Cheap Laptops and More

Best Cheap Laptop 

Core 2 Duo processors are the best option for most budget users. Base prices often exclude them, but experts agree that an Intel Core 2 Duo processor is very desirable and not that expensive of an upgrade. Look for processors with Intel’s Santa Rosa/Centrino Duo capabilities. Intel’s Centrino 2 (Penryn) processors are occasionally an option within the budget price range. Less capable processors — Celeron, Pentium and CPUs from AMD — are only acceptable if you plan to use a laptop for the most basic tasks: web browsing, reading and writing e-mail and word processing.

7"Mini Netbook Notebook Laptop WIFI Windows 2GB HD AU

HP MINI 311-1037NR LAPTOP COMPUTER

HP MINI 311-1037NR LAPTOP COMPUTER


Get at least 2 GB of RAM. Get as much RAM as you can afford. 2 GB is essential for running Windows Vista, according to experts. More RAM will allow you to work in more open applications at once without system drag. Budget laptops often come with 1 GB. If you upgrade any one feature, reviews say upgrading the RAM is more important than anything else.
Don’t worry about hard drive size unless you know you have massive storage needs. Even the cheapest laptops have 80 GB hard drives, which will hold thousands of MP3s and photographs. However, if you anticipate needing a larger hard drive, they are an inexpensive upgrade when you are ordering a new computer. Switching later to a larger hard drive on a laptop is more expensive.
Consider service/support and warranty. The worst change in the computer industry this year is that manufacturers are no longer offering three-year limited warranties for any cheap laptops. All cheap laptops have a one-year limited warranty. Upgraded warranties are expensive. Prices vary by brand and model. Retailers also offer varying upgraded service options, again at high prices.
A video card is a worthwhile upgrade. The base price of cheap laptops usually includes integrated video. Unless an amount of video RAM is specified, the computer comes with a video chip on the motherboard instead of a video card. A large chunk of system RAM is then devoted to the display. An upgrade to a video card frees that RAM and improves the smoothness of moving images on your screen. However, video cards suitable for great gaming are not possible within the budget price range.
Get the Internet connectivity options you need. Even cheap laptops come with built-in wireless networking, which lets you connect to a Wi-Fi network without any additional hardware. If you plan to connect to the Internet with a dial-up modem, be aware that many laptops do not include a modem. Ethernet connectors for broadband are standard, but you should verify that a laptop under consideration has one.
Some manufacturers usually give you a choice of operating systems with budget laptops. The stock option with most cheap laptops is Windows Vista Home Basic or Windows Vista Home Premium. In rare instances, Windows XP is still an option. We found some laptops that include Vista Home Premium in the base configuration, but not all have enough RAM to run it well.