Laptop selection

[Serpentine]

G'day youse blokes and shielas.

*ahem*

It turns out that the uni doesn't normally give its honours students access to even crappy computers, and I've just come into some money (woooo government support and Rudd Money!), so I'm looking at buying myself a laptop. Really, I only need it to be able to access the internet and word processors, but if I can get one pretty cheap that can run games, I'd like to.
I've looked them up on ebay.com.au (using Spore as my specs guide). Here's a sample of what I've found:

{table=head]Link|Name|CPU|RAM|HD|Video|Price
link (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/DELL-LATITUDE-D610-CENTRINO-2-0G-1024RAM-80HDD-DVDRW_W0QQitemZ320384294778QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAU_c omp_laptop?hash=item4a98645f7a&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A15%7C66%3A2%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7 C301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50)|DELL LATITUDE D610|Intel Centrino 2000Mhz|1024MB|80GB 5400RPM|64MB ATI Mobility Radeon X300|$425
link (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/USED-DELL-D410-PM-2-0G-2G-80G-XP-Pro-Wireless_W0QQitemZ200348879355QQcmdZViewItemQQptZA U_comp_laptop?hash=item2ea5b949fb&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A1%7C66%3A2%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C 301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50)|USED DELL D410|PM 2.0G|2GB DDR2|80GB|Intel®* Graphics Media Accelerator 900|$529
link (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Dell-Precision-M70-Laptop-Centrino-2-13Ghz-2GB-XP-Pro_W0QQitemZ220429777365QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAU_com p_laptop?hash=item3352a379d5&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A1%7C66%3A2%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C 301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50)|Dell Precision M70 Laptop|Intel Centrino*2.13GHz|2GB DDR2|60GB|256MB|Nivida Quadro Fx 1400|$579
link (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/USED-HP-NX6320-Core2Duo-T7200-2-0G-2G-100G-DVDRW-15_W0QQitemZ200348875254QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAU_comp _laptop?hash=item2ea5b939f6&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A1%7C66%3A2%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C 301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50)|USED HP NX6320|Core2 Duo T7200 2.0GHz|2GB|100GB|Intel®Graphics Media Accelerator 950|$699
link (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Dell-D620-laptop-Core2Duo-2Ghz-120GB-HDD-2GB-RAM_W0QQitemZ130311679352QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAU_com p_laptop?hash=item1e572e6d78&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A1%7C66%3A2%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C 301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50)|Dell D620 laptop|Intel Centrino Core2Duo 2Ghz|2GB fast DDR2|120GB Sata|D620 Discrete 256MB NVIDIA Quadro NVS 110M TurboCache|$723
link (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Toshiba-Satellite-Laptop-2-16-GHZ-L305-Dual-2GB-160GB_W0QQitemZ260429823721QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAU_c omp_laptop?hash=item3ca2d3bee9&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A1%7C66%3A2%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1308%7C 301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50)|Toshiba Satellite Laptop L305|Intel Cel 2.16 GHz|2 GB FAST DDR 2 RAM|160 GB HDD||$745
link (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Dell-Inspiron-15-Laptop-Notebook-4GB-RAM-250GB-HD-2GHz_W0QQitemZ220433212169QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAU_co mp_laptop?hash=item3352d7e309&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A1%7C66%3A2%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1308%7C 301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50)|Dell Inspiron 15 Laptop Notebook|Intel(R) Celeron Processor 585 (2.16GHz/ 667 FSB/ 1MB Cache)|4GB Dual-channel 800MHz DDR2 SDRAM |250GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive|Intel(TM) Graphics Media Accelerator X4500HD|$790
link (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/TOSHIBA-Satellite-L300-LAPTOP-15-4-Intel-2-16GHz-WIFI_W0QQitemZ360162201538QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAU_co mp_laptop?hash=item53db570fc2&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A1%7C66%3A2%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1308%7C 301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50)|TOSHIBA Satellite L300 LAPTOP 15.4"|NEW Intel® Celeron® processor 585|2GB Memory (FAST DDR2 RAM) MAX 4GB|160GB ULTRA SATA Hard Drive|Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 4500M|$799
[/table]
There's lots more on the Aussie eBay - as in, around 50 more - but, well, I'm lazy. So here's a link to my search (http://computers.shop.ebay.com.au/items/Laptops-Notebooks__laptop_W0QQLHQ5fBINZ1QQLHQ5fIncludeSIFZ 1QQProcessorQ2520SpeedZOverQ25202Q252E99Q2520GHzQ7 c2Q252E6Q2520GHzQ2520Q252DQ25202Q252E99Q2520GHzQ7c 2Q2520GHzQ2520Q252DQ25202Q252E59Q2520GHzQQMemoryQ2 520Q2528RAMQ2529Z8Q2520GBQ7c4Q2520GBQ7c3Q2520GBQ7c 2Q2520GBQ7c1Q252E5Q2520GBQ7c1Q2520GBQQLHQ5fPriceZQ 2eQ2e800Q40cQQQ5ftrkparmsZ65Q253A7Q257C66Q253A2Q25 7C39Q253A1QQ_catrefZ1QQ_dmptZAUQ5fcompQ5flaptopQQ_ fcidZ15QQ_mPrRngCbxZ1QQ_sacatZ177QQ_scZ1QQ_stposZ2 350QQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec0Q2em14QQgbrZ1QQ_sopZ15QQ_sc Z1) if anyone else wants to have a more thorough look.
Can anyone give me an idea of what would be the best deal or whatever? Basically, tell me what to buy!
...Please?

