Sub-£350 powerful laptops discussion

crimsonfin

been looking for a budget laptop for a friend and found this guide which rates the most popular laptop brands in 2011. might be useful for others ...

www.laptopmag.com/mobile-life/best-brands-overall-verdict-2011.aspx

asahab

Thank you Grumpycrab, that is really helpful. The one in the link looks very good, I will have to do a bit more research I think. Could you tell me a little more about the processor please? ie, in real terms, what would be the difference between the athlon and the intel? How much of a difference would it make while actually using the laptop?
Thank you!

FlightSearch10

Thanks for the links for beautiful Lap tops.

grumpycrab

asahab wrote: »

...Could you tell me a little more about the processor please? ie, in real terms, what would be the difference between the athlon and the intel? How much of a difference would it make while actually using the laptop?
Thank you!

Ignore Intel/Athlon. Look up a processor's benchmark at cpubenchmark.net. Comparing benchmarks of, say 2000+ with 1000+ In real terms... it depends what you're using the laptop for. Startup will be quicker; there won't be much difference for browsing and email (unless you have lots of web pages open but in that cases the memory is also relevant - 4GB is ideal but it is upgradeable).

For basic office stuff there won't be much difference either but if using large documents, spreadsheets or large image files the difference will be felt.

I suggest
1. pick a budget
2. get the faster CPU you can afford (preferably i3 whether first generation eg i3-380M or 2nd generation eg i3-2310M). Why? The CPU cannot be upgraded on a laptop so in 3 years time you will be thankful you got the best at the time.
3. look for a warranty extension; there are some crazy numbers out there saying that 10-20% of laptops have h/w issues within the first 3 years.

asahab

ah ok, I see now.
What do you think of refurbs then? I have found one with an i3, but is that a good deal, a second hand laptop for the same price as a new one, because of the differing cpu's?.

grumpycrab

Cheap and cheerful Acer (£290 if you buy the 3 year warranty) http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/acer-aspire-5552-laptop-athlon-dual-core-p340-2-2ghz-3gb-ram-320gb-hdd-15-6-lcd/958417
(CPUbenchmark 1307 and will play older 3D action games)

paul2468

Sorry but not sure how to post a link.....can anyone tell me if this is worth £349.00 from dixons, we were looking for something light and portable and the screen is jus that little bit bigger....HP Pavilion dm-3101ea 11.6" laptop Silver 3gb....Thanks

therevelator

This should be updated to a cheap netbook discussion really - sub £300 or something.

stilltheone

therevelator wrote: »

This should be updated to a cheap netbook discussion really - sub £300 or something.

Why don't you just start your own thread?

yellowcrocus

I have just bought one of these with a 3 year warranty for an extra £30...can anyone tell me if this is a good deal?

It seems that way to me but I'm quite ignorant of these things

Thanks