The Great 'Cheapest Decent Laptop' Hunt

patchwork_cat

Nooooo - more choice, please my head is going to explode as it is! TBH they don't look that much better than the ones I picked and save £20 on refurb compared to new, um.

Are core 2 and dual core the same?

joshwa

patchwork_cat wrote: »

Nooooo - more choice, please my head is going to explode as it is! TBH they don't look that much better than the ones I picked and save £20 on refurb compared to new, um.

Are core 2 and dual core the same?

No. Intel core2duo are about 20% quicker, and let you run Windows 64 bit. Personally I'd go for the core2duo, there's so little price difference (dual core around £300, core2duo around £330 from play.com) that you may as well buy the quicker one for "future proofing", extra performance etc.

This one looks like a very good deal (especially as it was £450 a while ago)
http://www.play.com/PC/PCs/4-/3360561/Sony-Vaio-VGN-N31M-W-Core-2-Duo-T5300-1-73GHz-1GB-120GB-DVD-SM-15-4-Vista-Home-Premium-Laptop-Notebook/Product.html - £330 Sony core2duo, 1gb ram - But it could do with a memory upgrade to 2gb (crucial.com/uk sell memory upgrades)

The Staples one is showing as £339 !! core 2 duo 2ghz, 3gb ram, absolute bargain!
http://www.staples.co.uk/ENG/Catalog/cat_sku.asp?CT=1&CatIds=%2C&webid=396307&affixedcode=WW

PS - Don't buy a celeron or a single core - when the price difference is £30 between celeron single core and dual core, there really is no reason to buy a celeron. Likewise you'd be better off with an AMD X2 than a celeron.

patchwork_cat

Staples prices don't include VAT so price is £372 after quidco- is it still a good deal?

beancounter1968

Hi

I am starting to look for a new laptop and I have a budget of about £500. Last time I bought, 2 years ago, it was from Dell. As technology moves so quickly, I was wondering if there is a site that ranks the processors from budget to quickest. What should I be expecting to get for my £500?

Thanks for reading


Phil

spud17

beancounter1968 wrote: »

Hi

I am starting to look for a new laptop and I have a budget of about £500. Last time I bought, 2 years ago, it was from Dell. As technology moves so quickly, I was wondering if there is a site that ranks the processors from budget to quickest. What should I be expecting to get for my £500?

Thanks for reading


Phil

Is THIS any use as a start point?

joshwa

patchwork_cat wrote: »

Staples prices don't include VAT so price is £372 after quidco- is it still a good deal?

Doh - didn't realise they were without vat. Yes I'd say it was still a good deal. Like I said in the other thread you should be looking at a core 2 duo, 2gb ram, 80gb hd (or bigger) and windows vista home premium (avoid basic) and the general price for one of these laptops is around £330 - £350. As spec (cpu speed, ram, hard drive etc) increases so does the price.

joshwa

Dell Vostro 1510s have £50 off at the moment and free postage...

This code gives 10% off GLTV1QH8DCMLWF

That makes the Vostro 1510 an excellent deal - it's already got £50 off, and free postage, so it's normally £350 inc vat for core2duo 1.8ghz, 2gb, 250gb hd, windows home premium, and £316 with the voucher. Very nice. Very very tempted to buy! (So tempted that I've just bought one! )

boobbby

joshwa wrote: »

Dell Vostro 1510s have £50 off at the moment and free postage...

This code gives 10% off GLTV1QH8DCMLWF

That makes the Vostro 1510 an excellent deal - it's already got £50 off, and free postage, so it's normally £350 inc vat for core2duo 1.8ghz, 2gb, 250gb hd, windows home premium, and £316 with the voucher. Very nice. Very very tempted to buy! (So tempted that I've just bought one! )

Very good deal well done!! I see the 10% offer finishes on the 31st Aug

patchwork_cat

Hi
Thanks - have gone for the Fujitsu at staples out of stock online, but same price as online including Quidco discount instore. DH now set up for chartered exam.

plebeian

The Samsung R700, currently sitting in PCPro's Best Value Laptop spot, is a killer for £500. 17" screen so not hugely portable, although apparently it does have good battery life. Very good graphics and CPU for the price.
Review: http://www.pcpro.co.uk/labs/212334/samsung-r700.html
For £500 from ebuyer: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/143912