Cheap and light...

So I've narrowed things down to

Vostro 1400 (i cannot tell if this is closer to 5Lb or 6)
Dell Latitude D531 (again, can't tell what the weight is like)

or Refurb XPS 1210 if I can find one I can afford
or worst case HP nc6400 refurb

Anyhow I'm pretty poor but I'm looking at lappys that are close to 5lb (I wish I could land a 12 inch screen). Any recommendations given my standards on the Dell side?

(I'm older, 32, going back to college...plus live on the Gulf Coast so I'd like to have something easy to tote in case of hurricane evacuation)

 

The m1210 is an excellent computer and if you can save up to get a new one, (the base 999 deal is an incredible value, now includes dedicated gfx card) it will be more than worth it. XPS comes with a one year on site repair included which really adds to the value of the laptop. Also it is very tough. I'd try to pinch come pennies to make it possible, I know I did.

 

Well I'm lookin for a refurb...but I'm seriously being cheap here.

If I could afford a new 1210 I'd look at a macbook as well.

I almost looked at a D600 refurb because it's soo cheap trouble is DDR (classic) not DDR2 memory and the XGA display.

 

Well, the 1210 really kinda blows the macbook out of the water on all fronts (weight, size, power, screen), especially for the money. Mac's arent' better just cause they have OSX. Also, right now DDR2 is cheaper at most places, older ram usually gets more expensive as time goes on. 533 ddr2 ram is cheaper usually that 667.

What kinda budget you swinging?

 

Also, you can get an extra 10% off any xps refurb with this coupon WZ?QGKW3NJ4KBH

 

Coupon is all used up

 

there will be a new one next week, sorry

 

There are some really good deals on the M1210 right now... try Dell university

 

Which school?

My Univ. doesn't have anything special..just some pre configured bundles all near $1800 with all manner of useless sh*t.

 

The D531 isn't a real 14"... it's a 15" chassis, and if you select the 14" display, they just put a 14" panel in it... so it's still as big and heavy as any 15" laptop.
For a 14" budget business notebook, have a look at the HP Compaq 6515b business notebook instead. The Vostro 1400 is also an option, but it's kind of thick. The 1400 will be about 5.5 pounds with 6-cell battery or about 6 pounds with the 9-cell. There's a review of the Inspiron 1420 on this site, published a day or two ago. The Vostro 1400 is the same machine as the Inspiron 1420, just painted black and renamed Vostro 1400.