Right. So my dark secret is that at heart I’m illiterate, computer illiterate.
I don’t really get how it works, as long as it does. Which is great in the work environment, because I have always had a string of lovely men on call on (yes, largely men…no IT chicks in my life so far) who help me with all sorts of techological related issues.
But I find myself with the opportunity to buy a second hand lap top. And I realise I am paralysed by a huge, seemingly insurmountable ignorance.
So I’m appealing to all fellow bloggers…help me please. Does anyone have an opinion on the:
IBM thinkpad A20M
Any and all thoughts or alternative recommendations would be gobbled up gratefully!
Ta very much…..
La Dolce Vita 
dolce – i would never buy a second hand laptop regardless of the make.
Hey KC…thanks! So what would you recommend I buy instead if I splash out on new?
DOLCE
Never ever buy a second hand anything when it comes to computers.
Dell. Great machines. Not a client of mine. Our PC manufacturing client would have thrombosis if they knew i have replaced 90% of our machines with Dells….
Dolce, have to agree with KC. Don’t buy a second hand laptop – EVER! The A20M is only a pentium 3 I think. – thats archaic.
These days you can pick up a new one at a good price. LG has some great specials and they are so lightweight. Shop around and look out for a special. Get a dual core processor, wireless, decent processor and if you’re using alot of graphics applications don’t get anything less than 512 ram. If you set on IBM check out http://www.Lenovo.com/za. Lenova makes the IBM components and they even have the same models.
I would get a laptop brand that is serviced locally or its a mission to have it serviced.
KC, Dell are great machines but really over priced for what you get I think. Aesthetically not that pretty either.
These days teh turn around on the technology is so fast I am not sure its worth forking out on a Dell. The depreciation on PC’s is frightening – you can basically right it off after 3 years.
Agree with K Chas and Flutter – never buy a second hand PC Dolce.
Agree with Flutter – Dell overpriced. Great, but overpriced. Go for the new HP Compaq nx7300 Dolce. It is middle of the range. Operates MS Windows XP Professional.
My geek friend says NEVER, EVER buy a second-hand laptop unless they are giving it to you for less than R100 bucks! I trust him, he knows a lot of that stuff.
Flutter – i find Dell’s are not that different in price to HP. and they are better technology than LG. I just want something that boots up and doesn’t lose speed over time. we had toshibas a while back and i was replacing every year. it’s enraging. but then i do buy for the whole company when we upgrade so we get a special price from Dell.
Hey chica’s (note the significant absence of men commenting on this critical issue) THANKS!
Guess I’m going to have to do some leg work.
*sigh*
Don’t listen to K Chas Dolce…after all, she wears Crocs and thinks that Windows is hardware!! *Arbie runs for cover*
*joins arb behind cover*
Hey Arb…I’m reading the god delusion at the moment and the author had a classic description of catholics which was just KChas all over…must remember to bring it in and lift the quote – classic!
Please do Dolce……you know what Alanis Morrisette said about those Catholic Girls and making up for lost time…let me not even get started on what Tori tunes!
Tell you something for nothing Dolce…this place is hell of a morbid these days. You know, was just chatting to Morti and she’s right – things would never be the same – even if all the old bloggers came back – the moment is somehow lost. I am definitely not as obsessed with blogging as I use to be – and I can’t seem to get it together to blog at all – just throw the odd comment here and there.
I think that the problem for me is NO ONE FLIRTS ANYMORE!! I’m going into moping mode now 😦
nah, Arb…the old dynamic of the ‘mark is gone…this format doesn’t work for what the ‘mark used to offer. It’s a shame, but nothing us little minions can do but blog on regardless.
Still, it’s a pity!
Arbie agree the HP Compaq nx7300 is a good middle of the road option but maybe Windows Vista compatible is the way to go?
KC, you know having owned a Compaq (original ), two of the new HP Compaq’s and playing around on my bro’s LG I have to say HPcompaq has dropped standards alot. I have a Fujitsu Lifebook which I just love.
Dolce, I am a bit biased but there is a Fujitsu Amilo special at Makro if you want to take a look at them up close.
Arb – Are you able to balance a beer on your head and move your head backwards and forwards in a rhythmic kind of way?
LOL Spoegs…I aint falling for that one – you ask all the chicks that shite! Are you?
Do you drink beer, baby?
Spoegs….you seem groovy and all that good shite but I cannot bring myself to flirt with someone whose name sounds like something a flu ridden person would sneeze up……although, when you mention the wordws ‘beer’ and ‘babe’ in a single sentance – you make it hard for me to resist…….
