I can't make sense of this link. It looks like some random price list for IT services, but since it's just a broken URL pointing to a specific vendor's pricing page, there’s nothing here to actually discuss. What am I supposed to be looking at? Is there an actual point to this, or are we just collecting dead links now? That one would work. If you order through the website, the price is even better. $33 That’s a steal. Honestly, it’s a much better deal. You’re getting a significantly faster processor than the one you mentioned, more memory, and a bigger screen. All that extra power is easily worth the price jump. $100 The differences are obvious, even for the most basic user.
It’s decent enough shit, even if it isn't top-tier. If the budget is tight, it'll do the job. Though, honestly, you get much better processors for the extra cash over $667 anyway.
Honestly, Linux was probably just installed so the laptop doesn't arrive totally empty. You could literally pour yogurt on it and still have a better setup. 😉
You can grab financing at Micro Center too. They usually offer better prices and longer warranties, so I’d personally lean toward this Dell: The specs are plenty. Unless you're planning on heavy gaming, you won't need anything more than the integrated graphics.
If you're dead set on Best Buy, check out one of these:
The other site is down right now, but their prices are usually about the same as Best Buy—if not a bit higher.
Go with something featuring a Pentium processor—either a dual-core U-series or a quad-core N-series. Honestly, maybe even a quad-core Celeron if you can find a good deal on one. http://www.amazon.com/search.php?tp=0&q=80MJ008VSC Best Buy has a killer price on this, so you really can't go wrong.
For what? At that price point, you aren't getting "great specs" on any laptop. There are really only two categories at this budget. First, there are the bottom-of-the-barrel models that can barely handle basic tasks—they lag just browsing the web, running Windows, or opening an app. Then there are the ones that actually work for daily stuff, but don't expect them to handle anything heavy.
Anyway, moving on, I’d go with this Lenov:
It comes with a 4-year warranty, and the hardware is plenty for basic needs.
If $14 is worried about the cost, Hulu has it for a few bucks less, but it only carries a 2-year warranty.
Is it worth paying a little extra for two additional years of coverage? Obviously.
If you decide to buy from Links, just place your order online first and then pick it up in-store to snag that lower price.
Let's tackle the first part. Vista drivers are basically 99.9% compatible with Windows 7, so you shouldn't run into any trouble there. And honestly, even if things go south, why wouldn't you just roll back to XP? Does the fact that Microsoft stopped supporting XP updates actually change anything for you? Just pull the drivers from your current OS using a tool—I'd recommend Driver Magician—and if you end up reinstalling XP, you've got them ready to go. The lack of updates won't affect your ability to install those drivers.
Regarding upgrading with new parts, there's pretty much nothing from your current setup worth saving. Between the PATA drive and the DDR2 RAM... you're looking at buying everything brand new. A smarter move would be hunting for used parts. Specifically, that motherboard supports Athlon II and Phenom II processors. Snagging a quad-core model would be a massive jump in performance. You should also bump up the RAM to at least 4GB. That’ll keep a mid-range user going for quite a while longer. It’ll likely outperform anything you could build with a budget APU today.
Believe me, even the most basic user is going to struggle with this. I installed macOS on a similar machine and it was sluggish right out of the gate—imagine how bad it’ll get once you actually start loading everything up.
The deals on laptops pre-loaded with macOS are pretty pathetic, so you're better off grabbing one without it and installing it yourself later. If you insist on an official license, you can grab one for about $267. https://www.amazon.com/black-014220070-with-macOS
If you want one with macOS already set up, this is your best bet:
Now, since life is never perfect, notice the "ReThink" in the title? That means it's a refurbished laptop. It isn't coming straight from the factory; instead, some third-party firm handles the refurbishing under Lenovo's approval. According to the description on the ReThink site: "reThink is a family brand for Lenovo surplus and remanufactured products, which have undergone thorough inspection and quality control. Surplus and remanufactured products are typically the result of excess supply, cancelled orders or opened/damaged box. DCC has developed the reThink concept, which is approved by Lenovo."
The listing doesn't specify the exact quality tier for this specific unit. One thing is for certain, though: don't expect a standard US keyboard layout.
Looks like you're headed back to the repair shop again. If you try to DIY this one, you'll just void the warranty. Maybe they'll actually get it right this time, now that they've seen what happens when you try to fix it yourself.
There are plenty of laptops in this price range that could handle the job, but this one is easily the cheapest option among those offering an extended warranty (4 years total).
Just a heads up—this model doesn't have an optical drive. If you actually need one, you might want to look elsewhere.
The i3 is miles ahead, especially compared to those N3700 or N3150 chips.
If you don't absolutely need macOS pre-installed, just grab something with an i3. Moral dilemma aside, if you can find a way to get macOS separately, paying the premium for a laptop that comes with it pre-loaded is just flushing money down the toilet.
I'm still leaning towards that Dell I mentioned earlier.
The Dell comes with 3 years of manufacturer warranty plus 2 years of coverage through an insurance provider. The Dell competitor has 2 years from the factory plus 2 years via Best Buy. Which one sounds better? You decide. The specs are all there.
Personally, I’d go with the Dell. It’s easier to upgrade and just feels higher quality, though honestly, your mom probably won't care about any of that. Just a heads up: that Dell price is only good until Thursday.
Objectively, a cheaper laptop would get the job done, but since this is a long-term purchase, it makes sense to grab something better than the bare minimum. That said, don't bother spending more than this; you aren't getting anything significantly better for under $500.
Honestly, this is probably the best bang for your buck you're going to find: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/laptop-computer-specs/014210097 You get a solid processor and a 3-year warranty. Just heads up—it doesn't come with an optical drive, if that matters to you.
Are you kidding me right now? At least give us a breakdown of the specs—what kind of processor are we looking at and how much RAM? How are we supposed to know what can actually be upgraded if we don't even know what's under the hood?
If they’re just using it for Skype or maybe browsing a single tab without running anything else in the background, it'll do the job. But if you want anything more than that? You should probably look into the processors darkowl72 mentioned.
Look, I was thinking about offering a laptop in the $1,100 range, but honestly, that’s just a waste of everyone's time.
At that price point, I’d just grab this Lenovo:
It’s got a solid i3 processor, dedicated graphics (just so it doesn't hog your RAM), decent build quality, and it's easy to upgrade the SSD and RAM. I’d definitely slap an SSD in there too. If you buy it from Best Buy, they'll usually handle those upgrades for you for free. Instead of the optical drive, I'd just toss in an old hard drive since 120GB is tiny, but you'll need this bracket to make it work. For the SSD specifically, I'd go with this one:
Having an SSD is going to make a massive difference in how fast you can open and save those huge files you're working with.
Honestly, if you're looking to get into color printing, the HP Envy / HP Envy combo is still the first thing I’d recommend, no matter how many times I've used them.
Those cheap printers? They're basically disposable. They’re designed to churn out a few hundred pages before they end up in a landfill. If you stick to those insanely overpriced original inks, the manufacturer makes a killing; if you don't, you just lose your warranty.
The CMOS battery is usually easy enough to find, so it’s hard to mess anything up there, but who knows? You already managed to wreck the keyboard, so maybe the audio is next on the list.
If the motherboard itself is fried, finding the specific fault—let alone trying to fix it—just isn't worth your time, if it's even possible at all. You're better off just grabbing a cheap USB sound card for a few bucks and plugging in some external speakers, or honestly, just going Bluetooth.