Ultra Budget Laptop (Desktop Replacement) under $200

figarow on 06/10/2021 - 19:45
Last edited 06/10/2021 - 19:47

Looking for help choosing the best laptop that connects to external monitor (VGA only) and used as a 'desktop' mostly. Will rarely be used as a 'laptop'.
Reason for laptop instead of desktop is redundancy and power usage, also the flexability of portability and using as a laptop.
Our old Lenovo Z50 i3 with broken screen worked a treat but is almost dead with all but one usb port working and that port is now starting to fail.

Requirements;
i3 or better
8 GB+ Ram
128 GB+ SSD Drive
Win 10
3+ USB Ports

Computing Computer Laptop

Comments

  • solidussnake on 06/10/2021 - 19:50
    +13

    Yeah good luck with that

  • boomramada on 06/10/2021 - 19:51
    +2

    try gumtree/fb market place for that price or you be dreaming for $200, maybe try check the dump bin behind the HN.

    https://www.jbhifi.com.au/collections/computers-tablets/lapt…

  • Void on 06/10/2021 - 19:51

    It'd have to be a used Thinkpad and you'd be about $100-200 over budget.

  • IceCreamBandit on 06/10/2021 - 20:00
    +1

    $200 + $18 shipping? Only 2 USB ports though.

    • WatchNerd on 06/10/2021 - 20:07
      +3

      Lol the seller is going to wonder why they're getting so many views now.

    • solidussnake on 06/10/2021 - 20:08
      +1

      The hinges of the LCD screen has broken off from the case. End result is the LCD screen is connected to the laptop by two wire. There's also a black spot about the size of a 5c coin on the left hand side of the LCD screen. Please refer to photos.

      Would probably steer clear

      • IceCreamBandit on 06/10/2021 - 20:12

        Yeah I should have included that in case OP bought it without checking further, sorry! I think at this budget you'd have to expect some things are wrong.

        I just did an ebay search for laptop and filtered using OP's list, then sorted by price under $200. Some were even worse in condition and were intended to be used for parts only so be careful

  • May4th on 06/10/2021 - 20:06
    +1

    do yourself a favour and double your budget to 4-500. a cheap used old laptop will make your life hell and probably die an early death it's a false economy
    alternatively go for a cheap and cheery chromebook if it satisfies your needs. that can be had for 300 or so

    • abacus on 06/10/2021 - 23:30

      My daughter's $1,000 Lenovo laptop is around 8-10 years old, i updated from win 7, and is not really usable on win 10. I have to wait 20 seconds for any operation like opening a program, an email etc. Be careful with second hand computers, and they may not be able to upgrade to win 11 also. And my 2 10 year old Dell desktops are even worse.

      • Hargain Bunter on 06/10/2021 - 23:39

        I don’t think you’re getting Win 11 on any sub $200 computers.

      • crentist on 07/10/2021 - 02:11
        +1

        replace the hdd with an ssd and itll be much better

        • abacus on 07/10/2021 - 02:22

          Thanks, I hadn't thought of that. It's worth a shot. Macrium Reflect? Was working fine when I swapped to win 10, but then the updates just slowly killed all 3 computers.

        • brendanm on 07/10/2021 - 18:11

          This, will be like a new one.

  • The Value on 06/10/2021 - 20:11

    Lenovo Ideapad Slim 1, Intel Celeron N4020, 4GB RAM 64GB eMMC, 14 Inch HD, Platinum Grey, 81VU0003AU
    $397
    https://www.amazon.com.au/Lenovo-Ideapad-Celeron-Platinum-81…

    Lenovo Chromebook Flex 3 11.6-inch Laptop, Intel Celeron N4020 Processor, 4GB RAM, 64GB eMMC, 11.6 Inch HD (1366x768)Touch Screen, Chrome OS, Abyss Blue, 82BB000KAU
    $359
    https://www.amazon.com.au/Lenovo-IdeaPad-Chromebook-Celeron-…

    HDMI to VGA adaptor

    • boomramada on 06/10/2021 - 21:16

      But OP after 8gb of ram and 128gb SSD.

      • The Value on 06/10/2021 - 21:43
        +1

        “Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all RAM and SSDs. It's a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard ya hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done!”

        • abacus on 07/10/2021 - 02:24
          +1

          Save people googling - from Rocky Balboa. (I googled it). Sylvester's a smart guy, knew all about computer storage.

  • Presence on 06/10/2021 - 20:27

    8GB DDR3 single stick for a laptop is >$50 alone lol.

    You should be able to get a half decent i5 3470 desktop for that much. The power usage will be minimal compared to the stress of a $200 laptop.

  • scrimshaw on 06/10/2021 - 20:37
    +1

    You can buy a refurbished / used business grade laptop in the low 300's on eBay with eBay Plus.

    Look for a used Thinkpad T series, Elitebook or Dell Latitude with a 6th gen processor.

    E.g
    https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/164908028099? $331.17 (HP Elitebook, i5-6200U, 8GB, 256 SSD)
    https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/154385357280? 372.67 (Thinkpad T460S, i5-6200U, 8GB, 256GB)
    https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/174946833241? $350 (ThinkPad X260 12.5". 6300U, 8GB 256GB)

    If you want to go even lower, try searching for the Dell Latitude E7240 (12.5 inch) / E7440 (14 inch). This is very old though and uses Haswell 4th gen CPU (2 years older than 6th gen) and the battery life is probably really short on these.

  • figarow on 06/10/2021 - 23:22

    Cheers for the advice. Been thinking about the rare times I would disconnect it for 'laptop' use.
    Should I opt for a desktop instead? Been eye balling this one, cheap and functional? (look at all those USB ports!)

    https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/233113239045 $146.75 (HP Compaq 8300 SFF i5-3470, 8GB, 120GB)

    and this…

    https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/334171798344 $129 (HP EliteDesk 800 G1 i5-4570S, 8GB, 120GB)

    • Presence on 07/10/2021 - 11:31

      Yes these are both better than any laptop you'll get.

      I use an i5 3470 and its still more then enough for general use.

    • WatchNerd on 08/10/2021 - 12:39

      You're not paying for a lcd screen with a desktop so your money goes further. Here is a recent post for a Dell Optiplex 9020 $179.99 + Delivery

      It's expired but the comments might be worth reading. These types of deals usually get lots of upvotes.

  • ColtNoir on 07/10/2021 - 09:14

    In all honesty, if you're looking at a $200 budget, why not just use your mobile phone?

    What are you planning to do with this computer?

    • boomramada on 07/10/2021 - 13:36

      I have a feeling Raspberry pi 4 can out preform $200 budget trash lol

  • woodwa on 15/10/2021 - 15:08
    +1

    You could try ex lease .
    https://www.grays.com/products/ex-lease-computer
    Beware the fees on Gray's

    Lots of other sellers on the web but Gray's seem to have been selling these for years… I've successfully brought 2 machines here over the years.

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