[crimson77]

http://www.aceraspire0ne.com/images/B0023B13AU.jpg

Have you thought about the Acer Aspire One (http://www.aceraspire0ne.com/Acer_Aspire_One_Netbooks.php?OVRAW=Acer%20Aspire%2 0One&sesource=G&gclid=CIiYze3tkZsCFRBbagodS1skoA)? It is small, cheap, lightweight, perfect for web surfing and word processing. You could purchase it and then spend your money on a word processor and other non-included parts of a computer.

[Ichneumon]

http://www.aceraspire0ne.com/images/B0023B13AU.jpg

Have you thought about the Acer Aspire One (http://www.aceraspire0ne.com/Acer_Aspire_One_Netbooks.php?OVRAW=Acer%20Aspire%2 0One&sesource=G&gclid=CIiYze3tkZsCFRBbagodS1skoA)? It is small, cheap, lightweight, perfect for web surfing and word processing. You could purchase it and then spend your money on a word processor and other non-included parts of a computer.

I've got a Acer Aspire One and I have to say a VERY BIG NO against buying one for college. Mainly because although it can websurf easily, it is not strong enough to run Office 2007 without lagging severely. You can use Openoffice, which it will run faster, but it will still run slowly. It's small screen makes some webpages also not load as they should.

EDIT: Yes, it was a big turn off when I found out that a minilaptop, build to only do internet and wordprocessing, failed in doing word processing.

[Lupy]

I would recommend:

A) A full size (13.1 or more)

B) A DUAL CORE PROCESSOR! Can't stress that enough. You will be miserable with a single core, no matter how good it is.

C) New or refurbished by a trusted refurbishing company.

I would recommend (depending on how much you want to spend):

A Compaq CQ60Z (http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/computer_can_series.do?storeName=computer_store&category=notebooks&a1=Category&v1=Everyday+computing&series_name=CQ60Z_series)

or

An HP G60t. I have this laptop and love it. (http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/computer_can_series.do?storeName=computer_store&category=notebooks&a1=Category&v1=Everyday+computing&series_name=G60t_series)

or

After being reminded of what Dell did to me that one time, I won't recommend a Dell. (See below)

or

Either of these Lenovos. One is a 15 inch, one a 14 inch. Lenovo is a very reliable brand. (http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/web/LenovoPortal/en_US/special-offers.workflow:compare-items?category-id=653343E0DE54435882FABC3CE1BC569A&filter=Starting%20at%20Price_0,&vt=5&CMP_IID18=:00000025:000019C9:&CMP_IID19=:00000025:00001A44:)

[Rawhide]

