Buying a Cheap Laptop Computer

IT Technology, including computers and peripherals are constantly becoming more affordable as technology matures.  Laptop  computers (also known as notebook computers) have matured over the years, not only becoming more affordable, but also becoming far more robust and reliable.  Laptop computers do also perform very well when it comes to processing, graphics and overall performance, basically performing equally as well as their larger cousins, the desktop computers.  Laptop computers do however offer many benefits when compared to desktop computer, namely offering greater mobility, lower energy consumption and wireless capabilities. 

Now that you have decided to purchase a Laptop Computer, the tricky question is, how do you find a nice cheap laptop?  Below I have a number of suggestions that will help you pick up an excellent laptop that will save you some money:

1. Ask yourself what kind of laptop computer you need.  Did you want the “best” technology (latest and greatest) or the best “bang for your dollar”?  I suggest that if you don’t need to fastest latest & greatest laptop computer, to just purchase an average laptop computer that will do everything you need.  By basic laptop computer, I don’t mean something with poor performance, but a laptop computer that won’t utilise the “latest” & fastest CPU & not the fanciest graphics card, as an average user would not notice a performance gain with a faster CPU & fancier graphics card, especially when running basic applications such as Microsoft Office, Internet Surfing, running typical business applications, play standard games, etc.
2. Know your budget & make sure you don’t exceed that.  You will find that adding extra RAM (ie. upgrade from 1 Gig to 2 Gig or even from 2Gig to 4 Gig) isn’t as expensive as you think and can provide you with far more performance gains than just going for a faster CPU & not having enough RAM for your applications.
3. Go to your local electronic & computer stores to get some indicative prices.  Make sure you do record the laptop computer specifications (RAM, Screen Size/Resolution, CPU, Warranty, etc.) to help with your comparisons.
4. Stick with New.  Although there are not bad deals for second hand laptop computers, I do prefer a new one as you do get full warranty from the manufacturer, know its history and should be able to get at least 3 years out of it.  I do therefore recommend you do upgrade your warranty to a full 3 years.
5. Look for vendor specials.  Many vendors offer excellent deals for students via “student programs”.  Nothing stops you purchasing one of these “student laptops” from one of the schools via either your child (if they are a student), buy yourself (if you are a student) or via family (if they have a child at school, preferably a College or University).  Most vendors I have spoken to have no problem with family or friends buying one of these “discounted” laptop computers from one of these student programs.  At the University I work, discounts as high as 20-30% off RRP can be found in these programs.
6. Internet Forum sites such as FatWallet.com and even Slickdeals.net do offer information on discounted laptops computers, as many forum members are happy to share such information.  If you see a deal, you may want to act quickly as they tend not to last long, so don’t delay.
7. Refurbished laptops can also be ok, as long as they come with a decent warranty (make sure you do get a full 12 months as a minimum).  They can often be found on Ebay, but remember, use PayPal to safeguard yourself.
8. If you cannot afford a new Laptop Computer and don’t want to go down the Refurbished path, you an even look at ex-rentals.  They would also be refurbished & may even be cheaper (and obviously older).  Visit a Rental Centre, but I still prefer the Laptop computer to be at no older than 2 years old & of good hardware specifications for the applications you intend to run (ie. RAM, Hard Drive, etc.).
9. If you cannot afford an ex-rental, you can always approach a University’s IT Department and ask if they have any University Laptops for disposal.  They often sell them for a very good price and would be typically be around 3 years old (as most Universities tend to upgrade their Laptop Computers once their 3 year warranty expires) & can pick them up for as little as $100.

I hope the above helps, good luck with your Laptop Purchase.