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Apollia · 05-16-2009, 05:25 PM

If you can get something with Windows XP, that might be better than Windows Vista. My relatives have a computer with Windows Vista, and despite being newer than my Windows XP computer, it's surprisingly slow at times.

Here's an article listing some reasons why XP is better than Vista: Is Windows Vista really better than XP ?

Windows XP is the most stable, useable version of Windows I've ever used. All the other versions I ever used have had some major annoyances - I remember with Windows ME I had to restart the computer almost daily due to some glitch or other. With Windows XP, major problems requiring a restart have been exceedingly rare for me, on both computers I've had with Windows XP.

The last time I did any computer shopping on eBay was in 2006, but it was a very good place to look, back then, and hopefully it still is.

My current desktop computer was about $344 or something (including shipping) from a seller on eBay. I was really astonished at how excellent it turned out to be. It has served me well these past few years.

I recommend checking the seller's feedback record before deciding to buy. I've never had a bad experience buying on eBay, possibly because I avoid buying from sellers with a lot of bad feedback. (Another reason I've never had a bad experience buying on eBay might be because I rarely buy anything at all).

It would probably be good to take your time and do a lot of comparisons of what's available, and browse the auctions that are going to end after numerous days, rather than auctions that are close to ending, so you won't feel rushed to make a decision.

If you want to feel _totally_ unrushed, you could even browse completed auctions to get a feel for what's available and how much things sell for, etc.

One of the most annoying things about eBay for me is auctions with a reserve price, where if your bid doesn't meet the reserve price, the seller doesn't have to sell the item to you even if you're the winning bidder. Searching for auctions with "no reserve" or "NR" in the title might be a good idea if you don't want to encounter annoying reserve-price auctions.

Watch out for the shipping costs, they can be a bit high. (If you get a cheap enough computer, like an ancient iMac for $30, the shipping cost might be more than the computer itself.

)

I recommend concentrating on getting the most for your money and finding the best, most feature-packed laptop you can get for the price you're willing to pay, instead of being content with anything that meets your minimum requirements, when there are probably (I assume) much better laptops available for the same price.

eBay's Advanced Search features will probably be useful to you.

I guess that's all the best advice I can think of. I'm not really that experienced of a shopper (especially for computers) since I try to avoid tantalizing myself by browsing for things I mostly can't afford, but, hopefully the above will be useful to you.

Good luck and best wishes,
Apollia

05-16-2009, 05:25 PM	#14 (permalink)
Apollia Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: USA Posts: 323	If you can get something with Windows XP, that might be better than Windows Vista. My relatives have a computer with Windows Vista, and despite being newer than my Windows XP computer, it's surprisingly slow at times. Here's an article listing some reasons why XP is better than Vista: Is Windows Vista really better than XP ? Windows XP is the most stable, useable version of Windows I've ever used. All the other versions I ever used have had some major annoyances - I remember with Windows ME I had to restart the computer almost daily due to some glitch or other. With Windows XP, major problems requiring a restart have been exceedingly rare for me, on both computers I've had with Windows XP. The last time I did any computer shopping on eBay was in 2006, but it was a very good place to look, back then, and hopefully it still is. My current desktop computer was about $344 or something (including shipping) from a seller on eBay. I was really astonished at how excellent it turned out to be. It has served me well these past few years. I recommend checking the seller's feedback record before deciding to buy. I've never had a bad experience buying on eBay, possibly because I avoid buying from sellers with a lot of bad feedback. (Another reason I've never had a bad experience buying on eBay might be because I rarely buy anything at all). It would probably be good to take your time and do a lot of comparisons of what's available, and browse the auctions that are going to end after numerous days, rather than auctions that are close to ending, so you won't feel rushed to make a decision. If you want to feel _totally_ unrushed, you could even browse completed auctions to get a feel for what's available and how much things sell for, etc. One of the most annoying things about eBay for me is auctions with a reserve price, where if your bid doesn't meet the reserve price, the seller doesn't have to sell the item to you even if you're the winning bidder. Searching for auctions with "no reserve" or "NR" in the title might be a good idea if you don't want to encounter annoying reserve-price auctions. Watch out for the shipping costs, they can be a bit high. (If you get a cheap enough computer, like an ancient iMac for $30, the shipping cost might be more than the computer itself. ) I recommend concentrating on getting the most for your money and finding the best, most feature-packed laptop you can get for the price you're willing to pay, instead of being content with anything that meets your minimum requirements, when there are probably (I assume) much better laptops available for the same price. eBay's Advanced Search features will probably be useful to you. I guess that's all the best advice I can think of. I'm not really that experienced of a shopper (especially for computers) since I try to avoid tantalizing myself by browsing for things I mostly can't afford, but, hopefully the above will be useful to you. Good luck and best wishes, Apollia Last edited by Apollia; 05-16-2009 at 06:13 PM.