Need urgent laptop help/advice!!!!!!!!

GlossyTundra

GlossyTundra

Tractor Detailer
Ok guys, I have to have some help quick. My 1.5yr old Toshiba died this afternoon. Left the lid open, was working fine, came home from a family event 2hrs later. Laptop was dead, no lights, burning smell coming from the board, nothing will turn on or run, NADA lol.



So I need to be prepared in the event of me having to get a new laptop. I dont have a huge budget since I was saving for college, probably about $500 or so for a new one. What would be some good laptops to look at or some good brands? I know that Toshiba sucks b/c I havent had anything but terrible luck with it, but they are cheap, and thats kinda what I am limited to right now.



Also, what would I look for in a new one? I have little to no idea about computers, so i'm in the dark.
 
I bought the laptop (indicated below) for my daughter about 2 weeks ago from OfficeDepot for $500 (after the $125 rebate). I've been very pleased with it so far. It has a 14.1 screen but it is incredible. I also bought a TV Tuner for it and HD programming looks great on it. I have no idea if you can still find this in stock it seems to have disappered from their website (except the all positive reviews). Only negative I have is the built in speakers are a little twangy but I think that's the case on most low to mid level laptops.



Gateway® T-6321 Notebook 14.1" ULTRABRIGHT™ WIDESCREEN





Features



Gateway® T-6321 Notebook 14.1" ULTRABRIGHT™ WIDESCREEN

14.1"-diagonal widescreen WXGA (1280 x 800) UltraBrightâ„¢ LCD screen

Intel Pentium Dual-Core processor T2370 operating at 1.73GHz

1MB L2 cache

Up to 533MHz frontside bus

3GB of PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM memory (1 x 2GB, 2 x 1GB)

Maximum memory capacity: 4GB (Available system memory will be considerably less than this amount and will vary by model and system configuration. This is due to the use of shared video memory and operating system limits.)

160GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA (SATA) hard drive

Multiformat DVD drive with Double Layer support (reads/writes DVD±R/RW, DVD-RAM, DVD±R Double Layer, CD-R/RW); with Labelflash technology

802.11b/g wireless LAN

10/100Base-T Ethernet port (RJ-45 port)

56K V.92 fax/modem

3 USB 2.0 ports

5-in-1 memory card reader: reads SD, MMC, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, xD-Picture Card

ExpressCard/54 slot: also support ExpressCard/34

Built-in 1.3-megapixel webcam, for video chat/email and still photos

Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 with up to 384MB shared memory

High Definition Audio (2-channel) with built-in stereo speakers

Headphone/SPDIF audio-out jack and microphone jack

6-cell lithium-ion battery (2200 mAh)

Dimensions: 1.3 "H x 12.95"W x 9.75"D

Weight: 5.55 lb
 
Check out the Dell Outlet. You can frequently get nice deals on refurbished models. My latest notebook was a refurb from Dell--it came to me looking 100% brand new.



If you prefer new, or can get a better deal that way, check out Dell's coupons that can be applied during the checkout. Note that the current amount off while configuring your specs will be canceled out from any applied coupon.



There are also many deals on other brands on the last link. However, I normally find it hard to beat Dell when it comes to cost/performance.
 
Check Slickdeals.net, they often have good deals onlaptops on their main website. But if you go into their forums you can find info on other deals as well. I've always gone their for information on using the Lenovo/IBM shareholder's discount.
 
Brandon check out tigerdirect in raleigh on capital blvd, or the one at North Gate in Durham. fantastic prices, great customer service and they are local. Better prices than bestbuy/etc. I buy alot from them and they are wonderful
 
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