Cheap is synonymous with poor quality, but it doesn’t have to be so. There are plenty of deals to be had, especially if you are willing to buy a computer that is more down-to-earth than the most cutting edge, overpriced technology.

Old does not equal bad.

Older models are not to be looked down upon, especially as they have been well tested and you are sure to know what you are getting into before buying. Just because it doesn’t have 37 cores, and 93.2MB of XYZ, doesn’t mean it won’t be up to the tasks you want it for.

For web browsing, editing documents, putting together presentations, checking email and the like choose something which is Centrino or Centrino Duo Mobile based. With either of these you are on the right track.

Systemax laptop with 15 inch wide screen display. You can customize nearly all the specifications to get exactly the laptop you need.

512MB of RAM will do, 1GB is better, but not completely necessary. I recommend at least 512MB for Windows XP and 1GB for Windows Vista.

Get a hard drive with 40GB or more. Also get a DVD writer, then any data you need to store safely or need to move to free up space can be burnt to a DVD.

Get a wide screen monitor if possible. Laptop screens are smaller, extra width makes a more roomy desktop environment. 15 inches and up make for more comfortable viewing, but take up space, get smaller for greater portability.

USB 2.0, firewire, built-in audio (in/out/mic) are must-haves, all laptops should have them.

Get a power supply, and an extra battery if you plan to be away from power for a long time (think long plane trips).

New laptop or notebook computers will set you back from $1000 upwards and from $600 up for refurbished models