Want it to be new, able to handle Internet and offline word processing, was tempted by chromebook but not enough offline functionality for me.
Under $300 Laptop? Am I Dreaming?
figarow on 27/10/2016 - 15:49
Last edited 27/10/2016 - 15:50
Last edited 27/10/2016 - 15:50
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Need to run programs like open office etc. Don't want limited to google.
chromebooks are fantastic! I have a brand new cb3-131 which i got for $233 delievred from amazon. Next month there is an update that allows all chromebooks to run Android Apps!!!!! So I'll be able to run the android version of Microsoft Office for free, offline! Chromebooks are the future IMO, android app support is a KILLER feature
You're not dreaming, it's possible to get one under $300. The question is the usability of the low priced laptop.
Have a look at Dell outlet, a few of them are as cheap as $259 as new and including delivery, at the moment.
second that, cheapest is like $179, but only 32gb emmc drive, for $319, there's one with 4gb ram & 128GB ssd.
for $319, there's one with 4gb ram & 128GB ssd.
Third that, the DOS would be my first point of call based on your requirements.
My daughter got a $320 11in 4gb/128gb ssd Inspiron 3000 via a recent ebay sale. It performs quite well and she is very happy.
What is Dell outlet?
When it says as new , what does that mean ?
not dreaming but $300 will get you a lot further if you buy something second hand - like a HP 2570p or a dell latitude e6230 or similar.
I bought one for $250 a few years ago and it was a bad decision. The speed of it is very frustrating and takes me ages to do anything. For example I could finish typing e a sentence in word then look up and watch the sentence being written.
Or get a 2nd hand ThinkPad X220/X230, which you can find a refurbished ones on eBay for under $300.
These would suit someone in the IT industry which I think many of us are.
I have picked up discarded laptops at work sans hdd that sit in the storeroom before they are designated 'writeoffs' (by me!) that work fine with the $50 sandisk 120gb ssds on sale.
My needs are low though… 4Gb dual core 120gb sdd is more than enough.
I picked up a HP Elitebook Folio 940m (Haswell i7) for $325, with port replicator as well from some random on a forum.
The KB was busted, but nothing a quick replacement from ebay can't fix, plus a spare battery from Aliexpress for $60. This'll keep going for a few more years I bet.
pretty happy my school issued Lenovo, apparently they cost $250
We had these back in the days… good thing was you could use them as weights while walking from one class to another :P
Hahahaha, explains your huge muscles!
Who needs the gym when you have Lenovo? :)
@stuhtb:
Luxury. My first portable computer looked like this: http://imgur.com/0LzlS03
Even then everyone recognised it was stupidly large and heavy.
check out megabuy they have some good prices on decent machines www.megabuy.com.au
Best Value for under $300 is refirb but you'll get an i5 and windows 7.. which I would prefer over a new celeron with windows 10
$239+$9 Looks good to me www.ebay.com.au/itm/Asus-Vivobook-E200HA-Atom-1-44GHz-4GB-32…
Reviews seem good https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUb9q4CYOdY
https://www.amazon.com/E200HA-UB02-GD-Portable-11-6-Inch-Qua…Atom laptops (netbooks) are painful to use, not only are they sluggish even just web browsing, the 32GB emmc memory is extremely limiting. Think twice before buying. You can't upgrade these machines either.
The only good thing about them is the portability and battery life, if these are not your two main concerns, there's no point in getting a netbook.
I realize they are not as good as other chips but for my intended purpose shouldn't I be looking at a 'netbook'? I'm not going to render or even store a video for that matter. I'm thinking an atom chip would be fine for me based on that video review.
I've got an Atom and they are much slower thank you think.
Watching that video: at around the 5 min mark he benches it with a Javascript test and it scores around 6200, and the Pentium N3050 scores 8000+.
You can get a Pentium N3050 laptop for $300 dollars, well within your budget, for e.g HP Stream 11 has N3050 processor, and the Dell Inspiron 3000 series 11" has a much better N3700 processor.
But numbers don't explain anything about performance, but in my everyday usage of an Atom SOC netbook I noted:
- Simple websites like Ozbargain work fine.
- Slightly more complex websites like Amazon, eBay, or Youtube cause noticeable stutters and hiccups as you attempt to browse
- Opening more than a few tabs in Firefox or chrome can cause very noticeable lock-ups and periods where the CPU tries to keep up as it updates those pages in the background.
I'd have a look at MSY first and see if any options suit you first: prices start from $299 onwards for a Pentium dual core laptop.
http://www.msy.com.au/Parts/notebook.pdfand of course the Dell Outlet is a great choice.
@scrimshaw: Some Atom notebook/PCs have bad video because not enough memory has been allocated to the graphics in the BIOS. Might be worth checking on your… Pendo right?
I saw this deal the other day from CentreCom and was going to post it on this thread but thought it'd be a pretty crap unit for the price, but today I thought I should post it anyway just in case:
https://www.centrecom.com.au/asus-eeebook-x205ta-116-hd-inte…
It was $229 the other day, has gone up $20.
Today I am eating my last $1 large chocolate Easter bunny from when I stocked up during Aldi's post-Easter clearance sale. Have to wait til next year to get some more.
That's exactly the kind of laptop I wanted OP to avoid buying, but also note that laptop is one generation behind Cherry Trail (which is less expensive on eBay after using a voucher code. See OP's comment).
z8300-z8700 class is questionable for a laptop and just about adequate for a tablet or combo.
The z3735 isnt suitable for even a tablet or compute stick these days.
Okay, if the OP can stretch to $345, I just now saw this come in the CentreCom email:
https://www.centrecom.com.au/hp-250-g5-156-hd-laptop
Note: I am not affiliated with them, I make and sell car posters!
Interesting, where can we see your handy work?
Thanks for all the suggestions guys I ended up getting the Asus Vivobook E200HA which is the 4Gb version for $248. Cheapest laptop/netbook I could find with a decent feature set. Hope it goes well, still waiting for it to arrive…. http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Asus-Vivobook-E200HA-Atom-1-44GHz…
You're unlikely to get anything new for that price that won't cause a large amount of frustration when using it.
What about the Chromebooks offline functionality don't you like?