The Great 'Cheapest Decent Laptop' Hunt

boobbby

Leopard wrote: »

Proviso! I'm not up to speed with PC laptops because I use Macs, myself, so please forgive me if this one is not a winner but it looks pretty good to my untutored eye:

http://www.dabs.com/ProductView.aspx?Quicklinx=5489#description

Core 2 Duo with 2 GB of RAM. Only 1.6 GHz but with a Core 2 Duo that's enough grunt to do simple things (it's the same as a MacBook Air!) and it's a penny less than £280. Which is very cheap.

I came across it in a weekly bulletin DABS sends me and thought I'd post it here in case it would assist anyone who's strapped for cash.

Hope it's helpful to somebody.

PC techies on here will no doubt advise whether it's good. :cool:


PS. It comes with free shipping (at least until 31 August) and you can get a 2% cashback if you buy it through Quidco. :money:

Seems good specs at first glance although I wondered why it only had 1 GB RAM. The reson was because it only had Vista basic installed and if you are going to get a Vista computer then make sure it has a least the Vista Home edition with 2Gb RAM. Although I have an XP computer all my family use Vista computers and have never had any problems with them !!
BB

boobbby

Leopard wrote: »

Whoops: my bad. Indeed it does have only 1 GB of RAM. Sorry. I've edited that.

Still, it wouldn't cost much to up it to 2 GB.

As for the Windows OS, I don't know enough about the various versions. Might be better to put XP on it anyway, if it has a modest spec?

Thought it might help somebody. Particularly if they've got a broken laptop and could just swap the hard drives (and maybe the RAM).

Thanks for giving the PC input on this.

I am not trying to be clever but swapping hard drives to a new computer is not that straight forward ! Whilst it is possible to put a new hard drive into an existing computer and providing you have a backup disk image on an external hard drive you can restore the image including the windows system. It is much more complicated to move the hard drive from one computer to another as each computer requires different setup requirements, using different drivers,hardware etc. Windows would also detect the move and require activation.

boobbby

Mariouk wrote: »

This is a better core 2 duo for a cheap price.
Its a better core 2 duo processor too. 667 FSB rather than the one above whis is 553.

Gateway MT6917b Laptop
Core 2 Duo T5250 1.5GHz,
2GB RAM,
250GB HDD,
DVDRW,
Vista Home Premium
Wireless
Bluetooth
Card reader
webcam
.. etc

http://www.bigpockets.co.uk/product.php?product=gateway013&product_id=&nav=&next_limit=0&next_price=299.99

For the money it does seem to be the best bet. I also like the idea of the free delivery when you order something else from the site. I wonder if anybody will find better value !

snowqueen555

specwise that is very good for a new laptop,but we should all know that you cant judge a laptop just on spec, and the brand is an unknown for me, and i can't find any reviews online for it.

also noticed its sold 'as new' which is different to a new product...

pcworld refurbished website sells core 2 duo 12 inch laptops for about £280 but reviews online have found that they have a motherboard fault that makes them shut off randomly

Jon_01

There's a review here. . .
http://www.techradar.com/products/computing/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops/gateway-mt6917b-245202/review

Price has just gone to £324.95 but with free del...

snowqueen555

like i said, it is a second hand product, it isn't new. in that case it isn't exactly the best offer, and i think its important to always read consumer reviews rather then from websites that have a vested interest in giving good reviews i.e. the company will send them that laptop to review it.

i found good reviews for advent laptops but they said nothing about the hundreds of complaints about a faulty motherboard making the laptop switch off randomly!

companies will send a laptop protoype to a website to review, this laptop is often not the final spec, or typically the same as what the mass market will recieve.

boobbby

I have to agree with snowqueen555 and her "as new" spot. Also seems to have the best value laptop on the 2072 entry (Acer Aspire 5720)so unless anybody sees a better buy, then that is the one I would go for !!

danielinfo

Hi,

I am looking for a replacement laptop because mine has broken! I am a student so i need the cheapest possible. I dont really want to pay more than £300. I want a laptop that i can use the internet on as well as Microsoft Office.

I saw the Acer on amazon for £299.99 and wondered if there are any similar laptops that are cheaper out there?

Many Thanks,

Daniel

snowqueen555

Hi, I htink plenty have been posted or linked on here.. Check out play.com, dabs, ebuyer, those kind of places if you aren't looking for anything for graphics then any laptop is good, but with 300 you could get a 2 gig ram core 2 duo from many places

I am shopping right now for one too, but won't buy until i clear off my debt... I think some places offer a buy now pay later scheme with no interest... I wonderif anyone has used these, and whether it is good?

Minxz

I have seen this, and with the 3 year warranty 9 idea for 3 years at Uni!) wondered how this compared with other laptops of similar price?
http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/Acer_Aspire_5315_Gemstone_Laptop_with_ACER_Extended_Warranty_-_3_Yrs_Collec/version.asp
or do you think this would be a better choice?
I'm tempted by the 3 yr warranty.. but have never bought a laptop before. i need to buy 2.. as have 2 sons starting Uni soon.
Thank you!