The Great 'Cheapest Decent Laptop' Hunt

[fatbobbutler]

does anyone know if you can get cheap deals on laptops because they are still loaded with XP? I've nothing against XP and so if I can save a few quid and not get a Vista laptop then I'll be happy.....

[Lostintheplot]

On www.medionshop.co.uk I have spotted a refurbished laptop with 3GHz processor, 512MB RAM and 40GB hard drive for £299.99.

Would it be worth getting this? I'd probably spend another £50 or so on upgrading the RAM.

[traderonline]

you missed Dell :D

i am currently using a toshiba satellite laptop and it's pretty durable too. check ebay for a great bargain :)

[romany]

Are there any laptop bargains around at the moment. Need one when we go off motorhoming around Europe in June. Nothing too fancy just basic requirements but am bewildered by it all. Up to £500.
thanx

[swizzle]

Toshiba A100-027 or a Gateway MT6825b ?

Both have a firewire which i will need for my mini dv camcorder.

Plus both £500

[anley1]

I agree with the previous poster HP laptops are very good.

I bought mine from J Lewis about a year ago because they had an offer that chucked in 2 years warranty rather than just the 1.

And with J Lewis's no crap returns and price match I'd still buy from them than say PC world.

[Hunniah]

This laptop is just too good to be true and it's for only £349..

Laptop Workshop CHEAP laptop with three years warranty free (http://www.solaristech.co.uk/store/product_info.php?cPath=23_29&products_id=626&solaris_id=86b3df688245c67e85a5195c0625cf02)

Only question I have is that, have you guys heard of this site do you know if it's genuine?? I think I found about The laptop workshop (SolarisTech) site from here, someone on this thread posted about it but at that time I was just researching and wasn't reading what people had commented about the site and was just looking at the links people provided here.. Which is why I have no idea which page number it was on and I can't go through all 63 pages all over again :( so any help from you guys would be highly appreciated..

I'm a student and I can not spend more than £350 on a laptop and this site has buy now pay later feature which sounds really good but I have no idea how it actually works, it says there would be no extra charge if I pay right after after 6 months..

There is another site that offers a refurbished laptop for about £350 and has about the same specs as the first laptop..

IBM ThinkPad T40 from My new cheap (http://www.mynewcheap.co.uk/products/details/ibm-thinkpad-t40-grade-a/10235/)

BUT I'm more lenient towards the first one since it's brand new NOT refurbished.. So what do you guys think??? Which one is better???

[qwertyford]

http://www.dabs.com/productview.aspx?quicklinx=4DJS&InMerch=1

this is arguably one of the best deals around in my oppinion.

Think I'm going to get my sister this since it will do everything she needs it to do and is a decent make. I've seen the deals for refurbished laptops etc, but I'd rather have a brand new laptop, with Windows Vista from a big company like Dabs, and not some small business.

[Sky Digiman]

Cheap Toshiba at ebuyer with free 512mb extra membery and laptop bag
http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/125319/rb/26608433037

[dougierobino]

Hi,

Am looking for a cheap laptop for my mum. She fell in love with macs of old (late 80s early 90s) and can't stand the fact that Mac have "window-fied" themselves (her words, not mine) and has begrudgingly decided that after years hankering after the past and not having a PC of any sort she might get a cheap laptop and try to get to grips with windows.

All she will need it for would be internet access and a bit of word/ publisher. It would also be great for her to be able to store photos of her newly acquired granddaughter cos I get into bother for emailing the rest of the family and she doesn't see them...................

Any suggestions?
Thanks in anticipation
DR

[qwertyford]

Hi,

Am looking for a cheap laptop for my mum. She fell in love with macs of old (late 80s early 90s) and can't stand the fact that Mac have "window-fied" themselves (her words, not mine) and has begrudgingly decided that after years hankering after the past and not having a PC of any sort she might get a cheap laptop and try to get to grips with windows.

All she will need it for would be internet access and a bit of word/ publisher. It would also be great for her to be able to store photos of her newly acquired granddaughter cos I get into bother for emailing the rest of the family and she doesn't see them...................

Any suggestions?
Thanks in anticipation
DR

the Toshiba laptops mentioned above are a pretty good bet for an upto date and cheap laptop.

[da_murphster]

Also on the hunt - looking for decent processor (Duo or equiv), 15.4, 40Gb+, 512ram+, would be happy with XP. Under £450 is poss!

Most of the cheap deals seem to be on older processors although intially laptops direct seem to have some cheap deals - can anyone point out a decent one - bit overwhelmed!!

[wakandem]

Just don't buy 2nd hand/refurbished. It will be overpriced, worn out & old. You are better off with an older spec new one.

[CrustyMcMuffin]

Hunniah, maybe a bit late for you, that laptop looks alright but it's got a small screen which might be an issue for you.

[Gib_Gib]

LINKY (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=LT-007-HP&groupid=43&catid=577&subcat=)

- 15.4" TFT active matrix 1280 x 800 ( WXGA )
- Processor Intel Celeron M 360 / 1.4 GHz
- Hard Drive 60 GB - 5400 rpm
- RAM 512 MB (installed) / 1 GB (max) - DDR II SDRAM ( 1 x 512 MB )
- Built-in Speakers, wireless LAN aerial
- DVD±RW (+R double layer) / DVD-RAM
- Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
- Weight 2.7 kg

£352.49

[ioscorpio]

http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.200-2161.aspx

Acer Aspire 17" laptop with Vista E7004 £379.97

Is this worth getting?

[da_murphster]

Sempron 3400 is a pretty basic processor and is not bery "future proof"

I'm hoping to find something comparable to the dell offer I missed - ie something dual core for under £400.

Struggling though.....

[wakandem]

http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.200-2161.aspx

Acer Aspire 17" laptop with Vista E7004 £379.97

Is this worth getting?

It is very competitive & acer have a good name. I've seen them in store. The good thing about getting it from tesco or similar outlet is that if you are not happy with it for whatever reason you can take it back in to the store and get it sorted immediately. I'd still go for a dell though

[scratchdisk]

I bought a Gateway notebook from best buy. it was only 599 and it has a intel duel core, 1 gig ram ati radeon xpress 200m and windows vista. the screen is the smaller 15 inch, but im cool with that. I am really happy with it.

[gotan]

It is very competitive & acer have a good name. I've seen them in store. The good thing about getting it from tesco or similar outlet is that if you are not happy with it for whatever reason you can take it back in to the store and get it sorted immediately. I'd still go for a dell though

I've been negotiating a price with Dell for 2 weeks. Be warned: the Easter bunny has added on at least £50 (same spec as late March) to their advertised 'offers'. Hope they will go down again next week.
They claim though that their warranty extensions are on special until tomorrow.
I paid £79 for another year NBD onsite on my old laptop which beats any repair quote I've had. Doesn't mean that it won't be £59 next week with Dell though.

[MTW]

I have been advised by the techies at work that this is a good buy, although I quite like the Toshiba mentioned a couple of posts above. The machine will be for my lad going to Uni in September (B'day next week)

Hewlett Packard RU964AA - at e buyer £346.91 inc VAT

Spec Rundown:
Intel Centrino PM 770 Processor
512MB System Memory
60GB Hard Disk Drive
DVD+/-RW Optical Drive
15.4" WXGA Brightview Display
Integrated Wifi Wireless Lan
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition


All coments welcome.

[Aiadi]

I have been advised by the techies at work that this is a good buy, although I quite like the Toshiba mentioned a couple of posts above. The machine will be for my lad going to Uni in September (B'day next week)

Hewlett Packard RU964AA - at e buyer £346.91 inc VAT

Spec Rundown:
Intel Centrino PM 770 Processor
512MB System Memory
60GB Hard Disk Drive
DVD+/-RW Optical Drive
15.4" WXGA Brightview Display
Integrated Wifi Wireless Lan
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition


All coments welcome.

May struggle with Vista though. I would opt for slightly higher specs for a bit more future proofing.

[wakandem]

I've been negotiating a price with Dell for 2 weeks. Be warned: the Easter bunny has added on at least £50 (same spec as late March) to their advertised 'offers'. Hope they will go down again next week.
They claim though that their warranty extensions are on special until tomorrow.
I paid £79 for another year NBD onsite on my old laptop which beats any repair quote I've had. Doesn't mean that it won't be £59 next week with Dell though.

That is the thing with dell. you need to watch the prices and grab them when they come down or an offer goes on.
They have got wiser to callers trying to get a better deal and it is harder to get one out of them, but always worth a go.

[Whits]

http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.200-2161.aspx

Acer Aspire 17" laptop with Vista E7004 £379.97



You might want to re-check that price. I put the !!!!!! on my favourites list yesterday so I can get one in a couple of weeks and it's gone up £100 today :eek:

[Whits]

I was just wondering, after looking at a link on an earlier page, would you go for :-

An Intel Celeron M 1.6GHz with 1GB of RAM

OR

An AMD Turion 64 MK36 2GHZ with 512Mb of RAM

:confused:

[flyboy]

Tricky question.

If you go for the AMD you can always add extra RAM (memory) at a later date for not too much more money.

However, the Intel will do you nicely for now. I don't think you'll notice the diff in processor speed very much.

I personally believe that 1GB RAM is now the industry norm.

Standing by to be proved wrong!! :o

flyboy

PS: I'm also gutted about that Acer 17" in tesco. I drove to my nearest store only two nights ago and was very tempted. Gutted.

[idnotfree]

Its thursday today. Is there some good deal from Dell?

[da_murphster]

Absolutely nothing!

[MTW]

Aspire 5101AWLMi Laptop - LX.ABH0J.287

Processor: AMD Turion 64 MK-36 - 2GHz, 512KB L2 Cache
RAM: 512MB DDR2-533MHz - Low Cost Double Memory Offer - Call For Details!
Hard Drive: 120GB
Screen: 15.4" TFT (1280 x 800) with CrystalBrite Technology
Optical Drive: DVD SM DL Writer
Graphics: Integrated Graphics
Wireless LAN: 802.11b/g - Call for advice on Wireless Networking
Warranty: 1 Year - Upgradeable to 3 Years!
Operating System: Windows XP Media Center Edition
Windows Vista Compatible
Integrated Video Camera
Flash Memory Card Reader (MMC, MS, MS-pro, SD, SM, XD)

Price £379 (from 479 allegedly) at Laptops direct The three year warranty is an extra £50.

[Sugarloaf]

Currys have the Advent ERT2250 T2250 reduced from £599 to £499. Is this a good laptop for the price?

Either want it for myself or daughter for college.

Thanks

[da_murphster]

We are back on with Dell!!

Just seen TL50, 80Gb, 9 Cell Batt 1501, vista home for £360 delivered.

Go through the small business link - can also get a core duo 6400 for £410 delivered

[Leeds Fan]

Whats the view on this from Acer? Am keen on decent sized hard drive and will be used for photos, ipod and general surfing. £399 from Amazon.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Acer-Aspire-5101AWLMi-Laptop-Windows/dp/tech-data/B000OY4M7Y/ref=de_a_smtd/202-8902569-1951861?ie=UTF8&qid=1176734361&sr=1-1

Thanks

[MTW]

Leeds Fan its Cheaper here http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/
£379

[abisnail75]

Not the cheapest but good spec for the money and just under £500!

http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/MSI_L730_17_Inch_Laptop_L730-046UK/version-1.asp

MSI L730 17 inch laptop

Processor: AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-52 - 1.6GHz (x2), up to 1.6GHz FSB, 2x256KB L2 Cache
RAM: 1024MB DDR2-533MHz - Low Cost Double Memory Offer - Call For Details!
Hard Drive: 100GB Serial ATA 5400rpm
Screen: 17" Widescreen TFT
Optical Drive: DVD±RW Super Multi
Graphics: nVidia GeForce 6100
Wireless LAN: 802.11b/g - Call for advice on Wireless Networking
Battery Life (Depending on Use): 3 hrs
Warranty: 2 Year
Operating System: Windows XP Media Center Edition
Windows Vista Compatible
Gigabit Ethernet 10/100/1000
5-in-1 Card Reader (SD/MMC/XD/MS/MS Pro)
Free Mouse and Carry Case
Bluetooth Enabled

Forgot to add - get 2% back through Quidco...

[MTW]

We are back on with Dell!!

Just seen TL50, 80Gb, 9 Cell Batt 1501, vista home for £360 delivered.

Go through the small business link - can also get a core duo 6400 for £410 delivered

I have been looking at Dell and have more or less decided to get a home 6400 through the Rpoints link for 399.
I did get a gander at the small business prices though (through Kelkoo) and they look very good.
Is there a way that non business people can use the business links/prices.

[Dark Knight]

I got myself a nice little Acer about 3 weeks ago, at £499. Not a bad price for a nice bit of kit. I was going to buy it from Currys but they ran out of stock so I got it from Comet instead. Here's the specification:

http://www.comet.co.uk/cometbrowse/product.do?sku=373249

It's £489.98 if you buy it online but they will sell it to you at that price in the shop if you take a printout of that site as "proof" or just ask them to check out their own website in their back office. :money:

Nice bit of kit, I'm happy with it. Would have been extra pleased with the new Intel Core 2 Duo processor , but Core Duo itself ain't that bad. Difference is negligible as far as I can see.

[AstonChief]

Howdy all

Don't know if anyone's posted this yet (63 pages is a lot to read through) but ebay shop Tier-1 Online (http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Tier-1-Online_Laptop-Computers_W0QQcolZ4QQdirZ1QQfsubZ2QQftidZ2QQtZkm) is selling IBM Thinkpads of a slightly older generation (T40's etc) for around £150-200 at auction. Not pretty to look at but one of the best laptops in existance in my view.

A university friend has a very old thinkpad (1ghz chip) but with good maintenance it still outperforms most of the newer machines coming out.

Just my 2c.

[Aiadi]

Howdy all

Don't know if anyone's posted this yet (63 pages is a lot to read through) but ebay shop Tier-1 Online (http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Tier-1-Online_Laptop-Computers_W0QQcolZ4QQdirZ1QQfsubZ2QQftidZ2QQtZkm) is selling IBM Thinkpads of a slightly older generation (T40's etc) for around £150-200 at auction. Not pretty to look at but one of the best laptops in existance in my view.

A university friend has a very old thinkpad (1ghz chip) but with good maintenance it still outperforms most of the newer machines coming out.

Just my 2c.
Refurbished, poor feedback and probable spam.

[Tesscha]

Hello MTW,

Just to answer your query, I bought a PC through Dell by clicking on the business links and it went through fine. I think I may have put a business name (can't remember now) but it didn't ask for any more info than that and it was delivered to my home address!

