Affordable Laptops for Data Collection: Are They Worth the Risk?

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A user seeks a budget laptop for data collection, specifically under $500, and inquires about purchasing from eBay, expressing concerns about potential risks. Experiences shared include a successful eBay purchase that required repairs but ultimately led to a refund. Suggestions include exploring Craigslist for local deals, where buyers can test laptops before purchase. Concerns about used laptops include battery life and potential physical damage. The user expresses a preference for new electronics, ultimately leaning towards a Dell laptop priced at $552, despite initial skepticism about buying second-hand. The discussion includes light-hearted banter about the risks associated with using laptops for sensitive projects, particularly with Li-Poly batteries. Overall, the consensus leans towards purchasing a new Dell for reliability, while acknowledging the potential benefits and risks of buying used.
Cyrus
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I want a cheap laptop to collect data with. Cheap like, $500.00 or less.

Has anyone bought a computer from Ebay?

Is it worth the risk?

Does anyone want to sell me their laptop, or give me it for free? :biggrin:
 
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Hey, that's great!

Thanks Monique :smile:

I have a wireless network in my house, so I have an external hard drive that I can network to, and a printer. So the laptop does not need to be fancy.
 
cyrusabdollahi said:
I want a cheap laptop to collect data with. Cheap like, $500.00 or less.

Has anyone bought a computer from Ebay?

Is it worth the risk?

Does anyone want to sell me their laptop, or give me it for free? :biggrin:

I bought my laptop from ebay, when it arrived it did not work
but as kias man works with computers i had an engieers report to
back my claim, i received my money back and got laptop fixed for nowt :smile:
 
Can you be more specific on what kind of hardware you want? Maybe we can suggest something that's not a Dell.
 
Be careful. The laptop specials I have seen are OK, but they chince you on the RAM and the displays. If this is for your DAQ project and you want to run Matlab, you may want to double check the requirements.
 
I'm not doing anything iterative, so I don't need a fast PC. Not using it for games either. Just data collection. And I like dell. I have a lot of stuff by Dell, and it all works great.
 
I've bought several at computer shows. The one I bought for my company recently has a P3 processor and 15" screen. It cost about $250. The only downside is that with a used laptop, odds are that the battery will be near completely useless. I would be concerned about physical damage and dead pixels on the screen if I weren't able to handle the computer before buying it.
 
cyrusabdollahi said:
I want a cheap laptop to collect data with. Cheap like, $500.00 or less.

Has anyone bought a computer from Ebay?

Is it worth the risk?

:biggrin:

It's worth the risk if you know what you're doing. I bought mine from ebay.
 
  • #10
Cyrus, I'd greatly suggest you try craiglist for Washington DC, or wherever you live. It's almost like ebay. Maybe a little worse deals, but you can still find some handsome laptops for less than $500. When you find what you want or somebody makes you an offer, you can just meet with a person and test whether everything works just fine. Look here, http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/cgi-bin/search?areaID=10&subAreaID=0&query=laptop&catAbbreviation=sys&minAsk=0&maxAsk=500
and if you didn't find something satisfying, then simply make an offer right in, for a good working laptop, if wash's similar to nyc, and it should be, then you'll get several offers from people who want to sell their laptops. Try it, there's a lot of good stuff on craiglists.
 
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  • #11
Cyrus, how long are your typical DAQ runs? Are you not worried about OS stability or do you plan to partition your drive and run your DAQ off of Linux?
 
  • #12
It's only like a 10 min run at most. That's as long as the $200.00 LiPoly Battery will last!
 
  • #13
I am sifting through craigslist. Thanks Heartless. I am still skeptical. I prefer to buy my electronics new.
 
  • #14
Wehn buying from ebay, you can usually trust the re-resale/refurbish people who have a long list of positive feedback. With individuals, there's no telling what you get, but there is some protection with paypal.
 
  • #16
Oh my...!1!1one
Cyrus's buying a http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=32550" :eek: :bugeye: :!)
 
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  • #17
:smile:

This is great, I am charging Li-Poly batteries, which VERY easily can catch on fire and burn your house down, and trying to prevent that with a laptop that will burn my house down!

:smile:

the Irony!

My next posts will be form the public library.

I bet that laptop has Li-poly batteries as well.
 
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  • #18
COOL! keep your camera handy and keep us toasted.

I mean posted.
 
  • #19
cyrusabdollahi said:
I think I am going to play it safe and buy that Dell, the one that's $552 bucks. It looks like a good deal, more or less.

http://www.dell.com/content/products/features.aspx/featured_basnb?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs

Thanks for the find monique!

I really do *not* want to buy another persons problem.
That's great, I hope it'll fit your needs. It's a coincidence that just a few days earlier I had been talking about laptops and heard Dell had some crazy prices :smile:
 
  • #20
I actually just ordered a new Dell laptop a few days ago (should be here early next week). My HP died. :frown: :devil:
 
  • #22
Hello from my Dell Laptop (wireless too!). Somehow, PF became my homepage, yet again :rolleyes:

Thanks again Monique! :smile:

Edit: Oh no, It just burst into flames! :frown: :wink:
 
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  • #23
that's too bad, you should've gotten an HP...:smile:
 

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