Cheapest computer, for foxpro sounds
- Thread starter seasley
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Rocky1
New member
E-Bay... buy used.
Only problem is you need to know what you're looking at, or need someone knowledgeable about computers to check the ads for you. Prices can look competitive, but they may not be. They may differ substantially in what hardware/software is included in the deal. A $150 computer with 40 gig hard drive, 500 megabytes of RAM, and a 1 gig processor isn't necessarily a good deal, you can buy them all day on E-Bay for $80 or less. A $150 computer with 160 gig hard drive, 1 gig or more of RAM, and dual core 2 gig processor is a pretty fair deal. Find the latter with a WORKING copy of Office 2007 and that's not bad at all, find one with 2010 installed, and you got a bargain.
And, yes I have found deals of that nature. Bought 4 in the last 2 years for $250 or less all had Windows 7, all had Office 2010, all were 150 gig or more harddrives, 2 gigs RAM minimum, 2 gig duo-core processors minimum. All of them worked great.
If it says Office is installed, clarify that it is a working copy of Office. Occasionally you will get some yo-yo trying to be cute that installs the trial version, and 45 days after you get it, it locks down.
This one is a pretty decent buy...IBM Lenovo T60
If you're going to use it for home and office, or if the kids need it for school work, you might want to find one with Office 2010, if you're just using it to store FoxPro sounds on, run numbers on your reloading goodies in a spreadsheet, send a few e-mails, visit PM from the garage and such, this one will do all of that in EXCELLENT fashion.
If you're worried about it crashing, pickup the Warranty!
"** No installation CDs included... **" - Download Belarc Advisor, it's free. When you run it, it will spit out the keycodes for Windows and Office, and most other programs of value. Print the report out and save it, those keycodes may or may not work at a later date dependent upon how many thousand times Microsoft has had them submitted.
If you have installation CDs off your old laptop, there are several laptops comparable to this model, presently listed for $40 - $60 without the operating system. Buy one really cheap, and reload it with your old software.
Batteries/Chargers quit... E-Bay! You can buy the charger for this model for less than $20. Battery is $25, extra capacity (actually TWICE the capacity) battery was around $40 if I recall correctly.
Most of these IBMs are corporate computers that have simply been replaced. Nothing wrong with them, hard drives are wiped of any confidential info. Occasionally F disked and reloaded by the IT department. Coporate headquarters puts them out on bids, or sells them to employees cheap.
Only problem is you need to know what you're looking at, or need someone knowledgeable about computers to check the ads for you. Prices can look competitive, but they may not be. They may differ substantially in what hardware/software is included in the deal. A $150 computer with 40 gig hard drive, 500 megabytes of RAM, and a 1 gig processor isn't necessarily a good deal, you can buy them all day on E-Bay for $80 or less. A $150 computer with 160 gig hard drive, 1 gig or more of RAM, and dual core 2 gig processor is a pretty fair deal. Find the latter with a WORKING copy of Office 2007 and that's not bad at all, find one with 2010 installed, and you got a bargain.
And, yes I have found deals of that nature. Bought 4 in the last 2 years for $250 or less all had Windows 7, all had Office 2010, all were 150 gig or more harddrives, 2 gigs RAM minimum, 2 gig duo-core processors minimum. All of them worked great.
If it says Office is installed, clarify that it is a working copy of Office. Occasionally you will get some yo-yo trying to be cute that installs the trial version, and 45 days after you get it, it locks down.
This one is a pretty decent buy...IBM Lenovo T60
If you're going to use it for home and office, or if the kids need it for school work, you might want to find one with Office 2010, if you're just using it to store FoxPro sounds on, run numbers on your reloading goodies in a spreadsheet, send a few e-mails, visit PM from the garage and such, this one will do all of that in EXCELLENT fashion.
If you're worried about it crashing, pickup the Warranty!
"** No installation CDs included... **" - Download Belarc Advisor, it's free. When you run it, it will spit out the keycodes for Windows and Office, and most other programs of value. Print the report out and save it, those keycodes may or may not work at a later date dependent upon how many thousand times Microsoft has had them submitted.
If you have installation CDs off your old laptop, there are several laptops comparable to this model, presently listed for $40 - $60 without the operating system. Buy one really cheap, and reload it with your old software.
