Buying a used Laptop. PC Gurus offer any input?
 

I am getting pretty tired of using my home PC , and I'd really like a laptop for myself (wireless). A friend has a used one and I was just going to get some PC guru's input on the following. For the price of 375$ here is what I can walk away with (general specs, I'll know more later). Please advise and offer any input ...

Toshiba Satellite Notebook (don't know model # right now)
15" Screen
Intel Celeron, 1.8g processor (Are Celerons any good?)
512mb ram
80gig hardrive
Comes with a WAN Card
Windows XP Home


Also has the carrying case and a mouse. All this for 375$ , loaded with applications apparantley (although I may reformat it for myself)

Input?? For the price, it seems hard to pass up...

The computer will be used mainly (at this point in time) for personal use. Ie: music, movies, burning, games ..

Also, it contains a WAN card but I don't know if I want satellite internet ( I don't know the pricing ) .. but I woud like a wireless router at least... any input on good wireless routers [with a nice price tag?]

It contains the same stuff in my home PC if not a bit better.. so I am intrigued.

If ya can offer any input or whatever please do. Thanks.

Seems to me like a good deal, but I'm no expert either. As far as I know, the Celeron processors are good. I do know the Toshibas are very well rated notebooks.

I think that the newer wireless routers are a bit better to configure and set up. I have an older US Robotics that works well, but was a bit of a PITA to get properly set up. The manual was quite vague, at least for a non-techno-geek. I finally figured it out with help from some web sites I found on wireless networking. The newer units also have better security encription as well to keep out the hackers and free loaders. If the computer all ready has the card, then you should be able to get a router for under $100.

Man , I can't wait 'til I'm in school for computers, I used to know quite a bit about PC's, but over the past couple years my main focus has been reefs :lol: Thanks for your reply Ed. I sent you a PM BTW regarding those clones you have (or had?)

I am pretty sure for what I will be using this PC for, a Celeron with 1.8g processor should be just fine. Good to know that Toshibas are well rated too.

As for wireless routers, I am at a loss as to what kind to get ... I don't know enough about this stuff like I used to. It makes me mad because I swear I used to have great computer knowledge a couple years back... but it's all slipping away hahah..

I know it has the WAN card in it, so would a WAN card work for a wireless router? Or do I need a LAN card for that, or some other card?

Thanks again for the reply though... the price is great and I will be able to look at the PC myself this evening, if it runs smooth and everything checks out good, I'll most likely take it. I'll let you all know either way, but please do post any input on wireless routers and what not.. appreciate it. Thanks.

Scott

WAN means Wireless Access Network so you are good there. Get a standard Linksys wireless router and you will be good to go.

As for the Celerons they are OK but it really depends on what you want to do. (Just like Salt Water :) )

Are you going to play games like Half Life of Doom 3 or just do work (Word/Excel). If it just work, then the celeron is fine and you should get the laptop as it sound pretty good.


Keith

Thanks Keith. With the WAN card, I can either go with the wireless router, or can I go satellite internet? How does that work?? Is the pricing pretty brutal?? WAN sounds great, but I don't think I can afford it. If not, then I'll go for the linksys, they are pretty popular .

In all honesty, I like games.. but I don't usually play them. If I do, it's games like Half Life or Counter-Strike .. but in short, no I am not a gamer.

It's main use will be for , MSN Messenger, mp3's , movies, pictures, all that kinda stuff. And yes, also for school.

I just don't really know how Celeron's are, I mean 1.8g processor sounds nice. Right now I have an AMD 1.7, and it's decent.

Anyways, thanks for the post.. helps me out a bit :)

Scott

I would find out if the wireless card is a linksys or Dlink and try to stick with the brand for a wireless router, not a huge concern but it does stop some of the newbie problems. when you get it and are hooking it up be sure to use some kind of WEP incription on the router to keep the loosers at bay. WEP will be built in and the manual will help with setting up
or PM ME
as already stated if it is for work related material then that laptop should do the job for you.

Ok...
WAN - Wide Area Network.
LAN - Local Area Network.
Wireless just means that you don't have a cable connected to the server/router.
With a wireless you suffer slower speed & possibility of having someone "borrow" you internet connection.
You just need to make sure that you secure your connection (lots of sites on line)
To bad your in Calgary, I don’t charge a too high FPH rate (frags per hour):lol:

Dan

When you say you suffer lower speeds, is there ways of reducing that ?? I have noticed this on my friends PC which he uses a wireless router for.. his download speed is cut in half if not more now.

How does one go about securing their connection? :redface: (Feel like a PC newb all over) Are you talking like anti-virus/firewall protection?

How can I find out if my card is linksys or dlink? Can that be found through the device manager? I am not sure what WEP is but I am sure I'll know what it is soon enough.

It's not going to be for work, more for personal enjoyment... like I said, the main things it will be used for are watching DVD's, playing/downloading music, pictures, internet use and the odd game if it can handle it . It will be used for school as well (word, excel, yada yada) It's not really going to be used for work.

