Don’t get stuck with a machine that doesn’t meet your needs (or worse, doesn’t function at all!). Here’s what you need to watch out for when buying cheap laptops in today’s market.

Sony VAIO NW238F for only $698 at Walmart. Specs include 2.1Ghz Intel T4300 processor, 4GB DDR2 Ram, 400GB HDD, 15.5″ LCD and Blu-ray disc, comes with Windows 7.

Buy HP Pavilion DV4-1548dx notebook for only $450. Specs include Intel Pentium T4300 2.1Mhz Processor with 800Mhz FSB and 1MB L2 Cache, 4GB DDR3 RAM, 250GB SATA and 14.1″ LCD.

BestBuy is sellling Sony VAIO VGN-FW510F/B with a 16.4” display and a Core2 Duo 2.2 GHZ with $GB Ram for $650. A laptop deal worth checking out.