Help! Boss wants a new laptop...

littlesnuggy

Would really appreciate some advice from those in the know..!

My boss's 4 year-old Dell Inspiron is on it's last legs, so he has asked me to sort out a new one for him. He said he wants a Dell, but this is only because it's what he's used to, so if anyone can specify a good / better alternative and reasoning why so, that would be great.

He uses it in the office and on the move, and basically all it's used for is:

MS Office (mainly Word docs and powerpoint presentations)
Internet & email

So it doesn't need to be anything overly high-spec, but he is the MD and doesn't necessarily want a cheap/budget machine. The battery on his current machines lasts <1 hour, which is a big complaint from him, so something with decent battery life would be good.

So... I think something around £400 would be sufficient, but what?! Any pointers would be much appreciated, as I've got to get it ordered this week.

Edit to add: Dell I'm currently looking at is a Vostro 1520 with £50 off at the moment, making it £409 for Intel Core2Duo processor with 3GB memory...

Thanks!

4743hudsonj

littlesnuggy wrote: »

Would really appreciate some advice from those in the know..!

My boss's 4 year-old Dell Inspiron is on it's last legs, so he has asked me to sort out a new one for him. He said he wants a Dell, but this is only because it's what he's used to, so if anyone can specify a good / better alternative and reasoning why so, that would be great.

He uses it in the office and on the move, and basically all it's used for is:

MS Office (mainly Word docs and powerpoint presentations)
Internet & email

So it doesn't need to be anything overly high-spec, but he is the MD and doesn't necessarily want a cheap/budget machine. The battery on his current machines lasts <1 hour, which is a big complaint from him, so something with decent battery life would be good.

So... I think something around £400 would be sufficient, but what?! Any pointers would be much appreciated, as I've got to get it ordered this week.

Thanks!

dell sounds good

acer on the other hand wouldnt be a bad buy, you would get more of a computer for your money and nothing is in it when comparing reliability imho.

the acer timelines have 9hour battery life but are hampered by a lesser processor that isnt as good and modern core 2 duo's

acer travelmates are a good bet as well

http://www.acerdirect.co.uk/Acer_Travelmate_5730_Laptop_LX.TQ20X.012/version.asp

all your boss would need is the ms word package

btw he would get a free upgrade to windows 7 when its released so he wouldnt have to use vista if he didnt want to.

like i said dell or acer are good bets, dell just has a more "professional look" and more brag value than acer and thats the only reason for the price difference.

charley83

Battery lasts less than an hour on a 4 year old laptop - wow that's really good!! Mine lasts 20 mins and its under 2 years old lol (Same with my previous laptop too)

Anyway, check out the sticky for the best budget laptop - although there's a load of posts some good things in there.

OneADay

Dell for me - got a second hand one from ebay in 2007 (it was 3 to 4 years old by then) and it still works :-)

If buying for business you might be tempted to go through Dell Business to get the vat back but you or business end up paying a bit extra I think with delivery.

Best to buy in own name and reclaim from business if your boss can do that.

timbim_2

One thing worth considering is how it's used. Is it a desktop replacement machine, so just stays on his desk in the office, in which case a 17in model would be worth considering; or does it hit the road and get transported a lot, in which case a smaller 13in or 15 in at the most would be ideal. Also, if it's on the road a lot, you need to factor the build quality in. Lenovo machines, while more expnsive and not very pretty, are some of the best built machines around, and will certainly last longer than other brands with comparable spec.