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06-08-2017, 05:02 AM #1
most basic cheap pc for someone in south america
i'm heading back down south this summer and my buddy who is the head caddie at the rich guy's club needs a computer for his kids to do their schoolwork.
he needs to have the office programs and internet and nothing else. i am mostly clueless about computers as previously noted and don't want to steer him the wrong way or to something unnecessarily expensive because it's a massive investment.
recs?
gracias!
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06-08-2017, 07:10 AM #2
Someone with some sense will probably chime in here in a sec but I'm the meantime I'll shoot my mouth off. How about a chrome book? I have one that I use for work with the same basic requirements as your friend and it seems like an ideal compromise between functionality and price point. Mine is a couple of years old and it was ridiculously cheap. Works great in the limited role that I use it for.
Brandine: Now Cletus, if I catch you with pig lipstick on your collar one more time you ain't gonna be allowed to sleep in the barn no more!
Cletus: Duly noted.
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06-08-2017, 07:25 AM #3
As long as they have reliable internet...
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06-08-2017, 08:12 AM #4
I haven't used the most recent flavor of chromebook, but the early versions I both really liked and hated. They were simple, and performed well when internet was available. When it wasn't, you were hosed.
For that reason alone I would suggest something else.
Your friend also may be limiting the potential of his kids by only asking for something that runs office. I'm not advocating for buying the latest and greatest MacBook pro, but a newer laptop (Yoga) or tablet (surface or surface pro) from a bigger manufacturer may inspire his kids to do more than word processing.
RShea is a good resource for these questions. I use a combo of a surface pro 4 and a desktop. I have a love/hate with the surface. 95% of the time it does everything great and I love the integration with the stylus/touch. Occasionally it struggles and my colleagues find it inconsistent if docking and undocking frequently. Otherwise, it's a workhorse in a very small and thin form factor with good battery life.
I think a surface pro 3 starts at around $500. The newer computer you buy, the longer it is relevant.
Seth
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06-08-2017, 08:30 AM #5Registered User
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If you're trying to keep costs down, you can probably pick up a used laptop pretty cheap. There has to be some store in the Portland area that refurbishes laptops. Or check Craig's list or eBay.
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06-08-2017, 10:35 AM #6
chromebook is the best bang for your buck, but if you need to locally edit documents in a school-determined word processor (MS word) it might be problematic.
still, I'd go chromebook. you can get a new one for ~$250 and in every other respect they are superior to whatever else you'd buy running windows.
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06-08-2017, 12:13 PM #7
I'm in PDX and I'm glad to help.
Desktop or Laptop?
Laptops: Used/Refurb Thinkpad T520's are cheap, and sturdy - usually ebay. One with 8G of RAM, i5 and a new HDD or SSD would probably be possible for $3-400, perhaps less. (I haven't purchased one in a while.) IMO, Thinkpads [the business class ones - T & X] are bomber. Not sexy and slick, but work like nothing else.
[If you want super sexy and slick and a whole-lotta bucks - buy a MacBook Air. Nice & expensive, but it will give you hipster cred like nothing else.]
Desktop: Dell Optiplex 7XXX series - I've been using 7010's recently. Just the tower, $200-300 quite easily. Drop a cheap SSD in it and it will be very fast. Again, used/refurb off of ebay.
If you'd like to chat, PM me.
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06-08-2017, 08:24 PM #8Registered User
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- Mar 2008
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- northern BC
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i been on a refurbed lenovo V570 for awhile now and its been bomber, my ski bud sells them and recommneded the Lenovo cuz he wasnt getting any returned
Lee Lau - xxx-er is the laziest Asian canuck I know
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06-08-2017, 08:41 PM #9
If you spend less than $500, it will be garbage (unless it's a really great sale. the kind Woot.com often has).
After that, it really doesn't matter.
quick https://computers.woot.com/offers/hp...lnd_cat_pc_3_4
quicker (but less storage, but it's a solid state, so super fast. Not an issue if no videos and music and games and shit):https://computers.woot.com/offers/hp...lnd_cat_pc_3_9
also good: https://computers.woot.com/offers/hp...nd_cat_pc_3_29
First one I listed has a bigger screen, if that matters.
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06-08-2017, 08:51 PM #10
I can also order something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Aspire-E...01LD4MGY4?th=1
I can meet that price. Office Home and Student 2016 is $150, and for probably about $60, I'd have it prepped with updates, antivirus, frequently used apps like Chrome, optimal settings, etc etc. and then ship it to your friend. Lead time is about 2 weeks. Could save a lot of trouble down the line. Especially with kids using it. You can set them up individual accounts and take their admin rights away so they don't fuck shit up like kids do. Turn off all the anti-privacy settings that MS seems to like to automatically opt you in to.
PM for more info.
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06-09-2017, 06:00 AM #11
thanks for all the feedback. i havent had a chance to read it all yet and am waiting for more specifics from him.
