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>
>
>


-- 
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