looking for a perfectly respectable, cheap linux laptop

[Robert P. J. Day]

  given that my laptop *is* my primary processor (i don't own a
desktop at all), i go thru laptops pretty much about once a year, just
plain wearing them out.  so it's that time again, and once again, i
pop over to tiger direct and see what's on sale, and particularly
refurbished since i've had *very* good luck with refurbished gateway
laptops from there.

  i just picked up one of these:

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5633769&CatId=4965

and i'm thinking that, at less than $500, i might want to get a
second, similar (but not identical) system, so here are the options:

another one of the above
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5250525&Sku=F12-150012
one of the other similar refurb'ed gateways

  minimally, i think i have the right to expect:

  * 64-bit processor with H/W virtualization
  * at least 3GB RAM, ideally 4GB
  * at least 1366x768 display
  * HDMI port
  * at least 3 USB 2.0 ports
  * minimally a 250GB hard drive

  i've had good luck sticking with AMD processors over the last couple
of years, i guess i'm just curious about others' opinions on what
laptops they see there that strike them as perfectly adequate linux
systems, or recommendations on where else to look.

  as an aside, i'd really like to get a 1600x900 display but that
seems to jack up the price another couple of hundred and i'm not sure
that's worth it.

rday
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Robert P. J. Day                               Waterloo, Ontario, CANADA

            Linux Consulting, Training and Kernel Pedantry.

Web page:                                          http://crashcourse.ca
Twitter:                                       http://twitter.com/rpjday
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