It's for my nephew. I've heard that it may have viruses,etc. I'm pretty uneducated when it comes to computers, so any advice would help. He's 12, so the budget is around 150ish. Is this realistic??
2007-12-04 13:51:19 · 8 answers · asked by bundanator 3 in Computers & Internet ➔ Hardware ➔ Laptops & Notebooks
http://www.shopzilla.com/7S--Laptop_Computers_-_att259--42717-__cat_id--462
http://www.dealtime.com/xCH-computers
http://www.amazon.com/
http://www.newegg.com/
pg
2007-12-04 14:20:01 · answer #1 · answered by purdygoode 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The age of a laptop as far as date isn't important as age of use. Think of a laptop as a egg timer with a life span of between 500 to 800 charge-discharge cycles for the battery. The LCD screen about 4 years with my usage.
I've been driving a truck from coast to coast for the last 14 years and a laptop consumer since 2000. I end up replacing my laptop about every 2 years, not because I won't something newer and faster, but they just ware out for me about the age of three or so. Batteries isn't that bad to replace, but if you have a screen to go out on you, your dead in the water, In my line of work that puts me out of work.
1. Don't buy a laptop older than a 1 year old. Laptops are almost always weaker than their desktop counterparts, so a 2 or 3 year old laptop is the equivalent of a 4 to 5 year old computer. It may be cheaper to buy that now, but you'll just be replacing it sooner.
2. Laptop durability is a mixed bag. Dells and Apples tend to be pretty solid, while in my experience Toshiba and Fuji laptops don't stand up to much abuse at all. But again, the good durability is a recent thing, and if you go back 2 or 3 years for an older model, you're asking for trouble.
A desktop can be easily upgraded in bits and pieces to extend life. With a laptop, what you buy is more or less what you have to deal with, and you can't nickel-and-dime when buying a laptop like you can with a desktop PC, you really get what you pay for if you do that.
2007-12-04 14:36:55 · answer #2 · answered by Robert C 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Its safe if the laptop has been reformatted, meaning all the data has been wiped and a fresh new copy of the operating system has been installed. A $150 dollar laptop is really outdated and I doubt you'll find something for that price that is working properly without bugs ect. Your best best is to higher the budget a bit or look around you never know what things are on sale.
2007-12-04 13:57:08 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Used laptops are like used cars - you could get a good one or a lemon - especially from unknown sellers (like ebay). You should be able to find an acceptable laptop for a 12 y/o for anywhere between 100-300. Go for it!
2007-12-04 14:03:53 · answer #4 · answered by theshadowknows 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is a realistic budget, although don't expect anything as good as a Dual Core using GeForce 5200 with Vista, it would have been a no-brainer if your nephew is a nerd tinkering software but if not just don't expect anything close to current.
2007-12-04 15:03:14 · answer #5 · answered by Andy T 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
$150 is realistic for a used machine. See if the seller will reformat the drive so that all prior data is erased, including viruses.
2007-12-04 13:55:14 · answer #6 · answered by launchman20852 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The only laptop you're getting for $150 is the $100 laptop the American Government is sending to poor kids in Africa. If you get him that, he'll be the laughing stock of the school. For a decent laptop, even for a 12 year old, I'd say $1000 is the minimum.
2007-12-04 13:55:01 · answer #7 · answered by daemonking6 2 · 0⤊ 5⤋
I would format the drive, that will wipe out everything then I would reinstall windows but you would need a new CD key for that.
2007-12-04 13:58:25 · answer #8 · answered by HELP ME PLEASE! 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