Is this laptop a good deal?

[bzbatl]

Need some nerds' inputs here. I need a faster computer to run my DJ program (runs 3 simultaneous "turntables" spinning mp3s). Right now I'm running a 3 year old mobile AMD Athlon (can't remember the speed) with 1GB (maxed out, unfortunately) and occasionally it'll glitch out during my live mixes. The forum of the program suggested that it does this because of the limited speed of the processor and the limited amount of ram.

I'm going by memory here, so excuse me if any of this is incorrect. I'm very up on building desktops, but I'm clueless as to the current notebook computers. Wondering if this is as good of a deal as it appears to be to me...

Best Buy has a clearance Gateway laptop for $699 (down from $999).

Mobile Pentium Duo Core T2060 @ 1.6 Ghz
1GB ram DDR2 @ 400Mhz(?) - 2 slots are filled, 2GB max
160GB SATA drive
DVD+RW/DL
17" widescreen with glass panel
Shared video memory (ugh)
Windows Vista Home Premium (ugh)
Full keyboard (including the number pad - rarity!)
3 USB ports
Integrated 5.1
Integrated 802.11b

Plus they'll do 18 months financing, which is super helpful to my biz.

What do ya'll think? Gateways any good nowadays?

[bzbatl]

Not that anyone cares, obviously, but I found a smoking deal at Best Buy instead of the Gateway:

Core Duo T2350 @ 1.8 Ghz
15" widescreen
160GB SATA
1GB DDR2
Integrated 802.11a/b/g
Integrated 3G card
Integrated Bluetooth

$499

hootie hoo, bitches

[Ivan_markII]

For buying any computer check for various coupons or deals...

www.techbargains.com

[coronadozx]

bz,
did you get the $699 or the $499?

i have a gateway (full keyboard) w/ 17" screen and it rocks.

i definitely don't like the integrated video card and shared memory, but i am not a PC gamer, so it doesn't affect what i'm doing.

but for your dj purposes, either one of those laptops will suffice.

[bzbatl]

I ended up getting the Acer for $499

It's so incredibly super fast. I play around at home on my beast of a machine, then go to work on my 3 year old laptop... ugh!

It's really nice having a current machine that can support the three turntables without any lag time. I can't wait for my gig tomorrow night!

[coronadozx]

awesome man!!!

good luck.

[bzbatl]

Thanks, it worked perfectly.

I showed up a little early to my gig, to make sure everything worked properly. It took some time to adjust the audio, and I'm still confused as to why my sound card is so much louder now... but it works much better than the previous laptop, so I'm very happy with it.

On another good note, my step mom bought my old one from me for $250, so I'm only out $250