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Please help with sourcing laptops for my workplace?

Hi, I have been asked to purchase 4 laptops for managers at work. They will replace desktops and need to be running or have the option to downgrade to win XP.

The brief is that they are ideally glossy black in appearance, don't need blu ray necessarily, but do need at least 2mb of RAM, at least 160GB, if not 250GB and ideally around a 17inch screen.

I've looked at Samsung R710's but they only are available with Vista and seem to be aimed at the home market rather than business?

I'd say a spend of up to £500 for each one....

Any ideas?
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Comments

  • timbim_2
    timbim_2 Posts: 1,292 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Look at the Dell Vostros, but I think you'll struggle to get all that for £500. What software do you need?
    Ubuntu is an ancient African word, meaning: 'I can't configure Debian'.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 4,466 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    !!!!!!!!! wrote: »
    The brief is that they are ideally glossy black in appearance

    Discard that.
    don't need blu ray necessarily

    Don't need it at all.
    do need at least 2mb of RAM

    2GB :)
    at least 160GB, if not 250GB and ideally around a 17inch screen.

    17" laptops are going to be heavier than 15.4" laptops, just make whoever is going to be lugging them around aware so they can't come back and complain to you at a later date.

    If I was in your position, I'd be looking at the Dell Vostro range, as they are specifically aimed at business use, and come with better support than the domestic products.

    From what you've stipulated, you don't need anything more than middle of the road laptops, so you should be able to customise them to suit and be within budget.
  • crampo_2
    crampo_2 Posts: 428 Forumite
    !!!!!!!!! wrote: »
    but do need at least 2mb of RAM

    I think you might of ment 2Gb . Have you had a look at Ebuyer.com or Dabs.com Do Business's
    Peter: Hey Lois... what's this word? Lois: Evil. Peter: And this one? Lois: Knievel. Peter: And this one? Lois: Was. Peter: And this one? Lois: Born. Peter: And this one? Lois: In.
    Peter: And this one? Lois: Montana. Peter: Ah... oh, hey Lois did you know Evil Knievel was born in Montana? Family Guy - I Take Thee, Quagmire 04x21
  • timbim_2
    timbim_2 Posts: 1,292 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Also, the Vostro's come with the option to downgrade to XP Pro from Vista Business. Costs an extra £60 over the Home Basic. If you need any software with that, you'll struggle. What software needs to be run?
    Ubuntu is an ancient African word, meaning: 'I can't configure Debian'.
  • angelfire
    angelfire Posts: 869 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Combo Breaker
    thanks for your replies so far - i did mean 2GB, I've been mithering about looking for these all morning and am getting all mixed up!

    i'd go for a Dell apart from the fact that I've had terrible problems with them in the past with my home desktop. it was replaced by Dell eventually, but not before I'd had three months of expensive phone calls to India and they'd had me all but fix it myself over the phone! (put it this way, I am now able to upgrade memory, replace hard drives, mess about with Bios's etc etc etc!) it has put me off Dell for life!

    The rest of the laptops at work are Toshiba, but the last one we bought, after downgrading to XP pro, has had a mousepad problem whereby whilst typing, the cursor jumps around the page. We've tried allsorts of different drivers etc but to no avail. That is a P300, we've never had problems with a toshiba before....

    I was looking at the Samsungs as they seem to be ok and have the appearance that has been briefed to me!
  • angelfire
    angelfire Posts: 869 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Combo Breaker
    timbim wrote: »
    Also, the Vostro's come with the option to downgrade to XP Pro from Vista Business. Costs an extra £60 over the Home Basic. If you need any software with that, you'll struggle. What software needs to be run?

    The only software they require is Office and some educations-based software, which I'm told will not always run with Vista.
  • 4743hudsonj
    4743hudsonj Posts: 3,298 Forumite
    just had a look at the vostro and its possible to get what you want for £508

    dont know if you will get discount for 3 but worth a try
    Back by no demand whatsoever.
  • I'd second the Vostro and Dell. It's unfortunate you'd had a bad experience with them, not a common occurance in my opinion.
  • isofa
    isofa Posts: 6,091 Forumite
    Dell are very good for business purchases, you should get a dedicated business manager and contact, and if you have next day business support, they'll be out pronto to fix problems, several of my clients use them, I've spent a fortune with them (on their behalf) and we've had very good service.
  • angelfire
    angelfire Posts: 869 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Combo Breaker
    Why the Vostro and not any of the other ranges?
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