Computer

reeltrouble1

Well my home computer crashed, is kaput and I have been doing without, so I need something, prefer a laptop on the cheap, but I need something that works, no virus, for the right price though will consider any working machine.

But please no junk. 40 gb HDD, DVD, 4mb Ram, USB drive(s), I like Intel, but whatever, with at least some kind of speed sounds like a baseline for a laptop. Wireless a plus. Something in the 200-400 range used.

RT1

izafar

You can get this dell for $399:

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?CS=19&kc=19&oc=DNCOWZ1&dgc=CJ&cid=24471&lid=566643

or this eMachine for $369:
http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=210519802

Kex

izafar wrote: »

You can get this dell for $399:

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?CS=19&kc=19&oc=DNCOWZ1&dgc=CJ&cid=24471&lid=566643

Dell seems to be having a sales push right now, but I would not recommend a 13" screen for everyday use as a desktop replacement ... it's not just the screen, but the smaller keyboard, and frequently everything else as well (I'm saying this even though I'm addicted to ultra-portables with 12" screens). There is also this model 15.6" display for under $500 (less than $100 more):

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&oc=DNDOZZ3

... and there will probably be others pretty soon, since they're currently on day 7 of "Ten days of Deals":

http://www.dell.com/content/topics/segtopic.aspx/days_of_deals?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&dgc=IR&cid=39411&lid=1057794

This is under $500 from HP/Compaq:

http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/computer_can_series.do?storeName=computer_store&category=notebooks&a1=Category&v1=Everyday+computing&series_name=CQ60Z_series

I would advise a configuration with 2GB of RAM or more (even XP struggles with less than 2GB, and Vista is reputed to be worse). The 15.6" Dell I linked to above seems to come standard with 3GB, which probably makes the Compaq look pricey.

That should give you some idea of what you might want, or not, in any cae, and what used laptops might be worth to you in comparison. You could also consider slim model desktops from Dell or HP. It's probably a great time to buy, so this mishap might be a blessing in disguise!

raidersrule76

You must have magical powers no computer and ur still able to post;) J/K
Good luck with ur search I know when my died it almost killed me.

Gempler

i would first ask you what your intended use of this computer would be. internet? gmail? word processing... hard core gamming, photoshops, what?
next, i would highly discourage you from purchasing a used laptop unless it is from someone you know and it is still covered by the manufacturers warranty. laptops repairs are expensive, often more than half the cost of the machine, and laptops are more prone to damge than desktops becuase they are moved about. if your needs are simple i would suggest that you look into getting a small/light 'netbook'. netbooks are small laptops that do not have an integrated cd/dvd drive, run a very energy efficient processor and so have very long run time on battery, and are cheap. there are tons of different models to choose from. the really tiny ones with 8" screen are almost too small to be truely useful in my opinion, but they are indeed highly portable. the models that have 10" or so screens have almost regular sized keyboard and are large enough to sport traditional type hard disks that are quite large these days. i would suggest looking at the line of netbooks made by asus, namely their eee pc line. you can see some of the models at stores like bestbuy. but the best value is had ordering on line from a reputable dealer like newegg.com. there is a eee pc with 160gb hard disk and windows xp for about $300. if you don't have a working desktop that you can network with then you would probably want to also purchase an external usb type optical drive (cd/dvd) so you could load software or backup the netbook.

reeltrouble1

Gawd........what a bunch of GEEKS!!!!!!!!

Well my computer guy says since I want to do music with my keyboards and guitars I need a Mac and I need it on the go....although he is a geek as well. You would think the damm geeks would make this easy, but no.................

where is that little geek buddy of mine.....DJ7.......come here.

Thanks though for the information guys.

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Sami

reeltrouble1 wrote: »

Well my computer guy says since I want to do music with my keyboards and guitars I need a Mac and I need it on the go....

FYI: http://ardour.org/

reeltrouble1

oh sure, thanks Sami, nine more pages of stuff to read!!!! Ok I want to play the keyboard or guitar into some device which needs to record it and allow me to manipulate it and then play it back live time as I am playing over the top of it at a gig. Does this thing do that???

my new band is smaller, one guitar player, one bass/guitar player, one drummer, one keyboardist/bass/guitar player which would be me........so I have alot of keyboard work to do, some tunes the band actually used three players to do the tune so I am trying to find a way to do what the three players did by myself.

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AudioGenics

reeltrouble1 wrote: »

Well my home computer crashed, is kaput and I have been doing without, so I need something, prefer a laptop on the cheap, but I need something that works, no virus, for the right price though will consider any working machine.

But please no junk. 40 gb HDD, DVD, 4mb Ram, USB drive(s), I like Intel, but whatever, with at least some kind of speed sounds like a baseline for a laptop. Wireless a plus. Something in the 200-400 range used.

RT1

You might want to consider spending a little more money if possible and buy something new. $500 - 600 opens up alot more choices

Sami

reeltrouble1 wrote: »

oh sure, thanks Sami, nine more pages of stuff to read!!!! Ok I want to play the keyboard or guitar into some device which needs to record it and allow me to manipulate it and then play it back live time as I am playing over the top of it at a gig. Does this thing do that???

Seems like it. Record the instrument, record another, mix and create your output. Play it back at live session. I am not a musician myself but I know a few that use this tool for their own mini-studio purposes, and it seems to be very highly regarded in the FOSS circles. Mac or Linux, there is no Windows version.

messiah

What is wrong with your old computer? I might be able to fix it for you.

disneyjoe7

reeltrouble1 wrote: »

Gawd........what a bunch of GEEKS!!!!!!!!


where is that little geek buddy of mine.....DJ7.......come here.


RT1

Standing by

Gempler

for $300 bucks you can get a msi wind and run mac osx. it is a tiny little laptop that has a little price tag. talk to your 'computer guy' about it. the problem with used mac gear is like i stated above but far worse for a couple or reasons specific to the mac world... many model macbooks/ibooks look nearly identical but are very different in terms of performance or actual value. only a well educated buyer can distinguish the winners from the loosers and so you will probably pay too much for a used mac. used macs hold their value so there really are not many bargains out there and i often wonder why anyone buys used when you get so much more if you buy new. you don't want a g3 (or even a g4) as the latest version of osx is not supported on them and that means that the latest safari and itunes also don't run on them... and whatever music software you are looking to use may also not run on the older os. the msi wind is the cheapest way to get a new and relatively fast 'mac' today. google 'msi wind osx' or 'hackentosh'. as little as $300 with a 160gb hard disk.