Batteries/Chargers quit... E-Bay! You can buy the charger for this model for less than $20. Battery is $25, extra capacity (actually TWICE the capacity) battery was around $40 if I recall correctly.
Most of these IBMs are corporate computers that have simply been replaced. Nothing wrong with them, hard drives are wiped of any confidential info. Occasionally F disked and reloaded by the IT department. Coporate headquarters puts them out on bids, or sells them to employees cheap.
ksyotehunter
New member
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/satellite-15-6-laptop-4gb-memory-500gb-hard-drive/1689021.p?id=1219060689174&skuId=1689021&st=categoryid$pcmcat247400050000&cp=1&lp=1
Here ya go!
Here ya go!
C9925
New member
That's definitely a loss leader. I was at Best Buy today and the salesman was telling a customer that a battery defect had been identified on that laptop. A quick search when I got home and I came up with nothing. Not a powerhouse but a decent deal. I'd add the geek squad warranty and you will surely get your moneys worth from that laptop.
ksyotehunter
New member
I have had awesome luck with Toshiba. We have 2 of them one of them is about 5 years old and one is 4. 5 year old one the battery is bad so it just has to be plugged in and has some bad pixels. 4 year old one just runs slow now and I think just needs cleaned off and reloaded. But ya batteries can be a pain. We paid around 4 for ours maybe 3 for one and just replaced chargers. My friend bought a $900 HP just a little after we did and has had to replace battery,hard drive and something else.
kymailman98
New member
That's because they sell a gazillion of them. I used to feel the same way myself, but when you buy in volume, you can sell things cheaper.
Rocky1
New member
Originally Posted By: kymailman98 That's because they sell a gazillion of them. I used to feel the same way myself, but when you buy in volume, you can sell things cheaper.
Uhmmmm... Yes and no. Wally World sells printer cartridges cheaper than the office supply stores, because...
a.) They sell a gazillion of them.
b.) They force the company to put less ink in them so they can sell them cheaper.
c.) Both a and b.
Wally World sells printers cheaper than the office supply stores, because...
a.) They sell a gazillion of them.
b.) They force the company to build a cheaper product for Wally World that is similar to popular models elsewhere.
c.) Both a and b.
And, the correct answer to the above questions would be... Drum roll here please!
>>>> b.
Uhmmmm... Yes and no. Wally World sells printer cartridges cheaper than the office supply stores, because...
a.) They sell a gazillion of them.
b.) They force the company to put less ink in them so they can sell them cheaper.
c.) Both a and b.
Wally World sells printers cheaper than the office supply stores, because...
a.) They sell a gazillion of them.
b.) They force the company to build a cheaper product for Wally World that is similar to popular models elsewhere.
c.) Both a and b.
And, the correct answer to the above questions would be... Drum roll here please!
>>>> b.
Yote Yoda USMC
New member
Wow
Rocky1
New member
Originally Posted By: possumalIf somebody can prove that Walmart manipulates quality like that, it would cost Walmart a ton of money.
It's a known fact. All Walmart vendors face it.
Proof -- Snapper Mowers -- http://www.fastcompany.com/54763/man-who-said-no-wal-mart
Quote:Which is when Wier said no.
"As I look at the three years Snapper has been with you," he told the vice president, "every year the price has come down. Every year the content of the product has gone up. We're at a position where, first, it's still priced where it doesn't meet the needs of your clientele. For Wal-Mart, it's still too high-priced. I think you'd agree with that.
"Now, at the price I'm selling to you today, I'm not making any money on it. And if we do what you want next year, I'll lose money. I could do that and not go out of business. But we have this independent-dealer channel. And 80% of our business is over here with them. And I can't put them at a competitive disadvantage. If I do that, I lose everything. So this just isn't a compatible fit."
The Wal-Mart vice president responded with strategy and argument. Snapper is the sort of high-quality nameplate, like Levi Strauss, that Wal-Mart hopes can ultimately make it more Target-like. He suggested that Snapper find a lower-cost contract manufacturer. He suggested producing a separate, lesser-quality line with the Snapper nameplate just for Wal-Mart. Just like Levi did.
