If you're looking to shop on the cheap, check out the online outlets for buying your next computer.  I had the unfortunte pleasure of laptop shopping recently, and if you've done the same - it is a real pain!  After a few days of crunching the numbers of what I was looking for vs. what was out there, I ended up checking out the certified refurbished machines from different online distributors (Apple, Dell, Gateway, Sony, ...).  As far as I can tell certified refurbished is a fancy way of saying "Used with a Warranty."

In the end, I ended up with a Dell Latitude E6500 laptop, which as configured runs over $2200 at Dell.com, but was sub-$1K in the outlet (there was only 1 available at the time).  This particular laptop came stock standard with a 3-year warranty, but I was still a bit hesitant that there might be something generally "wrong" with it - and I was wrong (whew)!  It's a great computer, blazing fast, and perfect for just what I need.

The E6500 is a new model from Dell, so think of it like buying a us ed car.  If you purchase a certified-refurbished machine that was new 3 years ago, it's like buying a used vehicle from the early 90s.  But if you find one that's relatively new, they've likely replaced the defective part and are trying to recover the funds of building the original machine.  Win-win.  That being said, I highly suggest keeping your search in the realm of newer computers, since as we all know older ones are... well they're older, and are unlikely to hold up as long as you'd hope.

If you need new, shop new.  Otherwise, check out the following outlets:

• Dell Business Outlet (where I found the E6500)
• Dell Home Outlet
• Sony Outlet
• Apple Outlet

If you check the Gateway outlet, there isn't anything listed at this time, not because Gateway builds the Rolls Royce of computers.  I'm not sure what their deal is, but you can find plenty of refurbished Gateway computers at CompUSA.com and Buy.com.

Craig Dugas