ITS BACK AHHH!!!! WHat do i get with this notebook?

hello, Im so excited, this deal is back. the Compaq C508 for $320 after rebate at circuitcity. its got a little celeron and GMA950 but its just what i need. and hopefully SCII will be scalable enough to run on this thing....

but my main question, do i get any kind of warranty or insurance kinda thing on this laptop?

i read so many times on this board that something goes and oh, "thats not covered by the warranty" and if that happens its just like throwing money out the window... with this being my first Laptop purchase, can someone give their opinions/experiences? i'd really like to spend as little as i can...

product link: http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Compaq-Presario-15-4-Widescreen-Notebook-PC-C508US/sem/rpsm/oid/171565/catOid/-12963/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

 

If buying from Circuit City @ that price, I would advise -against- extended warranty. According to that webpage, +1 year (total of 2 years warranty) is ~$130. That's 33% of the system cost. ($160 for plus protection!).
I would say invest that $130 toward future system upgrades etc.

When it comes to $1400+ systems, I would recommend purchasing the extended warranty (3 years is my sweet spot), but @ the price you're referencing, if it breaks after 1 year, buy a new system.

 

why not go for a refurb? buy.com usually have good deals on refurbs, though they might be the same/similar specs to the celeron.

 

320 is low enough for me.. at this price, i'd like to have it new.. the celeron M 420 is fine for me.. im sure it'll be great compared to my current 370

 

im hoping it wont go after a year! but i was thinking of not getting any warranty or such... because of the stories plus the cost of the PC, its not really worth sending it back and forth if something goes wrong...

 

Considering the system comes with 1 year warranty with HP/Compaq by default per the CircuitCity specs, you should be fine.

Also, I wouldn't bet on this system running Starcraft 2 very well if that's what you're aiming for.

 

The computer is definitely not something I would count on running many games. This is one case where not only the IGP would limit SCII, but the Celeron may as well. RTS's can really push the CPU, sometimes more than the GPU, and a Celeron is not known for its strength.

 

hello,i recently got a C502US laptop,and i was wondering what games i could play on it,granted these games arent hard core but heres a list of games that i have loaded and run amazingly good:ut 2003,DIABLO II,rayman3,fable,MDK2,FAKK2,jedi night,anyway this might give you a idea of what it can do.......since thier specs are close..........

 

be careful....
I hear both the Hp and Compaq's use memory from no name vendors and use "anybody for sale" hard drives.....Also I hear they use bottom level ASUS system boards....ASUS is godd, but bottom of the barrell??? What do I know, I work part time at a retailer that fixes what they sell....
As far as I know Toshiba uses fugitsu and hitachi Hd's, they are the most reliable, (from what I read), and if it's an intel, it's all intel...not a heinz 57. Be carefull do the research....not to mention I toshiba's come back the least...and (believe this or not, Acer does well....although I wouldn't buy one...

 

HP = Dell = Toshiba = most Consumer level laptop companies out there.

If you go by what you hear, this is what you get:

HP: burns hot, have whiny CPUs, and crap build quality
Dell: crap screens, weigh like a ton of bricks, and the support is worse than if it didn't exist
Toshiba: ...actually, nobody talks about Toshibas...

 

Not many people talk about toshiba's because they don't have as many problems...
i hear asus and lenovo are pretty good as well....(we don't sell asus and only have one lenovo, so i can't really comment on their reliability...) but people, again, what i get for feed back really like the 3 names above.

 

I've read many scary toshiba stories on this boards toshiba section... those stories are the reason why i'm deterred to purchase a toshiba laptop.

read less scary HP/Compaq or acer stories... but thats just what i see...

i read their screens rock.... and i love the look of them.. build quality i think is good.

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HP build quality is bad?????????????????
i hope the C508 isnt too bad... i can get rough with mine but not too rough. wish panasonic made a "H3" version of their toughbooks. though i still couldnt get it with my price point

 

Of course that's it...not because HP and Dell are the market leaders and I can't even find a list with Toshiba on it - meaning that less people own Toshiba laptops. I'm not saying that Toshiba's are bad, but they're definitely not superior compared to other laptops.

You can't really compare Asus and Lenovo with HP, Dell or Toshiba. Asus manufactures their own laptops, some with the best build quality in the business. Lenovo is a business class retailer. Their laptops are much sturdier and better built than consumer level notebooks.

What company do you work for?