Suggestions appreciated!

[seiberwing]

The official diagnosis on my computer is back. It's not lupus the keyboard connector, the motherboard is starting to fail after a year and a half of faithful service.

*sigh*

I'm on a part time job that barely pays above minimum wage and I'm going up to Chicago in August, the last thing I need right now is to buy a new laptop. But the cost of replacing a motherboard is practically the cost of a new laptop in the first place (the part alone is $200), and you seem to be able to get some decent ones for less than $400 around Best Buy. The netbooks are the cheapest and seem very nice, but they have bittyscreens and I'd rather not purchase a monitor to augment something I like to carry around with me. My favorite place to write is coffee shops.

At least I'll be quitting at the end of August rather than two weeks into August due to certain plan rearrangements...I suppose in a way one could consider that as paying for the laptop. Still a pain in the ass, though.

Comments

[florentinescot.livejournal.com]

I will say that this HP is a "$400" laptop that I got at Staples -- and I *LOVE* it. It's "widescreen" with a numeric keypad.

[synaltern.livejournal.com]

Very much a pain in the ass indeed.

Netbooks not only have a much smaller screen, they also have much less processing power...on the other hand, they're borderlining ultra-portable. (I'm sure you knew that)

Have you considered a refurbished laptop? Might be worth looking into for a lower cost.

[seiberwing.livejournal.com]

Possibly, but it'd still be an older model and I want something reliable. Dad says the ASUS (sp?) has good reviews.

[synaltern.livejournal.com]

Asus is an excellent brand all-around, though I'll admit to knowing next to nothing about their particular laptop models.

[seiberwing.livejournal.com]

There's one at Best Buy for about $450, which is only...what, a little over half a month's pay?

[iiiskaaa.livejournal.com]

If it were a desktop, I'd say go ahead and replace the motherboard, but on a laptop, especially if it's a few years old, like at the point where other parts might start failing too, I don't think it would be worth it. If you're not planning on installing the new motherboard yourself and that price is just for the part, not including whatever they would charge you for labor, you're probably better off just getting a new computer.

I just bought a pretty good refurbished laptop for $400, and it has like a 15" screen. You might look around tigerdirect. I get most of my computer stuff from there.

[seiberwing.livejournal.com]

There's an ASUS for $450 at Best Buy, so says Dad, so that might be a good option. It's just...moneys. ;_;

[antepathy.livejournal.com]

I have an ASUS EEEEEEEEEEEEEE (or however many Es). You can upgrade the memory yourself for like...$50 which fixes a lot of the speed problems. It has a 10.5 hour battery life.

The keyboard is small but not impossible. I recommend it if you're going netbookish.


THIS laptop is a 6 year old HP. God bless it. *knock on wood*

[seiberwing.livejournal.com]

I don't mind a small keyboard so much as a small screen that I have to narrow my eyes at to see what new hotness Linkara has come up with this week. A loong battery life is delicious, but what's it like for...say, videos?

[knave-iespyk.livejournal.com]

I have no suggestions, but I do have sympathy.

[kookaburra1701.livejournal.com]

As much as I love my netbook, it's definitely not something to use as a main computer.

[seiberwing.livejournal.com]

I'm using Mom's right now. It is quite dinky and slow.

[kookaburra1701.livejournal.com]

Yeah, they're great for slipping into a purse and emailing/browsing/fanfic writing on the go, but not much else.

[dragoness-e.livejournal.com]

Dell's got some good bargains on decent laptops on their website, and even better bargains in their Employee Purchase Program, if you have the good luck to be working for a company that does business with Dell. On the other hand, my HP has lasted a good, long time. I don't know yet how reliable Dell laptops are. (Desktops are solid enough.) Avoid Sony laptops (too many proprietary drivers running proprietary hardware, extra crap that bogs down your system yet can't be deleted or stuff stops working; makes it a bitch to install Linux or keep supported once whatever is on it is no longer in support by Sony or whoever); and avoid Toshiba, they aren't very reliable.

A tip on extending the lifespan of your next laptop: always use a laptop cooler (if you weren't already). Laptops rarely have adequate cooling and tend to die early deaths from heatstroke.

[seiberwing.livejournal.com]

I will soon be acquiring a very large and expensive cooler. They are locally known as 'Chicago apartments'.

Aren't those kind of bulky, though?