Hope that helps

[minibloke]

Try Dell online £399

For a dual core 1gb memory laptop 60gb SATA hard drive

http://configure.euro.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?b=&c=uk&cs=ukdhs1&kc=N4XESS03&l=en&oc=N04645a&rbc=N04645a&s=dhs&sbc=ukdhsftdhpnotebook1

dell laptops tend to be very sturdy and are used widely in the IT industry.

Minibloke

[djohnsonhk]

Refurbished, poor feedback and probable spam.

I've bought refurb'd computers from eBay, and there's nothing wrong with them, especially if you're looking for a cheaper deal.

Also, that eBay shop/seller's feedback is not poor - 99.3% transactions is actually very good (that's around 250 disgruntled customers out of 38,000 transactions). Consider if your regular high-street store had a feedback rating like with eBay's - I reckon many would do a lot worse off.

Not sure what you really mean by 'probable spam' though. If you're looking for a cheap decent laptop, eBay is a good source.

[Aiadi]

I've bought refurb'd computers from eBay, and there's nothing wrong with them, especially if you're looking for a cheaper deal.

Also, that eBay shop/seller's feedback is not poor - 99.3% transactions is actually very good (that's around 250 disgruntled customers out of 38,000 transactions). Consider if your regular high-street store had a feedback rating like with eBay's - I reckon many would do a lot worse off.

Not sure what you really mean by 'probable spam' though. If you're looking for a cheap decent laptop, eBay is a good source.

You must have missed all the warnings on these threads and on the web about buying laptops from eBay particularly refurbished ones. Also 250 out of 38,0000 customers (using your example) have the courage to neg the seller and many many more are disgruntled but are held to ransom as we all here know by eBay's unfair feedback system. What I mean by 'Probable spam' is that the poster might have been advertising for that seller as I don't believe that the offer is anything special or that people are not already aware of eBay as a source for cheaper goods.

[tonygold]

maybe not THE cheapest but i've bought it and am well pleased with performance etc.
PC World
compaq, 1.8ghz amd mobile processor
128mb graphics card
1gb ram
15.4" brilliant screen
windows vista premium
wireless enabled

superb!!!!!!

[Roger_Rampant]

Try Dell online £399

For a dual core 1gb memory laptop 60gb SATA hard drive

http://configure.euro.dell.com/dells...ftdhpnotebook1 (http://configure.euro.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?b=&c=uk&cs=ukdhs1&kc=N4XESS03&l=en&oc=N04645a&rbc=N04645a&s=dhs&sbc=ukdhsftdhpnotebook1)

dell laptops tend to be very sturdy and are used widely in the IT industry.

MiniblokeI was going to vote in the poll, but my answer would have been Dell and they aren't listed as an option!

[Karen1980]

Im still looking for a laptop so wheres the best now?? Still dell?

[iwontpaytoomuch]

I've never seen it in stock but this one (http://www.pcworld.co.uk:80/martprd/product/EI+SYSTEM/3001/234349) from PC world is apparently £99.97

Spec is this;

EI SYSTEM 3001 LAPTOP
# VIA C3 1GHz processor
# 133 Mhz FSB
# 64 Kb Cache
# Windows XP Home Edition
# 256Mb RAM
# 20 Gb Hard Drive
# DVD ROM/CD ReWriter
# 14.1" TFT display
# Shared 64Mb Castle Rock
# 4 USB Connections
# 1 Year Free Warranty

Not really a decent PC but its new and has a years guarantee which is worth £100 to anyone isn't it. :)

[jaxxy00]

I was going to vote in the poll, but my answer would have been Dell and they aren't listed as an option!

Me too. Why hasnt Dell been put on the list?

[ianeverton]

Not the cheapest but an absolutely amazing spec for the money.

Acer Aspire 7003WSMI 17" Laptop 120 GB hard drive Media Centre Dual layer writer, 1.8 CPU.

£430

Bought three weeks ago from Tesco online, buy through Quidco for some cashback, also when i bought there was triple clubcard points which when converted to clubcard deals were worth about £60.

I use it for watching and recording TV using a usb digital tv device. Great on the 17inch screen. It is also capable of playing some of the newer games. plays GTA vice city okay.

[trogit]

Okay, perhaps someone can help me out -
I've found a couple of very similarly priced laptops with some differences in specification:

http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/Acer_Aspire_5612_WLMi_Laptop_LX.AFY0J.019/version-1.asp is an Acer Aspire 5612WLMi for £498 from Laptops Direct. This has:
* Intel Core Duo T2300 1.66GHz processor
* 667MHz FSB, 2MB L2 cache
* Integrated Graphics (presumably Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950?)

The other is a Dell Inspiron 6400 (eValue code 305-NO4643) for £504. The differences from the first one are:
* Intel Core 2 Duo T5200 1.6GHz processor
* 533MHz FSB, 2MB L2 cache
* 256MB NVIDIA GeForce Go 7300 TurboCache

I have a vague idea what these things mean, but which combination (marginally older processor, faster FSB, onboard graphics, or the more recent processor but slower FSB and seperate graphics card) is going to be quicker for general usage?

Thanks,
trogit

[stuwright10]

Dear all,

My first post! - if you after buying an Apple Mac, call their sales team and tell them you're a student. Just net search a Uni and give that address and you get a good 10%off!

Also, on their website www.apple.com/ukstore search for 'refurbished' and there's a big load of their refurb'd products at cut down prices.

Now, can anyone tell me where you can get a laptop as good and reliable, and most importantly, one that looks decent ;-) for under 800 bucks??

The Vaio's and macbooks seem like the only ones with a different style?

Stu

[BobDelamare]

Okay, perhaps someone can help me out -
I've found a couple of very similarly priced laptops with some differences in specification:

http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/Acer_Aspire_5612_WLMi_Laptop_LX.AFY0J.019/version-1.asp is an Acer Aspire 5612WLMi for £498 from Laptops Direct. This has:
* Intel Core Duo T2300 1.66GHz processor
* 667MHz FSB, 2MB L2 cache
* Integrated Graphics (presumably Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950?)

The other is a Dell Inspiron 6400 (eValue code 305-NO4643) for £504. The differences from the first one are:
* Intel Core 2 Duo T5200 1.6GHz processor
* 533MHz FSB, 2MB L2 cache
* 256MB NVIDIA GeForce Go 7300 TurboCache

I have a vague idea what these things mean, but which combination (marginally older processor, faster FSB, onboard graphics, or the more recent processor but slower FSB and seperate graphics card) is going to be quicker for general usage?

Thanks,
trogit

Both makes have an equally good reputation. The Dell has the more recent processor and likely to run cooler and longer on the battery. It also has the 256mb graphics which is vastly superior to the integated ones, which will use up some of the system RAM. You don't mention how much RAM in either but they should have at least 1 gigabyte. Assuming they both have, then the Dell is the winner at the same price. How about screen size? Both 15.4 inch?

[j1mgg]

just got sent this from buyit247.net

Brand New Dell Inspiron 1501 Laptop - Offer Price £449.00

Description

The Inspiron 1501 is designed to deliver everyday entertainment with its support for affordable dual core processor technology, ATI Radeon graphics, and extended battery life in a 2.81 Kg. light package. The 1501 is optimised for mobile computing without sacrificing performance, and provides everyday multimedia & productivity with a 15.4" wide-aspect display

* Processor: Turion 64 x 2 TL50 (1.6GHz, 256K)
* Hard Drive: 120GB (Sata, 5,400rpm)
* Memory: 1024MB (2 x 512MB) 533MHz DDR2 SDRAM
* Optical Drive: DVD +/- Rewriter
* Graphics: ATI Radeon Xpress 1150, 256MB Hyper Memory
* Wireless Connection
* Operating System: Windows Vista Home Basic
* Screen Size: 15.4" Wide Screen XGA TFT, 1280x800
* Warranty: 1 Year Collect and Return

Price: £415.00 (£353.19 Including VAT at 17.5%)

I thought this was a very good price

The top price differs from the top so some haggling could be used

[Balagan]

Try HP online - currently £285 ex-VAT:

It's not top of the range, but it does the job!

HP 510 Notebook

* Processor: Intel Celeron M 360 (1.4GHz)
* Hard Drive: 60GB (5,400rpm)
* Memory: 512MB DDR2
* Optical Drive: Multibay 2 DVD +/- Rewriter
* Graphics: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 900
* Wireless Connection
* Operating System: Windows XP Home
* Screen Size: 15.4" WXGA BrightView (1280 x 800 resolution)
* Warranty: 1 year pick-up and return

http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/uk/en/sm/WF25a/21675-283229-283229-283229-12434650-12924046.html

Great price in my view!

[Megamini]

Hi,

I just thought I should let you know that the other day I stumbled upon a website that has special offers for many of the webs big retailers...

Among the links on the pages I noticed that you can get a Laptop for £329 including delivery.

Last week, there was a message on the site saying that the website will be updated weekly with new offers and promotional codes.

The address is: http://www.netdude.talktalk.net

Regards,

Megamini

[toasterman]

They ain't got any, but it this a misprint -> http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.200-1540/btnResultSort.x%3d372/btnResultSort.y%3d2885.aspx ?
£178 for a (not badly specced considering) laptop?
That should surely be more like £278?

[toasterman]

Try HP online - currently £285 ex-VAT:

It's not top of the range, but it does the job!

HP 510 Notebook

* Processor: Intel Celeron M 360 (1.4GHz)
* Hard Drive: 60GB (5,400rpm)
* Memory: 512MB DDR2
* Optical Drive: Multibay 2 DVD +/- Rewriter
* Graphics: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 900
* Wireless Connection
* Operating System: Windows XP Home
* Screen Size: 15.4" WXGA BrightView (1280 x 800 resolution)
* Warranty: 1 year pick-up and return

http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/uk/en/sm/WF25a/21675-283229-283229-283229-12434650-12924046.html

Great price in my view!
Plus another ~£50 off for revoking the Windows EULA agreement....if you're Linux-inclined. I wish I could get my head round it but I just end up confused with a big headache :(

[malcolmoliver]

Bigpockets have this:-
Toshiba Tecra M1 Centrino Laptop 1.6Ghz, 1 Gig RAM, 40Gb, DVD, Wireless, Win XP Pro for 289.99 inc VAT.

They seem to be refurbished but not a bad price.

[Karen1980]

I've bought a Acer Aspire 9301 from tesco today its great. £499. 17 " screen , 120 GB hard drive its really good!

[thebarefootchef]

Dear all,

My first post! - if you after buying an Apple Mac, call their sales team and tell them you're a student. Just net search a Uni and give that address and you get a good 10%off!

Stu

Rubbish Stu,

You need to quote a student number as well.
I don't know if they check it or not.

Best value cheap lap-top has to be this (http://www.laptop.org/) when it's released to the public...
Better pictures here (http://laptop.media.mit.edu/)

Apologies if 1LPC has been posted before.

[silverfoxuk]

I'm helping my dad get his first home laptop. He dosen't play games, but will use office apps a lot and maybe for viewing/emailing photographs, burning the odd CD, browsing internet etc.

He's not had a home computer before so has no software - I thought he might as well get vista & office 07 pre-installed, ms apps is what he's used to from his work. He's got a wireless modem & broadband in readiness for the laptop, so the laptop needs to be wireless ready too.

£500 budget, I'm keeping an eye on Dell but haven't seen any great offers, Tesco looks good but they sometimes get their spec descriptions wrong.

Any advice/info on where I should be looking for the best offers? He's ready to buy today!

[toasterman]

I'm helping my dad get his first home laptop. He dosen't play games, but will use office apps a lot and maybe for viewing/emailing photographs, burning the odd CD, browsing internet etc.

He's not had a home computer before so has no software - I thought he might as well get vista & office 07 pre-installed, ms apps is what he's used to from his work. He's got a wireless modem & broadband in readiness for the laptop, so the laptop needs to be wireless ready too.

£500 budget, I'm keeping an eye on Dell but haven't seen any great offers, Tesco looks good but they sometimes get their spec descriptions wrong.

Any advice/info on where I should be looking for the best offers? He's ready to buy today!
Unless his office is extremely modern he's not going to be used to Office 2007. I work in IT support, and it took one of my colleagues a while to find how to do some fairly basic stuff as they've hidden half the buttons by default. It's quite a lot different to Office XP/2003.

I think you're seriously going to struggle hitting your £500 budget as from the looks of a quick search online, OEM Office 2007 is nearly £200 for just the licence. Doesn't include the discs - just the right to use a disc to install it.
The basic edition of Office 2007 seems to sell for about £120. Again, excluding discs.
Office 2003 not really any cheaper, although discs are included for the same price.

I'd take a look at Openoffice.org - it's not everyone's cup of tea, but I find some things in it actually easier than in normal MS Office.

And try and make sure you get him 1gb of ram.
Dell are selling laptops with Vista, with only 512mb, with big text next to them on the same page saying that "Vista performance can vary widely with 512MB of system memory. Dell recommends an absolute minimum of 1GB system memory for running Genuine Windows Vista"!!

[gotan]

www.dell.co.uk/business e value code NPUK5-N04152 for the Inspiron 1501.
not as cheap as the one j1mgg found on 19th though they are pushing this model at the moment. Not sure if this laptop can come with bluetooth?
plus if you choose the 90 day C&R if they do ring you up to offer you a better deal on a 2 yr NBD?? (NBD is worth having imo).
Price it online and then ring up and see if they would knock a bit off as they work on commission.

[toasterman]

www.dell.co.uk/business e value code NPUK5-N04152 for the Inspiron 1501.<snip>
Price it online and then ring up and see if they would knock a bit off as they work on commission.
This "90day service only". Whats the legality of that?
Surely its covered under the sale of goods act for at least 6 months from the time you buy it.
That is literally saying theres only 90 days cover on the hardware, and repairs after that would be chargable?
I guess it is the only way you'd get close to being under the £500 budget though.

[Browntoa]

I've just checked and that is your OWN referral web site Megamini

reported to abuse

[Orson Carson]

Okay Moneysavers!

It’s new laptop time for me and I wondered if I could get your help.

My new laptop needs to be small, light and rugged. I’m on the road a lot – the 12” ones appeal, but with a budget of £500, I guess I’ll be lucky to find one. Basically, I’m not digging widescreens. 15.4 inch or smaller, I’m thinking.

Mostly I’m writing articles (MS office/windows XP) and surfing the web (so the computer needs to be wi-fi ready), but I also want to produce my own audio/video clips and be able to burn CDs and DVDs. I guess a built-in camera would be desirable, not essential. I haven’t got my head around linux yet and I don’t play games.

