I just bought a machine from System76 and it seems pretty good. They sell systems with Linux already on them and ensure that the hardware is compatible. On Fri, Aug 23, 2013 at 3:11 AM, Mike Miller <mbmiller+l at gmail.com> wrote: > Thanks for this advice. I mostly don't like the machines at Costco, > either. But two years ago I bought a little Acer laptop for my daughter, > then four years old, with 4GB RAM, 500GB HDD and very long battery life for > only $250. She has been using it all the time since then. It still works > great. I bought three Seagate 3TB external USB3 drives at Costco last year > for $100 each. When they have a good deal, it's hard to beat. > > The thing that concerns me with buying used laptops is that the batteries > often don't work well, so then I need a battery and they are expensive. > We'd like to get a machine that has HDMI out, but the Lenovo T500 seems to > have some other kind of HD output that needs an adaptor to get HDMI, but it > doesn't carry the audio. I'll still be considering the T500, so thanks! > > Mike > > > > On Thu, 22 Aug 2013, whjwhj wrote: > > I've played around with the machines I've seen at Costco and many of them >> seem cheap. Particularly the keyboards. Soft, bouncy, squishy keyboards. >> Also, I keep my eye on screen resolution, particularly on the least >> expensive machines. They might have what appears to be a nice 14" or 15" >> display but then the resolution maxes out at 1380x768 or so. They can do so >> much better. 1400x900 and up is good. I personally can not stand the glossy >> reflective displays which so many of the machines have these days >> (including, alas, Apple). >> >> My last three Linux machine purchases have all been used Lenovo Thinkpad >> machines and I've been absolutely delighted with them. It's clear Lenovo >> (formerly IBM) is very much focused on durability, particularly on their >> business class machines. And the keyboards are excellent. >> >> They all run Linux just fine for me and appear to be a popular choice for >> Linux users in general. >> >> Lenovo has an outlet store with some good deals: >> >> http://outlet.lenovo.com/ >> >> I've gotten all three of mine from Craigslist and they've all been fine >> performers. I bought a new battery for one and I've been upgrading RAM and >> installing SSD drives periodically to give them a little extra bump. >> >> e.g., This machine here looks very nice. Good screen resolution at >> 1680x1050. Add more RAM perhaps and maybe an SSD or a larger HDD to replace >> the 160GB that's in there and you're set. (Although this machine might be a >> bit heavy for a student's backpack.) >> >> http://minneapolis.craigslist.**org/ram/sys/4000943841.html<http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/ram/sys/4000943841.html> >> >> I'm fond of the T series and X series machines. I own an X200 and a >> T420s. Both these machines are light and portable while offering ample >> performance and features for my needs. The T43 I own is a bit heavier and >> very old and past it's prime. It still runs perfectly however and I use it >> regularly for light duty stuff. >> >> whj >> >> On 08/22/2013 11:14 AM, Mike Miller wrote: >> >>> Now is the Back To School season, so maybe it is a bad time to buy. Is >>> it better after maybe September 15? Do we often see sales? >>> >>> I've noticed that when Costco has a good deal, it's a really good deal. >>> So are any of these good machines? I'm really interested in the cheaper >>> ones. I didn't really like the HP Pavilion I bought last year -- very >>> weak WiFi, I thought. >>> >>> http://tinyurl.com/l7ywqhx [costco.com] >>> >>> Are some brands especially good for Linux and some not so good? >>> >>> Mike >>> ______________________________**_________________ >>> TCLUG Mailing List - Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota >>> tclug-list at mn-linux.org >>> http://mailman.mn-linux.org/**mailman/listinfo/tclug-list<http://mailman.mn-linux.org/mailman/listinfo/tclug-list> >>> >> ______________________________**_________________ >> TCLUG Mailing List - Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota >> tclug-list at mn-linux.org >> http://mailman.mn-linux.org/**mailman/listinfo/tclug-list<http://mailman.mn-linux.org/mailman/listinfo/tclug-list> >> >> ______________________________**_________________ > TCLUG Mailing List - Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota > tclug-list at mn-linux.org > http://mailman.mn-linux.org/**mailman/listinfo/tclug-list<http://mailman.mn-linux.org/mailman/listinfo/tclug-list> > > -- http://mtu.net/~jpschewe -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://mailman.mn-linux.org/pipermail/tclug-list/attachments/20130824/a4592eae/attachment.html>