Sub-£350 powerful laptops discussion

bagpuss

Anyone got any views on Compaq as have noticed that Tesco Direct have some good deals right now and if DH is correct then uber bargain not on website at our local store right now for £299!

Here is the link on the website: http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.211-6238.aspx

Really appreciate comments as not a techie!!!

grumpycrab

bagpuss wrote: »

Here is the link on the website: http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.211-6238.aspx

Intel Atom V160 is a bit slow methinks. £229 deal above is better.

wantnomoneyworries

Ok its final decision time - I have looked at all replies and best value seems to be Acer or Toshiba listed above. I have never bought any item this pricey online what is the customer service like for the 2 makes and should that be taken into consideration? Thanks again!

O no just seen this one at argos now!! Any good? eMachines by Acer E640 Triple Core 250GB 15.6 Inch Laptop £299.99. Why so much choice?? I'm hopeless at making decisions!

Ultra238a

Hiya,

I've been looking for a cheap laptop for my eldest daughter (who is 9yrs old) for the summer holidays and for when she goes back to school in September. It is also for her birthday at the end of August as well.

I've found this one from HP and Cleverboxes for £299 inc delivery and a HP carry case.

I can't post links because it is my first post but the laptop is on Cleverboxes front page and their site is www dot cleverboxes dot com

I like the fact that it HP as they are a big brand but I don't know Cleverboxes. They seem to have been going for a good few years and get good reviews on Google too.

Has anybody got any thoughts on the laptop spec as it seems great to me and Cleverboxes?

Cheers

Andrew

cepheus

grumpycrab wrote: »

Sounds like you will need a USB hub. Dead cheap on Amazon.

Re PS/2 keyboard; I suggest treating yourself to a new USB keyboard. Or http://www.amazon.co.uk/Belkin-USB-PS-2-Adapter/dp/B0006BA2SI/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1306481949&sr=8-3 (the simple adapters aren't very reliable)

I got this for £1.19 and free delivery, it arrived today and seems to work!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001FB6WMS/ref=oss_product

grumpycrab

Ultra238a wrote: »

...
I've found this one from HP and Cleverboxes for £299 inc delivery and a HP carry case...

Never heard of Cleverboxes. Website is screwing up my IE9. What's the extended warranty? Seems too good to be true etc etc.

Ultra238a

I'm a Firefox user myself, but I do have IE9 on my machines and their site seems to be fine on mine.

I'm not too bothered about the extended warranty because she is really careful with her stuff and it will be on her desk most of the time anyway. It looks like the extended warranty they do isn't their own though but the HP Carepack - dunno if they are any good or not but I guess as they are from HP you would be pretty much covered.

It looks like they are the shirt sponser for Accrington Stanley (who are they? exactly! ) next year if that makes them any more legit lol

The spec of the machine seems really good and my only concern would be the AMD CPU over an Intel one but is that important these days?

Cheers

grumpycrab

greenyj wrote: »

Ok its final decision time - I have looked at all replies and best value seems to be Acer or Toshiba listed above...

I think Asus is better than Acer but (ignoring that) if your budget is £350 here's an Acer with 3 years warranty and you can pick it up at Argos.
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/5083345.htm

Or if you think that's too much go for a cheap NEW laptop (12 months warranty). £229. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290572280125&clk_rvr_id=236996435944
EDIT: or cheap Toshiba refurb (with fast processor) for £244 http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=350467403443&clk_rvr_id=236746904678

wookie66

The Toshiba C660 is an absolute steal on ebay at £239.99 + £3.99 p&p.

The fact that it also comes with an i3 core processor is the killer since you are actually buying a top machine for the price of a netbook or a cheapo Celeron processor

As long as your needs are not complex this machine should suffice for basic web surfing emails word docs etc

They are practically giving them away at this price and with the back up of one year guarantee from Argos

Dont be put of by the refurb tag since I have purchased many of these and never found them to be problematic since they are thoroughly checked and tested by the manufacturer before being shipped out

And RAM can easily be upgraded to 3gb or 4gb for £15

This is a definite BUY BUY BUY!

grumpycrab

Ultra238a wrote: »

...
The spec of the machine seems really good and my only concern would be the AMD CPU over an Intel one but is that important these days?...

Ok, I'm not a great fan of HP but peoples' experiences vary. The CPU is okish (crap compared to the Toshiba on ebay) BUT it should be fine for email/browsing.

I'd normally suggest get the best CPU you can afford because you cannot change the CPU (you can change memory and disk).

So for £299 its ok. This (new even though on Ebay) HP is cheaper:-) (Don;t know how the specs compare)... http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170646623620&clk_rvr_id=237065713929&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEWNX%3AIT