Laptop help for son

Sensemaya

udjamaflip wrote: »

The fact they only give a 30 day warranty shows how old it is, as they know people take time to realise certain issues with laptop like the battery only lasting 10minutes.

If you go curries you can get the Asus EEE PC for 199£ I guarantee this will run faster and supply the requirements for him, if he is going to need windows however this won't be an alternative for him as it comes with Linux (a very easy to use version)

When buying 2nd hand computer parts you really need more than 30 days warranty especially on laptops as there is the following things:

1) Harddisk failure, you won't notice it at first but it can be lethal to data. Ask for a full HDD test and paste it here I'll be happy to diagnose!

2) Older laptops especially use shared memory which means graphics use your ramm which means if it advertises 128mb graphics with 1gb of ram you only get 872mb of ram as the other is used on graphics.

3) Bigger screens eat battery and are generally quite cumbersome, so be aware of this.

4) The processor isn't too old but I'm guessing it will be DDR not DDR2 so if upgrading this will be something to keep in mind.

finally..

5) Batteries are the worst on laptops, ask what kind of USAGE on time you should expect, don't let them fool you with standby times.

And just an additional note:

- Dell Inspirons are quite popular for parts (if your willing to break it up and sell on ebay)

I hope this helps!

Great advice. I am going armed with your points to the shop and I will post back later on today.

Is this the laptop?

http://www.hotukdeals.com/item/162813/asus-eee-pc-2g-white-199-delivered-/

http://crave.cnet.co.uk/laptops/0,39029450,49291655,00.htm

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B001IBHVCA/ref=dp_olp_2

Many thanks.

macman - I will do that.

AirCooledHeaven - This is what worries me. Whether the refurb will die soon.

I will mention udjamaflip's suggestion of laptop and will see whether the shop can match the price.

Thanks for everyone's help.

Back later with with HDD test.

PS What about the Asus 901? We could stretch to that.

AirCooledHeaven

Sensemaya wrote: »

Great advice. I am going armed with your points to the shop and I will post back later on today.

Is this the laptop?

http://www.hotukdeals.com/item/162813/asus-eee-pc-2g-white-199-delivered-/

http://crave.cnet.co.uk/laptops/0,39029450,49291655,00.htm

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B001IBHVCA/ref=dp_olp_2

Many thanks.

macman - I will do that.

AirCooledHeaven - This is what worries me. Whether the refurb will die soon.

I will mention udjamaflip's suggestion of laptop and will see whether the shop can match the price.

Thanks for everyone's help.

Back later with with HDD test.

PS What about the Asus 901? We could stretch to that.

Sensemaya, no way will the Asus 901 play games satisfactorily, nor will any of the currently available small screen netbooks, they are primarily designed for long battery life mobile office applications, the long battery life comes in part from a low power, low performance processor (Intel Atom).

Another very valid point was made by someone else, a refurbed laptop is most likely to have a battery that is close to the end of its life, a new genuine battery will most likely cost you 70-80 quid, a generic battery 35-50 quid. Then you've got extra memory to buy, say 18 quid, so it no longer looks like the bargain it was.

Take a look at this: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/152309

It will run sims 2 adequately, has 12 months warranty, free delivery, and when funds allow you can buy another 1GB of ram to improve the performance.

Sensemaya

Air

Yes--my son thinks screen is too small.

I'm off to the shop now.

I've written your suggestion down and will see whether the guy will match the price. Otherwise I will order from your link.

Many thanks for your help.

udjamaflip

Best of luck! I did forget about the SIM's requirement so the Asus EEE PC is out unless its possible to install the XP version on the old machine on the ASUS EEE PC (this probably wont be feasable without a strong technical knowledge)

I have looked around and what your getting seems about rite for £200, I have dealt with https://www.cheap-it.co.uk (amazing friendly AND CHEAP company)

Also they give student discount, they have to me twice before anyway, and they'll haggle the price. I am unsure about them buying your inspiron off you but you don't get if you don't ask! hehe. They do give more than 30 days warranty so definately an improvement on your current situation.

Hope this helps. If you ring them saying your current deal. They will probably beat it, and the laptop i bought from them 4 years ago is still going strong today!


Anyone else got some good alternative stores?

gaming_guy

udjamaflip wrote: »

2) Older laptops especially use shared memory which means graphics use your ramm which means if it advertises 128mb graphics with 1gb of ram you only get 872mb of ram as the other is used on graphics.

so do most of the more recent ones that i have seen.

its quite common to get integrated graphics on cheaper laptops (and cheaper desktops as well)

Sensemaya

Thank you to everyone who responded to my post.

In the end my son decided he wanted the refurb. The guy installed all the Sims games...he upgraded the Ram to 1GB and it has had a new hard drive...and something else put on!!!...both of which are guaranteed for 12 months.

I also like dealing with the " independent" little businesses rather than the big conglomerates. Dealt with this shop before and they were excellent, so if anything does go wrong I'm sure they will sort it out.

Having printed off the details of the laptop AirCooledHeaven recommended the guy said he could get it a little cheaper, but advised against it because of Vista.

Main thing is son is happy...I haven't seen him since he got it! And he still has some money left over.

We will see how it goes.

Thanks once again.

clyd3robert

buying cheap laptops are such a gamble. Some people swear to buy cheap laptops perhaps because they were extremely fortunate the first time they purchased one. They did not really notice just how bad some of the other low cost notebooks were.

clyd3robert

buying cheap laptops are such a gamble. Some people swear to buy cheap laptops perhaps because they were extremely fortunate the first time they purchased one. They did not really notice just how bad some of the other low cost notebooks were. :rolleyes:

gaming_guy

clyd3robert wrote: »

buying cheap laptops are such a gamble. Some people swear to buy cheap laptops perhaps because they were extremely fortunate the first time they purchased one. They did not really notice just how bad some of the other low cost notebooks were. :rolleyes:

i'd remove that link from your signature as its against the forum rules

udjamaflip

Best of luck with your purchase Sensemaya!