Check out Retravision (and other similar places). Retravision are advertising a brand new (with full warranty) Toshiba notebook, Intel Dual Core processor (T1600), 2GB RAM, 160GB HDD, DVD Burner, Wireless (type unspecified), Webcam (meh), Vista Home Premium (well, you can't win them all), screen size is not mentioned in the advert. What is interesting is, that although it does not specify the graphics card on the advertisment, it does mention that it has "Dedicated Graphics", I will be investigating exactly what type of graphics card. While the video card could be crap (and thus no good for games or many other graphics intensive things), it does mean that at the very least it is not stealing your base RAM from the system, something unheard of in a sub-$1000 notebook.

The price? $849 after $150 cashback (price in store: $999). I don't know the full specs yet, so I can't recommend yay or nay, but from what I do know it looks like it might be good.

[Erloas]

I personally would never buy a computer from Ebay, even from the dedicated shops. Of course I wouldn't buy much of anything from Ebay... Also the site sucks for actually finding reasonable specs on a system in a reasonable amount of time. I tried a few searchs that didn't come up with anything useful even when there were some that fit what I was searching for on the default page.

For about $650 US (which is about $800 AU, the high end of your list) you can some reasonable laptops that aren't going to the best at gaming but they will at least play everything. But I know there is more to it then simple currency conversions.

None of the systems you have listed will do much at all for gaming. And I'm going to focus on gaming, because if it can game it can do everything else you want it to as well. If the video card is by Intel it is going to suck for gaming. If it is by Nvidia or AMD/ATI then you just want to make sure the second numbers is a 6 or higher. x6xx sort of cards, AMD 4650, Nvidia 9600, etc.

Any computer with less then 4GB at this point is just being cheap, and is probably a sign of the rest of the components of the laptop being cheap as well. Its not that you can't buy 4GB of laptop memory for maybe $40, but if they are cutting corners there then they are likely in a lot of other places as well.

Can you find a couple more places to shop, specifically ones dedicated to electronics and computers and come up with a few from there instead of Ebay? Even if you don't come up with a great system, at least having a site for others to check will help, since most people have no idea about what shops are available to you.

[Rawhide]

My investigation reveals that it is a Toshiba Satellite L300/0VK (http://www.isd.toshiba.com.au/retail/satellite-l300.htm), 15.4in widescreen, with a crappy Intel GMA 4500M video card (but at least it has dedicated not stolen RAM). Note, there appears to be a slightly better model (L300/06X) right along side it for $50 more. So, still, no sub-$1000 laptop I know has a proper video card. Don't try running vista with full glossy features, don't try playing a lot of games and don't try using any program that makes use of video acceleration and you should be fine with that one.

I would not recommend a netbook. They cut down far too much, especially on screen resolution (you can't see everything you need to see in a lot of menus) and on speed (it is as slow as hell, no, it's actually slower).

[Flame of Anor]

G'day youse blokes and shielas.

Ha ha, Aussie much? :smallbiggrin::smallbiggrin::smallbiggrin:

But anyway, it sounds like you're getting good advice. I'm not sure you can get anything that will run modern games for the prices you're looking at. There are some cool older games, though. What kind of games were you thinking of?

[FdL]

The Acer Aspire One won't run Spore properly.

In all fairness netbooks are not really worth it for your main PC. I have one as a web browsing and miscellaneous machine. My main PC is a desktop.

I'm also considering to buy a full fledged laptop, because I use my Eee for my PnP D&D games and it's a bit slow and uncomfortable with the screen size. Still it's a really cool device, gotta love the size ^^

[toasty]

My investigation reveals that it is a Toshiba Satellite L300/0VK (http://www.isd.toshiba.com.au/retail/satellite-l300.htm), 15.4in widescreen, with a crappy Intel GMA 4500M video card (but at least it has dedicated not stolen RAM). Note, there appears to be a slightly better model (L300/06X) right along side it for $50 more. So, still, no sub-$1000 laptop I know has a proper video card. Don't try running vista with full glossy features, don't try playing a lot of games and don't try using any program that makes use of video acceleration and you should be fine with that one.

