New Guy, need some advice....

[jh225]

I never had a laptop and thought I might get a used one to play with. A guy has this for sale priced at $300. It is a few years old and is in EX condition. Comes with a leather bag.

Gateway Solo 9500
Processor: One Intel® Pentium III™ CPU running at 1.0GHz
Bus speed: 100 MHz front side bus
Graphics: ATI Mobility M4
Video memory: 16 MB SGRAM
System Memory: 256Mb
Hard Drive: 30Gb
LCD display panel: 15.7-inch active matrix (TFT) LCD color display
Maximum panel resolution: 1280 × 1024 (SXGA, 15.7-inch display)
Maximum color depth: 16.7 million colors
External video: Supports dual display
Supports simultaneous LCD/external monitor
TV out jack: Supports NTSC/PAL connection to standard TV monitors with RCA jack
Audio chipset: ESS ES 1988
Sound support: Multi-stream DirectSound and DirectSound 3D acceleration
Sensaura CRL Position 3D
S/PDIF output
Digital DVD audio: Provides full 5.1 channel Dolby Digital output (AC-3) from DVD decoder through Toslink optical S/PDIF jack on notebook, and through RCA S/PDIF jack on docking station and port replicator.
Volume control: Volume control buttons on bezel above keyboard
Software control provided through Windows
Internal microphone: Omni-directional, low-impedance
Internal speakers: Stereo speakers built into front of notebook 0.5 W maximum output
Audio jacks : Toslink S/PDIF digital audio output on notebook
S/PDIF jack on port replicator and docking station
Stereo headphone output
Stereo line input
Monophonic microphone input
Modem features: Integrated V.90 56 K data/fax modem
Uses the RJ-11 jack in the port options area on the left side of notebook
10/100Mbps Ethernet interface: Integrated IEEE 802.3 (10/100 BASE-TX) Ethernet interface
Uses the RJ-45 connector in the port options area on the left side of notebook
Keyboard: Full-sized 87-key keyboard (US/Asia)
Pointing device: Gateway EZ-Pad™ touchpad
Input/Output (I/O) ports: 2 USB (4-pin)
High-speed serial
Parallel (bi-directional, EPP, ECP)
V.90 56K Modem (optional, RJ-11)
10/100 Ethernet (optional, RJ-45)
IEEE 1394 (optional, 4-pin)
PS/2 keyboard or mouse
DC input
Docking port
PC Card sockets (2 Type I or II, or 1 Type III or Zoom Video)
External monitor (VGA)
TV out (NTSC/PAL composite video)
Toslink S/PDIF digital audio out
Stereo headphone output
Stereo line input
Monophonic microphone input
Operating system: Microsoft® Windows® 2000 Professional

Does this deal sound OK, or should I pass? What else would I need? If this is no good, what could I look to buy for under(well under) $500? I really am just using it to play around, do some web surfing outside via wireless, etc.

 

[LaptopExtreme]

If it's only for basic tasks like internet browsing, then it should be ok. Remember it's only a P3 and not only that, but only 1Ghz. Battery life should be at the minutes. I'd try to low ball him even more, since it's considered a large paper wieght to many. But yes, it'll work... for now.

 

[jh225]

Remember it's only a P3 and not only that, but only 1Ghz. Battery life should be at the minutes.

Battery life at the minutes? Will the battery not last a few hours on a charge?

Also, he says there is no software or discs included and that no discs are needed. Said something about a "software key" being on the computer. Will I need any software to run this from scratch like the Windows 2K disc? He said the Windows is pre-installed and I am wondering about what happens in the event of a crash?

Can I install my Office 2000 or my Works Suite? WS came with my home XP Pro, is it useable on Win 2K?

Does $250 sound like a better deal?

 

[LaptopExtreme]

Yes, $250 sounds better, of course. As for the battery, it's an old system and battery charge usually lessen through time from wear and tear. Also, if you have the software key, you can still reinstall the OS with another Win2K CD. As for installing programs, sure, you can use Office 2000 and Works suite on your system.