View Full Version : Stuck Between a Rock and a Hard Place
njshadow
09-22-2007, 05:40 PM
Ok, here's the dilemma. I have enough money for 1 of 2 things. I don't REALLY need either, however one could prove to be quite beneficial in school. Ok, Laptop or PS3?
njshadow
09-22-2007, 06:03 PM
which laptop
Eh, I'm lookin' to go HP. Not entirely sure which model though but I definitely want it to be fast. Core 2 Duo, DVD Player, the works. Although it's gonna have to be around $1,000, I'm not gonna go much over that.
tokenuser
09-22-2007, 08:04 PM
You are still at home - so keep using the computer you are on now ... and please don't use the "I'm buying a laptop for college" line, because until you are ready for college, its a wasted investment.
PS3? Hmm, OK - but do you already have another console? Keep your eyes open for Black Friday specials.
So I'd take option 3 - neither. Save the money. Keep saving more money. Buy a car or something even larger with the money saved.
I busted my ass at McD's to save for a sailboard (windsurfer ... plus wetsuit, booties, harness, roofracks for the car, etc). Don't buy on a whim because you have the money - save it up.
phatlip12
09-22-2007, 09:34 PM
I think the laptop would be a worth while investment considering you're in college now. My laptop has come in alot of handy. HP is a good choice as well. :)
buy two shares of google stock (quote 560.10)
with the spectrum issue and the new google phone it should rise
when the stock is worth double what it is now or it splits
you can sell one and still have the money you have now plus your stake in google
or you can keep them and leave an order with your broker that if it ever falls to what it was the day you paid for it to sell
then you still have your money
i asked my family to invest my share or a portion thereof of the family trust in the google ipo but they did not think i knew anything worthwhile
*sigh*
tokenuser
09-23-2007, 12:58 AM
buy two shares of google stock (quote 560.10)
with the spectrum issue and the new google phone it should rise
when the stock is worth double what it is now or it splits
you can sell one and still have the money you have now plus your stake in google
or you can keep them and leave an order with your broker that if it ever falls to what it was the day you paid for it to sell
then you still have your money
i asked my family to invest my share or a portion thereof of the family trust in the google ipo but they did not think i knew anything worthwhile
*sigh*1. To have a broker you need to either pay an annual fee or maintain a minimum balance in the trade account to allow you to trade.
2. It costs money to trade. For me (currently) it is $18.95 (15.95 for the trade, plus $3 electronic transaction fee). You get hit with this twice. So, you need to add $37.90 to the cost base before you break even.
3. Any gain you make in the stock in the first 12 months of purchase is taxed at your current taxation rate ... after 12 months it is taxed at 15%.
4. Google have stated that they have no plans to split the stock.
I am actively trading stocks since Sept 7 - so I am new at this. I am doing well with AAPL (yes I own Apple stock - and as Phatlip will tell you I am not exactly perceived as a pro Mac person :) - but I could now cash out and buy myself a fully decked out MBP), my investment in RIMM just broke even (I got in a week ago - just as the stock dropped, but it is now back to the point it covers my base - and is expected to hit $110 by Oct 4, and $120 shortly there after). I also own Corning (GLW) - you probably know them most by the Corningware glass you have in your cupboard, but you probably dont realise that 3:4 LCD screens sold in the world have glass made by Corning in front of the screen, and they make a majority of the fibre optic cable sold around the world as well), and I have a position in SRS Labs (surround sound processors for flat panel displays and laptops).
masherscf
09-23-2007, 01:16 AM
So I'd take option 3 - neither. Save the money. Keep saving more money. Buy a car or something even larger with the money saved.
Option 4 - Fast women and slow horses.
Actually, I'm kinda with T/U in spirit. Delayed gratification is a good skill to learn. However, you're probably gonna want a laptop for school eventually. A PS3 is just going to be a useless distraction...from your XBOX.
1. To have a broker you need to either pay an annual fee or maintain a minimum balance in the trade account to allow you to trade.
2. It costs money to trade. For me (currently) it is $18.95 (15.95 for the trade, plus $3 electronic transaction fee). You get hit with this twice. So, you need to add $37.90 to the cost base before you break even.
3. Any gain you make in the stock in the first 12 months of purchase is taxed at your current taxation rate ... after 12 months it is taxed at 15%.