Thanks to the really useful forums here at MSE, I’m hip to the old “Don’t get windows vista without at least 1 meg of RAM” situation. How real a problem is this?

Also from the reading I’ve done, the name ACER seems to come up a lot, but some people reckon DELL is better pound for pound. Anybody care to stick there neck out and attempt to settle that one?

I’m also going to buy two of the same computer when I come to a decision – another one for my wife. This might give me a tiny bit more consumer power than just buying one.

I’ve got no problems with buying stuff online. Again thanks to this forum, it seems to me the places to go are Laptops Direct – and Tesco seem to be stealthily doing a brisk trade.
So all things considered, what I want your opinion on is:
Which brand/model laptop,
and which outlet to buy from
Budget £500

Also (I’m sure there’s info on this site but I haven’t searched it yet) what do I do about getting MS office, explorer, excel and firewall/virus protection software onto the new device. I’m sure we don’t have to give Mr Gates any more dosh, right? Do I just transfer software from my old laptop with a flash drive?

Apologies if any of these questions are hopelessly naïve and I thank you in anticipation of your time and help.

Orson

PS what do you tink about this - ACER travel mate £476?:

http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/Acer_TravelMate_6413LMi_LX.TCX06.044/version-1.asp

[Orson Carson]

PS of course I meant 1GIG of RAM for windows Vista in the previous post.

[sophlowe45]

What are the best Dell offers at the moment?

Thanks!

[flyboy]

For those of you who were too slow to grab the Acer E7004 from Tesco when it was £379 (myself included :embarasse ) you may be interested to know that it is now being advertised on their website for £449 - reduced from £479. :o

[map200uk]

check out =>

http://www.hotukdeals.com/forums/showthread.php?t=61208

some nice offers

[ioscorpio]

Toshiba L30-113 15.4" Cel-M 512mb 80GB DVDRW wifi Vista Laptop - £289.99 delivered @ empiredirect (via Google checkout)Description : Stunning 15.4'' widescreen display notebook, with Intel Celeron M processors for a powerful mobile experience. Complete with DVD-SuperMulti Drive to record and play CDs and DVDs.
Features: Intel Celeron M Processor430 (1.73GHz, 533MHz FSB, 1MB Cache) | Genuine Windows Vista Home Basic Edition | 512MB of DDR2 RAM60GB Hard Drive | DVDSuper Multi drive (Double Layer) | Compatibility : CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD-R(DL), DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+R(DL), DVD+RW, DVD-RAM | maximum speed : Read: 24x CD-ROM, 8x DVD-ROM/ Write: 24x CD-R, 4x CD-RW, 10x HS CD-RW, 10x US CD-RW, 8x DVD-R, 2x DVD-R (Double Layer), 4x DVD-RW, 8x DVD+R, 2.4x DVD+R (Double Layer), 4x DVD+RW, 5x DVD-RAM | 15.4" WXGA (1280x800) resolution | ATI Radeon Xpress 200M graphics adaptor | Wireless LAN, 802.11b/g integrated | 1 Year Parts Guarantee / 1 Year Labour Guarantee

http://www.empiredirect.co.uk/content/products/details/index~modelcode~tos-l30-113.htm

[toasterman]

Toshiba L30-113 15.4" Cel-M 512mb 80GB DVDRW wifi Vista Laptop - £289.99 delivered @ empiredirect (via Google checkout)<snip> http://www.empiredirect.co.uk/content/products/details/index~modelcode~tos-l30-113.htm

Item not found.
Although theres now this one of identical spec but with smaller hard drive for £430: http://www.empiredirect.co.uk/content/products/details/index~modelcode~ING-PSAAPE-00D004EN.htm
A typo in the original perhaps?

[Aiadi]

Item not found.
Although theres now this one of identical spec but with smaller hard drive for £430: http://www.empiredirect.co.uk/content/products/details/index~modelcode~ING-PSAAPE-00D004EN.htm
A typo in the original perhaps?

Same one I think from eBuyer:
http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/125319/rb/27656133245

[toasterman]

Same one I think from eBuyer:
http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/125319/rb/27656133245

Yeah I think so too.
Although most reviewers give it 5 stars, at least half the ones on the first page say they bought it as a bundle with an additional 512mb of ram. Majority say giving Vista 1gb made a noticable difference....I'm not surprised.

Same price as my XP-Home HP510 I bought a week or so ago. Slightly faster Celeron processor on the Toshiba, but I wouldn't buy a Vista laptop unless I could afford to up it to 1gb.

Interesting review by one person on Ebuyer who seems disappointed that Vista was "just a jazzed up operating system". I'm not sure what he/she was expecting.....must have been taken in by those "WOW" adverts where people compare using Vista to everything from the miracle of birth, to curing cancer, or landing humans on Mars :rolleyes:

[Alienfingers]

Okay, how much hard work is it trying to make sure you get the best cheap laptop!! and all because I'm trying to be nice and treat my g'friend for her birthday! If anyone can help, I've trawled all the sites and forums-its mainly going to be used by her to do bit of office work, bit of surfing, certainly not any serious games or anything.

I need it to be around the £300 mark so I've narrowed it down (possibly) to these two from ebuyer:

Fujitsu Siemens V3515 Laptop Celeron M 430 1.73GHz 512MB 60GB 15.4" TFT Dvd+/RW DL Windows XP Home, which would work out at £302 with the £10 off for google checkout.
http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/126845/rb/27740254886

OR

HP RU962AA 510 Laptop Celeron M 360 1.4GHz 512MB 60GB DVD+/-RW 15.4" TFT WLAN WinXP Home which would work out at about £290.
http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/123093/rb/27740254886


the fujitsu does seem slightly better spec (processor/ram speed and max capacity) but is it good reliable make, I've heard of HP plenty but not so much about fujitsu.

Also, just to open up the search again, has anyone had any experience of the DELL refurbished laptops through MCSCOM.CO.UK. There seems to be some really good prices popping up on there from time to time, has anyone ordered from them before?

[codetown]

alienfinger,
they are both good machines and up to the task of running all modern programs. Thinking to the future and a possible switch to Vista within 2-3 years, the support for up to 2GB of RAM is certainly a clear advantage (in fact the machine is also judged Vista-ready) for the Fujitsu laptop.

Fujitsu has always been a very good brand and it continued so also after joining with Siemens. It is reliable and with good shapes.

[toasterman]

I'd disagree about Fujitsu. They are known for making desktop machines quite well, and for making a lot of hard drives a couple of years ago that mostly died. They don't put their own hard drives in their own machines anymore, because of the bad reputation they had.

Fujitsu laptops - they look alright, but I don't know anyone in my local IT industry who would think Fujitsu if they were buying a laptop.
Thats not to say they're bad - but they don't make a lot and you don't see them about very much.

I have just bought the HP one you're considering. Bit slow for my needs (sound editing) but its a nice looking screen, and I was being a bit optimistic with what I wanted it for and the money I had.
If its for office, email, web access, watching dvds etc.. then its fine.

Neither is going to be great for video/sound editing or games, because Celeron just isn't.

Battery life on both will likely be shocking - mine gives me maybe an hour and three quarters from fully charged if you're very lucky...but its the hit you take for not having the money to buy a centrino.


And forget Vista. You're (and I'd say most people are) never going to upgrade to Vista, with upgrade charges being what they are.
Plus you'd also need a ram upgrade to do it.

If you're seriously considering Vista at the moment, spend an extra £50-£60, get a machine preloaded with Vista and that already has 1gb of ram.
If like most people, you've not heard anything that makes you HAVE to have it - then go with XP Home.
Vista will be around in the future with more drivers and better support - and if you buy a laptop this time next year, it'll come with Vista whether you want it or not.
XP is being supported til 2010 at least, so its not like Microsoft have given up with it.

Edit: and I wouldn't touch refurbs on laptops. For one it doesn't come with an operating system, and I doubt they guarantee the batteries. Even 1.5 hour battery life is preferable to one that is completely shot - and replacement batteries can be expensive.
Dell outlet might be able to save you some money, but probably not by the time you hike on Dell's extreme delivery charges.

[bushbaby1103]

Does anyone know if Dell have any special offers coming up soon?

[albertross]

Dell offers change on Thursdays, they are listed here:

www.dmxdimension.com

[Sky Digiman]

http://www.laptopshop.co.uk/images_big/toshiba_satellite_pro_a100_00500.jpg
Toshiba Satellite Pro A100-622
With a built in DVDRW this model is ideal for professional users who need to share data while on the move. The widescreen display is ideal for working with spreadsheets, while the built in wireless networking makes surfing the web easy.

* Processor: Intel Celeron M 430 1.73GHz
* RAM: 1024MB DDR2-533MHz - Low Cost Double Memory Offer - Call For Details!
* Hard Drive: 80GB
* Screen: 15.4" Widescreen TFT (1280x800)
* Optical Drive: DVD±RW Super Multi Double Layer
* Graphics: Integrated Graphics supporting 128MB
* Wireless LAN: 802.11b/g - Call for advice on Wireless Networking
* Weight: 2.7 kg
* Warranty: 1 Year - Upgradeable to 3 Years!
* Operating System: Windows Vista Home Basic Edition
* Fast Ethernet 10/100
* 6-in-1 Memory Card Reader
Available from:
http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/Toshiba_Satellite_Pro_A100-622_PSAAPE-00F005EN/version.asp

-Seems like a bargain to me.

[Sky Digiman]

I want a simple laptop for watching movies and browsing the net, is this any good?
http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/Toshiba_Satellite_Pro_A100-415_PSAAPE-00D004EN/version-1.asp

[sihart68]

I want a simple laptop for watching movies and browsing the net, is this any good?
http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/Toshiba_Satellite_Pro_A100-415_PSAAPE-00D004EN/version-1.asp

Why are they selling a machine of that spec with Vista? First thing you will have to do is buy more memory. Vista needs a gig, preferably 2. There are some good recommendations here: http://www.pc-how-to.com/hardware/newlaptop.htm.

[roryk83]

Just thought I'd let you know that Dell have a 1 day special offer on today - you can get free hardrive upgrade and free memory upgrade

[itsakidsworld]

After looking at many options for a laptop, I think I have found what I need! Can anyone please have a look for me and tell me if this is a good deal please?

It is from Dell and is an Inspiron 6400. On the dell website the product code is N05642. With extra battery and better screen ( I think) and with three year warranty and case, the price is £665.07. Is the warranty worth it?

Thanks for any replies which are much appreciated as my knowledge is based on information collected over the last few months!!

Thanks

[itsakidsworld]

Sorry I forgot to add, I need a printer to go with the machine and so is an "all-in-one" with fax a good idea?

[roryk83]

I just bought the Inspiron 6400 that you were thinking of getting.

I got the double memory and double hard drive for free so its a much better performance and they upgraded the battery from a 6 cell to a 9 cell. They gave me the Antivirus software which will last 18 months and they gave me a free carry case. I also got the bluetooth capabilty. I paid £460.

You've got to ring and be willing to negoiate with them. Set yourself a budget limit and tell them what you want. My limit was £450 but i went slightly over because the Dell rep knocked so much off the price for me.

Very happy customer

[albertross]

Unless you are very unlucky, the extended warranty isn't worth wasting money on, also if you are going for truelife(shiny) screen, be careful, a lot of people don't like them (and their ilk), because they are too reflective like a mirror. www.dmxdimension.com

[itsakidsworld]

Thanks for replies. I will be going ahead and buying but I will not take the three year warranty.

[fallen angel shelley]

I just bought the Inspiron 6400 that you were thinking of getting.

I got the double memory and double hard drive for free so its a much better performance and they upgraded the battery from a 6 cell to a 9 cell. They gave me the Antivirus software which will last 18 months and they gave me a free carry case. I also got the bluetooth capabilty. I paid £460.

You've got to ring and be willing to negoiate with them. Set yourself a budget limit and tell them what you want. My limit was £450 but i went slightly over because the Dell rep knocked so much off the price for me.

Very happy customer

Hi. That is the laptop I want to get from them the Inspiron 6400. Did it take much negoiating to get that deal out of them?

[roryk83]

Hi

Yeah it did take a lot of negoation with them. I was probably the last customer of the day with him aswell because i rang at half 7 and they close at 8 so he might have wanted one more sale to boost his record for that day.

If the person who you are talking to wont negotiate with you dont give them your number and just say your not interested. Then ring up Dell again and speak to someone else. Also tell them that you have a friend who recommended Dell because he bought a laptop and they negotiated a really good deal for him.

Do some research before hand and tell them exactly what you want and how much you can spend - be willing to go over the limit you tell by a little bit and then he may be able to help you.

I would contact them soon as they have a special offer on at the mo which gives you the double memory and hard drive - this makes the laptop a LOT better! You may have to ask for this offer when you ring up - dont assume they'll give it to you without you asking.

hope that helps:money:

[fallen angel shelley]

Hi

Yeah it did take a lot of negoation with them. I was probably the last customer of the day with him aswell because i rang at half 7 and they close at 8 so he might have wanted one more sale to boost his record for that day.

If the person who you are talking to wont negotiate with you dont give them your number and just say your not interested. Then ring up Dell again and speak to someone else. Also tell them that you have a friend who recommended Dell because he bought a laptop and they negotiated a really good deal for him.

Do some research before hand and tell them exactly what you want and how much you can spend - be willing to go over the limit you tell by a little bit and then he may be able to help you.

I would contact them soon as they have a special offer on at the mo which gives you the double memory and hard drive - this makes the laptop a LOT better! You may have to ask for this offer when you ring up - dont assume they'll give it to you without you asking.

hope that helps:money:


Thanks for that roryk83. I called Dell tonight and got the same deal as you, I'm so happy with my self didn't think I could do it. Told them I had seen the same type of packing in a high street store for the same price.

[jemma123]

Can you tell me how much harddrive space and memory you got?

I've seen on the dell website that I can get 1024 memory and 80gb harddrive for £400 but will phone them if I can perhaps get a better deal

[fallen angel shelley]

Can you tell me how much harddrive space and memory you got?

I've seen on the dell website that I can get 1024 memory and 80gb harddrive for £400 but will phone them if I can perhaps get a better deal

I just told them that I wanted double the memory and hard drive size as advertised, and got blue tooth, Mcafee, 9 cell bat and carry case as well. best phoning just befor closing. :beer:

[kawatee77]

Tricks for car insurance, how to choosing the best insurance.
http://www.insurancebasis.com

[melancholly]

i never thought of bargaining with dell! i like the look of the Inspiron 6400 but i've also seen this:

http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/Acer_Aspire_5102_WLMi_LX.ABH05.084/version-1.asp

i'd like a dual core processer, 1GB RAM and at least 80GB hard disc - this ticks all the boxes and seems cheaper than other options. is there a catch i'm missing and has anyone tried negotiating with laptops direct in the same way as dell?