As a note, I have a Toshiba Satellite and this thing... isn't that good. It has heating issues (I do live in a hot climate but supposedly it shouldn't be a problem) plus trying to run older games on it (such as Diablo 2 and KOTOR) apparently really messed up the GPU and possibly nearly killed it.

So yes, I'm never buying a Toshiba again. :D

[Quayleman]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834115539

I think you are looking for something along these lines.
But I don't know any reliable electronics sites that ship to Australia.
Anyway, the hardware:

Intel Core 2 Duo T6400 (2.00GHz)
4GB DDR2 ram 667
250GB HDD
NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GS

Can run most new games, and priced at $650 US.
Hope that helps!

[Rawhide]

Every manufacturer will have less than stellar products from time to time, so far Toshiba has been better than most (though I can't speak for that particular range).

Unfortunately, I can't recommend Acer, I've got an Acer laptop here and have used several other Acers including those from their netbook range. I have found them to have rather poor quality construction all 'round. On my Acer laptop you can't even use the external monitor at the same time as being plugged into the power supply as the power input rails interfere with the monitor signal. Also, Acer uses dodgy marketing tactics (http://davidbau.com/archives/2006/05/24/owning_the_experience.html).

[Zeb The Troll]

We recently bought a Toshiba Satellite for Alarra. I'm not at home at the moment but I'll have her post specs. Anyway, it cost about $800 US, has 4GB of RAM, dual core Intel 64-bit processor, and dedicated video card (not GMA, but an actual separate card). We play Warhammer Online and her laptop is now the fastest comp in the house. She's been very happy with it since we brought it home.

[Lupy]

Unfortunately, I can't recommend Acer, I've got an Acer laptop here and have used several other Acers including those from their netbook range. I have found them to have rather poor quality construction all 'round. On my Acer laptop you can't even use the external monitor at the same time as being plugged into the power supply as the power input rails interfere with the monitor signal. Also, Acer uses dodgy marketing tactics (http://davidbau.com/archives/2006/05/24/owning_the_experience.html).

Thank you very much for that link Rawhide.

I would suggest an HP. Number one selling computer brand for a reason, and in my experience (printer drivers for an old '98 computer and then later scanner drivers for the same PC) they have very helpful customer service, even for customers with no warranty. Dell once hung up on me after hearing I had no warranty. :smallannoyed:

[Winter_Wolf]

My wife got an Asus laptop last year. I can't recall the model number specifically, but it probably won't matter since she got it in China. But quality-wise, so far it's the best deal I've seen. Doesn't overheat much, has its own dedicated Nvidia graphics card, dual core intel processor, 5 USB ports, and a built in webcam that works pretty well.

Beats the hell out of anything I've ever had, and that includes the laptop that was touted as a desktop replacement system with all the bells and whistles. She paid I think just under the equivalent of $1000 US, including a copy of XP and a RAM upgrade, so it should be affordable, unless you've got some sick VAT in Oz.

[Serpentine]

If a decent gaming one will be more than $800, I'll just get a really cheap internet and wordprocessor only one - thus the eBay-looking.
I was kinda hoping that someone would pick out one or a few of the ones I found on eBay and say "This one is good enough for gaming and is about as cheap as you'll be able to get it. Buy this one"... You're all getting too complicated for me :smalltongue:

[Lupy]

If a decent gaming one will be more than $800, I'll just get a really cheap internet and wordprocessor only one - thus the eBay-looking.
I was kinda hoping that someone would pick out one or a few of the ones I found on eBay and say "This one is good enough for gaming and is about as cheap as you'll be able to get it. Buy this one"... You're all getting too complicated for me :smalltongue:

None of those would be any good for gaming, they have either no video card, or a terribleish one. </bubblebursting>

I would also recommend going somewhere other than ebay. I've never left the US though, so I don't know where to do that in Australia. :smallfrown:

[Serpentine]

Alright, so better video cards. Not Intel, apparently. Nvidia "x6xx" or better or somesuch. What else? What should I be looking for in a video card? "Or better" hardly ever helps much because how am I meant to know whether 64MB ATI Mobility Radeon X300 is better or worse than the D620 Discrete 256MB NVIDIA Quadro NVS 110M TurboCache? I need a table or a list, in order of worst to best...
Other than the video card, though, they're mostly alright?
I know people who have gotten laptops from eBay without any problems. I will - and have - check the businesses around here, but they're almost certainly all gonna be too expensive for me.

edit: What about ATI Radeon Xpress 1150 video card?

