Acer currently offers a cheap Vista-ready laptop for you, the TravelMate TM2480 model. The good thing, this 14.1-inch widescreen notebook already comes pre-loaded with Windows Vista Basic operating system, so you don’t have to purchase the OS separately. Priced at just $539.99, it features an Intel Celeron M 420 (1.60GHz) processor, a 512MB of DDR2 main memory, an 80GB of hard drive, and a DVD/CD-RW combo drive. Probably not the best machine for Vista (my TravelMate 3274WXMi is way much better) and you may still need to upgrade to Vista Home Premium to taste the whole delicious features of the Vista OS, but at least you don’t have to pay too much bucks for playing around with Vista.

Weighs 5.3 lbs, Acer TravelMate TM2480 is also equipped with an Intel GMA 950 graphics engine, WiFI connectivity, an integrated 56K modem, Ethernet LAN, a Type I/II PC Card Slot, three USB ports, a 5-in-1 card reader, a VGA out and S-Video TV-out.

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