Help to buy a ridiculously low spec laptop

[Edir]

First I will provide a short story: I had a HP Compaq nx6125 laptop, 1.8GHz(?) AMD Turion processor with an upgraded 1.25GB RAM. I ran Ubuntu on it and just used it for jotting down notes in class and for that function it was fine. It lasted out 9 years until it died, screen and battery simultaneously (seriously, what are the chances???). I decided I never really liked it and it always felt a little weak in it's outside case. So now I'm looking to pick up a cheap laptop to replace it wh similar specs, probably used. Here are the questions as requested:

READ THE PARAGRAPH FIRST!!!

1. What is your budget? £30 for used (please don't laugh)

2. What is the size of the notebook that you are considering? I'd prefer 14" but smaller is fine. However, bigger may not fit in my rucksack.

3. What screen resolution do you want? Don't care so long as it's usable.

4. Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop? No.

5. How much battery life do you need? Not a concern, all my classes have plug sockets. My previous laptop didn't even have a battery (it died years ago)

6. Do you want to play games with your laptop? If so then please list the games that you want to with the settings that you want for these games. (Low,Medium or High)? No

7. What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? (Photo/Video editing, Etc.) Just word processing and also programming in C++

8. How much storage (Hard Drive capacity) do you need? 40GB is probably enough

9. If you are considering specific sites to buy from, please post their links. Nope

10. How long do you want to keep your laptop? About 3 years

11. What kind of Optical drive do you need? DVD ROM/Writer,Bluray ROM/Writer,Etc ? I'd like to be able to read DVDs and CDs but if it can boot from USB then it is not a requirement.

12. Please tell us about the brands that you prefer to buy from them and the brands that you don't like and explain the reasons. Apple is a no-go area, I completely disagree with their values.

13. What country do you live in? United Kingdom

14. Please tell us any additional information if needed. The laptop must work with Linux (But I don't mind a quick easy workaround for, say, WiFi.). Also, as for specs, they should be in the 1.8GHz single core, 1.25GB RAM ballpark, but dual core is nice (Intel centrino perhaps?).

 

[ss202sl]

ebay , craigs list. maybe even pawn shops (better if around a college).

 

[Edir]

I understand where to get one from, I just need to pick a model. Had any good experiences 7 years ago?

 

[hdmark]

I think in this case its going to be very hard to give an exact model. itd probably be easier for you to look on ebay or craigslist and come back with a few options.

cause you could find ANY model for under 30$ if the seller doesn't want it anymore.

 

[velo3100]

Is the £30 a typo as I don't know any laptop that can handle c++ in this price range.

 

[hang-the-9]

There is no way you can go up to 100? For 100 you can find a fast core 2 duo system with a hard drive that is not about to die any second on you. If I had an old system with a 40 gig or 80 gig drive, I'd be worried every day that it will crash on me. Same thing for the screen and video card.

Lenovo T400, I have seen and sold plenty for about 100 and you can't break them. Maybe T61 if you can't find a 400 in the price. A T60 or 61 can be found under 100 if you look around and maybe bargain a bit. Heck, you can do barter on many sites, have headphones or a TV you don't need? RC car or something? Trade for a laptop.