http://configure.dell.com/dellstore/...N1400C X_F_1E

:o

Sry price was changed went up $175

Well, the link you gave said the laptop is $549. But, I would say that a laptop for $374 would probably be good for word-processing but thats about it.

It really depends on what you want to do with your laptop. Like others have said, laptops aren't even completely necessary for university. If all you want to do with it is word-process and take notes...and dont mind if its a little slow...a cheap laptop will probably be fine. Howver, if you want to run any sort of multi-media on it and you want it to be more speedy...your probably looking for a laptop around $600 minimum.

The laptop you have in that link does look like a good deal....almost too good of a deal....my desktop computer cost about $800 and have roughly the same specs as that laptop.

The experience I have with buying computers is that when you look at the website or flyer, you see a god computer for say $499...then when the time comes to actually buy it, it turns out there is something flawed with that computer (it doesn't have enough ram to run its OS...etc...etc) and the cost of the computer that will actually work properly is usually twice as much as the one in the flyer or website.

Always expect to pay a fair bit more than what is advertised.

J-Met is right, it all depends on what you plan to do with it.

I'll be the first one to say my laptop is pretty much a piece of crap. It's not the worst, I've seen ones that make my craputer look good but the most demanding program I run on my computer is Photoshop CS2. I do just fine because I use Word the most. It all depends on what you expect from your laptop.

And with buying a laptop online, again J-Met is correct in my opinion. Jeez, voice of reason indeed eh? My boyfriend ordered his laptop online last summer in July, he didn't get it until october because of 'shipping issues' and the price went up and up for stupid things like the colour that he ordered was not in high demand so it had to be done seperately and blah blah blah. See if you can buy it from the store. If not, read the fine print, AND between the lines.

For University related activities (word processing, webct usage, pdf reading, etc), that laptop is fine.

I'm personally not a big fan of the CPU (Celeron) or integrated graphics.

So.. I bought my Acer in August, 2005. It's still working fine and is good for everything I need it to do... except when I tried using Adobe photoshop and InDesign for the yearbook I was working on - that crashed it. But, it's still working fine and I have no quarrel with it otherwise.
I paid $950 back in the day and that came with a printer, a web cam, and stupid software that I never installed. So, to me, this seems somewhat pricey.. Shouldn't these things keep going down in price or is this just a really good one?
But ya, as they've all said, think about what you need it for and you'll know what to do.. if space is a problem, you can alwasy buy an external hard drive.. that's what I ended up doing.. needed it for all the photos and movies downloaded from DC++

If you REALLY want a laptop for under $400 then get the $399 ASUS laptop. It's very small, but has everything you need for Internet and typing up Word documents (if thats what you plan on doing with your laptop). One of my friends bought one and it fits in his backpack front pocket... it's sooo slim and small, as well as light weight. Battery lasts a long time too! If you want portability and aren't looking for a powerful machine, its worth it. Runs on Linux though.

http://www.staples.ca/ENG/Catalog/ca...fixedcode=W W

However, as previously mentioned, Celeron is not meant for intensive programs, graphics, or anything that will require big computing power like gaming, etc. You will be able to surf the Internet (keeping online flash games to a minimum), Word Documents, listen to music (mp3's), the basics.

If you want to bump it up a notch and go for a bigger screen and more power, but have some fun apps to play with and stay organized, I recommend getting the basic MacBook from Apple. You can run both OSX and Windows on it, and Mac comes with iLife which has nice apps to get you started. Long battery life and really good for organizing. A lot of friends have them and are very happy.

If you want PC, I'd recommend a Dell, Sony, or Toshiba. I have a Sony VAIO and, while a bit more expensive, has lasted me over 4 years and is still an amazing machine. High end, slim, and reliable.