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Originally Posted by wax
once you go mac, you never go back.
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i did. i got started in computers with macs. got tired of everything costing double. still it does.
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Originally Posted by Inhuman
Glad you brought it up. Gmku, if you get an entry-level macbook, there's a discoloration problem with your hands rubbing against the plastic, and it just gets worse and worse. Make sure you protect it, get a black one, or get a better laptop
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yeah if you want just web/email/writing, a used mac in good condition should fit your needs. just beware, some are HEAVY. that's why i favor the ultraportables. what's the point of having a laptop if lugging it around will give you a backache? the x61s i'm saving for weighs 2.7 lbs. oh yeah!
other good brand is fujitsu. toshiba used to OWN the laptop market but now i don't know-- my wife has a toshiba, it's nice & all, but my ibm kicks its ass. i hate sony vaios-- all flash & flimsy crap.
one important thing to add-- widescreen laptops, though "fancy looking", have actually less area than the equivalent 4:3 (the largest area of any rectangle given a set perimeter is a square, so the closer to a square the bigger your real estate, all other things being equal). so yeah i don't like wide screens on laptops. it's bullshit for people who like to watch movies on instead of working.
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ps- check out this site, formerly known as retrobox.
particularly, this link.
personally, i'd pick the T-23 for $300 and buy it a new hard drive & add memory.
they have right now a couple of T-series thinkpads and a dell latitude for a decent price
. the t-series is more of a mobile workstation than the ultraportables, and their quality is legendary.
& avoid compaq. they are shit.
but you need to keep an eye on it for a while because their selection changes regularly.
if you need upgrades, i recommend newegg for hard drives & crucial for memory. i'm picking up a 100GB 7,200rpm seagate hard drive for my laptop off newegg for $100 (has a 5 year warranty!).
looks like that T23 takes up to 512 megs of RAM, and it has 384, so im guessing it has a 256 stick and another 128. i'd replace the 128 with a 256 so you get 512.
looky here.
that should keep you going for a while until you start making an income out of the machine & you can pay for a new one.
if you want a little comfort, i'd get an external monitor, keyboard & mouse for when you work at home. don't burn all your $ in the stuff.
now if you haven't got free office apps from your university job, i recommend you do it
ipso facto. im still running the ms office i got from grad school.
BUT if you can't get it,
Open Office should suffice for your needs.