4. Google have stated that they have no plans to split the stock.
all true ~ i just like working out theories :D
and to put the idea in his head that you don't need to spend money you can make money with money
at 18 i inherited a lot of stock part of which i turned into a corvette even before i actually had the money ~ i went to the bank that was executor of my grandmother's estate and they gave me a short term commercial loan at super low interest to get the car
i did not even know how to drive and the car ended up in pieces on the road in front of my school :D i had a little accident :D
if i had saved or invested even a small portion of the money it would have been a good idea
but i had a great time which is what my grandmother would have wanted for me
i could have had 10% less of a great time and not even noticed it
actually i still own stock in gold mines in the philippines which i am trying to follow up on as gold is very high now
my family lived in the far east for three generations before my birth in manila i think my maternal great grandparents must have been friends with the people who owned the gold mining company
this one united paracale 1933 (http://www.marsmandrysdale.com/histhome.html)
Actually, I'm kinda with T/U in spirit. Delayed gratification is a good skill to learn.
true true true
njshadow
09-23-2007, 03:32 AM
(I do have a checking account that I manage, so that goes for my normal expenses.)I just wanna do something with that $1,200 in my savings. A CD yields a good amount of interest so that could be a possibility. It's just that whenever I sell someone a PS3 I drool over the counter. :D Also, a laptop could prove quite useful especially since I'm taking a C++ class in college and my current computer is pretty darn slow. It takes almost 5x longer to compile a program in Visual Studio!
shanehensley
09-23-2007, 10:00 AM
If it were me, I'd get a laptop. I already have a PS3, and my current laptop just crapped out. Your call though. I'd honestly probally get a laptop over the PS3 anyway. Just so much more to do with a computer.
tokenuser
09-23-2007, 03:30 PM
NJ - For some reason I thought you were still in High School. If you are in college without a decent laptop then you SHOULD have a good laptop.
The question then becomes ultraportable vs desktop replacement ... remember that if you are going to be carrying around a laptop (plus cables, etc), it soon gets pretty heavy - so yo might need to compromise size/function with weight.
I hate to say this - but check out the MacBooks ... see what price you can get with a student/academic discount, or via the apple refurb store online. Their hardware is pretty much state of the art at the moment, and with recent improvements to Parallels you will be set (except they stil suck for gaming).
I am also a fan of HP machines. Their recent glossy widescreen laptop models are very slick. I am surprised they aren't getting more press. I have been using HP laptops for about 6 years, and they are bomb proof (mine do a lot of travelling), but really are desktop replacements - as they weigh a ton.
Dell are good bang for buck.
PS3 is a waste of money :)
phatlip12
09-23-2007, 04:33 PM
I hate to say this - but check out the MacBooks ... see what price you can get with a student/academic discount, or via the apple refurb store online. Their hardware is pretty much state of the art at the moment, and with recent improvements to Parallels you will be set (except they stil suck for gaming).
I am also a fan of HP machines. Their recent glossy widescreen laptop models are very slick. I am surprised they aren't getting more press. I have been using HP laptops for about 6 years, and they are bomb proof (mine do a lot of travelling), but really are desktop replacements - as they weigh a ton.
Dell are good bang for buck.
PS3 is a waste of money :)
Oh I'm sure you really hate saying it Mr. AAPL share holder. ;)
If you want to go the Macbook route I would suggest you wait until after Macworld. Rumors of a Macbook redesign with a cheaper starting price are floating around and if that doesn't happen, I can pretty much guarantee that there will be SOME kind of hardware upgrade.
Hey Token, have you seen the new glossy HP displays? They look really nice, thinking about buying one and hooking my Macbook up to it.
And if you decide to get a PS3 let me know how those 12 games work out for you. I'll be over here playing Halo3 on my 360. :P
tokenuser
09-23-2007, 04:45 PM
Oh I'm sure you really hate saying it Mr. AAPL share holder. ;)What can I say. I now have a conflict of interest :) If you want to go the Macbook route I would suggest you wait until after Macworld. Rumors of a Macbook redesign with a cheaper starting price are floating around and if that doesn't happen, I can pretty much guarantee that there will be SOME kind of hardware upgrade.Rumours of a new slimline Macbook without an internal DVD are starting to surface as well. So far I can only track that back to a single site that everyone is quoting. Until it is independantly verified - I call shenanigans - but its worth keeping an eye on. Not such a silly idea - some WinTel machines have done away with the optical drive (Lenovo for one), and when was the last time you used a floppy - noone misses those drives either.
Hey Token, have you seen the new glossy HP displays? They look really nice, thinking about buying one and hooking my Macbook up to it.Drooled on one the other day. It was filthy with finger prints (and saliva). I'd love one, but would need to rearrange my office to minimise glare - because the glossy surface is reflective. They might be great for watching media on, but a "matt" LCD is far more forgiving in an office.
xibalba
09-23-2007, 05:16 PM
Save up some more money and buy both. :D
ariastar
09-27-2007, 09:42 PM
If you don't NEED either, then don't waste the money. Put it into a savings account for something you need later. You don't need a laptop, but don't want a PS3 enough for it to be the clear winner. Just save the money.