The Great 'Cheapest Decent Laptop' Hunt

hardy1976

ItchieFeet wrote: »

For what its worth, I just bought a Compaq CQ60-320SA from Currys.

Looking for my first laptop, need usual windows programs, fast speed processor cos I'm impatient and a decent size hard-drive for my photos, (I'm very snap-happy!). Guy in the store was really patient and helped me understand all the various pieces that make up the spec - best of all the laptop retails I visited by far:

• AMD Turion Dual-Core processor RM72
• (2.10GHz, 1MB cache)
• Genuine Windows Vista (R) Home Premium
• 4GB memory
• 250GB hard drive
• NVidia GeForce 8200M graphics
• 15.6" HD widescreen display
• Webcam
• Wireless enabled

Get free Windows 7 upgrade when its launched in October, I just pay the P&P.

£429.99 for laptop + £108.00 for Windows programs, Norton security and installation. £29.99 for back-up disc. I also took the £7.99 per month Whatever Happens coverage - which for £60 a year is only a tad more than my home insurance excess - and covers all accidental damage, e.g. spilling coffee on it! Good for peace of mind...

Oh and got a free mouse thrown in too!

Was really leaning towards a Dell until got to Currys....small thing really but liked that the Compaq has a proper number pad on the keyboard (unlike the Dell) which is great for all the spreadsheets I have to keep track of my expenditure and SOA...

IMPORTANT NOTE: This might be obvious to you Techs out there, but it wasnt until the 6th shop of the day that someone spelt out that NO LAPTOPS COME WITH SOFTWARE - you have to purchase Word, Excel, etc separately which could add another £60-100 onto the total price.

if you are happy with what you paid thats great However you knew that was coming personally I think thats a bit expensive..

hardy1976

hardy1976 wrote: »

if you are happy with what you paid thats great However you knew that was coming personally I think thats a bit expensive..

Take that back... good deal.

chili2001

ItchieFeet wrote: »

I also took the £7.99 per month Whatever Happens coverage - which for £60 a year is only a tad more than my home insurance excess - and covers all accidental damage, e.g. spilling coffee on it! Good for peace of mind...

£7.99 per month. Um... I think you will find that makes £95.88 a year!
My home insurance covers all accidental damage for a tiny amount a year, I think your being ripped off a little?

terriex

Hi everyone.
I recently heard about a deal with T-mobile where you get a free laptop & internet access on a 2 year contract for £30/month. Do you know if the laptop's any good & if it's the best deal out? I'm with Virgin broadband for about £17.50 a month at the moment so seems to be worth doing.
Thank you.

ItchieFeet

chili2001 wrote: »

£7.99 per month. Um... I think you will find that makes £95.88 a year!
My home insurance covers all accidental damage for a tiny amount a year, I think your being ripped off a little?

Ah yes indeed - I realised the error of the calculation, but only just figured out you can edit posts!!

I'll go back and double check my home insurance now too....!

ItchieFeet

terriex wrote: »

Hi everyone.
I recently heard about a deal with T-mobile where you get a free laptop & internet access on a 2 year contract for £30/month. Do you know if the laptop's any good & if it's the best deal out? I'm with Virgin broadband for about £17.50 a month at the moment so seems to be worth doing.
Thank you.

In my searches, mobile broadband dongles seem to be the cheapest way to go for internet access, but not necessarily the fastest speeds or most reliable connection...

In all of the deals I saw that claim you get a "free laptop" you actually end up spending more over the term of the contract, than if you purchase the laptop up front and just pay for the mobile broadband as/when required.

Obviously, if you havent got the cash up front, then this allows you to spread the cost, but overall you do spend more.

dbs

hawkis wrote: »

If it's of any use to anyone, Ebuyer are still doing this HP 550 laptop for £379.99:

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/164845

Excellent spec for the money. I'm looking for a laptop for £400 or less so if anyone has any better suggestions, please post them!

Spec for the above:


Processor

• Intel® Core2 Duo Processor T5670
• 1.80 GHz
• 2 MB L2 cache
• 800 MHz

In the reviews one person has found a intel centrino sticker on the laptop is this anything to worry about as it states its a core2 duo processor on the website?

chili2001

dbs wrote: »

[/LIST] In the reviews one person has found a intel centrino sticker on the laptop is this anything to worry about as it states its a core2 duo processor on the website?

Don't worry about that. The intel centrino is just a laptop version of their cpu's. Its still a core 2 duo. If in doubt just go to control panel/system to check what cpu is installled.
I found a slightly better spec for £399.00: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/149938
not a lot in it but slightly better cpu, bigger screen, and full size keyboard.

Sportbilly_2

I just ordered this from Dell's small business outlet. Seems pretty good value at £516 with the rebates, free delivery, a 10% off online voucher and a few percent cashback-

Base
Vostro 1520 : Standard Base
Memory
4096MB 800 MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM (2x2GB)
Keyboard
Internal Keyboard - English (QWERTY)
Video Card
256 MB NVIDIA® GeForce™ 9300M GS Graphic Card
Hard Drive
320GB (7,200rpm) Serial ATA Hard Drive with Free Fall Sensor
Microsoft Operating System
Genuine Windows Vista® Business SP1 - English
Optical Devices
Fixed Internal 8X DVD+/-RW Tray Load Drive including Software
Wireless Networking
Dell Wireless 1397 Mini Card (802.11 b/g) European
Cables
1 Meter Power Cord (3 Wire) - UK
Shipping Documents
English Shipping Documents
Gedis Bundle Reference
N0715207
Standard Warranty
1 Year Collect and Return
Enhanced Service Packs
1Yr Collect & Return Warranty - No Upgrade Selected
Order Information
Vostro Laptop 1520 Order - UK
Primary Battery
48 WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
Carrying Cases
No Carrycase
Processor
Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor P8600 (2.4GHz, 1066MHz FSB,3MB L2 cache)
Dell System Media Kit
V1520 Resource DVD (Diagnostic & Drivers)
Camera
Integrated 1.3MP Camera
Colour Choice
Obsidian Black
Labels
Wireless Label - Core 2 Duo (Dell Wireless Cards)
LCD
Premium WXGA+ (1440x900) Wide Screen with TrueLife™
Microsoft Application Software
Microsoft® Works 9.0 - English
CompleteCare
Declined CompleteCare
Protect your new PC
Norton Internet Security™ 2009 - 15 Month Protection - English
Power Supply
90W AC Adaptor - 3 wire
Biometric Identification
No Biometric Fingerprint Reader

Will be getting a free upgrade to Win 7 Professional as well when it gets released and also getting rid of bloody Norton as soon as it arrives.

hardy1976

Looks like a good deal...

£159.99 from £250 Acer Aspire One A110 - AGB / 3G / Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz / 1GB / 16GB SSD / 8.9" / Linux / NetBook / Blue (LU.S070A.064)
http://www.play.com/PC/PCs/4-/805638...e/Product.html