[fallen angel shelley]

i never thought of bargaining with dell! i like the look of the Inspiron 6400 but i've also seen this:

http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/Acer_Aspire_5102_WLMi_LX.ABH05.084/version-1.asp

i'd like a dual core processer, 1GB RAM and at least 80GB hard disc - this ticks all the boxes and seems cheaper than other options. is there a catch i'm missing and has anyone tried negotiating with laptops direct in the same way as dell?

I never thouhgt Dell would knock down the price if Roryk83 hadn't of told me.
Calling just befor they close is a realy good idea and tell them what you want.

[bushbaby1103]

Just wondered what the more technically minded and canny of you would make of this quote I got from Dell. It's for an Inspiron 6400 - £460.00:

Intel® Core 2 Duo T5300 Processor (1.73GHz,533MHz,2MB L2 cache)
Genuine Windows Vista Home Basic - English
Collect & Return, 1 Year Service only
15.4" Wide Screen WXGA (1280 x 800) Display
1024MB 533MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM [2x512]
120GB (5400rpm) SATA Hard Drive
Intel Media Accelerator 950 Up to 256MB shared memory with TV and
S-Video out
Fixed Internal 8X DVD+/-RW Drive including software
6 cell Lithium-Ion Battery (53 Whr)
56.6k V.92 Capable Internal Modem & Adapter
Intel® Pro Wireless 3945 802.11a/b/g Mini-PCI Card (for Core 2 Duo Processors)
Microsoft® Works 8.0 - English


I shot myself in the foot when they quoted me £420.00 for the same specs last week by not making up my mind for a week so they wouldn't honour the lower quote!)

I'm hoping that they'll have a good deal next wk.

What do you think? Is this a good deal or should I wait a few weeks to see if the price drops?
Thanks in advance...

[albertross]

http://configure.euro.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?b=&c=uk&cs=ukdhs1&l=en&oc=N05642

£411 if you knock the warranty down to 1 year. If you use quidco, you can get a bit more off.

[Zagu]

Just want to thank those who posted the Ebuyer Toshiba L30 for £299. I upgraded the memory, so it came to about £310. Got it yesterday, and Im very impressed. I even quite like Vista!!

Cheers all. :beer:

[bushbaby1103]

http://configure.euro.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?b=&c=uk&cs=ukdhs1&l=en&oc=N05642

£411 if you knock the warranty down to 1 year. If you use quidco, you can get a bit more off.

I just double checked the e-mail definately for the 1 yr warranty for the £460.00 quoted

[albertross]

The link I posted is a slightly different processor, but better O/S. The rest of the spec is the same I think.

If you want a cheaper one, have a look at the 1501.

http://configure.euro.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=uk&cs=ukdhs1&l=en&oc=N05153

[bushbaby1103]

Decisions, decisions!

I'm finally spending my refunded bank charges :j

so I thought I would get the Core 2 Duo and spend a little bit more, in the hope of the laptop performing better for longer. I thought I would stick with Vista Home Basic as I'm only using it for basic internet & watching DVD's / Movie etc.

I took your advice to not go over the top pricewise for a 'basic' laptop for now which makes sense so I went with Dell. The 6400 seemed like the best option if I 'have' to go for the Core 2 Duo processor. But I wouldn't know how to compare the £460.00 price tag to other makes or models :confused:

I do keep going back to look at the 1510 because of the great price (for the one with the Turion processor) but am wary (or snobby!) about the AMD processor. [B]Is there really any noticeable difference for the average user like me? Am I just paying the extra for the 'Intel' brand?
:confused:

[melancholly]

I do keep going back to look at the 1510 because of the great price (for the one with the Turion processor) but am wary (or snobby!) about the AMD processor. [B]Is there really any noticeable difference for the average user like me? Am I just paying the extra for the 'Intel' brand?
:confused:

i'm not a laptop expert, but all the people i know who i would consider to be in the expert category on computers use AMD. essentially, you get more for your money because intel advertise more. i wouldn't touch an intel celeron processor with a barge pole - but the PC world adverts make out that they are amazing..... winds OH up everytime he sees the advert!

[grahawk]

I do keep going back to look at the 1510 because of the great price (for the one with the Turion processor) but am wary (or snobby!) about the AMD processor. [B]Is there really any noticeable difference for the average user like me? Am I just paying the extra for the 'Intel' brand?
:confused:

It is true that when it comes to laptops the Intel core duo processors are better but for average users I doubt you would spot the difference.

[grahawk]

i wouldn't touch an intel celeron processor with a barge pole - but the PC world adverts make out that they are amazing..... winds OH up everytime he sees the advert!

The Celeron-M which is used in laptops is a perfectly good processor. Yes in the past chips with the name Celeron where quite poor and the desktop version was always bottom of the heap. However the Celeron-M was very different as is was essentially a Pentium-M processor and is still perfectly good for average users with little to spend.

[deanb]

I've recently purchased the Dell Inspiron laptop with the AMD processor.

The choice I had was an Intel Core duo 2 (1.73 ghz) with 1gb of RAM or for £40 more an AMD 64 dual core TL-52 (1.6ghz) with 2gb of RAM and a 40gb larger HDD size.

For the extra £40 it was well worth it to go for the AMD, the difference in processor speed is so similar you would never know, and also upgading the Intel machine with the same memory and HDD size would cost a small fortune.

After a long discussion with some nerds at work, they described the AMD chip as technically better, but the Intel chip is the market leader. But to be honest, at the price of the system I was buying, the chip won't make the big difference. it would be like buying a Ferrari but driving on rubble - i.e. you can't drive it fast anyway!

The only haggling I got them to do was upgrade the battery!!!!

[lolamancity]

Hi Moneysavers

Hoping someone more techy than me can help me out... i know it seems i'm being incredibley lazy but i really am clueless in this area!

Im after a new laptop. My current laptop, a 2 year old Toshiba, is absolutely cack and i now cannot get onto the internet at all through it - partly to do with the crap kit you get with Orange Broadband, and partly to do with the fact that both USB ports on my laptop are knackered, and even if they weren't, the whole thing turns off every half an hour or so because its been damaged by overheating in the past, and still gets overly hot and dies...a lot. It still works, and would probably be easily fixable for someone in the know, but i just can't be bothered with it anymore, to be quite honest!

Anyway, i apologise now for not using technical terms... but what i am after is

Something:

quite small (my current one is reeeally heavy and pretty big and bulky)
bluetooth enabled (built in)
wireless enabled (i need to try and get my broadband/livebox wireless because the connecting leads get sat on a lot by my cats...ridiculous i know!)
something with quite a large memory (i tend to store hundreds of digital pics/videos/music on my laptop)
decent size hard drive
MS Office
Something with a GOOD reputation, because i'm getting a increasingly anoyed with buying reputable kit, then have massive problems with it within months (a la my Toshiba Laptop)

In a nutshell, i need something reputable that can cope with daily internet use, lots of pics and videos, and music/media downloads.

My budget is around £500.

Can anyone point me in the right direction?

HUGE thanks in advance! x

[deanb]

http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/products/features.aspx/notebooks_better?c=uk&cs=ukdhs1&l=en&s=dhs

check out the link. If you can stretch for the extra £50 the Dell Inspiron at £549 is good value. Especially as you get 2gb of memory for this price. Although it says the deal will run out this thursday. I've ordered this, but I wish I'd ordered it the week before as it was £20 cheaper!!

[misterthrifty]

Hi

I'm planning to ring Dell and see if I can extract some extras from them, does anybody have a standard telephone number rather than 0870 for sales?

TIA

Mr T

[bushbaby1103]

01344 860456

I just called Dell on this number and then asked switchboard operatoor for UK Sales Dept'

Got the number from SAYNOTO0870com

[turkleton]

any thoughts on this?

http://www.play.com/PC/PCs/4-/3300162/Sony-Vaio-VGN-N21E-W-Intel-Core-Duo-Processor-1-73GHz-15-4-Laptop-Genuine-Windows-Vista-Home-Premium/Product.html

thanks.

[Sammz]

When people phone for extras, what do they say? And what should I aim for getting? Should I find something to compare it to from somewhere else?

I'm looking to get the £411 Inspiron 6400.

[itsakidsworld]

After posting on here and taking the advice I called Dell and I cannot praise them ( at the moment!) enough. I spoke to a nice chap, very helpful and not pushy and I feel I got a good deal that suited me.

It was the inspiron 6400 and I decided on some little extras which were for me such as a better screen, 9 cell battery and delux case. The total cost varies even on the 6400 so it is all down to personal choice but expect to pay around £480- £600 depending on what you go for.

Dell called and gave me a date for delivery, I set the computer up and it works great. I am no computer expert and yet found it easy to use. At the moment very happy and I hope it long continues.

Well done Dell.

[melancholly]

i've been looking at laptops for a couple of weeks now and annoyingly lots of prices appear have gone up since the weekend.

found this though:
http://www.dabs.com/ProductView.aspx?Quicklinx=4CVK&CategorySelectedId=11105&PageMode=1&NavigationKey=11105,46400000,4294959538,46160000&InMerch=1

looks pretty good to me, anything obvious that i should be worried about?!

[melancholly]

i've been looking at laptops for a couple of weeks now and annoyingly lots of prices appear have gone up since the weekend.

found this though:
http://www.dabs.com/ProductView.aspx?Quicklinx=4CVK&CategorySelectedId=11105&PageMode=1&NavigationKey=11105,46400000,4294959538,46160000&InMerch=1

looks pretty good to me, anything obvious that i should be worried about?!

ahhhhhhhhhh! so excited and pleased with myself!
i rang dell and said i was looking for a laptop and had seen this offer on dabs, but someone at work had suggested i ring dell before buying it to see what they could offer.

they upgraded the hard disc to 120GB, gave me the fancy tru life screen and a 9 cell battery for £419 (on the insprion 6400). (saving £200 on what it would have cost to book online - not that i'd have paid any more than £450 total anyway!)

i would never have dreamed of trying to get stuff for free from them. thank you so much to all the people who suggested bargaining......! :j :j :j

(and i even rang them from work so i didn't have to pay the 0870 cost myself!)

[Sammz]

Sounds similar to the one I'm after: http://configure.euro.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?b=&c=uk&cs=ukdhs1&l=en&oc=N05642

[albertross]

Trulife screens aren't everyone's cup of tea. too shiny/reflective. I'd pop into curry's and check them out before you plump for one.

[melancholly]

Trulife screens aren't everyone's cup of tea. too shiny/reflective. I'd pop into curry's and check them out before you plump for one.

had a look at someones at work and was impressed - wasn't going to buy something blind!

[misterthrifty]

I phoned Dell but was offered very little. I got through to an Indian call centre and the best they could offer was a few pounds off the better graphics card. Perhaps give it another go tomorrow!

[Whits]

Can someone with a bit of expertise have a look at these 3 laptops and tell me what they think offers more bang per buck -

linky (http://www.comet.co.uk/cometbrowse/compare.do?categoryId=572&sku=373249&sku=386332&sku=396982#)

Thank you

[lolamancity]

I (well, my husband did) tried haggling twice with Dell on a 6400, the one at £498.99 on the website, as thats the one i have set my heart on.

They would not budge AT ALL! All they offered was a battery upgrade to 9 cell... and begrudgingly agreed to throwing bluetooth in aswell. Not a chance were they offering any more memory or hard drive... absolutely nothing.

Seems ive been totally unlucky :(

[toasterman]

Can someone with a bit of expertise have a look at these 3 laptops and tell me what they think offers more bang per buck -

linky (http://www.comet.co.uk/cometbrowse/compare.do?categoryId=572&sku=373249&sku=386332&sku=396982#)

Thank you
I'd say the Acer from that listing.
The fujitsu is a definite no-no, based on the comparison.. its got the smallest hard drive, lowest cache, its the slower AMD 64-bit processor, the delivery time takes 14 days (but costs the same as the others' 5 day delivery)..the list goes on.

I'd double check the spec of the HP one on their website too - because it says on that page it has no onboard lan card at all - I bet that isn't correct.
It also says it has no pc-card slots.. even my budget £299 HP laptop has a pc-card slot. It also says the screen is 15".. it isn't.. it'll be 15.4" because it says its widescreen, and you don't get 15" widescreen. You just look at that and wonder what else isn't correct.

I'd say the graphics is moderately better on the Acer compared to the HP, but its all cheap onboard graphics, which isn't great either way...fine for everything except the most modern games though.

The HP is moderately faster for moderately more money.. there's not a lot between them really.

[Whits]

I'd say the graphics is moderately better on the Acer compared to the HP, but its all cheap onboard graphics, which isn't great either way...fine for everything except the most modern games though.


Not fussed about delivery times as I work for Comet so they're largely irrelevant :D

It also means that I get a discount ;)

Thanks for your input, I'm pretty sure I'll opt for the Acer

:beer:

[Sammz]

Hmm, Dell don't seem to be offering much anymore. I tried last night and got offered £9 off a £434 Inspiron 6400. Called again tonight and the guy denied over and over again they offer better deals over the phone. I told him I'd go else where and he suddenly changed his mind. Told him the one I wanted but he said there was no way I'd get a better deal on that.

Still, I like it and it is a good deal so will probably go via Quidco for some discount.

http://configure.euro.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?b=&c=uk&cs=ukdhs1&l=en&oc=N05642

lola - have you checked www.dmxdimensions.com as they show all the advertised deals?

[melancholly]

for me, i had the toshiba from dabs on my computer screen (link in a post above) and told them that i was about to buy but that someone told me to try dell first. they didn't offer me a better price, just a few upgrades so i got a better spec for the same price.

it may be worth having something else that you can refer to as a guide of what you want and its price..... they offered me the 120GB without me asking - I had to push a little for the battery though.

[Weebert]

Any thoughts on this? :confused:

http://www.disking.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=98774109

Usually visit one of their shops (5 minutes walk away)

Basically need an ultra portable laptop for software developlment. Ideally 12.1 with a C2D processor, 2GB RAM and at least a 160GB hard disk drive. Looking at £800-850 for a budget.

[Sammz]

for me, i had the toshiba from dabs on my computer screen (link in a post above) and told them that i was about to buy but that someone told me to try dell first. they didn't offer me a better price, just a few upgrades so i got a better spec for the same price.

it may be worth having something else that you can refer to as a guide of what you want and its price..... they offered me the 120GB without me asking - I had to push a little for the battery though.

I mentioned Dabs and PCWorld :( I will try once over the weekend but if no joy then I'll just order online.

[roryk83]

Don't buy the laptop unless you have to. Wait a couple of weeks. Dell changes their offers every few weeks. you were unlucky in that you must have contacted them just after their last great offer expired.

To get a good deal from Dell you have to have patience. It will be worth it in the long run!!! Just keep your eye on the Dell advertisements in the papers and keep checking the website for their special offers

[neilersmc]

Think its standard practice you ask for upgrades they speak to their boss and suddenly you have a better battery, bigger hard drive, free case.

its definately an advantage to have a better spec system from another website on your screen when you are chatting.

Again lave it till late on in the day when they are trying to get as many sales as possible.

[kats53]

Advertised in yesterday's daily mail,

HP PAVILLION LAPTOP G5056EA
Intel Pentium Duel Core Processor T2080
DVD+/- RW, Duel layer
120gb Hard Drive
1gb RAM
Microsoft Vista Home Premium

£449.99

Only available in store while stocks last.
Sounds like a good deal?

[melancholly]

Advertised in yesterday's daily mail,

HP PAVILLION LAPTOP G5056EA
Intel Pentium Duel Core Processor T2080
DVD+/- RW, Duel layer
120gb Hard Drive
1gb RAM
Microsoft Vista Home Premium

£449.99

Only available in store while stocks last.
Sounds like a good deal?

if HP are still doing their £50 cashback offer then yes it does!

[:username:]

Hey all!

Did a bit of haggling with Dell today and got a pretty good deal:

BASE Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T5300 Processor (1.73GHz,533MHz,2MB L2 cache)
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows® XP Media Center Edition 2005
HARDWARE SUPPORT Collect & Return, 1 Year Service only
LCD 15.4" UltraSharp™ Wide Screen WXGA+ (1440x900) TFT Display with TrueLife™
MEMORY 1024MB 533MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM [2x512]
HARD DRIVE 120GB (5400rpm) SATA Hard Drive
GRAPHICS CARD Intel® Media Accelerator 950 Graphics Up to 256MB shared graphics memory
OPTICAL DRIVE Fixed Internal 8X DVD+/-RW with Software
PRIMARY BATTERY 6 cell Lithium-Ion Battery (53 Whr)
SECURITY SOFTWARE McAfee® Security Centre™ 8.0 - 36 Month
MICROSOFT SOFTWARE Microsoft® Works 8.0 - English

All this is worth £686 includind VAT and Delivery

I managed to get it for £483 including VAT and Delivery

I used a very closly spec'ed HP laptop as my tool for pulling the best deal out of there hands. Seems to have worked.

[kats53]

When did you see the £50 cashback from HP?

[pigeonpie]

username - which laptop model is that? The 6400?
Can you post the HP spec that got you the deal please?
I wonder if it's worth bothering with a better graphics card than the integrated or waiting until next week? Will it make that much difference to photo work?

[:username:]

username - which laptop model is that? The 6400?
Can you post the HP spec that got you the deal please?
I wonder if it's worth bothering with a better graphics card than the integrated or waiting until next week? Will it make that much difference to photo work?

Yeah it is the Inspiron 6400. I also managed to get XP Pro for £30 more so the whole deal is £503 including VAT & Delivery which will be 6th of June apparenty. :D

If photo work is what you will be doing then having a beter graphics card can only be a good thing IMO.

I think I used this HP laptop as a bargining tool but i'm not 100%. I will bring the paperwork home with me tomorrow and will know for sure then. http://www.comet.co.uk/cometbrowse/product.do?sku=386332
I did tell a few white lies about the spec on it but what do Dell know, they just want the sale and your money.

I got the standard deal first then phoned up the next day to haggle then phoned up the next to purchase. It took 3 days to get the deal but it was worth it.
When he offered me XP Pro instead of Home I said that I was over my bugget and the price quickly dropped from £80-£50-£30. I think if you drag the deal out abit it can work in your favor. Did for me anyhow.

Good luck.

[Jon 01]

Anyone know if you can get Dell to drop windows from the spec (as I'll be running linux) ? I seem to remember reading somewhere you can get another 50 quid off ? (I did try a while ago and they said they'd only do that on biz machines ? why that makes a difference I really don't know...).

[bellas-mummy]

Hello - can anyone help me please?

I will be going to uni in sept as a mature student and need to get a leptop really. It will only be used for uni work etc and general browsing for 2 reasons, 1 - i have a desktop at home, and 2 - i dont use any games/downloads etc.

I have been told that the Gateway MT6223b notebook is on sale for £385 at Tesco and that this would be ok, it has Vista basic on it i think. Is this any good?

I really dont wanna spend that much as already have a comp, but want something that will get me through 3 years and be nice and quick etc. I have ben told that pentium is better than celeron - but i really have no idea?!?!

Can anyone recommened a good laptop that is cheap that will do the above? Or tell me is the Tesco one above worth it?

As i am sure you can see I understand no techie lingo AT ALL so please explain anything to me as you would to say your granny!!!!!!

[bellas-mummy]

ooooh and by the way i would rather not get a dell, have heard a lot of horror stories from friends and family on them an really put me off

ta

[melancholly]

When did you see the £50 cashback from HP?

OH bought an HP laptop around Christmas time - he had to send in a form and wait about a month, but the £50 came back to him in the end.

[Sammz]

Think I'm going to go for this one from Dell. £411 plus I'll get 5% cashback at Quidco.

Components
Intel® Pentium® Dual-Core T2080 Processor (1.73GHz,533MHz,1MB L2 cache)
Genuine Windows Vista™ Business - English
Collect & Return, 1 Year Service only
15.4" Wide Screen WXGA (1280 x 800) Display
1024MB 533MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM [2x512]
120GB (5400rpm) SATA Hard Drive
Intel® Media Accelerator 950 Graphics Up to 256MB shared graphics memory
Fixed Internal 8X DVD+/-RW Drive including software
6 cell Lithium-Ion Battery (53 Whr)

Accessories
Dell™ Wireless 1390 802.11b/g Mini-PCI Card (for Dual-Core Processors)
Free - Deluxe Nylon Carry Case
Free Kensington Pilot Mini Wireless

[far away]

I only wanted a pretty low end specification, and so didn't have much wiggle room. However, I was still able to get almost £30 off.BASE AMD® Turion™ 64 X2 Mobile Technology TL50 edit
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows Vista™ Home Basic - English edit
HARDWARE SUPPORT Collect & Return, 90 Day Service only edit

Dell Recommends
Increase your productivity and get peace of mind
Basic Package, 3 Year At-Home Service
Learn More
Upgrade to Basic Package, 3 Year At-Home Service [add £88.12 £66.08 or £2/month1]
LCD 15.4" Wide Screen XGA TFT Display: 1280x800 edit
MEMORY 1024MB 533MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM [2x512] edit
HARD DRIVE 80GB (5400rpm) SATA Hard Drive edit
GRAPHICS CARD 256MB ATI ® Radeon® Xpress 1150 HyperMemory™ edit
OPTICAL DRIVE Fixed Internal 8X DVD+/-RW Drive including Software edit
PRIMARY BATTERY 4 cell Lithium-Ion Battery (29 Whr) edit
WIRELESS CONNECTIVITY Dell™ Wireless 1390 802.11b/g Mini-PCI Card (for AMD Processors) edit
CARRY CASES No Carry Case

By the way, does anybody know what the differences between the WXGA and the XGA? They both say they are widescreen.

[judosteffer]

Can anyone comment on the plethora of IBM thinkpad T41s on ebay at the moment? They sell for anywhere between £200 and £300 pound and are all 1 gig ram, 40 gig hard drive and Centrino 1.6 Ghz. How dos this compare with the current round of brand new £299 laptops like the Toshiba L30 ?

[pumpa]

Thinkpads are brilliant. i had no problems with mine and it was second hand when i had it. they might not look very modern but they are hard wearing and very well built, and all the reviews i have read have been very favourable. I just got a gateway laptop from toys r us (after spending a week going round pc world, comet, currys, 2nd hand shops etc)..i don't buy online and what i got for £350 was a 14'' laptop, vista, gig ram, glass 'ultrabright' widescreen, aluminium keyboard, decent radeon graphics, only a celeron but it's plenty for me and it was the cheapest and best spec in all the high street shops at the time. currys and pcw have a big sale on at the mo so if you're looking for something dearer they have got SOME good deals (not that i'm endorsing those places! grr, just letting you know about the sales)
missed out on a great deal at tescos...they had a top spec gateway laptop, dual core, 2 gig ram 160 hard drive..for 450..that is until we went to buy it next day and were told it had beenrecalled due to barcode prob and was meant to be £600! if only we had bought it on the day! i know tescos policy thing but they had all been taken off the shelves by then so it wasn't worth the hassle when they had none in stock.

[toasterman]

I've just noticed that in the poll at the top - why aren't IBM/Lenovo, HP or Dell listed as options?
Compaq is there although it's been a while since I've seen anything branded Compaq...think HP have converted everything over to that.
So seems odd that HP and Dell are the most popular computer manufacturers in the world but they don't feature....

[Zagu]

Ive just got an email from Ebuyer, and thought it might be worth posting.

ACER ASPIRE NOTEBOOK - MULTIMEDIA & PERFORMANCE

Breaking The Barrier between People and Technology

This laptop comes Pre-Installed with Windows Vista and features a crisp widescreen display provides a comfortable viewing experience ideal for prolonged use. Integrated wireless connectivity allows quick and easy access to networks and broadband internet whether at home or on the move, making this a versatile purchase.


Main Features:

Brand New Microsoft® Windows Vista™ Home Basic
Aspire 5051AWXMi, AMD Turion™ 64 Mobile Technology MK-36 (2.0 GHz, 512 KB L2 cache), 14.1" WXGA TFT LCD, 1280 x 800 pixel resolution, ATI Radeon® Xpress 1100 integrated 3D graphics, with up to 256 MB of shared system memory, 512MB of DDR2 memory, 60GB 5400RPM hard disk drive, 8X DVD-Super Multi double-layer drive, 5-in-1 card reader, 6-cell battery.


Specifications:

ATI Radeon® Xpress 1100 chipset

MD Turion™ 64 Mobile Technology MK-36 (2.0 GHz, 512 KB L2 cache)

512MB of DDR2 533/667 MHz memory, upgradeable to 4 GB4 using two soDIMM modules (dual-channel support)

60GB Hard Disk Drive

8X DVD-Super Multi double-layer drive

14.1" WXGA TFT LCD, 1280 x 800 pixel resolution, supporting simultaneous multi-window viewing via Acer GridVista™

Acer InviLink™ 802.11b/g Wi-Fi CERTIFIED® solution, supporting Acer SignalUp™ wireless technology
LAN: Fast Ethernet, Wake-on-LAN ready
Modem: 56K ITU V.92 with PTT approval, Wake-on-Ring ready

PC Card slot (Type II)
5-in-1 card reader (SD, MMC, MS, MS PRO, xD)
Three USB 2.0 ports
External display (VGA) port
S-video/TV-out (NTSC/PAL) port
Headphones/speaker/line-out jack with S/PDIF support
Microphone-in jack
Line-in jack
Ethernet (RJ-45) port
Modem (RJ-11) port
DC-in jack for AC adapter


512 MB / 1 GB / 2 GB3 DDR2 533/667 MHz soDIMM module
9-cell 7200 mAh Li-ion battery pack
6-cell 4000 mAh Li-ion battery pack
External USB floppy disk drive
3-pin 65 W AC adapter
(option)

Acer Empowering Technology (eNet, ePower, ePresentation, eDataSecurity, eLock, eRecovery, eSettings Management)
Acer Arcade™

*299.99 inc vat offer ends 15th of june 2007


Not amazing, as the screen is a 14.1" and it only comes with 512Mb, but with free delievery and a price of £290 inc VAT + Google checkout, someone might like it.

Ebuyer (http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=123115&_LOC=UK)

[wazza]

Ive just got an email from Ebuyer, and thought it might be worth posting.



Not amazing, as the screen is a 14.1" and it only comes with 512Mb, but with free delievery and a price of £290 inc VAT + Google checkout, someone might like it.

Ebuyer (http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=123115&_LOC=UK)

also seen this email. I have been told that you need a 1Gb memory to run vista smoothly so why do some manufacturers only supply 512Mb?

[Sammz]

I've just noticed that in the poll at the top - why aren't IBM/Lenovo, HP or Dell listed as options?
Compaq is there although it's been a while since I've seen anything branded Compaq...think HP have converted everything over to that.
So seems odd that HP and Dell are the most popular computer manufacturers in the world but they don't feature....

The thread was started in 2004.

[Zagu]

also seen this email. I have been told that you need a 1Gb memory to run vista smoothly so why do some manufacturers only supply 512Mb?


So they can sell them for the magical £x99. I recently got a Toshiba for £299, plus the memory, making it £300_and_something, and even with 1Gb it still takes a while to load up. I did give it a try with 512Mb when I first got it, and the load up time was ludicrous. If you do go for this one, Id get the extra memory, and Id also phone Dell first to see what offer you can get from them.

[robmcdougal90]

how do i go about haggling to get a dell, the spec i am looking at is
Inspiron 1501

AMD® Turion™ 64 X2 Mobile Technology TL50
1024MB 533MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM
120GB (5400rpm) SATA Hard Drive
15.4" Wide Screen XGA TFT Display: 1280x800
256MB ATI ® Radeon® Xpress 1150 HyperMemory™
Fixed Internal 8X DVD+/-RW Drive including Software
6 cell Lithium-Ion Battery
McAfee® Security Centre™ 8.0 - 36 Month Protection
Collect & Return, 90 Day Service only

Which comes to £411 inc vat and del, what can i upgrade or get money off??thanks in advance

[Sammz]

rob - you might want to take a look at the £411 Inspiron 6400. I posted a link a couple of days ago. Dell wouldn't give me any deals on it though.

[robmcdougal90]

do you have a link to it, cant see it on the website for that much

[robmcdougal90]

im trying to haggle on live chat sales, is it better to ring them up?

