Computer experts I have some questions?

Question

I have a friend (not very close though) who wants to sell his laptop. It's a compaq presario V 2000, and he's selling it for 300 dollars, but without a battery.

First Do you think it's a problem if I buy a battery seperately? I have heard that the value of this kind of hardware is in the battery more than anything else so it's a waste to spend 300 bucks on this...Is it true?


And two, how do I know the memory capacity of the laptop? It doesn't say on it... I checked online and nothing says how much memory it has. So if you know, what is it, and how good is this memory considered??


Finally, what's the average price for a brand new one of the same type and brand ?

Answer 1

You are looking at 300 for the comp and 80 for a new battery if you choose. you can look for a battery on ebay for a little less but its more painful and time intensive. The Ram is low and it would be good to have at least 512 now so its a little slow in the ram department with 256.

if you want a new Compaq comp at the same price but with better specs (more HDD, RAM, and battery included), get the one below for 479 and $370 after $80 mail in rebate (compusa has pretty fast return on rebates)
http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=346211&cm_ven=dealm_site&cm_cat=deals3_2007&cm_pla=site&cm_ite=dealmac

compaq v2000
Specs are below
* OPERATING SYSTEM: Windows XP Home
* PROCESSOR: Intel Pentium M 710 -- 1.4 GHz
* SCREEN: 14.0" WXGA Widescreen (not the BrightView)
* MEMORY: 256 MB SDRAM (1x256)
* HARD DRIVE: 40 GB 4200 rpm
* CD DRIVE: DVD/CD-RW combo drive
* BATTERY: 6-cell lithium ion
* WIRELESS: Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG WLAN (without Bluetooth).

battery from amazon if you choose to buy laptop:
http://www.amazon.com/Lithium-Laptop-Battery-Compaq-Presario/dp/B000GEDJTO

Good luck

Answer 2

Well you need to actually be able to buy the battery separately, if the laptop is old enough it may not be possible to get a new battery for it (the one it came with might be dead by now, laptop batteries are really only good for a few years).

New batteries are typically only a couple of hundred dollars so it's not that big a deal if you have to buy a new one (or just have it tethered to the wall).

The one thing that you need to watch for when buying a 'new' Li-Ion battery is that they age even when they are just sitting around doing nothing so a new battery that is old stock might well be completely useless anyway.

The V2000 from what I can tell seems to be a few years old at least so I highly doubt there are any brand new ones out there. From what I can tell it seems to have been an entry level model back when it was new. It wouldn't surprise me if $300 is over-priced (depending on currency) and that the cost of the laptop and a new battery which may not be any good might not be too far off a cheap new laptop (and I wouldn't expect a laptop like that to have superior build quality to a cheapie).

As for how much RAM it has, if it runs windows go to system properties (alt double-click "My Computer" or Press 'Win + Break') to get it.

Answer 3

Most of the value is in the screen.
Batteries are a little pricy but not too bad.
As long as it includes the power supply/charger it might be worth purchasing.
Compare that price to the same or similar models on ebay. Look up the specs at the Compaq site, compare similar new computers prices.
You mean RAM or Hard Drive capacity?
RAM and factory hard drive sizes have to be listed there somewhere.
Think carefully, when you can get a refurb, with warranty, dual core, dvd-burner, 17 inch, etc. for $600-800, a used machine without battery for $300 might not be that great of a deal.