Advice needed re 2 similar laptops

fbrj

I am in the process of choosing a modestly priced laptop for a daughter at uni. Basic requirements are 15" screen, dvd (read), cd (R/W), wifi and the best processor, amount of RAM and largest hard drive size as possible.

I have found these 2 identically priced models (£435) but am finding it difficult to choose between them! Both have the Intel Celeron M360 and a processing speed of 1.4GHz. Any advice from someone far more qualified than me would be much appreciated!! Are they reasonably priced for the spec? Is one brand better than the other?

http://www.misco.co.uk/productinformation/~105503~WW~ms~/Fujitsu%20Siemens%20AMILO%20Pro%20V2030%20Intel%20Celeron%20M%20360%201.4GHz%20/%20256MB%20/%2040GB%20/%2015%20%20TFT%20/%20Combo%20/%20XP%20Home%20/%20Notebook%20PC.htm

http://www.misco.co.uk/productinformation/~105595~/index.html

I am leaning towards the Fujistu Siemens because the DDR SDRAM is 533 compared to 333, it has 4 USB ports compared to 2, a faster hard drive and, finally, it is slightly lighter!

After quidco cashback I should be able to get either delivered for around £420. If there is anything else around with a similar/better spec (and cheaper!) I would be grateful if you could let me know.

Thanks!

mikeyd

It would depend on whether you need you laptop to be "mobile" or not.
The battery life on the Fujitsui is very poor (up to 1 hour run time) where as the HP laptop has a battery life of up to 4.25 hrs, which would make me prefer the HP laptop but it depends whether you would want to run it from the battery very often.

fbrj

mikeyd wrote:

It would depend on whether you need you laptop to be "mobile" or not.
The battery life on the Fujitsui is very poor (up to 1 hour run time) where as the HP laptop has a battery life of up to 4.25 hrs, which would make me prefer the HP laptop but it depends whether you would want to run it from the battery very often.

Not being a laptop user, the battery life was something I had completely overlooked - and obviously a pretty important point to consider....I will need to find out more about intended use! Your response demonstrates why these forums are so useful - many thanks!