mysticmage Posted November 4, 2008 Author Share Posted November 4, 2008 I bought the Emachine that was on sale last year for $199 and it still runs great. In order to get one I would say you have to be somewhere in the first 60 - 70 people at most. The first thing to go are the $229 laptops, then the $199 desktops and the $399 laptops. Even within the first 60 - 70 is risky but further than that and you're chances are about as good as hitting the lottery. As far as the Compaq you bought in 2006 (I got one of those too), what went wrong? Maybe I can give you a much cheaper solution so you don't have to get a new one at all. Helps to know how to repair computers when you give each child their own computer especially when my son was 2 at the time. Never too soon to start teaching them how to use it. As far as what time to arrive it varies based on where you are located. Some lines start forming Wednesday evening, others start Thursday evening. No matter where you are by 6pm Thursday if you are not on line and near the front go home and get some sleep or go to a different retailer. Best Buy is notorious for one of the longest lines, and longest checkout (that's the worst part, 2 hours in line to pay for the item you stayed on line for 24 hrs to get in the first place). As bad as it sounds staying on line all day and night for the item it will become addictive, lol. I go earlier each year and actually meet the same people every year that like me enjoy the rush of staying on line all night, lol.Thanks for all of the replies first off. Thank you, but it needs a new motherboard which is pretty hard to install and isn't cheap/easy to find a new part for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salon1459 Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 My 8 year old son wants a computer that he can google and also play games on .I have been told this is a "gamer pc and it needs a good graphics card. Have they had anything on black friday in the past that would work.? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TazErase Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 My 8 year old son wants a computer that he can google and also play games on .I have been told this is a "gamer pc and it needs a good graphics card. Have they had anything on black friday in the past that would work.?Depends on the type of games he plays. I know the laptop for $229 last year only had a 32 bit graphics card and wouldn't work with most new games. The Emachines last year for $199 has I believe a 128 bit video card ad worked well. Most computers with at least a 64 bit card can play current games but I'd recommend at least 128 bit video card or better. The Toshiba laptop for $379 has an allocated video card from 128 to 319 bits which should be fine. The Emachines for $299 should work fine as well although I am not sure what video card, but it's usually more than what a laptop has for a similar price. It's not easy to find the specs on the BF items since tehy are made just for BF and not usually available year round. You my be able to get the specs on or about Thanksgiving from the BB site if they sell it online. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TazErase Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 My 8 year old son wants a computer that he can google and also play games on .I have been told this is a "gamer pc and it needs a good graphics card. Have they had anything on black friday in the past that would work.?BTW, a big congrats to your 8 year old for figuring out the problem is a weak graphics card. If my 8 year old was smart enough to figure that out on his own he deserves the computer, lol. Never too soon to teach them. My youngest was 2 when he got his computer last year (the $199 eMachines) and my 4 year old got the $229 laptop. I wouldn;t dare tell the others behind me on line that my 2 and 4 yr old kids were getting the computers they were on line all night for and didn't get though, lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TazErase Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 Thanks for all of the replies first off. Thank you, but it needs a new motherboard which is pretty hard to install and isn't cheap/easy to find a new part for it.Forget only the problemof installing the motherboard, they usually go for $150 or more for anything decent. Than there is the problem of making sure it's all compatible, the time to install, etc... To be honest with the price of computers now I don't build them myself any more. I buy something stock that's decent and when possible I get external hard drives for additional space. Also before throwing out an old system I strip all the useful parts and buy an external case to put the hard drive in as another spare. Also a lot of motherboards are attatched to the video card, sound card, etc. so in many cases you have to replace everything. Sounds like you just got a bad system. My 2 year practically abuses his computer and it hasn't had any hardware problems, only software problems that I had to fix on occation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts