Recomend a good cheap laptop for a friend

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ClutchDisc

Recomend a good cheap laptop for a friend

Post by ClutchDisc »

Hi guys, I am looking for a good cheap laptop recommendation for a friend. The laptop should be in the $250 to $350 range and work well with Linux Mint. Maybe even a chromebook that runs Linux Mint well? The laptop is just going to be used for online college and web browsing. The main issue is my friend is long distance from me and I need to recommend a laptop that isn't going to take configuring to get the wifi going or anything like that. Working well with Mint is the biggest thing.

Thanks guys!
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xfrank
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Re: Recomend a good cheap laptop for a friend

Post by xfrank »

Lenovo G40-30 (http://www.amazon.in/Lenovo-G40-30-80FY ... B00L7RRI14)
I paid 285 US$ here in Mexico. LM17 runs smoothly in this machine.
Active Distros in my computers: LM21.1 (Mate,Xfce); MXLinux (Xfce)
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Pierre
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Re: Recomend a good cheap laptop for a friend

Post by Pierre »

generally Acer or Toshiba - but little pricey.
but the Lenovo are better priced.

- look at the 2nd hand ones, as well.
chrome-book, can run Linux - in it's supervisor mode, only.
- crouton.
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shengchieh

Re: Recomend a good cheap laptop for a friend

Post by shengchieh »

You're welcomed to surf thru the loonnngggg list of linux retailers in my website (signature) -> Retailers -> Linux pre-installed vendors (desktops, servers, laptops, tablets) .

One advice: If new, get a pre-installed linux laptop, even if it the wrong distro. Then all the linux drivers are floating on the internet if you need them. If used, go for something that is at least 1/2 year old. When new
window parts come out, it taeks a few month for linux drivers to float on the internet and it takes a few months for "current" distros to include the drivers. some distor, like debian, take longer for drivers to creep in.
Personally, I buy a linux-preinstalled computer and avoid all the headache(s) - geeks think differently.

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Reorx
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Re: Recomend a good cheap laptop for a friend

Post by Reorx »

The most inexpensive laptop that I have used to run LM17C64 is a $250 Dell Inspiron 15 (http://www.dell.com/us/p/inspiron-15-35 ... 531-laptop)

Everything seems to work correctly although there are a few aspects of this machine that I don't care for. I don't like the numeric key pad on the right. I'm not fond of the touch pad. And the performance isn't exactly stellar when viewing video on youtube. Other than that, it is a very capable basic machine. I got everything working correctly with ease although, IIRC, I needed a cat 5 wire to get the WiFi to work after the initial installation even though it was working fine DURING the installation! Another minor problem is that the machine comes with Win 8.x. I had never done a Win8.x wipe and Mint install before on a UEFI/GPT machine so there was a bit of "learning" required.
Full time Linux Mint user since 2011 - Currently running LM21C on multiple Dell laptops - mostly Vostro models.

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Re: Recomend a good cheap laptop for a friend

Post by Derek_S »

Hello ClutchDisc - How does your friend feel about a refurbished machine versus a new one? You can save quite a bit going this route. About a year ago I bought a refurbed Lenovo Thinkpad T400 as a stand alone Linux machine. After I installed Linux Mint I found that everything worked with no tweaking needed on my part. Not just all the major hardware, but all the keyboard keys and buttons as well: the volume controls, screen brightness, screen lock, suspend, hibernate, and as a bonus, when I press the Windows key the menu opens on the Cinnamon desktop.

The only drawback is this the fact that it was made in 2009, so not all the hardware is up to date. No webcam (at least not on my model), no DVI output (VGA only), the card reader only supports Compact Flash cards (no SDHC), and the three USB ports are USB 2.0 (not 3.0). On the plus side, the keyboard is very solid and has a positive click on each keystroke - more like a typewriter than a laptop. The touchpad is also a pleasure to use.