"My response was, we would take a look at that," says Wier. "The reason I gave that response was, it was a legitimate question. In my own mind, I knew where I'd go with that"--no thanks--"but at that kind of meeting you at least have to be willing to say, I'll investigate." And that was it. "The tone at the end was, We're not going forward as a supplier."
By all means don't stop with this small excerpt from the article, it is a very interesting article, but it is fairly long and the information above is found at the end of the article.
Another case in point...
Sue Bee Honey - Refused to drop the price of their American Made Honey for Walmart or Sam's Club, they wanted a bulk packed premium grade honey for Sam's. Sue Bee has a hand full of Canadian members, otherwise the Co-op is comprised strictly of American Honey Producers. I don't remember the exact specs but I want to say it was a 40 or 42 ounce bottle that's packed for sale in most of the major chain grocery stores under the Sue Bee label, the background of the label oon those bottles has an American Flag in it. That honey is all produced by American Honey Producers. Walmart wanted a similar pack to compete with Publix, Winn Dixie, and others. The Sam's Club pack, same size bottle, same label in fact, has no American Flag in the background. The only way Sue Bee can meet the price demanded by Walmart is to pack imported honey for that label. In trying to meet the demand for premium quality, much of the honey used for Sam's comes from the Canadian members production, although there is some honey from other places blended in that pack.
Walmart honey, packed by Sue Bee also, is as a rule all imported honey. That's the only way to meet the price specified by Walmart. And, it's virtually impossible to turn their demands down when Walmart/Sam's Club comprises nearly 20% of total sales for the world's largest honey marketing organization. Although the CEO of Snapper did exactly that.
It's the way they do business, you either play their game or go home.
It's a known fact. All Walmart vendors face it.
Proof -- Snapper Mowers -- http://www.fastcompany.com/54763/man-who-said-no-wal-mart
Quote:Which is when Wier said no.
"As I look at the three years Snapper has been with you," he told the vice president, "every year the price has come down. Every year the content of the product has gone up. We're at a position where, first, it's still priced where it doesn't meet the needs of your clientele. For Wal-Mart, it's still too high-priced. I think you'd agree with that.
"Now, at the price I'm selling to you today, I'm not making any money on it. And if we do what you want next year, I'll lose money. I could do that and not go out of business. But we have this independent-dealer channel. And 80% of our business is over here with them. And I can't put them at a competitive disadvantage. If I do that, I lose everything. So this just isn't a compatible fit."
The Wal-Mart vice president responded with strategy and argument. Snapper is the sort of high-quality nameplate, like Levi Strauss, that Wal-Mart hopes can ultimately make it more Target-like. He suggested that Snapper find a lower-cost contract manufacturer. He suggested producing a separate, lesser-quality line with the Snapper nameplate just for Wal-Mart. Just like Levi did.
"My response was, we would take a look at that," says Wier. "The reason I gave that response was, it was a legitimate question. In my own mind, I knew where I'd go with that"--no thanks--"but at that kind of meeting you at least have to be willing to say, I'll investigate." And that was it. "The tone at the end was, We're not going forward as a supplier."
By all means don't stop with this small excerpt from the article, it is a very interesting article, but it is fairly long and the information above is found at the end of the article.
Another case in point...
Sue Bee Honey - Refused to drop the price of their American Made Honey for Walmart or Sam's Club, they wanted a bulk packed premium grade honey for Sam's. Sue Bee has a hand full of Canadian members, otherwise the Co-op is comprised strictly of American Honey Producers. I don't remember the exact specs but I want to say it was a 40 or 42 ounce bottle that's packed for sale in most of the major chain grocery stores under the Sue Bee label, the background of the label oon those bottles has an American Flag in it. That honey is all produced by American Honey Producers. Walmart wanted a similar pack to compete with Publix, Winn Dixie, and others. The Sam's Club pack, same size bottle, same label in fact, has no American Flag in the background. The only way Sue Bee can meet the price demanded by Walmart is to pack imported honey for that label. In trying to meet the demand for premium quality, much of the honey used for Sam's comes from the Canadian members production, although there is some honey from other places blended in that pack.
Walmart honey, packed by Sue Bee also, is as a rule all imported honey. That's the only way to meet the price specified by Walmart. And, it's virtually impossible to turn their demands down when Walmart/Sam's Club comprises nearly 20% of total sales for the world's largest honey marketing organization. Although the CEO of Snapper did exactly that.