[Heslo9]

I phoned dell last night trying to get the same deal as bushbaby1103 but they said they would only match the deal if i could prove thats how much they paid!! £460. the same system is now £499

Intel® Core 2 Duo T5300 Processor (1.73GHz,533MHz,2MB L2 cache)
Genuine Windows Vista Home Basic - English
Collect & Return, 1 Year Service only
15.4" Wide Screen WXGA (1280 x 800) Display
1024MB 533MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM [2x512]
120GB (5400rpm) SATA Hard Drive
Intel Media Accelerator 950 Up to 256MB shared memory with TV and
S-Video out
Fixed Internal 8X DVD+/-RW Drive including software
6 cell Lithium-Ion Battery (53 Whr)
56.6k V.92 Capable Internal Modem & Adapter
Intel® Pro Wireless 3945 802.11a/b/g Mini-PCI Card (for Core 2 Duo Processors)
Microsoft® Works 8.0 - English


looks like i will wait till they drop the prices!!

[pompey_1]

Hi,

I'm looking to get a laptop for under £350, Can't be vista due to software I need it to run)

Does this seem like a good way forward

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/store/pcw_page.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@1041255366.118159166 4@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccffaddleemgekkcflgceggdhhmdgmj.0&page=Product&sku=840719&fm=null&sm=null&tm=null&tabIndex=1

sorry about the length of that link! hope it doesn't screw up the width of the thread!

basically it's: TOSHIBA A100-147 RECONDITIONED INTEL CORE DUO T2050 PROCESSOR 1.6GHz LAPTOP (1GB memory, XP media centre)

for £335 inc delivery

Is my thinking of: dual core >>>> celeron-m valid when getting a laptop for this price. I'm mainly basing this on the fact that my current laptop has a desktop celeron processor in it and it's sooo noisey!

Many thanks for any advice given

Paul

[wazza]

Hi,

I'm looking to get a laptop for under £350, Can't be vista due to software I need it to run)

Does this seem like a good way forward

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/store/pcw_page.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@1041255366.118159166 4@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccffaddleemgekkcflgceggdhhmdgmj.0&page=Product&sku=840719&fm=null&sm=null&tm=null&tabIndex=1

sorry about the length of that link! hope it doesn't screw up the width of the thread!

basically it's: TOSHIBA A100-147 RECONDITIONED INTEL CORE DUO T2050 PROCESSOR 1.6GHz LAPTOP (1GB memory, XP media centre)

for £335 inc delivery

Is my thinking of: dual core >>>> celeron-m valid when getting a laptop for this price. I'm mainly basing this on the fact that my current laptop has a desktop celeron processor in it and it's sooo noisey!

Many thanks for any advice given

Paul

they were going for £599 but sometimes pcworld had it down to £499 on sale now and then last november

[xenny]

Hi,


Is my thinking of: dual core >>>> celeron-m valid when getting a laptop for this price. I'm mainly basing this on the fact that my current laptop has a desktop celeron processor in it and it's sooo noisey!




There's no relationship between desktop celerons and celeron-m processors. Essentially a celeron-m is a core duo or core 2 duo processor chopped in half with some of the power saving features disabled. A celeron-m won't be anything like as noisy as your current machine

So don't presume that dual core is a must have. It's nice if you're after a little extra battery life, or are going to do something genuinely CPU intensive with the machine, otherwise it's not essential.

[Sky Digiman]

Empiredirect have a good deal on...
http://www.empiredirect.co.uk/content/products/details/index~modelcode~ACE-5101AWLMI.htm

[AJ.cutey]

use discount code at get 10% off!

username: 10percent and voucher ID: EV3562

[andyelcomb]

http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/123093

Just got one of these for £320.59 delivered including buying Kingston 1GB memory stick and Google £10 checkout bonus.

Didn't want anything fancy, and didn't want Vista. This comes with XP Home as standard and that's getting hard to find.

Wanted the bigger screen, wireless etc and am very pleased indeed with it.

Whisper quiet, contacted to home wireless internet instantly (I'm not a techie and normally go round in circles before I get these things sorted).

Realised later I could have saved a little by going to Ebay for the memory but still very happy with bit of kit - and the price. (yes, I know it'll be £50 less in a few months...)

[Sky Digiman]

I bought the laptop at 4pm from Empire Direct (the acer i posted earlier) and with carry case for £375 using code.
Does anyone know how long it takes for empire direct take to call to arrange delivery date?
Thanks :)

[bushbaby1103]

My new Dell 6400 arrived today and it's great, a bit slower than I expected but 100% better than my old elderly one. :j

So I'd like to say a big

THANK YOU

to everyone for all the advice and support I received in making my choice. I may well need some more advice as i try new things out on my new toy, but I know where to come if I run into any problems!

Cheers! :beer:

[tallulah]

Advice on a lap top purchase please
Hi folks, hope i have come to the right place - i have heard great things about you lo! :j

Looking to purchase a lap top for personal internet use mainly. I use my work computer but want to start ebaying etc and this is a big no no from the work computer!

Anyways, i want basic lap top with dvd & cd re-writer, enough space to store music, pics etc and also wireless for around £300 - £400 mark (really don;t want to spend over £350!). So have found a potential 2 i would consider buying. I is a make i have never heard of and the other is a reconidition one (it does come with 12 month warranty) however i am a bit unsure what to do :confused:

COMPAQ C504EA Recon laptop, with 80GB, 1024MB and loads of other stuff i don't understand - not 100% too sure if this is wireless tho

Lenovo 3000 C200 - with 80GB, 512 MB (however can pay £40 to double this) and loads of ither stuff , this is defo wireless

Both have DVD & CD re-writers

And are around the same price give or take a few quid

What do you guys think? Which would be the best buy

Any help would be great - thanks very much

Edit - just rany COMPAQ and that mobile defo is wireless

[ktj]

Is Aldi's computer stuff any good? Thought the md98200 was a bargin at £550ish, but now I'm not so sure. My only requirement really is a basic computer that is easy to use and very reliable, but I'm very impatient so it needs to be fast. So probably a dual processor is essential.
:confused: :confused: :confused:

[davestar_delux]

I'm looking for a laptop right now to replace my desktop, know what I'm looking for but don't know where to look or what names to go for or if what I'm looking for is feasible within my budget:

Budget £500 (I don't pay VAT with Dell so budget can go a bit higher with them).

RAM - Not too fussed, think my desktop has 512MB which has done me fine.

CPU - Like the RAM, as good as my desktop which ain't much would be fine.

HDD - 80GB Minimum - this is the same as my desktop and I couldn't go back to any less now.

OS - Doesn't matter.

Other features:

Need a DVD-RW
Need Wireless NIC

Would like:

As large a screen as possible.
Built-in Webcam.
Bluetooth connectivity so I can send stuff from my phone to it.
As many input devices as possible.

[Ladybump]

Looking for lap-top advice please

I'm looking to replace my pc with a laptop, but am unfamiliar with most of the "language" used in specs, so looking for some guidance. Want to use laptop for word and internet mainly. Don't currently download music or store photos, but may in future, so capacity to do that would be helpful. WOuld also like DVD rewriter. Looking to spend roughly £300-£450. Any guidance would be much appreciated! Thanks

[thebig1]

Hi Guys
I need to buy a laptop, but cant find good quality and value in the same product.

I need
1 gig ram min
80gig hdd min
15inch screen minimum
fast processor
wireless
good battery life
got to be robust and reliable

ideally no more than £400 max

Can anybody recomend anything

[happy snapper]

How does this one stack up then? :D I recieved it on an Email last night and on the surface of things looks a great buy? maybe i am missing something i dont know?

I have dealt with these people before and although they are quite a small company the 2 desktops i have bought in the last ten years from them have been great

Anyway hope this post helps and any feedback allways welcome

http://www.meshcomputers.com/Default.aspx?PAGE=PRODUCTVIEWPAGE&USG=PRODUCT&ENT=PRODUCT&KEY=209713 :D


Me

[ubergeek]

Try www.cheap-it.com

[R0CKY]

I have dealt with these people before and although they are quite a small company the 2 desktops i have bought in the last ten years from them have been great

MESH are one of the largest, longest running, PC manufacturers in the country.

[championmongo1]

Recently purchased an Inspiron 1501 for £449 including VAT & shipping! It came with windows vista home premium (including microsoft works 8) and has a dual core 64bit AMD processor, 1 GB of DDR2 RAM, 160GB hard drive, a 256MB (dedicated NOT shared) PCI express graphics card, 15" screen , DVD +/- rewriter & a collect or return warrenty!

It's one of the best I've seen for under £500, what do you think?

[bigtel]

Do most laptops ise the same type of speakers?

I'm after one and all I want it for it to use for the Internet and watch DVD's.

As I don't need a big hard drive could I get one with better speakers anywhere instead?

Thanks

[championmongo1]

Most manufacturers don't specify the specification of the speakers-they just say that there is two of them! However I've managed to find one with an uprated sound system but it is very, very pricey! It's on meshcomputers.com and is the MESH GX700 that comes with built in Subwoofer, 4XSpeakers, MIC, SP/DIF Digital, 4.1-Channel surround sound Dolby® but unfortunately it is £999! I think you would be better just buying external speakers for the laptop I mentioned above & plug them in when you need saving yourself £500!

What do other members of MSE think??

[Aiadi]

http://www.hotukdeals.com/deal/37829/new-vostro-dell-laptop-range-sempro

[alexchegwin]

http://www.hotukdeals.com/deal/37829/new-vostro-dell-laptop-range-sempro

If i was going to buy a new laptop I would get this... taking the upgraded cpu (X2) and the 9 cell battery....(£350 delivered)

But I am really after a cheap second hand laptop (£200 max)

With most products you have to pay through the nose for brand new spec's and the prices decreas once second hand dramatically. But with laptops it is very different ? Looking at ebay second hand laptops go for huge amounts! compared witht the spec u can get from dell brand new??

Does this confuse anyone else or is it just me ??

:rotfl:

[ubergeek]

If i was going to buy a new laptop I would get this... taking the upgraded cpu (X2) and the 9 cell battery....(£350 delivered)

But I am really after a cheap second hand laptop (£200 max)

With most products you have to pay through the nose for brand new spec's and the prices decreas once second hand dramatically. But with laptops it is very different ? Looking at ebay second hand laptops go for huge amounts! compared witht the spec u can get from dell brand new??

Does this confuse anyone else or is it just me ??

:rotfl:

The second hand market hasn't caught up with the drop in new prices yet.

[TonyB]

A friend needs an inexpensive laptop, mainly for internet/email use Big memory etc not really essential but obviously processor speed(?) is important.
We've seen a local ad for laptops from £199 & are going to look tomorrow, Any warnings or sugestions please?????

TonyB

[Ramz]

Well, a decent laptop you can get for £600 is the Samsung R20 @ John Lewis.

CD / DVD optical drivehttp://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifDVD Super-Multi Dual Layer http://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifhttp://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifDimensionshttp://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifH25.5/38.5 x W340 x D259.5mm http://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifhttp://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifFireWire / IEEE 1394 portshttp://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gif1 http://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifhttp://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifGraphics cardhttp://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifATI Radeon X1250 http://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifhttp://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifGraphics card - video RAMhttp://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifInformation not available http://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifhttp://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifHard drivehttp://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gif120GB http://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifhttp://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifMemory card slothttp://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gif4-in-1 http://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifhttp://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifModel name / numberhttp://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifR20 http://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifhttp://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifModemhttp://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gif56k http://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifhttp://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifOperating systemhttp://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifWindows Vista Home Premium http://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifhttp://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifProcessorhttp://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifIntel Core 2 Duo T5300 http://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifhttp://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifProcessor speedhttp://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gif1.73GHz http://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifhttp://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifRAMhttp://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gif2GB http://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifhttp://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifScreen resolutionhttp://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gif1280 x 800 http://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifhttp://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifScreen sizehttp://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gif14.1"





http://www.johnlewis.com/Computing/Computers/Computers/Laptops/398/230426828/Product.aspx?SearchTerm=samsung+r20

[James M]

Go to Alienware.com. Amazing Laptops! And great desktops to!

[Deedee73]

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=515379

See the thread I posted in grabbit.

[Tozer]

What about this?
Dell Vospro 1500
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T5470 Processor (1.6GHz,800MHz,2MB L2 cache)
Genuine Windows Vista™ Business - English
3 Year Business Hardware Support - Next Business Day
15.4" Wide Screen WXGA (1280 x 800) Display
Matte Jet Black without Camera
2048MB 667MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM (2x1024)
160GB (5400RPM) SATA Hard Drive
128 MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8400M GS
Fixed Internal 8X DVD+/-RW Drive
Primary 6-cell Lithium-Ion Battery (56 WHr)

£530 delivered. Any good?

[pumpa]

re dell, how are you all getting so much money off? sinple haggling or are you comparing them to other models over the phone as we havent really found anything cheaper than dell but some people on here have managed to get 700 quid machines for 400! how are you doing it! we want to phone them :P

our spec is 2 gb ram
dedicated nvidea 8000 series support directx10
dual core 1.8
decent hard drive

anyone? whats the cheapest for this?

[1961templar]

A friend needs an inexpensive laptop, mainly for internet/email use Big memory etc not really essential but obviously processor speed(?) is important.
We've seen a local ad for laptops from £199 & are going to look tomorrow, Any warnings or sugestions please?????

TonyB

For internet/email use this is ideal:

Gateway ML3108b 14.1" Laptop - £299.00
http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.200-5655.aspx

They also have more expensive Gateway models with faster processors & greater memory.

[Ramz]

I have one of these:

Samsung R20 WVP T5300 2GB 120GB 14.1" 14.1" WXGA Core 2 Duo T5300 (1.7GHz) 533MHz FSB with 2MB Cache 2GB (2x1GB) 120GB 5400RPM SATA DVD Super-Multi Dual Layer Standard 4 Cell Li-ion ATI Radeon X1250 (unt Gfx) 10/100, 56k Modem 802.11 b/g 3 x USB 2.0 4 in 1 Card Reader Piano Black Windows Vista Home Premium 2.4kg

£599.99

http://www.microanvika.com/product.asp?PNO=SAM14522

[Ems*Honie]

For internet/email use this is ideal:

Gateway ML3108b 14.1" Laptop - £299.00
http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.200-5655.aspx

They also have more expensive Gateway models with faster processors & greater memory.


Would this be ok for someone just to surf on, I cant find the battery size. I just wondered if more than one person thought it was a good deal.

[GileZ]

The best way to check the Specification is probably to go on the Gateway Website (http://www.gateway.com) and find the Laptop- you should be able to use the code for this.