I couldn't justify spending that much on a used laptop. You can get a new dell laptop for 500 plus tax with a 1 year warranty.

It's been used for a month (something I forgot to note) You can get a brand new dell for 500 but your not getting a good setup at all. You get the basics to get you by. I just looked into it, I have the ad at home.. 900$ brand new lap top (from Dell) and I'll get what I am getting right now in the used setup for 375$. 375$ Sounds damn good to me.. ? Does it to anyone else?? I am not a PC expert and I don't check prices very often, but this seems very reasonable to me.

I can't see how it being used will make too much of a difference in my case, I will be able to use it before I buy it as well, so if it runs poorly I obviously will not take it.

I can see where your coming from though, but Dell's laptop for 500$ is not that great, and the one for 900$ still isn't that great, the one for 375$ used (no warranty however) is pretty much what I am looking for and is close to the 900$ setup. I dunno, I guess it makes more sense to me to spend it on this laptop.

I'll let you know how it runs when I see it tonight, check out the condition it's in and all that.

If its buggie...windows bugs, that can be fixed-or not (windows does suck)
if you are happy with it then you should get it. if I needed one in a pinch that one sounds good to me.

To find out what brand of wireless card it is, it will be in device manager BUT it will also be on the card. the owner will know.(if they dont then it is probably hot)

I will glady help you set up the wireless if you like.(do that for a living)

As for download speed...wireless is not all that bad. I believe in the good ole wired way but it's not always easy to do. ssoooooo lets get this thing setup and when I do it I will make you a cable and you can test for yourself the difference in speeds. Remember speed depends on the site/p2p user, more than you connection. if you are using highspeed.

If you want to talk to a live operator then please PM this user with your phone number.

OH..did I mention that a have to answer the phone when I am not at a customers place.:wink:

oh, if it's only a month or 2 old, then yeah, jump on it. Does it have warranty?

Ahh, nevermind.. the person that has the lap top has had it for a month, she bought it from someone else previously. I'll have to see if I can find out how long it was used before.

If it has a bit of usage, is it not worth taking??

Have you got the model number yet?

No I called the owner but no answer. I left a message however.

If you can find that out, we can tell you to take it or drop it

It's a laptop... Very few actually have a card anymore - it's built onboard into the computer these days - likely a broadcom (used by dell, gateway, compaq, etc etc etc) chipset. So you wont get a name off the exterior of the laptop.

And linksys routers definitely aren't what they used to be... Buggier than heck they are.

Nobody has brought a celeron based laptop to market in at least 18 months, I'd bet it is about 2 years old.

375 is fair, not really a deal IMO. Only thing I would make sure of is the battery, if it still provides 2+ hours of run time then it's worth it. If you have to buy a new battery right away then pass.

Actualy you can buy refurbished cellerons at futureshop today, so yes there could be newer units out there.

your 375 isn't bad but isn't great.. I would offer 325 myself but ya its still a deal at 375.

something about the same at futureshop is about 750.00

Steve

It was stated as being a card so thats why I explained it this way. If it is newer of any kind it will be built in.
Still would like a model # tho

Hey thanks guys, I appreciate all the help. I am still waiting to hear back from the owner however... I'll let you know when I hear from them.

Really? I thought they got better since they were taken over by Cisco...

No they have gone downhill!

Maybe he's in jail?

Then he could get a real good deal then.. them needing bail money. :lol:

Ok here's the info guys .. I dunno what to do now really. This is all from the owner.

Toshiba Satellite : Model # 1110

It's about 4 years old. Can't be any older than 5 or 6 years as they came out in 2000/2001 (according to owner, havent' checked yet)

It stays charged for approx. 2 hours , she just went on holidays and that's how long it stayed charged for.

There is also a built in charger for the battery.

(this person is a good friend of my parents, I am confident what she tells me is true.. but I will be able to see first hand when I go check it out)

Scott

Anyone care to give any suggestions? I may be able to get her to lower the price. I guess the thing is, this is all I can afford really.. unless something else comes along.

I'm open to any advice or suggestions.. thanks once again.

Ok
so for what you plan to use it for and the price...its not to bad.
I would try and see if she would go down $50 or so (being family friend and all)
thats my 2 cents

Cool, thanks.. in the meantime I have been looking at dell laptops.

In reality, it makes more sense now to buy brand new than to buy this used. It has 4 years used that we know of, could be more.. so the screen probably isn't looking too hot either. Once I buy the wireless router , I am still looking at a 500$ hit in the end.

I just worked up a laptop at Dell and here's what I have so far.

Dell Insiprion 1300
Intel Celeron M Processor (1.6g)
XP Home
15.4" Screen
512MB ram
40g hardrive
24xcd burner/dvd combo drive
Internal wireless network card
1 yr return to depot service with 1yr tech support
XP Home re-install CD
And finally a D-Link Wireless G Router

All for 738$. It's only an extra 238$ , and with the Dell I walk away with warranty, a brand new system, and a wireless router.

I'm in the re-thinking stages, and I'll know better once I test out the laptop she has. Until then..