It's the way they do business, you either play their game or go home.
Orneryolfart357
New member
Rocky... Very enlightening! Thank you.
kymailman98
New member
I know there are a lot of people who do not like Walmart, and don't hesitate to let everybody know it. That's fine, because although I own stock in Walmart (and it has made me some pretty good money over the years) and despite the fact that we shop there every week, I am not a huge fan of the huge megastores like Walmart. ALL businesses have their "tricks of the trade", and Walmart is no different. My brother has a snack food business and he had his problems with their way of doing things, so I know a little bit about how difficult they can be.....but again, just about all businesses have their own issues such as this. But, I will repeat what I said in my previous post, Walmart buys such in huge volume that they can sell most things cheaper than the competition. That's a fact, and you can label it any way you like it and it's still going to come out the same way.........it's how Walmart does business.
Orneryolfart357
New member
It would however be interesting to see if in fact there were different part#'s on identicle items available at other stores as Rocky suggested. I don't doubt much these days.
Rocky1
New member
I know that one to be so, for a fact Orneryolfart. The situation with printers in the above example... I had a printer at the office that I purchased from a computer store, it worked great, as suggested above it was i.e. an HP 450. My printer at the house crashed a few months after I bought the one at the office. Went to Walmart shopping for other goodies, stopped in electronics to see what they had to offer and, low and behold, there sits an identical printer, $50 cheaper than the one I bought from the computer store, with a slightly different number... i.e. HP-453.
I knew what ink cartridges fit the printer, wanted to pick up spares, Walmart didn't have that number. Checked the Walmart ink cartridge reference book, they showed a different Walmart number for the replacement cartridges. I got home late and didn't unpack the printer, went to work the next day and looked for the model 453 in the computer store's catalog, to varify the ink cartridges were in fact the same, and there wasn't some subtle difference that I was missing. The computer store did NOT list the model 453 in their book, the Walmart cartridge numbers I'd written down didn't jive with anything in the book either. I was under the impression this was a newer model, that the old model 450 had maybe seen some upgrades since the catalog was printed.
I and the guy that sold me the computer at the office got along great, so I called him up and asked what was up with no listing on the model 453, was it new or what, I couldn't find it listed in their book, and the Wally World cartridge numbers weren't jiving. That I wanted to varify the numbers were the same as the one at the office before ordering them. He stated, "That model is made for and sold strictly by Walmart, there were changes made by the manufacturer to reduce production costs and meet Walmart's purchase price. It is essentially the same printer, they just cut a few corners to get costs down. And, yeah you are correct it takes the same ink cartridge. The other number you have is a Walmart stock number."
My office supply store ran delivery the next day, and they were in fact a little cheaper on ink cartridges, so I thanked Bruce for the info, called the office supply store, and ordered ink cartridges. My salesman arrived the next day with my cartridges, and I was telling him about all of this, and harrassing him a little about his prices versus Walmart prices on the ink. And, he said... "You really don't want to buy Walmart ink cartridges, and I'll show you why. He went to his van, dug out his big catalog of office supplies and opened it up to the ink cartridge page. There were 3 different black ink cartridges listed for the 450 series printer, and 2 of each color. The black ink came in 800, 1000, and 2000 copy cartridges, the colored ink came in 800 and 1000 copy. He stated the 800 copy cartridge is essentially a start up cartridge, it's what comes with the printer when you buy it. That is what Walmart is selling, see the similarity in their stock number and this number. We don't stock those, all we stock is the standard and extra capacity cartridges. You do the math!
I've looked at computers at Walmart, Staples, Office Max, Office Depot, on-line, and there are subtle differences in what Walmart offers compared to what the office supply stores offer. Same brand, similar model numbers, they'll have a different processor, different RAM, different motherboard, different software packages, etc., etc. They are getting better in that respect, but they do not sell the same computer for less money, they sell a similar computer for less money.
I knew what ink cartridges fit the printer, wanted to pick up spares, Walmart didn't have that number. Checked the Walmart ink cartridge reference book, they showed a different Walmart number for the replacement cartridges. I got home late and didn't unpack the printer, went to work the next day and looked for the model 453 in the computer store's catalog, to varify the ink cartridges were in fact the same, and there wasn't some subtle difference that I was missing. The computer store did NOT list the model 453 in their book, the Walmart cartridge numbers I'd written down didn't jive with anything in the book either. I was under the impression this was a newer model, that the old model 450 had maybe seen some upgrades since the catalog was printed.
