JDN - I was at CompUSA yesterday getting some printer paper (photo paper) and saw a CPQ Presario notebook offered for $1,599... it had a 400MHz processor, 1MB cache, DVD, 64MB RAM, and a 14.1 inch display. The demo model looked pretty good, also has 56K modem, 8MB graphics, and good audio. another $99 gets you a 3 year warranty.
As far as a ROM burner, that does not seem to be what my son uses for software exchange - all his friends use a 100MB zip drive which plugs into the printer port... or in the Presario, can be used in place of the floppy. it's also a $99 option. My son has a ROM burner on his desktop machine but just uses it to make custom CDs for his car.
Even at "list price" from CPQ, that machine is less than $1,900, configured with 3 year warranty and zip drive. And the warranty is walk into the store and get it fixed or get a new one... which is my prefered way of getting a laptop repaired (that way I can try it out right there and complain if it isn't repaired the way I want, as opposed to shipping it back).
I could not even find the Inspirion 3800, where did you see it? The Inspirion 5000 is a nice machine, but a lot more bucks. The cheapest one I saw was the C500, which is $2,276 when configured the same way as the presario - and the Presario comes with MS Word, which is not even an option on the Inspirion and is a requirement for any college student IMO.
So it looks to me like you could stop on the way home tonight and get what you want, maybe $100 less than your target.
If you want to go even lower in price, check out compaqworks.com which is the Compaq factory outlet. I am here in Houston and can just drive over but they also sell on the web site. These are products which have been "refurbished" - but they look like new as far as I can tell, and have been rebuilt and tested. You can buy a Presario 1277 for 869!! Adding a 3 year warranty and the other options above still puts it at about $1,200. Or the 1600 series is available at prices under $1,200. |