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06-09-2017, 12:02 PM #12
If you just want a good basic laptop Windows OS (Office suite see below) and do not want new- best bang is the Dell Refurbished systems from Dell Financial lately. All returned from lease deals in either A or B condition- mostly corporate deals that turn units every 3 years or so. Even the B condition are pretty clean units in my opinion- they put a vinyl overlay on the top cover and replace any major cracks or damaged items as part of their refurb and testing. I picked one up in the spring and my Brother did one also over the winter. You have to wait a bit for the 45 % or 50 % off coupon deals out there to bring them down to be the best deal. Most are business class stuff, not the cheaper consumer stuff you see with plastic - breaks just by looking at it wrong cases you will see at Wally World or the like big box stores. They are shipped from FedEx facility in TN with Windows 7 version on most of them (mixed of 32 bit or some 64 bit) and mostly Pro edition but a few Home Premium listings. Hard drives are usually just that hard drives (320 GB or 500 GB mostly- some smaller than the 320 GB like the 160 GB listings). But some of the units have SSD's in them- 128 GB I think and 256 GB mostly are listed from time to time- ie if it is smaller than 300 and divides evenly by 64 then it could have an SSD in it. Warranty is only 90 or 100 days if I remember correctly. They all have the Office 2010 Starter edition- limited basic version of Word and Excel that could definitely be upgraded to a newer version of Office Home and Student edition if you need the advanced capabilities that are not functional in Starter for around $130 retail most anywhere...
https://www.dellrefurbished.com/laptops
Sometimes the Lenovo Outlet will have a deal on new or refurbished units also but more hit or miss than the Dell inventory above and typically higher priced. If you know the lines well enough then Ebay may have a deal or two but more hit or miss if you are not knowledgeable on the systems and inexperienced person maybe better off looking at Craigslist where you could at least power it on and see it running and check it out in person.
Also there are a few different Office compatible versions of either Open Source, Freeware or paid licenses for much less out there- WPS Office, Libre Office, Open Office, and few others that could be tried instead of the full Microsoft packages- good enough for a basic elementary or middle school paper or very basic spreadsheet without any macros or fancy needs like a college aged person would definitely want.Last edited by RShea; 06-09-2017 at 12:20 PM.
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06-09-2017, 12:18 PM #13
Only thing about the Chromebook is it is tied into the online Google Drive and similar stuff needing internet. Would want to know that as they travel and get to S. America that they would in fact have good enough internet for online or else I'd just get a cheap used laptop and load up Linux if budget is of concern and software for Windows could still be tried in Wine if needed something specific.
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06-10-2017, 01:28 PM #14
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06-10-2017, 01:57 PM #15
sorry. my friend is the head caddie at an exclusive club in ecuador, but still makes shit. he has two kids who are in elementary and middle school who apparently need a very basic computer to have internet access and office utilities to do their homework. everything of this nature is very expensive there so he is hoping to order something here, have it shipped to me, and then i will take it to him when i go down.
i asked a tech-ish guy down there about chromebook and he didn't know anything about it so i guess they are not normal course down there yet. internet is not the most reliable and regularly slow there, so i don't know if that will work
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06-11-2017, 02:04 PM #16
So exactly what I stated- you want something with the apps local and not cloud based due to the possible internet issues. Again looks like there are only some 35% to 40% off codes out there for the Dell site (depending on which model screen size you are wanting -Screen sizes of 15.6, 14, 13.3, 12.5 etc.) So a nice Windows laptop for ~$300 is still doable.
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06-11-2017, 07:45 PM #17
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06-11-2017, 08:03 PM #18
Best thing you could do - as previously mentioned, get a refurbished Dell/Lenovo(thinkpad)
Easiest thing you can do - as previously mentioned go on woot or slickdeals and buy a cheap POS
Download OpenOffice - basically a freeware Office suite.Best Skier on the Mountain
Self-Certified
1992 - 2012
Squaw Valley, USA
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06-11-2017, 08:09 PM #19
i'd like to get him the highest quality, most reliable thing he wants and needs and can afford. i'm waiting on more info from him.
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06-12-2017, 03:39 PM #20
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06-16-2017, 08:11 AM #21
How does one ensure that a refurbished computer bought from a place like eBay/etc doesn't have any malware/viruses?
"...if you're not doing a double flip cork something, skiing spines in Haines, or doing double flip cork somethings off spines in Haines, you're pretty much just gaping."
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06-16-2017, 09:44 AM #22
The best defense is simply formatting, and re-installing Windows from scratch. That's how most IT people handle things. In fact, even for machines straight from Dell or HP, going into a business environment, we almost always re-load our own build.
Techie aside:
That can't guarantee [or fix] something like a BIOS [or other very low-level device] being infected - but we're talking pretty high-level of skill/maliciousness. And if that's the case, you've got a pretty serious adversary [nation-state, or someone with tens of thousands, or more, to spend on an exploit] and then you probably ought to be worried about any computer, regardless of source.
But the seller on EBay isn't likely going to be interested in sending you a PC that's infected. They're simply out to make a quick buck turning PC's and anything that might sour the sale isn't going to be worth it. There are much easier and less time-intensive ways to infect PC's - so you can expect an attacker to choose the least "expensive" [in time, and other resources] ways first. Infecting PC's and selling them on ebay isn't one of those inexpensive ways. Doesn't mean it couldn't happen, but it's pretty unlikely.
Oh. And if it does happen, the most likely explanation is that the seller did it inadvertently. You can't believe the number of PC's that come loaded with all sorts of stuff - Adobe Creative suite (creatively licensed), for example. While I don't believe I've seen any infected in the last 15 years - it wouldn't be a stretch to expect it sometimes. Again, re-loading Windows [or whatever you're going go use] is a pretty good start.
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06-17-2017, 09:11 AM #23
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06-17-2017, 09:27 AM #24
he got a used one from a friend in ecuador. problem solved! thanks guys!
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06-17-2017, 06:39 PM #25
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