Lets see now...

{table=head]Get|Don't Get
Acer Aspire One|Acer Aspire One
Compaq CQ60Z|Dell
HPG60t|Intel video cards
Lenovo|Netbook
NVidia x6xx+ cards|
Toshiba Satellite|Toshiba Satellite
AMD x6xx+ cards|Any Acer
>4GB|
HP|
Asus|[/table]


Any computer with less then 4GB at this point is just being cheap, and is probably a sign of the rest of the components of the laptop being cheap as well. Its not that you can't buy 4GB of laptop memory for maybe $40, but if they are cutting corners there then they are likely in a lot of other places as well.On eBay, 4GB is the second-highest options, following 8GB. Are you sure about this?

[Zeb The Troll]

Here's the thing about the video cards, you want to actually have one. That Intel GMA thing that most of those have is merely a graphics accelerator that doesn't have any of its own memory and therefore will sap your system's memory in an effort to display stuff (the Radeon Xpress series is the same thing). This is undesirable in game playing. On that card you'd like to have around 256MB of video memory. If it doesn't say how much video memory it has, it isn't a dedicated graphics card.

That being said, if you're going to have 4GB of memory in your system, the Intel GMA 4500 series stuff is passable, as is the Radeon Xpress 1100 or higher series stuff. You just have to have gobs of system memory to make up for what it needs and it actually is a decent way to shave some dollars off of your system price.

[Serpentine]

How about this (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Asus-X83VB-X1-14-1-T5800-4GB-250GB-Gaming-Notebook_W0QQitemZ120424074895QQcmdZViewItemQQptZA U_comp_laptop?hash=item1c09d58e8f&_trksid=p3286.m63.l1177&_trkparms=240%3A1318%7C301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A5 0) one?

Stylish black and gold imprint design
Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit pre-installed w/CoA
Intel Core 2 Duo T5800 2.0 GHz processor
4 GB DDR2 SDRAM
250 GB hard drive, 5400 rpm.
DVDRW DL LightScibe Drive
No floppy drive
NVIDIA GeForce 9300M GS graphics 512 MB
Integrated audio with built-in speakers
Integrated Ethernet
Integrated 802.11b/g/n Wireless LAN
Built-in 5-in-1 digital media card reader
Built-in Webcam and microphone
Keyboard with TouchPad and hot keys
14.1-inch WXGA LCD display (1280 x 800)

US$579

[Rawhide]

1st note: That is a refurbished notebook, meaning that it was returned due to some defect, repaired and is being sold with only a three month warranty.

2nd note: Three month warranty. That is not really enough, in most cases you want three years. With a sub-$1000 notebook, you might not want to spend more for a longer than one year warranty though.

3rd note: Warranty is USA only. You don't want to buy a laptop and not have a warranty with it.

4th note: Three month USA only warranty.

[Zeb The Troll]

Aside from the aforementioned concern about Asus (I've had no experience with Asus one way or the other) the stats are pretty good and it seems like what you're looking for.

EDIT: ^ hadn't noticed that part.

[Rawhide]

Aside from the aforementioned concern about Asus (I've had no experience with Asus one way or the other) the stats are pretty good and it seems like what you're looking for.

*psst* Were you thinking of Acer?

[Zeb The Troll]

*rereads first few posts*

Hmm, Acer - Asus. Honest mistake. :smallredface: Though I don't have any experience with them either. :smallcool:

[Anuan]

Do not buy Dell. Do not. Their customer service is lovely, but you'll grow tired of talking to them so much. That, and the battery chargers for their laptops usually have about one-year built in redundancy.

[Castaras]

Do not buy Dell. Do not. Their customer service is lovely, but you'll grow tired of talking to them so much. That, and the battery chargers for their laptops usually have about one-year built in redundancy.

