Budget Notebook

[z3r0]

Hey guys, i might be off to uni in september, so if i get accepted, i will need a notebook.

I was looking for something with the following specs:
Duo Core Processor
60gb HDD
512mb Ram
Under $1.6k

I'm gonna need as much money as possible to pay rent for my dorm or room or watever its called. So is a system with these specs possible? If not will it become possible within the next two months? Please list the models that might tickle my fancy.

Thx for the help guys.


Edit: I dont think weight or battery life will be an issue, as it will stay in the room all the time.

[caudex]

checkout the dell.com.au site . You can't beat them for value and bang for buck.

[SLATYE]

For that price-range, I'd only look at two sites:

www.dell.com.au

www.pioneercomputers.com.au

Both have laptops which will suit your needs. Dell's ones are cheaper, but you may prefer the Pioneer ones. In this case, the Dell one (Inspiron 6400) is probably more suitable.

Also have a look at Dell's Factory Outlet here - they've got cheap Inspiron 6400s there, but you can't configure them. I'd get one of the ~$1200 ones (which have 512MB of RAM), sell the RAM, and buy 2x 512MB DDR2-667 sticks separately (about $140 for the new RAM).

[josh81]

Pioneer have just dropped the base price for some of their models by $100, and the ATI X1600 256mb graphics card upgrade by $100, down to $200. So they're looking even better value.


Dreambook light 822

Intel Core Duo 1.83GHz Processor T2400
512mb
60GB
DL DVD+-RW
wi-fi
14" widescreen
2.2kg
$1538
with no OS (or Lindows).
XP Home $126 extra.
with 5pk of DVD-RW & notebook carry bag.

or there's the DreamBook Slim 825 which is the same specs in a 15.4" lappy.

[mcps]

www.apple.com.au

Go education -> store

Currently MacBook lowend model costs you $1574, with core duo 1.83 + 60g 5400rpm hdd + 512m ram.

[Big Trev]

Why do you need a dual-core? Are you gaming or doing video?

I've got a half-decent Dell Latitude (work lappy, was working down to a budget), running a Celeron M with 1GB RAM, and I've been happy with the performance.

I know I'll get howled down by all the go-fast boys, but if I were you, I'd consider it.

(edit) - I noticed you're talking about 512MB RAM. You'll definitely be better off for day-to-day stuff spending the $$ on the extra RAM than processor IMHO.

[li21]

Originally Posted by mcps

www.apple.com.au

Go education -> store

Currently MacBook lowend model costs you $1574, with core duo 1.83 + 60g 5400rpm hdd + 512m ram.

Very temptinng at this price!

But pioneer computers have pretty good prices..

Anyone know any other built to order laptop stores?

[Phat Devil]

Just wanted to know people's opinion of pioneer computer's laptops

There have been bad comments made about those laptops on another forum.

[josh81]

PC World reviewed he Pioneer 822 and said nothing bad about the build quality as far as i can remember. It got 8/10.
They said the 822 had fairly bad battery life though, with the specs they tested.

[DavoRulz]

I've used the pioneer ones, and while they're not designed to be thrown across the room at your mates, they are still fairly sturdy. Definately worth considering, and the value isn't too bad either.

[seb]

http://www.p4laptops.com.au/

www.bestdeal4u.com.au

[jas0nt]

i'm in the same situation as the OP... trying to find a nice lappy for uni for under $1.5k.

after a few hours research i found the Dell 640M to be a viable option. it costs $1.5k, has 1gb RAM, 60Gb HDD, 1.6ghz Core 2 Duo, and importantly, is very portable and has atleast 3 hours battery life.

[tin]

I'm still in the process of waiting for Pioneer Computers to deal with my problems.

My story could be one of the one's that was hinted at above by "Phat Devil". Whirlpool forums?

Anyway, quick rundown:
Pioneer took my money, then I waited for almost 2 weeks for the laptop which they said I'd have within a week.
I emailed them and they said there was a problem and would let me know soon what was happening. They didnt until I emailed them again.
Eventually they told me it was a problem with the builtin camera, and they would have it ready in the next week.
They finally shipped me the laptop, which within the first 3 hours of having it I discovered: Battery wouldnt power the device (despite 100% charge), Ethernet port didnt work, Modem was missing, a screw was missing from the case.
They arranged pickup to return it (which was done badly too).
2 weeks passed and I hadnt heard from them. We called them, and they said they were replacing the whole laptop, and it was just being tested.
Another week passed and it still hadn't arrived. We called again, and they said it was waiting for the modem to arrive. Eventually, after much hassling the guy at the other end, I managed to arrange to have it sent back to me that day, and the modem sent to me when it arrived, for me to install. The modem was due in within 2 weeks.
4 weeks later, I emailed them to ask where the modem was. After 3 emails to them, I finally got a reply that it was being sent.
Next day the modem arrived. I went off to install it and after getting the laptop cover off, I found out the cable from the rj11 socket is too short to reach the modem!!
So, now I'm waiting for a reply from their support people about this one. Not too happy that 3 months after I paid for a laptop it's still incomplete. A full quarter of my warranty is gone and it's not whole.

Anyway, I suggest staying away from Pioneer Computers Australia. They excel at sales, but suck at anything that takes place after they've got your money (including the actual supply of the product).

[DavoRulz]

Did you send your notebook to Pioneer or an authorised repairer? Most Pioneer notebooks carry a United Electrical warranty, and its their service providers that actually repair/or lack thereof your machine. UE is a PITA when it comes to parts, they prefer to send the repairer parts out of their warehouse, and the bastards are useless.

I've worked in the capacity of a UE repairer, and I had one poor chap wait a month and a half for a simple hard drive replacement, because UE declined our (rather cheap) offer of a hard drive, deciding that they had one in stock to send us. A month and multiple phonecalls later, I was told that the drive was going to be at least another week. 2 weeks after that it arrived, rather poorly packed.

Useless UE bastards.

[SLATYE]

Originally Posted by jas0nt

i'm in the same situation as the OP... trying to find a nice lappy for uni for under $1.5k.

after a few hours research i found the Dell 640M to be a viable option. it costs $1.5k, has 1gb RAM, 60Gb HDD, 1.6ghz Core 2 Duo, and importantly, is very portable and has atleast 3 hours battery life.

If you're patient, you may get something even better. I noticed that on Dell's DFO page a few days ago there was this:

Latitude D620
Windows XP Pro
1GB DDR2-667 RAM (1x1GB, if I remember correctly)
80GB HDD
Core Duo T2300
Quadro NVS 110M
14.1" 1440x900 Ultra-Sharp LCD

Price was $1611. I was seriously considering buying it, but it sold before I finished deciding. If you keep an eye on the DFO page, there'll probably be something similar before too long.

Also, In your post you said the Inspiron 640M had a Core2 Duo - I don't think that's the case just yet (Core2 Duo should be available at the end of July).