Sub-£350 powerful laptops discussion

Knarf44

Kaiser

The laptop you mention has a poor processor and doesn't represent great VFM. If you stretch your budget slightly the Toshiba C650s I linked to in the post above yours have far better processors and therefore will handle muti-tasking much better.

Do you have a preference as to where you buy?

tinker15

Hi Knarf, Thanks for the links. The Toshiba Satellite C650-1CT is a definate no as she wants a webcam on it, although personally I think they are like big brother.
The Toshiba Satellite Pro C650D-10Z is more what we are looking for but how would you compare it against the Toshiba Satellite C660-10T - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Toshiba-Satellite-C660-10T-Notebook-Processor/dp/B00462QLOW/ref=dp_ob_title_ce which apparently supersedes the laptop that I purchased earlier this year.
I am not so keen on a refurb as I will be purchasing the Toshiba extended warranty which is a really good buy.

Thanks for your help!

alun4

Details of extended warranty cost at Amazon:-

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=toshiba+extended+warranty&!!!!!googhydr-21&index=aps&hvadid=6489678905&ref=pd_sl_8qgg95tq63_e

Knarf44

Tinker

The C660 has the newer dual core T3500 Celeron cpu which although is still very much a budget processor will be more than adequate for general internet use and MS office type stuff.

tinker15

alun4 wrote: »

Details of extended warranty cost at Amazon:-

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=toshiba+extended+warranty&!!!!!googhydr-21&index=aps&hvadid=6489678905&ref=pd_sl_8qgg95tq63_e

Wow, all those warranties have confused me. We normally buy direct from Toshiba at around £50 mark. Thanks for the link though, very interesting as I was unaware that you could obtain warranties this way.

tinker15

Knarf44 wrote: »

Tinker

The C660 has the newer dual core T3500 Celeron cpu which although is still very much a budget processor will be more than adequate for general internet use and MS office type stuff.

Thank you, I cannot believe that I am back on the laptop hunt again. It only feels like last week since I looked for my son's one

Well I know who won't be getting a new one after I have purchased one for my daughter as I have run out of money, lol

real1314

Any thoughts on the Acer Aspire 5551A from Argos at £349?

http://www.argos.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10001&catalogId=1500002451&langId=-1&productId=1500807899

DD wants a lappy for Xmas, surfing, email, msn, wants to run Sims2 and probably Sims3

Nazitf

I'm looking for the cheapest new laptop. The specifications aren't important since it's only going to be used for web surfing. Cheapest I've found is just over £200. Anyone found any new laptops cheaper than this?

Knarf44

Nazitf wrote: »

I'm looking for the cheapest new laptop. The specifications aren't important since it's only going to be used for web surfing. Cheapest I've found is just over £200. Anyone found any new laptops cheaper than this?

You could always pick something up on Ebay or how about an older generation, refurbished laptop? Assuming as you say you only want it to surf the web then something like this might suffice.

Nenen

I'd really appreciate some advice. I want to buy my dh a new laptop. He is increasingly frustrated by his old model (5 years old) as it is sooooo slow to boot up, load web pages and even shut down. We tried having it overhauled in a local shop which improved it a little bit but it is still really slow. He uses it for office work, watching DVDs and TV programmes via 'watch it again' facilities like IPlayer and surfing (but not gaming). My maximum is £400 but would prefer it to be less if possible.

He is currently using a Dell with a 17" screen and, although he wouldn't mind something a bit smaller screen-wise, he really likes the full sized keyboard. Must be wireless too.

I have seen the one below at Tescos for £399 and I have vouchers to exchange which would give me a further £50 off. Would this be worth considering or can anyone suggest something better please?

Dell Inspiron 1545 Pacific Blue (Intel Pentium Dual Core T4500, 3GB, 320GB, 15.6", Windows 7 Home premium)
Audio Features Yes with analogue & digital output
Battery Life in Hours 4.0 to 4.5
Bluetooth No
Brand Dell
Built-in Webcam Yes
Card Reader Type Memory stick duo, Memory stick pro, SD, xD
Colour Pacific Blue
Dial Up Modem No
Features of Product Quickly transfer your digital photos and music from your camera, phone or MP3 player with the 7 in 1 Media Card Reader. Huge 320GB HDD to store all your favourite photo's and music. "The integrated 1.3 Megapixels camera is discreetly built into the top of edge the display bezel, providing the customer with state-of-the-art visual clarity. Watch all favourite DVD's on the 15.6” WXGA TL display. Powerful Intel Processor with Built-in Wi-Fi
Finger Print Reader No
Firewire No
Full Software Loaded Microsoft Works 9
Graphics Chipset Mobile Intel Express Montevina/Cantiga GM45(UMA)/PM45
Graphics Type Shared
Hard Drive Size in Gb 320GB
Hard Drive Type 2.5" SATA 5400rpm with 8MB Cache
Memory Size in Gb 3GB
Memory Slots Total 3
Memory Speed in Mhz PC3-10666 (1333 MHz)
Memory Type DDR3
Number of USB Ports 2
Operating System Microsoft Windows® 7 Home Premium 64 bit
Optical Drive Dual Layer Compatible Yes
Optical Drive Hd-dvd Compatible Yes
Optical Drive Lightscribe Compatible No
Optical Drive Type DVD dual layer rewriter
Os Recovery Discs Included Yes
Output HDMI (HDCP compliant)
Power Adaptor Included Yes
Processor Intel® Pentium® Dual-Core
Processor Bus in Mhz 800
Processor Model Number T4500
Processor Speed in GHz 2.3
Product Depth 24.4 cm
Product Height 25.9 cm
Product Weight 1.47
Product Weight Units kg
Product Width 37.3 cm
Remote Control Included No
Screen Size 15.6
Screen Type LCD
Trial Software Loaded Mcfee 6 months
Wired Networking Port 10 / 100 MHz ethernet
Wireless Built in 802.11g