The Computer Conundrum

My laptop wouldn't turn on a couple days ago. It sounded like it was powering up, but the monitor stayed black. So I learned about 808 Computers. It's a 30-40 minute walk away, and it does free diagnostics.

A day ago, I learned the verdict. The motherboard is busted. That's the most expensive part in the computer. It costs a bit over $200 to get a cheap one online. I read online that motherboards can overheat. I think the heat did it in because the "room temperature" is so high here, it's had the sun shining on it before, and leaving it on just makes it hotter.

So here's my options...

Get the cheap motherboard online. Except it would take longer to deliver to Hawaii than the time that I will even be in Hawaii. The same goes for buying a laptop online.

Go to Rwanda without a laptop. Then I'd get a better deal on a laptop when I do buy one. Except I want to have a laptop in Rwanda. I might do a lot of writing while I'm there.

Buy a used laptop. I realized that I only use a computer for low-demand tasks. So there's no point in me buying a really nice laptop. I just need it to do the basics. Alas, the laptops available on Craiglist were crappy deals on laptops of dubious/worthless quality. But thinking along the same lines, I looked into buying a little netbook. But the sizes of the keyboard and monitor annoy me enough that I think it's worth spending the extra hundred dollars to get a full laptop.

Buy the best deal for an entry-level laptop at the closest superstore that sells computers. This is the winning option. I pretty much only ever use the computer for Wikipedia, Facebook, blogging, Skyping, writing, and studying the occasional language. More powerful computers were made for gamers, which I am not. Costco mainly deals in nicer laptops, but Walmart has what I want. I found that Walmart is just as good as various computer company websites for having the price and quality that I'm looking for.

Also, I think I'll get the motherboard I need in March for $200, get the information out, and then sell that laptop for $300.