Buying an old laptop...

David333

So, I posted a message a few weeks ago asking about buying a cheap new laptop and since then I've been thinking. I wondered if it might be best just buying an old laptop from ebay.

The new laptops are around the £200, if on special offer, but for around £100, I could get a reasonable spec IBM Thinkpad. Something like this, just as a random example: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CHEAP-Windows-7-Lenovo-IBM-Thinkpad-T61-Laptop-C2D-T7100-6-Month-Warranty-Office-/320867039073?pt=UK_Computing_Laptops_EH&hash=item4ab52a7761 It has 1.8Ghz, Core 2 Duo, 2 GB RAM, 14.1" screen. And the seller has 99% positive feedback.

All I need the laptop for is to sit in my office space, plugged in. I shall write my thesis on it so just need it to run Dropbox, Word and Zotero concurrently, as well as being able to browse basic webpages. It would be nice if it didn't sound like a helicopter as well!

Any thoughts? Is it worth me just going for a dirt cheap old laptop from a reputable seller on ebay and putting some more memory in if needed?

NiftyDigits

Why not just continue with your old thread?

David333

Well, I guess because the first post in there (which is always the one everyone reads; nobody scans through every post to see the evolution of the discussion) is quite different from the points I am discussing this time.

We can save space if you'd prefer. It just didn't make sense to me when that last post is so easily available if some sort of context were required!

ThemeOne

I got a couple of Thinkpad T60 laptops from eBay a few years ago, and have been 100% happy with them - they have a very similar spec to the one you mention.

I_have_spoken

I bought my last three laptop off t'Bay. I always go for HP business grade ones, rather than consumer units which don't last. Current one is an HP Elitebook 8440p, great machine.

David333

Thanks for the replies. I had a Thinkpad many years ago and was really happy with it. I would definitely get one again.

I didn't think about going for a business grade machine. That HP Elitebook 8440p looks good, although it seems to be out of my price range.

For the purposes I want it, I assume that the specs in my first post are about right...?

ThemeOne

David333 wrote: »

I didn't think about going for a business grade machine.

Thinkpads are generally regarded as business grade - you certainly see them in a lot of businesses or used to - they're well built and pretty hardy, great keyboards too!

David333

Any particular Thinkpad model you'd recommend? I think that's what I'm going to aim for: a Thinkpad for around £100...

ThemeOne

David333 wrote: »

Any particular Thinkpad model you'd recommend? I think that's what I'm going to aim for: a Thinkpad for around £100...

I don't know all the models, but anything in the T series is usually worth a look - anything from T60 onwards should have a spec suitable for use today.

The likes of the T40/42, while still good machines, might struggle a bit with modern OS's and software as they're single core processors.

David333

Thanks for that. I shall keep an eye on the prices of the T60s and see if I can get a bargain. Is there any way of finding out how noisy the machine will be? I will be in the library a lot and don't want one where the fan blows everyone away!

ThemeOne

The two T60s I got are both very quiet but I suppose there are no guarantees with something like that. I think the T60s were also the last model made with a 4:3 monitor, which I prefer to the widescreen ones.