You’re not the only one baby, you’re not the only one.
she means hard to resist kicking you in the gonads, I think!
She’s not the only one baby, she’s not the only one.
Fluts…that does look like a good price! What would the downside to getting a Fujitsu? What about local service (which you mentioned!)
Spoegs – those cajones still external?
lol dolce
Spoegs…Ive been pondering ‘what inspires Spoegs to ask all those really intellectually stimulating questions’?
Im sure we all wanna know if ants sleep!
oh please. peasants. i am the least likely catholic on earth. funny huh? how you can claim to be any other religion than catholic and get away with minimal bullshit…
anyway – this place is boring. i am busy on the zimbo forums. anything is better than watching the tumbleweeds blow by…
They only dropped the other day. Now when I get kicked it really hurts. I don’t even know if ants sleep – thats why I ask. I think I’ve been cursed with an enquiring mind.
Aaauwww K Chas…..don’t go!
Hi D there are a few places in Cape Town that service Fujitsu but shop around, even Incredible Ripoff has some great specials every month, also try Computer Mania
OK who the hell is Spoegs?! Anyone?
kc – thought you got kicked off those things?
Thanks Fluts – man, this is horrible…I hate big decisions about money when i know nothing about the subject!
*sigh*
Whats next spoegs….who looked at a chicken and said ‘we’ll eat the next thing that comes out its ass’?
Btw, coutersy of Matthew Alice, SanDiegoReader.com…..
Rust never sleeps, but ants do. At least that’s what bug researchers say, and we’ll have to take their word for it since ants don’t have eyelids, they don’t snore, and I’ve never seen one sprawled out, drooling on the couch in front of the TV. “Sleep” may be stretching a point, actually. In the bug lab, a dozing ant is one that slows down, doesn’t wave its antennae very much, and sort of hangs out staring vacantly into space for a while. Two researchers actually managed to fit some tiny electrodes onto tiny ants’ even tinier heads to detect much, much tinier electrical activity from their very, very extremely tiny brains. The PhDs swear they observed slowed brain activity during these resting periods, though they admit ants don’t have much in the gray-matter department. Who said science isn’t fun? Anyway, these “sleeping” periods lasted for about eight minutes out of each 12-hour period– every other one of these interludes is more like a nap than actual sleep. Groups of ants seemed to coordinate these rests so the whole colony doesn’t flake out at the same time.
da daaa! Spoegs is a sleeping ant!
Hey Flutter, spoegs is the resident spud of ama although he said it dropped a little while ago 😉
He asks really smart questions all the time. He even told nossie how to make baby-oil. Very enlightening 🙂
Naaa….spoegs is that stuff you go ‘gggggeettttt ppfffttttooo’ to loosen from the back of your throat when you have flu.
From… ‘tiny ants’ even tinier heads to detect much, much tinier electrical activity from their very, very extremely tiny brains’… I would agree with Dolce…he’s an ant
i am not going anywhere – just taking a sabbatical. dolce- the way it works is you can be banned from a thread on the forum… but i can make my own threads!!!! causing mayhem. lawdie lawdie it is fun.
See now we can put that one to bed so to speak and move on.
Cool K Chas……phew, thought we’d lost another square peg.
From heckler to hecklee in one easy step. All of a sudden its a show down, Spoegs vs the Get a Along Gang. Ok give it your best shot.
Spoegies – *hug*
Ha, Ha. I spit in the direction of you hug and declare a ROFLAP.
Hey Spoegs…Dolce is on a ‘hug the world’ campaign….that was an insult…now you’ve had it!
We’ll sort it out during the ROFLAP!!!
what is a ROFLAP…is it likek a piss flap, only not as cooked?
I’m so glad you asked. During a ROFLAP, you, arb and semi get the opportunity to prove that you can indeed balance a beer on your head while making backwards and forwards motions with your head. Each one of you gets points and the best one gets posted on my blog.
Not only can we balance a beer on our heads, making backward and forward motions with our heads (arbs got enuf practice on that motion 🙂 ) but we can also walk over to you and hug you….lol
Hmmm…sounds kinda nice Spoegs – the other girls don’t stand a chance – bwwwwaahhhaaaa
Eeeerrrpp…..Semi…..you and Dolce hug – I’ll do the said backwards and forwards motion – kay…
I meant to say kick his ass but hug sounded so much better… ok Arb…you go girl…
Spoegs. Ew.
Dolce you prude
Damn right. I’m not sharing my patented technique with just anyone.