New Latop for the family

[Berkut]

I am considering buying a new laptop. This would be a second PC for the house, replacing my work PC that is pretty old and slow, and probably should not be being used for home stuff anyway.

I want something:

• cheap - I have a pretty high end desktop PC already, so don't need something super awesome
• Decent sized screen - I want at least 16", 17 if possible
• Reliable. Not interest in fucking with this, I want it to work with minimum fussing from me.
• Did I mention cheap?

I don't want to spend more than $750 or so.

What I really want to know is, where do people who know laptops shop for them? I imagine I can go down to Best Buy and get something that meets my criteria, but I wouldn't buy any other electronics at BB (simply because you can almost always get the same item elsewhere at a lower cost), so why should I buy a laptop there? Thing is, I don't reallly know where to go to get one.

[Berkut]

And no, I don't want a Mac. Of any kind.

[Baron von Schtinkenbutt]

If I'm buying new I either get it from Newegg or Amazon, or through HP via the employee discount program.

[Caliga]

Also don't forget TigerDirect, Berkie.  I got Princesca a great laptop from there last summer.

[Barrister]

And no, I don't want a Mac. Of any kind.

It depends of course on what you want to do with it, but perhaps you should consider an iPad.  It's pretty much designed to be a second computer around the home...

[Grey Fox]

Get a Dell.

A 17 inches screen will probably run you over your budget. You don't need it anyway. People are usually very close to their laptop screen.

[Baron von Schtinkenbutt]

Get a Dell.

A 17 inches screen will probably run you over your budget. You don't need it anyway. People are usually very close to their laptop screen.

This is way under his budget.

[Grey Fox]

I'll be damn.

[Ed Anger]

or through HP via the employee discount program.

I've been pleased with a 400 buck dual core Compaq/HP laptop I gots last Christmas. Other than the make your own recovery disc bullshit.

[garbon]

It depends of course on what you want to do with it, but perhaps you should consider an iPad.  It's pretty much designed not to be a... computer...

Fixed!

[Ed Anger]

The march Newegg newsletter had a Leverno 399 dollar laptop Berkie.

[derspiess]

Microcenter has a crappy emachines laptop for $299.  Might get that for the wife for Mothers Day.  It has a low, low end AMD processor, but it runs Win7 and would probably fit all her needs fine.  I would just get her a netbook, but I don't think she'd adjust very well to the reduced screen size.

[Barrister]

Holy crap - you just made me realize I need to start doing something for my wife on mother's day.

[Grey Fox]

No you don't. That your kids responsability.

[Barrister]

No you don't. That your kids responsability.

When my kid is old enough, yes.

But until then it falls on me.

I know that's hardly some great revelation - but it just ahdn't even occurred to me until now.