Cheapest Laptops

When people get ready to buy a laptop computer, one of the most popular questions that they ask themselves is: "Where can I get the cheapest laptops?" People want a good machine that they can do real work on, but they do not want to spend an arm and a leg to get it. So they want to find a bargain. It used to be the case that all laptops were very expensive. They carried a huge premium on them because the smaller form factor cost much more money to design, and because the battery was so expensive to produce. Both of those things have changed over time, and laptops have come down quite a bit in price these days. In general, you used to have to pay at least a thousand dollars for a laptop. These days, it is not uncommon to have a line of laptops that starts out at just a few hundred dollars.

A big part of this is the advent of the netbook. This is a new form factor for laptops that has really pushed the industry as a whole and has definitely changed the game for good. No one is positive if netbooks are here to stay or not, but no one can deny the impact that they have had. The netbook has essentially changed the way a laptop purchase might even occur--from being a carefully researched buying decision, to being a potential impulse purchase at an electronics superstore. The single biggest reason for this is due to the low price of netbooks.

Now it is true that some netbooks carry a midrange price of around four or five hundred dollars. But the majority of netbooks can be had--brand new--for less than 400 dollars. And some models even come in at the two hundred dollar price point. Many of them are three hundred dollars. So you are really dealing with a different sort of purchase altogether. This is not like someone making the decision to spend a grand on a laptop, as was the case ten years ago.

Now netbooks are not for everyone. There is a reason that these cheaper laptops are so much less expensive. The format is an excercise in compromises. Some of these you might be able to live with, but in other cases you might say "no, this machine is just not suitable for me to do real work on." You might have to experiment a bit and try some netbooks out in the stores to see what you are comfortable on.

In general, the keyboard on a netbook is going to be slightly shrunk down from the standard size. This is an inevitable compromise and can be a real dealbreaker if you cannot type well on it. But most people who spend ten minutes on a netbook find that they can adjust their typing and get within about 80 percent of their fastest typing times on a desktop computer. This is plenty fast enough for most people to do real work, so you will just have to try it out and see if this limits you in any way. Try looking around for a nice used laptop for sale they are out there to be had.

Now if netbook computers are still too pricey for you, there is an option that is generally a bit cheaper, and that is to buy a used laptop.  You can do this most easily on eBay, where you can bid on a model or brand that you know you will like from past experience.  For most people, it is no big deal to order a used laptop that is a generation or two behind in terms of technology, as they can still get real work done on an older machine. 

It is no longer the case that older always means significantly slower.  In a lot of cases, newer machines come with clunkier operating systems that slow them down, and older machines have a leaner operating system that actually runs faster.  So do not be afraid to shop around eBay for an older model if you know the brand is reliable and have generally like the machines in the past.

Now if you combine these two strategies for buying a cheap laptop, you will find yourself on eBay hunting down a used netbook.  This really will be your cheapest bet because the new netbooks are so inexpensive to begin with.  Just make sure you try the netbooks out in an electronics store before you commit to buying one on eBay, so that you know if you are comfortable typing on it.  Netbooks generally come in 2 different sizes, with one size being a slightly smaller 8 inch screen.  You will also find that the keyboard on such machines is even smaller than on a regular netbook, and so your typing speed might really suffer on this smaller platform.  Make sure you test the different sizes out and get something that you are really comfortable with.

With proper research beforehand, you can probably spend somewhere in the 2 to 3 hundred dollar range and get something that you are comfortable with.  No need to break the bank in order to get a machine that fits your needs.