I and the guy that sold me the computer at the office got along great, so I called him up and asked what was up with no listing on the model 453, was it new or what, I couldn't find it listed in their book, and the Wally World cartridge numbers weren't jiving. That I wanted to varify the numbers were the same as the one at the office before ordering them. He stated, "That model is made for and sold strictly by Walmart, there were changes made by the manufacturer to reduce production costs and meet Walmart's purchase price. It is essentially the same printer, they just cut a few corners to get costs down. And, yeah you are correct it takes the same ink cartridge. The other number you have is a Walmart stock number."
My office supply store ran delivery the next day, and they were in fact a little cheaper on ink cartridges, so I thanked Bruce for the info, called the office supply store, and ordered ink cartridges. My salesman arrived the next day with my cartridges, and I was telling him about all of this, and harrassing him a little about his prices versus Walmart prices on the ink. And, he said... "You really don't want to buy Walmart ink cartridges, and I'll show you why. He went to his van, dug out his big catalog of office supplies and opened it up to the ink cartridge page. There were 3 different black ink cartridges listed for the 450 series printer, and 2 of each color. The black ink came in 800, 1000, and 2000 copy cartridges, the colored ink came in 800 and 1000 copy. He stated the 800 copy cartridge is essentially a start up cartridge, it's what comes with the printer when you buy it. That is what Walmart is selling, see the similarity in their stock number and this number. We don't stock those, all we stock is the standard and extra capacity cartridges. You do the math!
I've looked at computers at Walmart, Staples, Office Max, Office Depot, on-line, and there are subtle differences in what Walmart offers compared to what the office supply stores offer. Same brand, similar model numbers, they'll have a different processor, different RAM, different motherboard, different software packages, etc., etc. They are getting better in that respect, but they do not sell the same computer for less money, they sell a similar computer for less money.
Rocky1
New member
Originally Posted By: possumalI may be wrong, but that example doesn't prove that Walmart is using false advertising of the quality of their products or misrepresenting them in any way. That is typical of dealing with suppliers to get an item at the price you want to buy/sell at, but not cheating.
You didn't ask me to prove Walmart was using false Advertising. You stated...
Quote:If somebody can prove that Walmart manipulates quality like that, it would cost Walmart a ton of money.
And, yes it does prove that Walmart manipulates quality. They tell the supplier we will give you this for your product. The supplier tells them they cannot produce the product that cheaply. As the article above points out, they tell the supplier to produce a lesser quality product, and put their brand name on it, so Walmart can sell it for less money. That is manipulation of product quality, however you slice it. And, no it's not false advertising on Walmart's part, it's misrepresentation of the product by the manufacturer. If you buy a Snapper mower, you expect a Snapper mower. You don't expect a lesser POS with Snapper's name on it, and Snapper should be commended for stepping up and saying no.
The example offered in the article concerning Levis... Levis moved their manufacturing facilities to Turkey, I believe it was. And, the weight of the denim, while reduced across the board in Levis, was reduced more drastically on the Walmart line, to meet Walmart's specified price.
You didn't ask me to prove Walmart was using false Advertising. You stated...
Quote:If somebody can prove that Walmart manipulates quality like that, it would cost Walmart a ton of money.
And, yes it does prove that Walmart manipulates quality. They tell the supplier we will give you this for your product. The supplier tells them they cannot produce the product that cheaply. As the article above points out, they tell the supplier to produce a lesser quality product, and put their brand name on it, so Walmart can sell it for less money. That is manipulation of product quality, however you slice it. And, no it's not false advertising on Walmart's part, it's misrepresentation of the product by the manufacturer. If you buy a Snapper mower, you expect a Snapper mower. You don't expect a lesser POS with Snapper's name on it, and Snapper should be commended for stepping up and saying no.
The example offered in the article concerning Levis... Levis moved their manufacturing facilities to Turkey, I believe it was. And, the weight of the denim, while reduced across the board in Levis, was reduced more drastically on the Walmart line, to meet Walmart's specified price.