Funny, I was going to say that their customer service is utter crap. Has been all the times I or my family had to deal with them. :smalltongue:

But seconding the sentiment, do NOT go for a Dell.

[The Valiant Turtle]

For ranking graphics card I usually rely on Tom's Hardware Graphics Card Hierarchy Chart: here (http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-geforce-price,2323-6.html), although it doesn't include Intel integrated graphics on the charts. I guess the biggest question is just what is your budget going to be. If you can afford better than the Intel 4500 graphics it's definitely best, but since you can get solid laptops with the Intel 4500 pretty cheap that may be your best bet. One thing that you also should be aware is that higher end graphics may cut into your battery life slightly, especially during gaming. Depending on how important battery life is you may want to stick to low end graphics there.

I would generally consider Lenovo to be a top-tier vendor, but you may have luck with a Dell or HP. Some people love them, some people hate them. With Dell getting the higher level support (it used to be Gold support, now it looks like it's Pro support) will get you a much better experience if you have to call them. Their standard support can certainly be a pain, but will get the job done.

[Erloas]

As for Acer, I have the laptop listed above for $650. I haven't had any issues with it yet and it runs L4D, Portal, and WAR just fine, I haven't tried to run much else on it though because I have a desktop for most things and the laptop is just secondary. I also don't use it on a daily basis so its not like I'm going to see some issues that only come up with heavy use. I have taken it on a trip and it didn't have any heat issues playing games for several hours. Acer is a pretty big company overall, it just hasn't had much of a presence in the US market until recently.


As for Asus, everything I've heard about their laptops have been good. I've used their motherboards and video cards before and I like them, but I haven't used any of their laptops or other electronics (they make, or are in the process of making, just about every piece of electronics you might want to buy, including a console in the next few years).

I would also say don't go with Dell. And I would also note that Compaq=HP and Gateway=Acer, since both of the latter companies bought the former companies a few years ago.

[Winter_Wolf]

Serpentine, I'd say the specs on the laptop you listed are more than adequate for your stated needs and wants, but I'd also listen to advice against buying any refurbished electronics. It's a scam by the companies who sell them to try and recoup some losses. Also, you should ALWAYS work from the assumption that the literal day after your warranty expires is the day that your laptop will develop a serious if not fatal flaw.

That way if you're lucky you'll be pleasantly surprised how long it lasts, but you'll be prepared for when it craps out. (I'm still bitter about my monster laptop that went belly up *the day after the warranty expired*.) Spend the extra for a NEW machine with at least 2 years of warranty if not 3 years. And listen to the wise ones who posted before, NEVER never get a warranty that does not apply to the country you're in.

[crimson77]

I've got a Acer Aspire One and I have to say a VERY BIG NO against buying one for college. Mainly because although it can websurf easily, it is not strong enough to run Office 2007 without lagging severely. You can use Openoffice, which it will run faster, but it will still run slowly. It's small screen makes some webpages also not load as they should.

EDIT: Yes, it was a big turn off when I found out that a minilaptop, build to only do internet and wordprocessing, failed in doing word processing.

I have really liked my Acer Aspire One. I have not had a problem with it lagging with word processing program, mainly because I use it with Office 2003 and Firefox. If you put an older version of office it will run great.


If a decent gaming one will be more than $800, I'll just get a really cheap internet and wordprocessor only one - thus the eBay-looking.

I am not certain about Australian Ebay, but I would be weary about purchasing a computer from American Ebay. This is mainly because you are dealing with what someone else thinks the computer is worth. Additionally, if they have used the computer at all you will have to reformat it yourself.

[Ichneumon]

I have really liked my Acer Aspire One. I have not had a problem with it lagging with word processing program, mainly because I use it with Office 2003 and Firefox. If you put an older version of office it will run great.

Yes, that's possible, I couldn't try that. I am one of the rare people who went from almost 10 years of using microsoft office 97 immediatlty to Word 2007, so I did not have Office 2003 and I didn't want to go back to 97. I use chrome and it works fine, really great with the small screen and such.