Honestly though, unless you are going to need to take your laptop with you for work etc it is probably better to get a desktop. They are cheaper (for the spec) and are easier to upgrade. The main problem with laptops is the fact that they are out of date months, even weeks, after you buy them, so its better to pay more and get something thats still going to be useful in a few years time. That said, i'm still probably going to get a laptop anyways!

[Ems*Honie]

Thanks Gilez,

I have a desk top, although I do work on a comp, so could do with a laptop when funds allow ;)

THis is for a friend who is taking up the internet later in life (she's my surrogate mum friend) and she wants to be able to sit on her terrace with it (pluggedinto an extension I should imagine, not being able to find the battery spec) All she will do is t'internet and email and won't be interested in upgrades or such, or being up to date, so long as it works.

Oh well, she liked the price, so I'm ordering for her in the morning, next day del is reasonable.

[lolly1963]

Hi,
I am buying a laptop for a friend in Turkey and have narrowed some choices down, but need some help with choosing please.
they are
Toshiba Satellite L30-10v FROM LAPTOPS DIRECT £369.97 plus delivery
Intel Core Duo T2080
ram 1GB DDR2
60GB Hard Drive
Windows Vista Home Basic

Dell Inspiron 6400 £351.32
Intel Core Duo T2080
1024MB 533MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM(2x512)
120GB Hard Drive
Windows XP Professional

Acer Aspire 5613AWLMI Plus free VOIP Phone & delivery £399.97
Intel Core Duo T2350 Intel Centrino Duo L2 Cache 2MB Cache memory
1GB RAM DDR 11 SDRAM 2 x 512MB
120GB Hard Drive
Windows Vista Home Premium

Please can you give me an insight as to which one is the best buy please as am very novice with technology.
Many Thanks and please fire away!!
Lorraine

[dazzer21]

...but here's what I'd get:

Apple MacBook
13.3-inch glossy widescreen 1280 x 800 display
2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
1GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM(2x512mb), expandable to 2GB
80GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor
24x Combo drive (DVD-ROM/CD-RW)
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950
Mini-DVI out (adapters for DVI, VGA and Composite/S-Video sold separately)
built-in iSight video camera
Gigabit Ethernet port
built-in AirPort Extreme wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
two USB 2.0 ports and one FireWirer 400 port;one audio line in and one audio line out port, each supporting both optical digital and analogue
Scrolling TrackPad
the infrared Apple Remote
60 Watt MagSafe Power Adapter.

As I said, not the cheapest with regards to the hardware on its own but:
The iLife suite is worth its weight in gold - wait until they ship with iLife 08 (06 is is good but 08 is the business) - Photo management, movie editing, DVD authoring, Music creation (brilliant), website creation (again, brilliant). Has the most advanced and intuitive OS (MacOS X 10.4 Tiger) AND (killer feature), with a copy of "Parallels", will run virtually all Windows applications seemlessly. Only thing I would add to the original spec is a RAM uprade to 1.5Gb or 2Gb (any laptop shipping with 256Mb RAM, as has been previously suggested, these days belongs in the bin).

Jigsaw do it for £692 inc VAT (You can probably get one slightly cheaper if you look around). Crucial will do you a 1Gb stick of RAM for £30 (replace one of the 512s for it and you'll have 1.5Gb) or the full 2Gb for £60. Parallels is about £40. You'll need a copy of Windows if you're going to run it but thats about it. For about £750, it's just about all you'll need in a small, cheap laptop. I'm not a Windows basher (I'll admit I prefer Macs to PCs) and it's just my opinion, all things considered.

As laptops at this price have been mentioned previously in this thread, I think it's relevant - on the flipside this is obviously all about getting cheap laptops (hence a lot of people also looking at really cheap re-furbs) but I think that as a brand new, future-proof (relatively speaking, of course) machine, pound for pound, I think it's quite difficult to beat...

[gazz7878]

Vostro Dell Laptop range Sempron 3500+, 1gig, 120GB, dvdrw 15.4" screen

Was just wondering if anyone has one of these?

any good? just thinking of buying one for a small business...

cheers!

[thamesmatt]

Well, a decent laptop you can get for £600 is the Samsung R20 @ John Lewis.

CD / DVD optical drivehttp://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifDVD Super-Multi Dual Layer http://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifhttp://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifDimensionshttp://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifH25.5/38.5 x W340 x D259.5mm http://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifhttp://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifFireWire / IEEE 1394 portshttp://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gif1 http://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifhttp://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifGraphics cardhttp://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifATI Radeon X1250 http://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifhttp://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifGraphics card - video RAMhttp://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifInformation not available http://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifhttp://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifHard drivehttp://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gif120GB http://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifhttp://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifMemory card slothttp://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gif4-in-1 http://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifhttp://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifModel name / numberhttp://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifR20 http://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifhttp://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifModemhttp://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gif56k http://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifhttp://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifOperating systemhttp://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifWindows Vista Home Premium http://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifhttp://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifProcessorhttp://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifIntel Core 2 Duo T5300 http://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifhttp://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifProcessor speedhttp://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gif1.73GHz http://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifhttp://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifRAMhttp://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gif2GB http://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifhttp://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifScreen resolutionhttp://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gif1280 x 800 http://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifhttp://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gifScreen sizehttp://www.johnlewis.com/jl_assets/build/space.gif14.1"


seen this for £475 online! I'm thinking of a R20 too. Actually arrived on here to ask a the advice of the experts here! it looks to good to be true being what i consider a decent name

[timlaw]

looking for a laptop for uni ive seen loads of cheap deals on the american ebay would there be a problem, apart from the plug with buying an american laptop?

[withabix]

looking for a laptop for uni ive seen loads of cheap deals on the american ebay would there be a problem, apart from the plug with buying an american laptop?

Problems:

Customs & Excise would charge you UK VAT (17.5%) via the carrier BEFORE letting you get your hands on the laptop, unless you were very lucky and it slipped through (IT WON'T!). VAT charged on purchase price and shipping costs.

There isn't any Import Duty on computers, so nothing to add there!

You will also probably get charged a Customs Clearance Fee by the carrier.

Warranty: You might have to return it to USA for warranty repair. Warranty might not be valid in UK.

Damage: Will it be covered? Will you be able to get a refund?

Payment: Don't use ANYTHING other than Paypal.

Keyboard layout: It will be American and that can be REALLY annoying.

PSU: Might not be universal input voltage (but probably is) , so you might need to buy a new one for 240V. USA is 110V.

[Glitterati]

I'm on the lookout for a decent cheap laptop for my little brother, he's off to China as part of his degree course at uni for a year so is going to need one. My dad will be footing the cost, but as he is pretty skint it's going to have to be pretty basic but reliable. Anyone know if it is probably best and cheapest for him to just buy it in china rather than here? I know they are huge on electronics there, but not sure about how they are price wise. Also the keyboards etc would be different... hum.. well any suggestions would be welcome! Just want to save my dad getting in more debt than necessary, as I know he was thinking of getting a 'cheapy' from pc world and he probably will be able to get better/cheaper elsewhere.

[dalumsden1]

Also posted in student forum:

Hello. I'm going to be ordering a student laptop in the next 2 weeks but it's hard reading through the mumbojumbo for a person who doesn't quite no how much of this and that he needs whilst at university. I was hoping people could help me and maybe others who read this. These are things I'll be running and at a budget of only 350-400 I would hope someone has good advice.

Skype
Msn Messenger and Gadu-Gadu
Microsoft Office
Firefox and Thunderbird
DVDs to watch movies (not an essential though)

I have a 500GB external hard drive so this may play to what I get.

Cheers.

[spud17]

Hi there,

Apologies if I don't reply promptly but can't be on here for a couple of days.

The question is on behalf of a friend, the small company he works for is looking to buy some Toshiba Satellite laptops.
The boss has asked if he would like to buy one for his own use, the idea being to try and get a better deal by bumping up the number being bought.

The model spec and OS are not yet finalised, but he would like to know if Toshiba are in principal a good buy.

Yes,I have seen the poll, but that might not necessarily reflect opinion of the latest models.

At present he has a Compaq M700(XP Professional,Office2003), I've told him it's worth about £75, but that's a complete guess, anyone care to give a more informed answer?

Thanks R

[kirill]

Had my toshiba satellite 2450-s402 for 3 years, no problems apart from 1 broken hard drive, it's still working just very very slowly and I have a loose lid, but I think that issue had been fixed in the future models

[Ramz]

seen this for £475 online! I'm thinking of a R20 too. Actually arrived on here to ask a the advice of the experts here! it looks to good to be true being what i consider a decent name

Yeah well, i'd recommend it, it's excellent, although the only thing is the battery, it only lasts about an hour when browsing the web...

[DanielRichards]

I've narrowed the choice to 3, but if anybody can help to narrow it to 1, i'd be really grateful!

Thanks
Dan.

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/produ...uct_uid=126333 (http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?rb=0&action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=126333)

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/produ...uct_uid=126336 (http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?rb=0&action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=126336)

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/produ...uct_uid=128950 (http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?rb=0&action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=128950)

[Itchy Niagras]

I've narrowed the choice to 3, but if anybody can help to narrow it to 1, i'd be really grateful!

Thanks
Dan.

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/produ...uct_uid=126333 (http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?rb=0&action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=126333)

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/produ...uct_uid=126336 (http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?rb=0&action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=126336)

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/produ...uct_uid=128950

The Fujitsu-Siemens one has a great 17" screen and is much cheaper at Comet online (http://www.comet.co.uk/cometbrowse/product.do?sku=407119&tab=specification#spec).
;)

[DanielRichards]

Cheers Itchy, but the spec is less with a slower processor etc. I'll keep thinking!!

[meandmaboy]

Good Evening,
This will probably appear to be a bit of a daft question, but i'll ask it anyway :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:
Thinking of buying a basic laptop & dear son can have use of this pc, @ present i get all my emails thro' OUTLOOK EXPRESS' will i still be able to retrieve my emails from both the PC & Laptop if i have Windows Vista on the laptop & not Windows XP ???????????????????

I make no apologies for this being a silly question

TIA :o :o :o :o :o

[buglawton]

If your laptop has Vista then it can hardly be a basic one, needs fairly top spec to run Vista smoothly. A program called Windows Mail replaces Outlook Express in Vista, is similar enough. You can set the email on either machine to read the email but leave it on your email sever to be read then deleted by the other computer (you choose which one is to be 'master').

Meanwhile I want to avoid Vista so am looking for a refurbished or used IBM T41 with XP, a Gig of memory, and a non-reflective screen that does not look like a letterbox. Anyone know a good source?

[darrelljon]

Apologies if these have been mentioned before, but the best cheap laptops are the Medison Celebrity for £75 and the ASUS EeePC for ~£150.

[buglawton]

Neither have ever appeared on retail on the UK with a QUERTY keyboard. The Medison (or anyone offering to sell you one) is strongly being flagged up as a scam per 2 minute's Googling. Even then the spec is a sub-notebook of the type that could be good for travelling rather than say office usage.

If it looks to good to be true...

[ A bit of further Googling and it looks like you should not even enter your Card number into Medison's 2Checkout website - see http://www.webhostingforum.com/showthread.php?t=388 ]

MODERATOR PLEASE NOTE

[midders]

What do you think my chances are... I am looking for the following spec for under £500.

17" Widescreen
2048MB RAM
160GB Hard Disk
Decent enough processor and preferably a graphics card which is not on board....

I think the only way I can get something close to this is try and haggle with dell... what do you think?

Thanks

[Aiadi]

What do you think my chances are...

Quite good I have to say. From a very quick search that I did:
http://www.currys.co.uk/product.php?sku=970401

It is currently out of stock but these prices are not impossible to find. If you search well on the net then I am sure you'll be able to find plenty more.

[Janeryan]

Hi all

We are looking for a laptop for DS for 6th form and are fairly technophobic when it comes to the spec on these things.

Needs to be light but robust as he will have it with him at school all day(also not too expensive as to be a target for potential theft!)

He would like to be able to load 1 or 2 games onto it as well as using it for schoolwork.Also could do with having Microsoft office on it to be compatible with our desktop Pc.


Our current computer is Windows XP so if he gets Vista will it be compatible if neccesary?

All suggestions gratefully received

[Browntoa]

Vista + XP work fine together

keep an eye on the "Grabbit" section on the forum, look out on a Thursday for the latest deals ;)

there have been some outstanding deals on Dell vostro Laptops for as little as £292

[Stubert]

What do you think my chances are... I am looking for the following spec for under £500.

17" Widescreen
2048MB RAM
160GB Hard Disk
Decent enough processor and preferably a graphics card which is not on board....

I think the only way I can get something close to this is try and haggle with dell... what do you think?

Thanks


That would be pretty expensive. To get something with a decent graphics card I don't really see happening. You could get the Inspiron 1720 from Dell, but I'm sure with that spec it would come to about £900 minimum.

[littleange]

That would be pretty expensive. To get something with a decent graphics card I don't really see happening. You could get the Inspiron 1720 from Dell, but I'm sure with that spec it would come to about £900 minimum.

Starting from:

£860 for the 1720 (-£35 quidco = £825)
£760 for the 1721 (-£30 quidco = £730)

I think

[siliconbits]

That would be pretty expensive. To get something with a decent graphics card I don't really see happening. You could get the Inspiron 1720 from Dell, but I'm sure with that spec it would come to about £900 minimum.

If you can live with a refurbished laptop, then go for this Advent model from Currys (http://www.currys.co.uk/martprd/product/seo/401567). £399 gets you a dual core laptop with a 17-inch screen, 1GB memory and a 120GB HDD. You can always upgrade the memory and buy an external hard disk drive. Also use Quidco and various codes available on the net to get the price even cheaper. Best of all, enjoy a few more pounds discount if you have an egg card....

[oldie21]

I have just bought one of these & no-one has mentioned it is refurbished.......how could I tell?


so far it seems a good deal but let me know what to look out for

[buglawton]

Tier1 sell refurbished IBM T42s for £299 inc p&p and VAT. Apparently this has quite good graphics (Radeon 7500), albeit at 1024 native resolution (which I prefer - a reason for buying) on the 14" screen. Not the highest spec, not even new but good for serviceability and battery running time. 1GB RAM and 40 GB drive. Inbuilt wifi. Mine arrived in 48 hrs. Oh yes and XP not Vista - another reason for buying.

[joshtbh]

hi all, I have £450 to spend on a laptop but it has to be from Currys, PC World or Dixons in store, any recommendations please? Saw a Core 2 Duo Tosh on a PC World advert earlier for £399 - would that be the best?

