| Doesn't change my dislike of the price premuim on laptops. Though it really depends on how you will use it. If the laptop is just a portable so you can work in Word/office/clones, web-surfing (or other low load programs) a decent spec'd used laptop in the $3-500 range plus a new battery should be more than enough to meet your needs. Or for a little more money you can probably get a used "rugged" Lenovo's or similar without having to drop the $2k for a new one. If you go with a used laptop, you would be able to put a couple upgrades into the desktop for the same money as a new mid-range laptop, depending on what's in your desktop and which you plan to use as your main system.
OTOH, if you want to be able to use the laptop as a portable gaming rig, (or to render 3d studio max scenes on the bus, etc) a used one for < $500 probably won't cut it, but unless you need the power on the go why pay for it? By need I mean something that will use a significant portion of the computer resources for long periods of time, and where a powerful desktop simply isn't practical (like in a bus)
Try Kijiji.com and look around to see what people are selling laptops for in your area. I wouldn't suggest buying one off eBay, only somewhere that you can meet the seller and look over the system first. If your willing to wait for a good deal, keep an eye on the bulletin boards on campus - someone will have to sell theirs for one reason or another, but I know this isn't a great option since you won't have the laptop before classes start. |
