What laptop specs do I need?

Question

My wife wants a cheap pc laptop, it's just for email, myspace, facebook and watching videos on netflix. I use an apple and know little about computers anyway. So, my question is, what are the basic minimums I need or want for a cheap PC Laptop?

Also, any thoughts on where I should get one?

Answer 1

Compaq Presario C770US 15.4” Widescreen Laptop (FE932UA#ABA)

• Intel Pentium Dual Core T2390

• 160GB hard drive

• Built-in wireless 802.11bg

• 2GB of DDR2 memory

• Burns DVDs and CDs

• Media card reader

$429.99

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Compaq-Pr...

without getting into much of a blabber, the above should handsomely serve purpose without taxing your wallet

& very brefly > the reason i suggested this was simply that this was a good offer i found

value for money, for your application !

Answer 2

Really ANY laptop is going to do what she wants.

As for minimum, you're pretty much going to be stuck with vista, so you will want a minimum of 2GB of RAM onboard.

Get a GOOD antivirus product, get rid of norton IMMEDIATELY if it comes on the system.  That ALONE will increase it's speed very noticibly.

I'd recommend NOD32 antivirus from http://www.eset.com  It's FAST, reliable, uses little memory etc.

As for the rest of the specs, it doesn't really matter... All notebooks will come with wireless, a video card capable of playing movies etc.

You should be able to pick up a PC on sale at an office store like Staples, Office Max etc... or best buy for between $400 and $500 that will fulfill your requirements.

If you go with a Core2 Duo processor vs. an AMD Turion/Athlon 64, you will probably get longer battery life, as the Core 2's generally consume less power and are faster, but the machines based on Core 2 usually run $50 to $100 more than a machine with the same other specs based on AMD.

Answer 3

I think Circuit City is good place to get a cheap laptop!!! But it depends on how much you want to pay for your laptop...i found some cheap ones but pretty good: Compaq Presario C770US ($429.99),  Acer EX5420-5038 ($579.9), Acer Aspire one AOA110-1722 Netbook (379.99)...and a lot more on http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Laptop-co...

Answer 4

I suggest you buy a cheap, non-customized Compaq. There is no need for a too great GPU, because there are no hardcore games to be played... on MySpace???

I suggest a minimum of 1.8 GHz microprocessor. The CPU has to be good, I say. A minimum of 1 GB RAM. Well, XP is out of sale, so you won't get less than 1 GB of RAM. Vista Home Premuim is perfect. Vista Basic is okay for this, and it will be cheaper, also compatible with 512 MB of RAM, but it's features are not so great. I have read on Answers that a person had got about 20 viruses and spyware on his or her Vista Basic laptop.