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Decent CHEAP laptop?

THEFERMANATOR

THEFERMANATOR

FRANKENBURBAN
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Anybody know of any decent CHEAP laptops out there? My son decided to finish mine off for me this morning after I had just fixed the hinge pins in it yesterday. So I'm reduced to using my phone, and to say it is lacking would be an understatement. With a newborn I'm on a tight budget, really need a laptop for my tuning, so money IS an obstacle right now. I've been getting dells, but really not happy with the cheap plastic the last 2 were built of and looking for something a bit more robust.
 
Toughbook or the like. Hit fleabay. Keep it Windows 7 as I have seen people finish off new PC/laptops due to Windows 8 being the POS it is.

Yes, Windows 7 is still available on new laptops.
 
Hang in for a month if you can so you can get W10. As far as brands I'm pleased with the quality of Lenovo but with the budget you have that's a tall order
 
Look for something that will take dual drives so that the OS runs on a SDD and everything else goes on a rotational disk (get one with at least 7,200 RPM's).

Toward manufacturer, I have an Acer with 64 bit and 17" display that has seen a rough life and is still going strong. Only issue I have with it is that when I take it above 7K' elevation, the HDD's blow-out (file system on both the SDD and HDD completely corrupt) and am focusing on that the air is not dense enough for the cooling system to work correctly with its bent case; a re-format of the drives and reinstall of the OS at lower elevation gets it running again.
 
I have 2 older laptops, one with Vista, one just recently installed Win 7. I bought 2 small form factor USB drives and use them with readyboost available on Vista and Win 7. Made a lot of difference especially for the Vista OS and my Win 7 Acer is dedicated to EFIlive software substantially better. Re-format them prior to using so you can full advantage of them.
 
If you don't want to buy new, try to find a good deal on craigslist.. never know.
 
Make sure the Windows 7 is 64 bit to handle over 4 GB of ram.
 
Surprising how many older computers can run 64 bit but were loaded with 32 bit, even my 8 year old desktop can run 64 bit but is limited by the motherboard to 4GB of ram....
 
Can run means buying a 64 bit license as the OEM stickers are for either 64 bit or 32 bit, but not both. Get the proper one when you buy it. - Upgrades are for stuff you already have.
 
Says it is 64 bit and runs on windows 7 pro. Probably going to be the route I go. Theres a seller on AMAZON selling the same one with the upgraded ram, but he wants and extra $80 for 8GB, and I can buy a 4GB card for I think it was about $30.
 
That tiger deal has a 5,400 RPM HDD. You're gonna hate life with that platter . . .

Need at least a 7,200 RPM drive.
 
My current laptop has served me pretty well with a 500GB 5400RPM hard drive, 6GB ram, and 2.1GHZ INTEL processor. I know on a budget of a few hundred I won't get a speed demon, just need something to surf the web with multiple pages open, and still run EFILIVE in the background as I am known to surf the web looking for tune files to build just the right tune file sometimes.
 
Cheap laptop and spend $100 on the SSD drive. The SSD drive is like the Duramax that replaced the rotating rust 6.5TD that was hitting on only 7 of 8. The drive is the slowest thing in a PC and SSD's just make all the difference in the world and are not as fragile.

Step over to the SSD darkside - you won't ever go back!
 
Agree that a 5,400 RPM drive works, but lets pretend that we are discussing a 6.5 with a GM-4 on it . . . Sure, it works, but . . .

If limited to a single drive system, as WW points out, a SSD will unleash the laptop's potential. Third in preference is at least a 7,200 RPM HDD. First in preference is a dual drive system with a SDD for the OS, a (minimum) 7,200 RPM HDD for everything else, and re-map the Users directory structure (default goes to the OS's drive) to the HDD.

In terms of the 5,400 RPM HDD, I'd rather drive a moped than suffer with a slow HDD.
 
I'm real glad I opted for buying a SSD for my Lenovo because it really makes the difference but with a tight budget I can see opting to do that later when funds allow.
 
I checked amazon, and it looks like I can pick up a 1TB SSD for about $80. It looks like the cheap lenovo, an SSD, add in a 8GB ram chip, an external hard drive enclosure, and I should be able to set up a decent laptop for fairly cheap.
 
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