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[mainiac]

When I was buying a desktop logical increments was a really great information source and I'm wondering if anything like that exists for laptop purposes.  I'm just looking for a cheap laptop that can handle netflix or compiling simple code.  I'm worried that I'll buy a POS that will die in a few months and leave me out 300 bucks.  So is there anywhere with good information of what to look for in a laptop on a component by component basis?  Or even better, any guides to buying components to build a laptop on the cheap?

[Talvieno]

When I was buying a desktop logical increments was a really great information source and I'm wondering if anything like that exists for laptop purposes.  I'm just looking for a cheap laptop that can handle netflix or compiling simple code.  I'm worried that I'll buy a POS that will die in a few months and leave me out 300 bucks.  So is there anywhere with good information of what to look for in a laptop on a component by component basis?  Or even better, any guides to buying components to build a laptop on the cheap?

One does not simply "pick a laptop".

More seriously, we need to know a bit more what you're planning on using it for. Also, $300 is a bit cheap for a laptop of any caliber whatsoever, unless you're looking at getting a used one (which I wouldn't recommend). Annnndddd on that note - I wouldn't recommend you build your own. If you're asking about components and such, you probably don't need to be building your own. I applaud your initiative and give you a thumbs-up, but I'm gathering it's not something you can feel confident in. I wouldn't suggest any particular components for that very reason - I'm just a random person on the Internet (who is appalled that nobody answered this thread yet).

If you want a good laptop, you'll wind up paying more, regardless of the model. Some models are prone to breaking. Some companies are prone to making models that are prone to breaking. My advice: RESEARCH. EVERYTHING. Do NOT buy until you thoroughly research both the model, and the company that made it. Keep a smart phone handy if you need to, or someone you trust (who's good with computers) on a phone call, who can look stuff up for you. If something's screwy about the model you're looking at, it's very likely (unless it's very new) that somebody will have complained about it online.

For Netflix and compiling simple code, 2.0 Ghz of processing power should be just fine, maybe less if you want, but I wouldn't dip too far below that, just because. You don't need a whole lot of memory, but I would suggest 4 GB of RAM at the least... just because sometimes it helps. (It's been a bit since I went computer shopping, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if these things were bottom-tier now.) I wouldn't suggest you get a netbook or chromebook of any type, because those really are "POS". You don't sound like you need anything quadcore, so if you want to skimp and go dual core, perfectly fine. And a graphics card? You can skimp safely in that area. You don't even really need a CD/DVD drive if netflix and coding is all you're doing - but it's safe to get it anyway.

Like you said, you want it to last. It only makes sense to buy one that can last not only wear and tear, but the times. Buy fresh. If you like Linux, get Linux. If you like Mac, get Mac. If you like Windows, get Windows, with the following exceptions:
Gaming? Get Windows.
Coding and little else? Get Linux. Emulators are a pain. So is Linux if you're not a programmer.
New to computers and not sure what to do? (I don't think you are.) Get a Mac. Macs are also good with the graphics department... which I think you're okay with.
Anything else is Windows. Windows 8 is actually pretty good, but you'll need to make some modifications to your system before it's really, really worth it. It's all simple stuff.

I would aim for something that costs $400 at the minimum - not $300. $600 means you get a good buy that'll last you a decent number of years without becoming obsolete. (This is assuming we're talking US currency. For Canada, $425 minimum. For the UK, that's about £235.)

As to places with good information... Google is your friend. Or, if Google offends you, just use the search engine of your choice.

So, here ya go, Mainiac. I didn't know of a guide I could link you to, so I wrote up a quick one myself. Hope it helps a bit.

[mainiac]

Why would I need to go up to $400 when I'm going for those sort of specs?  I think I can find it for a lot less then that with just minimal work:

high rated seller for the laptop with a cpu:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/271526722527?lpid=82

that sweet sweet ram:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007609%20600000399&IsNodeId=1&Description=4%20GB%20laptop%20memory&bop=And&Order=RATING&PageSize=20

It's stuff like this that makes me think I'd like to build a laptop if possible.  I just feel more confident about the machine that way.  I just haven't done that for laptops before so am unsure if that's even a plausible course of action.

I appreciate your advice I just was hoping for something a little more geared towards trustworthy sources of information.  I see a lot of advice there on the internet and I don't know what to put my faith in.  With desktops logical increments was great because a lot of savvy people had positive experiences in the past, letting me know that I could expect the same.  But given the inactivity of the thread I'm concluding that there isn't a site that have given people comparable experiences for laptops.

[Talvieno]

Huh, I obviously need to keep up with things better. Good finds - although I've not heard much good about Dell systems from long-time users. I guess you could aim for $300, yeah - but keep in mind that was a used laptop you were looking at. Also keep in mind that you're talking to a guy who doesn't like skimping much when it comes to computer systems. I like what I get to last, both in durability and in not becoming "old tech".

I don't really think there's much you can do as far as building a laptop goes. In the first post you came across as (or I read you as) someone who didn't quite know their way around computers. If you've built desktops (which that last post implies), then I underestimated you - my apologies. Building laptops still isn't a very viable option - they just aren't really... customizable in the same way a desktop PC is. Look for what you want and get it. Hard drive can be upgraded, and so can the memory - in most laptops. Again, research. Your graphics card is permanent - you can't upgrade it, so get a little higher than the minimum of what you think you need. Everybody finds themselves wanting a little more at some point. Everything else is permanent too.

