The Great 'Cheapest Decent Laptop' Hunt

JDPower

WaxiesDargle wrote: »

Some really really basic questions....sorry

My home computer obviously has a Internet Provider (madasafish)...do laptops work in the same way...ie I have to get a IP and pay the same monthly fees?

Your computer doesn't have an internet provider, your home has an internet provider. So if using the laptop at home you can connect to your current provider, either connecting directly (ie with a cable) or wireless (which will require purchasing a wireless router if you don't currently use one).
It's only when using it for internet away from home you would need an alternative, eg using it in a free WiFi area, or subscribing to a mobile broadband service. But if you're only accessing the internet with it at home those aren't relevant.

WaxiesDargle wrote: »

My computer has word, excel etc...do laptops come with these installed or have I got to buy it seperately

Depends on the package you buy, some laptops have them included, some don't. If you buy one that doesn't include Office you can always give the, more than adequate, free OpenOffice (LINK) a try before splashing out on Microsoft Office

WaxiesDargle wrote: »

is 3 Gb of RAM about right for surfing/studenty stuff/music downloading etc

Yes that's plenty.

WaxiesDargle wrote: »

do they have Windows7/ webcam/graphics card/bluetooth (whatever that is lol) already installed

Again, will depend on the spec of the laptop you buy. Windows version will be clearly stated (my only advice, make sure you get Windows 7 and NOT Vista if you can).
Webcam and bluetooth will also be stated in the specification. Don't worry too much about the graphics card for the purposes you mentioned she'd be using it for (though just so you know the terminology when looking - there is integrated graphics and dedicated. Dedicated graphics are better, and ultimately more costly, but probably not a necessity for your daughters purposes).

Hope that helps

WaxiesDargle

Thanks JD for taking the time to reply...it is really appreciated

JamesN

good effort JD, i just cant be bothered when people are like i want this.... READ THE PREVIOUS POSTS. I see literally 2-3 posts a day with people requesting spec's they want. In my OPINION pretty much all the laptops around the £400 mark will be fine doing everything bar high end gaming and graphical designing. If your unsure read previous posts or google it! Why should everyone else have to put the effort in when people cant be bothered to read back a few pages

/rant.

JDPower

JamesN wrote: »

good effort JD, i just cant be bothered when people are like i want this.... READ THE PREVIOUS POSTS.

I do agree but WaxiesDargle wasn't doing that and I'm quite happy to help someone with specific basic questions like that (especially when Googling would probably just add to the confusion).

But yeah, guaranteed way to get no reply (from me at least) is to post saying "I want this spec, this budget, any suggestions". At least look around yourself and come up with a few possibles. I got bored of saying "Read back through last few pages" about 50 pages ago.

JamesN

yea wasnt being specific i dont mind general questions like is 3gb enough etc. It's the ones that just expect you to do them a favour without even reading the previous posts, and its obvious when they havent.

When people show they've done some looking themselves im more than happy to help.

dreamon100

Ok, I'm going to buy a laptop from Tesco's (staff discount), I've narrowed it down to Toshiba Satellite U500-12c at £629 or HP Pavilion dm3-1020EA at £549, the Toshiba has Core2 Duo Processor T6600, the HP AMD Athlon Neo X2 Processor,
presumably the t6600 is the better chip, but how much better is my question ?
The HP battery life is supposed to be 6-7 hrs so would that be enough of an advantage (and £80) to compensate for a lesser chip?
Usage will be surfing, dvd, skype and non-serious games. Yes I will be travelling with it.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Toshiba-Satellite-U500-12c-13-3-Inch-Processor/dp/tech-data/B002Q8HMHS/ref=de_a_smtd

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pavilion-dm3-1020EA-13-3-inch-Processor-Bluetooth/dp/B002P8M9TA

JamesN

@dreamon100

i'd probably stick with the toshiba, i've heard they have a better quality build in comparison to HP which i've heard is quite poor? i could be wrong.

in terms of function, theres only 90g weight diff between the two.

toshiba has room for expansion in terms of RAM, though with what you'll be using it i doubt you'd need it. The main advantage of the toshiba is the processor, you basically cant change this in a laptop and so 2.2ghz dual core is much better than a 1.6ghz dual core.

basically on multithread operations you'd have an extra 1.2ghz of processing power.

depends really how long you want it to last for, but i think the extra money is justified.

wazza

dreamon100 wrote: »

Ok, I'm going to buy a laptop from Tesco's (staff discount),....

as a matter of interest how much discount do you get? 10%?

startedsaving

I have been looking at this thread in the hope of some inspiration and or guidance - but I am still not sure if any of the recent laptop deals will suit what I want. I am not very techie, at the moment i have a Dell desk top which is about 5 years old. I mainly use it to surf the net, music, itunes, email, photos, - I used to play the Sims a lot and i would like to get Sims 3, plus also be able to watch films, and get wireless - so i am looking for a laptop. Not sure if i will need 17'' screen, would this be better for watching dvds?
Am looking at a Studio 17,
Intel® Pentium® Dual-Core Processor T4300 (2.1GHz, 800MHz, 1MB cache)
512MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570
3072MB 1333MHz Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM [1x2048 + 1x1024]
500GB (7,200rpm) Serial ATA Hard Drive
Fixed Internal DVD+/-RW Slot Load Drive including Software
17.3” High Definition+ (1600x900) LED with TL
1 year warranty
I am guessing this is quite a high spec for what i need most of the time, but looking at requirements for sims3 it seems to need decent video card. price of this one is £529 at the moment.
Please, can anyone give me some advice , its a minefield out there for someone like me who, sorry to say, has barely a clue of what all this stuff means. Really would be v grateful for any help, thanks in advance.

Skintslimmer

Hello and a hopeful help cry, if anyone would be very kind to me!

I have been looking for a new laptop for a while now. Current one is very much on its last legs. I'm a mature student, so only want to use Office, have Windows 7, and play DVDs. I have RSI so the bigger the keyboard the better. When I was looking 6 months ago there seemed to be decent 15" laptops on the market for the £300 mark. Now the entry level seems to be about £400 - can anyone confirm this price rise, or is it me being dim? Am I better off waiting for January sales? (current steam-powered one willing!:o)

I have found two I think fit my bill on Toshiba's website, priced at £329 and £399, only difference to me is size of screen (therefore more importantly to me the keyboard also looks bigger). However, I would like an extended warranty, from the standard 1 year to 3. Website says I have to ring them for price, which I will do, but I was shocked by Argos' extended warranty offers: in the region of £120 to £150 for a £3-400 laptop! Is this the going rate?

Final question is that a friend who works in IT (I have no idea what he does!) has said that windows security is sufficient for my security needs: I am shocked by this, I thought I would need an independant piece of software e.g. Norton, Panda. Any thoughts on this?

Thanks so much in advance for any replies