[minnietheminx]

I'm interested in the Dell laptop below, but I'm wondering whether it's worth calling them rather than ordering online so that I can opt for XP over Vista and maybe see if I can even haggle a bit. Does 'downgrading' to XP give me more/any bargaining power? Will they even switch the operating system? Am I even able to buy a 'business' laptop? I presume so?

I just want to get the best deal I can (don't we all?!) so if anyone has any suggestions? I can't find any free delivery codes anywhere either.

TIA

Vostro 1500
Components
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7100 Processor (1.8GHz,800MHz,2MB L2 cache)
Genuine Windows Vista® Business - English
Base Warranty - 1 Year Business Hardware Support
15.4" Wide Screen WXGA (1280 x 800) Display
Matte Jet Black with 2.0 mega pixel camera
2048MB 667MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM (2x1024)
160GB (5400RPM) SATA Hard Drive
256MB nVidia® GeForce® 8600M GT
Fixed Internal 8X DVD+/-RW Drive
Primary 6-cell Lithium-Ion Battery (56 WHr)

Total excl. VAT VAT Rate Total incl. VAT
Sub-total £429.00 17.50 % £504.08
Total Delivery Charge £51.06 17.50 % £60.00
Total Price £480.06 17.50 % £564.07

[haven't a clue]

Hello
I followed the link but it says it has timed out, i have top whack 500.00 to spend on the best value loptop, I am really a novice when it comes to it and the 'spec' do you have any suggestions on which brand or any deals you may know about?
thanks

[haven't a clue]

hello is the dell vostro a good laptop then? i have up to 500.00gbp to spend as will be replacing my desktop dell 5150 - and want the best value / best spec for the money - what do you suggest?
thanks x

[sb78]

Hi there, looking for some adv. Got a buisness start up grant to help start up a small buisness and am looking to spend some of that money on a laptop.

I'm looking for a laptop that I'll be able to use the net (wifi), excel/word (possibly a desktop publishing program) download some music on and maybe support mp3 player software, if I ever get around to buying one.

I've had a look at some of the past offers that have been posted on the site and they seem to be in this price range. The question is my budget realistic or should I be looking to put aside more money.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks,
Gregor

[Itchy Niagras]

hi all, I have £450 to spend on a laptop but it has to be from Currys, PC World or Dixons in store, any recommendations please? Saw a Core 2 Duo Tosh on a PC World advert earlier for £399 - would that be the best?I bought this one (http://www.comet.co.uk/cometbrowse/product.do?sku=407119&tab=specification#spec)recently, and I'm chuffed to bits with it. Lovely crisp large screen, respectable spec and very stable.

[buglawton]

This is what I would have bought if the screen wasn't a piano-gloss finish, also I notice that Comet didn't specify if a/which version of Windows. I can't afford to move to Vista right now (some business packages I use are not even Vista ready for example) but had to get a new machine anyway.

[minnietheminx]

Well, I took the plunge and ordered the Vostro 1500. Calling Dell turned into a pointless exercise and I wasn't being offered a better deal - just a pricier Inspiron 6400 with a 2-year support package, anti-virus and XP. Turns out they can't offer XP on a Vostro. Hmmm.

Decided I'd rather take a chance with Vista and also take my chances re. support and save myself a couple of hundred quid.

I think that for the money, it's a great spec. The most similar I can find to it is the Dell Inspiron 1520 (N0815207) which comes in at £798.98. It looks more attractive, but I'd rather save my cash.

Here's the spec for the Inspiron 1520:
Components
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7100 Processor (1.8GHz,800MHz,2MB L2 cache)
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium - English
Jet Black Colour with Matte Finish & 2.0mp camera
15.4" Wide Screen WXGA (1280 x 800) Display
2048MB 667MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM [2x1024]
160GB (5400RPM) SATA Hard Drive
nVidia® GeForce™ Go 8600M GT with 256MB DDR2 dedicated graphic memory
Fixed Internal 8X DVD+/-RW Drive including Software
Primary 6-cell Lithium-Ion Battery (56 WHr)

[buglawton]

Recently sighted - Sony Vaio's at Costco £470 inc VAT.

[MTW]

Hi, if you are looking for a laptop have a think about using Comet Clearance site. Customers bid for the goods.

The stuff is display and/or refurbed but good value.
I got this one for £380 yesterday (refurbed) RRP £499

ACER Aspire 5633WLMI Core 2 Duo T5500 1.6GHZ 1024MB 120GB 15.4 DVDA=RW Windows XP MCE

[derbyjo]

I am looking for something light and portable to do a little bit of work, but more for use with photographs. I have never used a Mac, and don't know anyone who has, but considering the difference in cost, do you think it would be better to go for a Macbook, or Macbook pro, or to get a laptop for £300 and some phot editing software? All advice gratefully received!

[mountainchrisriver]

Unless you are into gaming or serious pro photo use then a Macbook should be fine... Macs are ace for manipulating photos and other media... they take a bit of getting used to if you normally use windows pc's but the operating system is very intuative! :D

Would recommend the 2.16ghz version with upgrade to 2GB ram and maybe upgrade the hard disc size to 160 GB at the point of purchase as I think its hard to change as a DIY job... :eek:

Hope that helps... no computer expert but if you want any more advice happy to try and help! (Yes I am using a macbook to type this!) ;)

[derbyjo]

Without it sounding stupid (which means that I acknowledge that it will!) can I plug in an external hard drive to a Mac Book? I have a couple that have all my photos on, and want to be able to use them.
Is it worth getting a new one, or are there some reliable sources for second hand or refurb models? I've had a look through the forum, and found the refurb part of the apple site, but there are none available. I think I'll pop to the Apple store and have a play with one, if I know I can use the ex hd.

[mountainchrisriver]

The Macbook has USB and Firewire connections so I would have thought there should not be an issue hooking up external hard drives... Apple store should be able to tell you for sure if you let them know the make and model (or post a new thread on the tech forum and some very clever computer people will probably tell you in an instant! :D

The only way I know you can get a cheaper Mac is if you are in some way connected to the education business, try this link to find out if you qualify:

http://store.apple.com/Catalog/uk/Images/routingpage.html?cid=OAS-EMEA-KWG-UK_Education-UK&aosid=p202&esvt=GOUKE101055803&esvadt=999999-0-1020009-1&esvid=100958

Its not a huge discount but hey...

Would imagine that as apple don't constantly change everything, like most other computer manufacturers, folks that use macs probably keep them until they die! They are great computers (I know i'm biased cos I have one!), well worth the outlay and means that you can avoid the Windows operating system :T

[Clearways]

None of the above I'd buy a Dell Laptop !

[C_Ronaldo]

Im looking at possibly getting a laptop but not sure which one to get, it would be used for surfing the internet, possibly a bit of college work, playing cd/and or listening to radio, wireless connectivity,
idealy id like XP but if not then vista,

i guess i wouldnt need a pricey laptop for what it would be used for, something reasonable i guess,
budget of say £300/£400

[mountainchrisriver]

C_Ronaldo...

Do you have a budget? May help get you some more advice... :confused:

[aytch]

The Macbook has USB and Firewire connections so I would have thought there should not be an issue hooking up external hard drives... Apple store should be able to tell you for sure if you let them know the make and model (or post a new thread on the tech forum and some very clever computer people will probably tell you in an instant! :D

The only way I know you can get a cheaper Mac is if you are in some way connected to the education business, try this link to find out if you qualify:

http://store.apple.com/Catalog/uk/Images/routingpage.html?cid=OAS-EMEA-KWG-UK_Education-UK&aosid=p202&esvt=GOUKE101055803&esvadt=999999-0-1020009-1&esvid=100958

Its not a huge discount but hey...

Would imagine that as apple don't constantly change everything, like most other computer manufacturers, folks that use macs probably keep them until they die! They are great computers (I know i'm biased cos I have one!), well worth the outlay and means that you can avoid the Windows operating system :T

Hi
I have just read this thread, and have to agree with mountainchrisriver, I used to have a windows laptop, then spent that little bit more and moved to a macbook pro - and would NEVER go back to Windows. I am spam free, pop up free and with firefox can do anything!!

I have an external hard drive and the mac finds it and I am able to drag and drop easily.

If you go to the website and go via the education route to purchase, they do offer a discount and do not ask for proof of school!

best wishes
:A

[bandraoi]

So what is the cheapest decent laptop at the moment?

[MickKnipfler]

Apparently this is a good deal...not cheapest but good value

http://www.microdirect.co.uk/ProductInfo.aspx?ProductID=22016

You can get it via quidco too.

You can get cheaper though if you just want basic

[anonemoney]

The HP looks like a decent spec, and good for that price, however, my budget is only £300 but could stretch to £350 for the better spec... any suggestions? i was thinking of refurb laptops from PC world. By the way does anyone know which days they update their website??
Thanks in advance:T

[dot111]

Hope link works, I bought this, pleased so far.

http://www.empiredirect.co.uk/content/products/details/index~modelcode~TOS-L40-12R.htm

[moneyb4gs]

We use Dell extensively at our place of work and have always been satisfied with the quality. I noticed this deal on their website: http://configure.euro.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?b=&c=uk&cs=ukbsdt1&kc=N4X10001&l=en&oc=N0910001&rbc=N0910001&s=bsd

Sempron 3500 processor
1Gb Ram
60Gb Hard Drive
15.2" widescreen

£199 + VAT & Delivery!

[Browntoa]

that's

£293.82

including Vat and Shipping

[moneyb4gs]

Further to my last post, if you take the link supplied, you have to remove the on-site support option to get the laptop down to the £199 price.

[snails's pace]

i brought my first laptop from pc world on saturday. It's not the greatest out there but is good for what I need,accessing the net and using word etc.
only £299 with windows vista basic

[moneyb4gs]

Browntoa - I recognise the delivery and vat inclusive price - but that's still under 300 quid for a decent machine

[SammySue]

I think that I have been posting on the wrong board, so I am keeping my fingers crossed for any help and support with this.

My daughter now needs a laptop. She is off to University next year and she would use her laptop for homework and her music mainly. I have an Acer, which I am very pleased with, which is influencing my decision. However, I am very much open to suggestions. The very top of our budget for her imminent 18th birthday is £400.

The ones that I like the look of are :-

http://www.dabs.com/productview.aspx?Quicklinx=4LHY&CategorySelectedId=11105&PageMode=1&NavigationKey=11105,15,46160000,49340000

http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/Acer_Aspire_5710WLMi_LX.AHB0X.093/version.asp

http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/Acer_Aspire_5613AWLMi_LX.AY10X.065/version-1.asp

Really appreciate any help!!

[hiphouse]

I can work a computer, but the suggestion for PC/Laptop spec may as well be written in ancient greek for all I understand of it:

The OU state:

We suggest buying a machine with, at least a 3.0GHz processor, 1GB RAM, a DVD-ROM or combi drive, 100+GB hard disk drive, 17" LCD screen and all the other common items, if your budget allows. This type of computer is commonly available and you should be able to buy one for £450 or less.

Any ideas would be very gratefully received!

[ataylorrl]

Hi


I've just purchased a Fujitsu Siemens Amilo Laptop on behalf of my 17yr son who is starting an appreticeship with Corus (TATA). That's his bonus cheque gone:cool:

Bought through Quidco and Dabs.com and checked out through Google checkout and saved another fiver :money:

here´s the link if you're interested http://www.dabs.com/ProductView.aspx?Quicklinx=4MY8&CategorySelectedId=11105&PageMode=1&NavigationKey=11105&InMerch=1

Why FS? We bought an FS from Spain last year and it´s been great, touching wood! Aside from the Spanish version of Windows and despite being quite savvy with a pc, the basic Spanish for computer terminology just about frazzled me:eek:

Delivery expected Tuesday:j

[jollyanna]

I've been looking for a laptop for my eldest who's off to uni on Sunday. We really need to get it today and having left it too late for mailorder, our only local hope is Comet or curry's. I've seen a Fujitsu and Acer that may do but gotta wait 'til o/h gets back tonight to check it out. If anyone can tell me of a good spec/model, mostly for email, myspace,googling and a little research, I would be very grateful. Thanks.

[buglawton]

If you join Costco they were selling Sony Vaios for £450 inc VAT (someone I know got one for their Student son).

[erniethemilk]

Apple schmapple who needs shiny boxes when you can get something this good for this price ;):cool:


Dell Inspiron - £229 + VAT & Shipping

Components
Intel® Celeron® M 520 Processor (1.6GHz,533MHz,1MB L2 cache)
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Basic - English
1 Year Base Warranty - Collect & Return
15.4" Wide Screen WXGA (1280 x 800) Display
1024MB 533MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM [2x512]
80GB (5400rpm) SATA Hard Drive
Intel® Media Accelerator 950 Graphics Up to 256MB shared graphics memory
8x DVD/ 24 x CD-RW Combo Drive including software
6 cell Lithium-Ion Battery (53 Whr)
No Floppy Drive

Accessories
Dell™ Wireless 1390 802.11b/g Mini-PCI Card (for Celeron Processors)
No QuickSnap® LCD Back Cover
No Carry Case
No Security/Anti-Virus Protection - English
Microsoft® Works 8.0 - English
No Accidental Damage Support

Also Includes
Internal Keyboard - UK/Irish (QWERTY)
List N09641 - BSD 6400 (1)
Inspiron Order - UK
English Documentation with UK Power Cord
56.6k V.92 Capable Internal Modem & Adapter - UK
1 Year Base Warranty - Collect & Return
Dell Internet Order.
Resource DVD - (Diagnostics & Drivers)
65W AC Adapter

[SammySue]

Just to let you know that I ordered this one through Laptops direct yesterday:- http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/Acer_Aspire_5613AWLMi_LX.AY10X.065/version-1.asp

I'm really annoyed now, as I just had an email from Tescos about this one:-

http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.200-5525.aspx

Looks just as good and would have go some club card points. Oh well. hope my daughter appreciates it!!

Good luck to all those off to Uni this year!

[bandraoi]

The one you ordered looks better to me then the Tesco one.

[bandraoi]

http://www.dabs.com/ProductView.aspx?Quicklinx=4JNK&CategorySelectedId=11105&PageMode=1&NavigationKey=11105,389360000,49340000,49010000,46 140000,49250000,22&InMerch=1

Is what I'm eyeing up at the moment.

Anyone any comments?

[SammySue]

Wow, looks like a nice machine to me bandraoi (http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/member.html?u=147124) but I'm really not an expert. I do know that I have been very happy with my Acer but I think that HP have a good name too.

[laurad85]

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?rb=0&action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=129464