It is cheaper to upgrade the memory/hard drive after buying the laptop. The hard drive upgrade is a bit tricky, but the RAM upgrade is a bit more straightforward and easy to do, even if you have to order the parts from online. Well... usually straightforward. I think you can aim for $300, yeah, but be careful, you know. Like you yourself said, you don't want to wind up with something that breaks. (basically, aim for less memory/hard drive space than you think you need (but not less than 3 GB, preferably), and upgrade later, if you want to do it more cheaply).

Laptops do break a lot more often than desktops do, but a big factor is just how you take care of it. Expect to get a cooling pad, and expect your laptop battery to die at some point (they're usually expensive to replace, but you can solve this just by keeping your laptop plugged in most of the time, and letting it almost die before you plug it back in - it'll extend the working life dramatically). I still would not trust anything used - just because they never, ever tell you everything up front. It's not that people are shifty, it's that they're shifty and nobody can really tell what's going to break next and when.

Laptops really aren't made to be built from scratch, though. I've heard of it being done, but you rarely, if ever, hear of it, just because space is at more of a premium inside a laptop. You don't get the same mounting points you do in a desktop, and everything is usually custom-fit. No interchangeable sound/graphics cards, etc. Even the CD/DVD drive is generally fit specifically for that laptop model. Not always, but a lot of the time.

[Il Palazzo]

I agree that it's a fool's errand to try and build one's own laptop.

As for choosing one, I've found this rather enlightening post on another forum:

I'm convinced the most cost effective platform for doing technical computing today is to do the following:

(1) Buy a Chromebook. Samsung, Acer, ASUS, HP, and Toshiba all have lightweight systems with long battery life for less than $300.

(2) Install Ubuntu Linux on the Chromebook using a software package called Crouton. Instructions for doing this are available many places on line, for example at this link.

After doing this, you will have a full-featured laptop running the Chrome OS and Ubuntu Linux simultaneously. You switch back and forth with a single keystroke. All of the multimedia stuff (web browsing, watching Netflix, listening to music, ...) works great on the Chrome OS. All of the technical computing(Python, C, C++, ...) is available for free on the Ubuntu OS. Files are available from both sides. Note that this is not a "dual-boot" configuration. You almost never need to re-boot. Both OS's are running at the same time, and the switch takes less than 1 second.

The concerns that you can't work locally on the Chromebook because you are tied to "the cloud" go away, because the Ubuntu OS is fully yours and you can do whatever you want on it.

The best part is that the whole package costs less than $300. Compare this to your $1400 Macbook, and spend the $1100 on other stuff. I have been running this combination for more than a year(on a Samsung Chromebook, which at the time was $249 at Best Buy, but is now available for $229), and it works great. I bought a 64GB SD plug-in(about $50) to add to the 32GB built in SD disk, so I have 96GB of fast solid-state disk space, which is more than enough. If you need more, you can buy a Terabyte USB disk for ~$75. It weghs less than 2 pounds, and the battery lasts 6-8 hours.

The only caution I have is that with the Samsung Chromebook, since it is based on ARM and not Intel, there are a few pieces of technical code (like Mathematica) that don't run on it. So if I were buying one today, I would buy an Intel based Chromebook (like Acer, ASUS, HP, Toshiba).

[mainiac]

Chromebooks do seem like a decent package but I'm worried about there not being enough RAM in those and the difficulty of upgrading.

[Talvieno]

I like Google, but I don't have a very high opinion of Chromebooks. Especially not if you're programming. (I do Java and some C++.) They're not really much more than glorified tablets with a few extra features thrown in.

[mainiac]

Glorified tablet sounds a lot like what I want though, as long as it's a tablet that can compile code and has a keyboard.  I already have a good desktop.

[Il Palazzo]

How much RAM does one need to program anyway?

[Talvieno]

Glorified tablet sounds a lot like what I want though, as long as it's a tablet that can compile code and has a keyboard.  I already have a good desktop.

Ahhhhhh, okay. Didn't quite realize that part. Chromebook might be what you want, then - just be careful with the storage space.

Il Palazzo: Depends on what you're doing. Usually not more than 3 GB for most stuff (for me, anyway), but again, comes down to what you're doing.

[mainiac]

How much RAM does one need to program anyway?

Well I do a lot of online referencing while I do so I don't want chromeOS to wipe my tabs everytime I hit compile.  I think 4 GB would be plenty but I can't seem to find any cheap/refurbished 2Ghz 4GB chromebooks.

[Talvieno]

 Yeah, Chromebook isn't what you need, then. Something a little more powerful than that.

[mainiac]

I can't seem to find any good Python IDEs for chromebooks.  If you ever want to see me finishing fivebanners, Il Palazzo, I'll need to have tkinter and Pillow while I spend my offtime at work programming.

[Il Palazzo]

Well, then. Looking through the offers on Amazon, there's a handful of 4GB chromebooks costing extra 50-ish bucks.
Or, remembering that memory in regular laptops is the one component that is easily upgradable, you could do a bit of searching on your chosen model and see whether it offers that possibility.
Like with this one:(post is 18 months old)
http://liliputing.com/2012/11/yes-you-can-upgrade-the-memory-hdd-on-acers-199-chromebook.html

I can't seem to find any good Python IDEs for chromebooks.  If you ever want to see me finishing fivebanners, Il Palazzo, I'll need to have tkinter and Pillow while I spend my offtime at work programming.

Shouldn't there be plenty for Linux out there? Check that post I linked to again - it suggests having Linux installed simultaineously with Chrome OS.

[mainiac]

I don't think my mind can get around the idea of a laptop only having 1.1 GHz.  Have you tried a 1.1 GHz chromebook?  I was thinking that 1.9 would be the minimum but I'm certainly persuadable.