Sub-£350 powerful laptops discussion

paul2468

John Lewis have Compaq Presario CQ56-256 3GB with 350GB hard drive for £299, it also comes with a 2 year guarantee that would have been ideal for me as my last laptop died on me after 18 months.....is this a good buy ?

grumpycrab

sticher wrote: »

Toshiba Satellite C660D-153

A bit like this one http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/dell-inspiron-m501r-15-6-athlon-ii-p320-4gb-ram-320gb-hdd-1gb-ati-mobility-radeo/933262
Looks good until you examine the processor which is quite poor.
However, if you're not going to do any hard work it should be ok and will play some games. If its new you'll also be able to extend the warranty cheaply at Toshiba.

paul2468 wrote: »

CQ56-256
http://www.johnlewis.com/231200360/Product.aspx?source=63258

Similar to the above Toshiba but with less memory and disk. The 2 year warranty is a bonus.

The new ones coming online now are i3-2310M at about £380. These may push the 1st gen i3 (e.g i3-380M) down in price and so these are the ones to look out for.
However, it also means non-i3 laptops will be even cheaper and may be good value if sold with large disks and memory and extended waranties (e.g. the compaq above). As long as you don't want/expect stellar performance these will be fine for most people.

sticher

Thanks again grumpycrab. Its such a minefield out there its useful to have the opinion of someone who knows what they are talking about.

Lynchoid

Grumpycrab,

Is the £349.99 Argos Toshiba C660 2.53GHz still the best sub £350 laptop in your opinion (because in part of its 2 year warranty) or are there better ones about now? Or is it best to wait a week or so to see if the new gen processors are pushing ones like this this down in price?

I'm looking to buy within a week or so as my home laptop has given up the ghost and expired!!

Many thanks

Lynchoid

closed

expired completely?

grumpycrab

Lynchoid wrote: »

...Is the £349.99 Argos Toshiba C660 2.53GHz still the best sub £350 laptop in your opinion (because in part of its 2 year warranty)...

Blimey, the responsibility...
The Argos one is still good value because of the 2 year warranty. If has a fast processor i3-380M. Apart from that its a bit dull. (e.g. no HDMI, bog standard graphics).
This one is a bit cheaper http://www.techdepot.co.uk/TD/product/COMPESSEN/CE.NOTBKS/productdetails/IT99852/Toshiba_Satellite_C660-1E2_Core_i3_380M__2_53/PSC0QE-02900CEN/default.aspx?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2011-WK19-01&utm_content=Toshi (also 5% discount with Quidco I think) but its a slightly different model (C660-1E2 as compared to Argos which is C660-1F1). The Argos one has a bigger disk and 2 year warranty.

A bit quiet deal-wise today.
EDIT: off-topc but here's a cheap one. £260 for T3500 2.1GHz, 2GB RAM, 250GB HDD. Jus ok processor (fine for email, browsing, light office stuff). No HDMI and Windows is 32-bit only.
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/237715
Same price @Amazon if you prefer http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0049SQ832/ref=asc_df_B0049SQ8322824586?smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&!!!!!googlecouk06-21&linkCode=asn&creative=22206&creativeASIN=B0049SQ832

stilltheone

grumpycrab wrote: »

Blimey, the responsibility...
The Argos one is still good value because of the 2 year warranty. If has a fast processor i3-380M. Apart from that its a bit dull. (e.g. no HDMI, bog standard graphics).
This one is a bit cheaper http://www.techdepot.co.uk/TD/product/COMPESSEN/CE.NOTBKS/productdetails/IT99852/Toshiba_Satellite_C660-1E2_Core_i3_380M__2_53/PSC0QE-02900CEN/default.aspx?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2011-WK19-01&utm_content=Toshi (also 5% discount with Quidco I think) but its a slightly different model (C660-1E2 as compared to Argos which is C660-1F1). The Argos one has a bigger disk and 2 year warranty.

A bit quiet deal-wise today.
EDIT: off-topc but here's a cheap one. £260 for T3500 2.1GHz, 2GB RAM, 250GB HDD. Jus ok processor (fine for email, browsing, light office stuff). No HDMI and Windows is 32-bit only.
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/237715
Same price @Amazon if you prefer http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0049SQ832/ref=asc_df_B0049SQ8322824586?smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&!!!!!googlecouk06-21&linkCode=asn&creative=22206&creativeASIN=B0049SQ832

Tee hee....

adandem

Grumpycrab, from the Acer 5750 and the Toshiba at Argos, which would you go for?
Just general use - web, emails, music etc.
Is there a simple way of connecting a laptop to the TV without HDMI if we went for the Toshiba?
Thanks.;)

Secret_Lady

Currys

HP 15.6" Laptop - Black - HP G62-451SA

Communication is easy with this 15.6" laptop, thanks to both wired and wireless connectivity and an integrated 1.3-megapixel webcam - ideal for video chats and conferences.

The LED widescreen, with a 1366x768 resolution and LED Brightview technology from HP, is also superb for watching your favourite movies and videos.

Other features:
• Intel® Core™ i3-350M Processor (2.26 GHz)
• Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 64-bit pack
• 3GB memory
• 320GB SATA hard drive

Was £449.99 - Save a total of £100.99
Only £349.00

http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/hp-g62-451sa-core-i3-laptop-with-3gb-memory-black-08722513-pdt.html#product-information

Would this be a reasonably fast machine?

Many thanks for any advice, I'm getting more and more confused :eek:

closed

one piece mouse button, and brand have had reliability problems in the past few years, but reasonable price

most machines from the last 5-6 years or more are reasonably fast unless you have some specific needs, provided you don't overload them with bloat