If you want to look into this further, here is where is purchased mine: https://www.thinkpaddepot.com/
I had a long conversation with the salesman when I ordered it. This company buys new machines and leases them to large corporations like banks and insurance companies. When they come off lease they are refurbished and resold. One thing - be patient after you order it, mine took about two full weeks to arrive. The machine I purchased was very similar to this one: http://www.thinkpaddepot.com/Product/36 ... z-4gb.aspx

After a brief Google search, I also came up with this T400: http://www.lizardliquidators.com/produc ... 1057525003
Notice that it comes without an OS installed and is under $200 US.
"When you rise in the morning, give thanks for the light, for your life, for your strength. Give thanks for your food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason to give thanks, the fault lies in yourself." - Tecumseh
n0zqh

Re: Recomend a good cheap laptop for a friend

Post by n0zqh »

I have 2 HP Compaq 6910p's and got them both on eBay for under $100
ClutchDisc

Re: Recomend a good cheap laptop for a friend

Post by ClutchDisc »

Thanks for the ideas everyone. I will pass the info along.
- Now he is considering maybe going the Desktop computer route.
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Reorx
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Re: Recomend a good cheap laptop for a friend

Post by Reorx »

The big disadvantage to a desktop is that it is not portable... you travel and the computer stays home... the advantages to a desktop are that you can add multiple big drives and you can work on them more easily than a laptop... neither of those considerations seem to be important to this project... I recommend against "going desktop".
Full time Linux Mint user since 2011 - Currently running LM21C on multiple Dell laptops - mostly Vostro models.

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trashcan86

Re: Recomend a good cheap laptop for a friend

Post by trashcan86 »

If you can expand your budget to $380, you can get this.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/hp-15-6-lap ... ksdevice=c

Core i3 1.9GHz, 6 GB RAM, 500 GB HDD
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Re: Recomend a good cheap laptop for a friend

Post by curtvaughan »

Reorx wrote:The most inexpensive laptop that I have used to run LM17C64 is a $250 Dell Inspiron 15 (http://www.dell.com/us/p/inspiron-15-35 ... 531-laptop)

Everything seems to work correctly although there are a few aspects of this machine that I don't care for. I don't like the numeric key pad on the right. I'm not fond of the touch pad. And the performance isn't exactly stellar when viewing video on youtube. Other than that, it is a very capable basic machine. I got everything working correctly with ease although, IIRC, I needed a cat 5 wire to get the WiFi to work after the initial installation even though it was working fine DURING the installation! Another minor problem is that the machine comes with Win 8.x. I had never done a Win8.x wipe and Mint install before on a UEFI/GPT machine so there was a bit of "learning" required.
=======================================================
I agree with this. I treated myself to a version of this Dell as a Christmas gift. The only real drawback is that mine did not come with a Cat-5 Ethernet port - only WiFi - which, since it's a laptop, isn't that big of a deal, especially since all Linux distros I've installed so far have had no problem working with the onboard WiFi. For around $300 I got a 500 GB hard drive, a 2.3x GHz cpu, 4 GB of memory, and a surprisingly nice display for this price. It runs really cool and is fanless. Mine also came with a pre-installed Windows 8.1, which I didn't even bother to boot out of the box - immediately inserted a Linux USB flash, wiped out Windows, and now have a dual bootable Linux box with enough oomph to run several *BSD and Linux vboxes.

Whatever, it seemed a good investment to me. Good luck!
Move from rim to hub: know the wheel.

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Algus

Re: Recomend a good cheap laptop for a friend

Post by Algus »

These bottom tier computers can actually work pretty good if you clear out the bulky Windows install and put a lightweight Linux install on. Celerons are surprisingly capable every-day CPUs and 2 GB RAM is even servicable. I've been liking the HP Stream for this exact purpose. The Dell Outlet can net you a Latitude for just under $400 if you keep your eye open or wait for discount codes. Good choice vs cheap consumer builds.

If you go Chromebook, make sure to get a Haswell equipped model. You'll have to fiddle with the settings but you can eventually unlock a traditional boot mode and fully replace Chrome OS if that is your thing.
mbott

Re: Recomend a good cheap laptop for a friend

Post by mbott »

Two Thumbs Up - Dell Inspiron 15 Mdl 3542

Picked up this laptop back in mid-December as an addition for use in the basement. Removed the 500GB hard drive and replaced with one I had on hand. Installed Mint 17.1 Cinammon and I cannot find anything that doesn't work. Bluetooth, wireless, touchpad, media card reader whatever -- everything seems to work perfectly. I've also run Ubuntu 14.04 LTS on this and can find nothing that's an issue. Well, the only "issue" is that I bounce between Mint and Ubuntu on this trying to decide which one I like best. Not a bad issue to be working through.

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Mike
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