Changing to a Laptop

Gambler

I currently have a home office with PC, 17" TFT, wireless keyboard and mouse, broadband etc.

I will be getting evicted soon as we turn the office into a nursery for a pending arrival next year.

So I am thinking of getting a laptop that I can use at the dining room table and then store away when not in use.

Never used one before so just really looking for some tips on what to buy please, essentials to include in the spec etc.

Also what do I need to be able to turn my Bband to wireless and will this provide me with the same speed as I have now or is it slower?

Would I be able to connect my current rechargeable mouse?

Many thanks

jp99_3

A laptop with wireless broadband is defintely the way forward.

I would talk to your ISP re the wireless router, or pop into PC world or somewhere, they are all very similar.

As for the laptop, most are comparable re hard drive sizes and processors etc, I would say you do not need the very latest processor so that might make it cheaper, but the one thing to use to compare machines is the graphics card, it can not be changed once you have the machine, other parts can be upgraded.

CHeers.

gizmoleeds

jp99 wrote:

I would talk to your ISP re the wireless router, or pop into PC world or somewhere, they are all very similar.

PC World and your ISP will overcharge you. Get one from https://www.dabs.com. If you have ADSL (BT line) broadband you need a "modem router", for cable lines you just need a router.

Gambler wrote:

Never used one before so just really looking for some tips on what to buy please, essentials to include in the spec etc.

Pentium/Celeron "M" processors are specially designed for laptops and are better than normal Pentium/Celeron processors.

Gambler wrote:

Also what do I need to be able to turn my Bband to wireless and will this provide me with the same speed as I have now or is it slower?

It will not be at all slower. Typical routers work at 54mbps, and broadband of that speed is decades away, you most likely have 1mbps broadband (or 512kbps (½mbps) like I do).

Gambler wrote:

Would I be able to connect my current rechargeable mouse?

If it is USB then yes.

If it is PS2 then it is 50:50, although you can buy a PS2->USB convertor for about £10 which if it is an expensive mouse would probably be worth it.


If you are in no hurry I would recommend waiting around for the next good Dell offer (Dell always have some offer on, I mean the really good ones).

When I decided I wanted a laptop I put all my desired specs into Dell's website (on an Inspiron 6000) and it came to £800. I kept checking back each week and the price fluctualted up to £890-ish and then went down to £700 on a special offer, and I got twice as much RAM as I had orignally specified (and that was on a double-memory offer) and a bigger hard drive.

It is like stock trading, just wait around to buy low!

scorour

I have a Dell Latitude D610 and it is greate, I have also ordered many dell laptops for family and friends (from £400) with wireless connectivitiy included, can't fault them.

As for wireless router I use mine with my laptop daily, allows me to hide anywhere in the house from the kids and be abe to work. I always use https://www.scan.co.uk or https://www.microdirect.co.uk, both have given great delivery and returns (if required) not too mention best prices. Had a few too many bad experiences with dabs, will never use them again (not to say it will be the same for you).

If you have NTL or Telewest then you just need a wireless router without modem. If you have adsl, then you can either agian buy just a wireless router or get a modem/router in one and do away with your modem provided. You will not notice any speed difference at all.

If you find something and are unsure, just post model numbers and if you are NTL/TELEEST or other.....

HTH

Gambler

Many thanks for taking the time to post detailed responses. I currently have BT 2MB Broadband. So I will need a modem router? And that just plugs into the telephone socket?

I was thinking DELL as there is usually a misprice thread every so often !

My other option is Currys website where there is a voucher for £40 off spend over £500, then I also get 10% cash back on my egg card. Saw these on the

SONY FS315E

PACKARD BELL W3301

PACKARD BELL A8202


I'll be using it mainly for working from home - large spreadsheets and surfing the net.

Is a Celeron sufficient for this or is the Pentium worth the extra?

I guess 512MB RAM is a minimum?

Thanks again

gizmoleeds

Gambler wrote:

Many thanks for taking the time to post detailed responses. I currently have BT 2MB Broadband. So I will need a modem router? And that just plugs into the telephone socket?

Yes - a wireless modem router doubles as a modem and a wireless router (a router being a device which links computers). Just plug into the phone socket where your modem currently goes, transfer your settings and away you go.

Gambler wrote:

I'll be using it mainly for working from home - large spreadsheets and surfing the net.

Is a Celeron sufficient for this or is the Pentium worth the extra?

I guess 512MB RAM is a minimum?

Celeron would be sufficient for this - neither spreadsheets nor web browsing will use a lot of processing power.

If you are going to be using "large" spreadsheets I would recommend, if possible, to get a WSXGA monitor (1680x1050 pixels). I paid £30 extra to get this higher resolution my Dell and it is one of the best decisions I made. There is so much space on the screen to do stuff!

(NB. For an extra £90 I could've got an even higher resolution, but I think that things on that would have been too small and difficult to read).

For the things you want to do 512mb RAM would be good, 256mb would be sufficient, and any more isn't really necessary unless it's free (e.g. a Dell double memory offer).

Hope this helps!