel of the particular laptop, bnut that seems like a pretty good deal.

Lemme give you a price breakdown of what each part would cost you individually (approx):
router: $30~40
Printer $40~80
wireless keyboard/ mouse: $40~150(probably not the 150 model)
is the monitor separate? if it is then it would be about $200~250

the balance is what you are paying fo the computer or about 1100-330=770

for that you should probably get 1 GB RAM, intel centrino about 1.8 GHz, or turion about 1.4 GHz. about 60~80 GB hard drive. its hard to say since there are a lot of configurations in the sam eprice range.

a good computer for internet and word would be: more than 512MB ram,
processor: single core-intel centrino faster than 1.6GHz, or AMD Turion Faster than 1.4GHz
dual core intel centrion duo faster tahn 1.4 GHz
dual core AMD Turion faster than 1.2 GHz
Hard drive of 60GB should be good, but more is always better

for more intensive use (gaming, AutoCAD,etc...)
more than 1GB RAM
Single core intel- faster than 2.4 GHz
single coe AMD-Faster than 2 GHz

Dual core intel- fater than 2.2 GHz
dual core AMD- faster than 1.8 GHz

stay away from computers with a celeron processor (intel) and sempron(AMD) these are cheap processors and will only cause problems in the future.

i hope this helps, and remember these are only guidlines, not hard and fast rules, and its different for desktops.

Answer 4

Buy which you need, if its for home use dont buy a laptop buy a desktop PC. if your on a budget, then 1100 isnt a good price. though i dont know which currency your talking of lol

check dabs.com or egg.com anyways

edit..

Upgrading your current system could be the way to go

Answer 5

Whether it is worth the price depends on the laptops specs, not the included bits and bobs. Check the processor, graphics card, sound card, HD capacity, etc.

Answer 6

Would have to see the specs on the laptop....could be a great deal or could be bad deal.

I'm concerned as to why a laptop would include a monitor ... are you sure it's not a desktop ?
Please feel free to email me the full specs & I'll get back to you ASAP.

regards,
Philip T