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heres a good deal



Base System Compaq Presario M2000 $1,133.45

Processor Intel(R) Pentium(R) M Processor 715A (1.5 GHz)

Notebook Display 15.0" TFT XGA (1024x768)

Memory 512MB DDR SDRAM (2x256MB)

Operating System Microsoft Windows XP Professional

Hard Drive 80 GB 4200 RPM Hard Drive

CD/DVD Drive DVD/CD-RW Combo Drive

Video Card Intel Extreme Graphics 2 w/productivity ports

Modem/PC Card 54g(TM) 802.11b/g WLAN w/ 125HSM/SpeedBooster(TM)

Battery 12 Cell Lithium Ion Battery

Business Productivity Microsoft(R) Works/Money





Total $1,133.45

$30(U.S.) cash back with the purchase of select Compaq Presario notebook PCs -$30.00



Total After Rebates $1,103.45



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and another



Base System HP Pavilion zv5000z $1,229.40

Processor AMD 64 3000+ (1.80 GHz)

Notebook Display 15.4" WXGA BrightView Widescreen(1280x800)

Memory 512MB DDR SDRAM (2x256MB)

Operating System Microsoft(R) Windows(R) XP Professional with SP2

Hard Drive 60 GB 4200 RPM Hard Drive

CD/DVD Drive DVD/CDRW Combo Drive

Video Card 64MB NVIDIA(R) GeForce(TM) 4 440 Go + 1394

Removable Storage Built in Bay w/USB Digital Drive

Modem/PC Card 54g(TM) 802.11b/g WLAN w/ 125HSM/SpeedBooster(TM)

Battery 12 Cell Lithium Ion Battery

Business Productivity Microsoft(R) Works/Money


link

I just bought a used eMachine M2350 with the following specs:

Windows XP pro // Longhorn
15.4" widescreen UXGA
1.5Ghz AMD 2800 Athlon -M
60GB HDD
512mb DDR
ATi -M 9000 32mb
CD-RW/DVD combo
3.3 hours of battery life (uning minimal power setting)
Broadcom 802.11b/g internal card
(4) USB 2.0 ports
USB Floppy

I paid $950 for it and it's still under warranty and runs better then my old Compaq 2590.

apple, sony and toshiba are the most reliable laptop manufacturers. stay away from dell laptops or anything gateway. i sell computers at best buy and would recommend these models for a windows pc:

toshiba s331 (centrino 1.6ghz 512mb 80gb dvd+/-rw wireless lan 15.4 tru-brite screen) its a very popular model and we always sell out of them. this week it is $1399, the price jumps around from $1249 after rebates to 1499 with no rebates.
another recommendation is the sony fs-550 (centrino 1.6ghz 512mb 80gb dual layer dvd+/-rw wireless lan, 15.4 x-brite)
both models have an intel integrated 128mb graphics. the price this week is 1599 after a $100 rebate. its been as low as 1449 after rebates.

another choice is the compaq r3410us (amd athlon 2800+ 1.6ghz 512mb 60gb dvd-rom/cd-rw combo wireless lan 15.4 brightview display) this also has a 64mb dedicated nvidia graphics card. price is 999 after $30 rebate. its been as low as 849 after rebates.

the last recommendation would be the hp zv5405 (amd athlon 64 3200+ 2.0ghz 512mb 80gb dvd-rom/cd-rw combo 15.4 brightview screen) 1199 after rebates.

hopefully this is helpful.

Although you posted a price limit, if money was no object take a look at a Voodoo laptop. I'd never heard of them but supposedly they are the cream of the crop in laptop gaming. Be ready to spend at least $5,500 or more.

BTW, several here have badmouthed Dell laptops. We've had our Inspiron for 3 years and it has not given us any problems. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a Dell again when it's time to upgrade.

My Dads Dell laptop is crap. Been in for service many a time, motherboard, harddrive etc. Those Toshibas seem real nice. Definitly my pick if I were going big time.


On a side note, any of you laptop owners or those that can get deals, looking to trade for a Car-pc, Pm me for details....

some people are bad-mouthing Compaq but ive had my presario for over two years now and have had zero problems with it (other than those Ive given it). i shopped around extensively for laptops and a deciding factor that made me go with Compaq was it was the only company that offered a "no questions asked, anything happens" insurance policy. I had a toddler at the time and was afraid she might do something to it. of course, i ended up breaking the screen myself after being on the phone with Compaq India for many attmepts I finally got through and they replaced it no problem. it took almost two weeks but they fixed it for FREE! their customer service was a PITA to get a hold of but i got a killer deal and the sweet insurance coverage.

i ordered mine directly from Compaq
i got mine with an AMD 2.8M, cd/dvd, floppy drive (internal) which i couldnt really get in any other computers any more, 15" xvga(?), didnt opt for the built in wireless which i should've, i opted for the least amount of memory and had my 512k delivered from crucial.com within days, cant remember the hard drive size, 40g i think.

this thing has been bullet-proof. the only issue it has presented was that it was running too hot and the fan was on all the time. i updated some drivers and what not and the problem was fixed. This laptop sells for about $800 right now. i recently sold some $3k Toshiba and Sony Xbrite laptops and was tempted to keep one for myself but then decided that it wasnt worth it. my laptop has served me very well and continues to do so.

i have two friends who went with Sager portable desktops. they're a bit cumbersome but they can be upgraded and last you much longer, since they use desktop parts. expensive though. same company as Alienware iirc.

I forgot to add to my review of my Compaq that it weighs a ton and runs hot with the fans on all the time. The hot I don't care about but the heavy I wouldn't want to lug around. I use mine just around the house 99% of the time so weight wasn't a factor to me but if you're going on the road you know the difference 2 pounds can make after trekking across an entire airport terminal.

Scott

T-Series Thinkpads are the best. I've got two of them, one a T20 I built up from parts off e-bay for my g/f, and the other (T23) I've owned since new 3 yrs ago. NEVER had a problem with it. I've used it everyday since I got it and the keyboard is just now starting to show signs of heavy use(keys don't click like they used to). I also dropped it about a year ago from about 3ft. The titanium casing did its job and the computer suffered no damage. They also come with a 3yr warranty.

I have all of those specs except widescreen (but it does have 1400x1050 14" 4:3) and USB in back in my $742 Dell 600m. No problems in the 6 months I've had it. Battery life is about 2.5h for DVD's up to 4.5h for taking notes in class, other light use. I cannot imagine paying twice what I paid for a laptop. Gimme the same lappy w/ a 20" LCD for home or a lappy + desktop for performance + USB HDD to keep my work.

Since you already omitted Dell, though, my brother has an Avertec that I used a lot before I got mine. I really liked its size and weight. Battery life again 2h for DVD's. This year's model would be the 3200/3200 line.

That Tecra A4 screen resolution is low for 15.4" LCD.

Keep in mind that under 6 pounds is good, under 5 is better, if you want portability. Over 6 pounds will stay at home more often that not. Mine is about 5.5 which is nice, but wish I had gone 1 pound lighter with the 700m.