What is a pretty good laptop for a single mom of two with a low income budget that's going back to school, It has to be a really good price?

Depends on where you live.
You can check the local papers and local computer shops. You can look on eBay. IF you want retail though, Walmart is hard to beat. Just be aware of the difference in netbooks and laptops before you buy one.

Yea I don't want a netbook. But what's a dependable laptop

I have an HP - never had a problem with the laptop but had all sorts of problem with an HP desktop. Also have never had a problem with Dell.

Just my personal experience. Have you checked Consumer Reports?

I have an Hp laptop also and it's very good.
Some laptop brands that are more affordable (about $300-$500) are Dell, Gateway, Acer, Asus, and Toshiba. They will last if you continue to maintain them. If you use programs like disk cleanup, disk defrag, and antivirus your computer will run well for a lond time.

Thank you. I have to buy one this coming week. I start school the 14th and need it by then. And yes I'm looking for one in the 300-500 price range. With the economy the way it is I don't want to spend any more than what I have to

Sorry but your budget is not going to allow for much. It will probably mean a single core processor or a very low end dual core (I don't recommend anything less than a dual core). Probably 2G of RAM with a 250G hard drive. This will probably cost in the $350-$400 range. It will probably be a Gateway or Toshiba.

For less than $500 you may be able to get a better dual core with 3-4G of Ram and a 320G HD.

Neither machine will come with much in the way of software. You will get Microsoft Works and software to manage your burner but little else. No anti-virus, MS Office etc.

I will get a lot of programs with the books I have to buy for school. Plus I have a bunch of programs that I can just switch from this computer on to that one. I just need a cheap computer for school work when I'm not at home that's it. I have the one that I'm on right now for anything else I may need.

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Originally Posted by ScottGem

Sorry but your budget is not going to allow for much. It will probably mean a single core processor or a very low end dual core (I don't recommend anything less than a dual core). Probably 2G of RAM with a 250G harddrive. This will probably cost in the $350-$400 range. It will probably be a Gateway or Toshiba.

For less than $500 you may be able to get a better dual core with 3-4G of Ram and a 320G HD.

Neither machine will come with much in the way of software. You will get Microsoft Works and software to manage your burner but little else. No anti-virus, MS Office etc.

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Walmart has a toshiba and acer that I was looking at what do you think about those?

I'd have to see the specific models to advise. The lowest priced Toshiba is as I described, a single core with 2G of Ram. At $448, I wouldn't recommend it.

I would be more inclinded to recommend this one at $429:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Gateway+...&skuId=9548643

Also OK is this one:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Toshiba+...&skuId=9553896

But the one I would be most partial to is this:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/HP+-+Lap...&skuId=9545138

I'm a Dell fan, you have this option:
Dell Inspiron 15(1545) Laptops details | Dell

I have to disagree with ScottGem. I'm an avid computer user and repair man, and I don't think high end is best. At my house I have a nice computer, dual core(2.2GHz I think), 4GB ram, 320GB hard all the fixins. It does what it has to. I host several sites off it, plus it is a server on my small network, PPTP, not to mention general surfing, video editing, audio editing, etc. It is a decent computer to do heavy tasks.

However, for a laptop I have a Dell Inspiron 1100 (1.99GHz, 512 Ram, and 40GB HD), I don't need anything more for on the road. The majority of work I do is listen to music, watch movies (DVD Drive) and type papers. There isn't much more needed. I've used about half the hard drive, and the browser is a bit slow, but everything else is fine. Sure it won't do what some others will do, but for $100 and a lot of typing, I have no problem.

I don't see why everyone needs higher end stuff each year, when the type of work never changes. If you are going to be working with graphic design, and 3D modeling, I can understand, but general college work is fine on something a bit older. I think my mother is still on Win 98 with 128 ram. Had to put Firefox on it though, because it wouldn't go past IE 5 or something.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by InfoJunkie4Life

I don't see why everyone needs higher end stuff each year, when the type of work never changes.

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I'm not talking about higher end stuff, but I am keeping the life of the product in mind. I have an old Thinkpad, that I use as a Living room PC. Generally used only for e-mail and WEB stuff. It's a single core with 1G of RAM. Upgrading it to Win 7 revitalized it.

But I'm thinking longevity here. Hardware is very far ahead of software. Software will catch up. The more you put into a machine now, the longer it will last you.

Not necessarily longer lasting, but longer compatible farther down the road. Like I said, my mother's machine being 98 doesn't support any newer Microsoft software, so I have to keep an eye out for open source software that'll do the same thing and works on the older OS's. I could upgrade her to XP, but then it would be way too slow.

I'm thinking about the acer computer that walmart has it's a little more than what I wanted to pay but what do you think?

Acer 17.3" Aspire AS7535-5020 Laptop PC with AMD Dual-Core Processor & Windows 7 Home Premium
From $548.00
*Base price subject to availability
Value Bundle:
2.1GHz AMD Athlon 64 x2 Dual Core Processor
4GB Memory & 320GB Hard Drive
17.3" HD Widescreen Display
WiFi, Webcam, HDMI Out, Dolby Audio

Quote:

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Originally Posted by angel0772001

im thinking about the acer computer that walmart has its a lil more than what i wanted to pay but what do you think?

Acer 17.3" Aspire AS7535-5020 Laptop PC with AMD Dual-Core Processor & Windows 7 Home Premium
From $548.00
*Base price subject to availability
Value Bundle:
2.1GHz AMD Athlon 64 x2 Dual Core Processor
4GB Memory & 320GB Hard Drive
17.3" HD Widescreen Display
WiFi, Webcam, HDMI Out, Dolby Audio

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Not a bad machine, but you did say:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by angel0772001

i just need a cheap computer for school work when im not at home thats it.

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A 17" screen is going to be about 8 poinds kind of heavy to lug around.

Haha I carry around a 18lb baby and a carseat and a diaperbag and a 4 yr old. I'm not that worried about the weight of a computer

He has a point though. I used to have a 17" laptop and it just wasn't very portable, it didn't fit in most standards bags or backpacks. I have a 15" now and it's lighter and stows in more places for travel. I have two kids that I lugged around as well (they are older now) and you will eventually learn the same thing I did. :)

Haha well I will find one this coming week. I didn't get my financial aid check yet but I got a notice saying I would get it Tuesday. Then ill go buy one

Well I got the Acer Aspire. I like it, it's a very nice computer. I only paid 410.00 including the two year warranty. Lol you were worried about weight. I have four books that weigh about 25lbs the weight of my laptop is the least of my concerns. Plust my two kiddos and all of their junk I lug around too