The Great 'Cheapest Decent Laptop' Hunt

JDPower

millyscarlett wrote: »

Hi there,
I'm looking to buy a laptop for my daughters birthday later in the year....seen this deal on the Dell Inspiron 1545...
http://configure.euro.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?s_tnt=20232:1:0,&vw=builder&c=uk&l=en&cs=ukdhs1&kc=&oc=N0054502

I want to get a reasonably decent one that'll last her. Is this an ok deal do you think?
Thanks in advance:D

You don't give us any info on what it will be used for. That is a reasonable laptop for the price but personally I would upgrade the processor and gfx card, this will add £80 to the price though.

Also how much "later in the year"? If its a significant way off I'd wait till nearer the time. Not only will you have longer to look out for good offers but a laptop in 6 or more months time may have better spec for same money (if it's only a couple of months then it won't make any difference).

pixiechick99

JDPower wrote: »

You don't give us any info on what it will be used for. That is a reasonable laptop for the price but personally I would upgrade the processor and gfx card, this will add £80 to the price though.

Also how much "later in the year"? If its a significant way off I'd wait till nearer the time. Not only will you have longer to look out for good offers but a laptop in 6 or more months time may have better spec for same money (if it's only a couple of months then it won't make any difference).

Thanks for the reply - sorry, I was a bit brief in my post;) I need to buy the laptops for April....so not a very long time away.
They won't be used for anything demanding...no gaming, just internet, homework. We have a desktop pc where their music is stored.

I have the same laptop (with core 2 duo processor though) and I'm really happy with it, just wanted to check this was a reasonably good deal - I don't want to spend any more than that really on them:D

kwakwaversal

millyscarlett wrote: »

Thanks for the reply - sorry, I was a bit brief in my post;) I need to buy the laptops for April....so not a very long time away.
They won't be used for anything demanding...no gaming, just internet, homework. We have a desktop pc where their music is stored.

I have the same laptop (with core 2 duo processor though) and I'm really happy with it, just wanted to check this was a reasonably good deal - I don't want to spend any more than that really on them:D

JDPower makes a good point about waiting until nearer the time before a purchase. Computer hardware drops in price every month, so waiting as long as you can will be more beneficial.

When people ask me about laptops I ask what it's being used for first. In your case because they're not using it for games/media, the choice really depends on your budget.

Pretty much any laptop out there will do what you require for your children. Make sure there is network connectivity - I'm assuming you have wireless, so make sure it has that - and if you can afford it, stay away from the budget processors (AMD sempron and Intel celeron). They perform significantly worse than their brothers.

There are pros and cons to each laptop as you can imagine. I go for smaller displays as they use less power, but other than that I just read reviews of any laptops I like the look of.

paul2468

Argos have the Acer 573zz £100 off down to £399.00 is this a good buy....?

JDPower

paul2468 wrote: »

Argos have the Acer 573zz £100 off down to £399.00 is this a good buy....?

There is a slightly better spec version of that laptop for £2 less at Tesco (it was mentioned a few posts up):

http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.207-6879.aspx

JamesN

JDPower wrote: »

There is a slightly better spec version of that laptop for £2 less at Tesco (it was mentioned a few posts up):

http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.207-6879.aspx

i would avoid that though? as the RAM is only 667MHz, which isn't great, normally expect 800MHz.

Do you agree JDPower?

JDPower

JamesN wrote: »

i would avoid that though? as the RAM is only 667MHz, which isn't great, normally expect 800MHz.

Do you agree JDPower?

Its the same as the one he was originally looking at though. And RAM usually is that speed amongst lower end laptops anyway, its no big deal in a laptop that's not gonna be used for anything heavy duty IMO

neisey

Up until Saturday I was using a refurbished Dell Latitude D600 (unfortunately the Hard Drive has died), I found it a lovely laptop and met my every need.

Currently looking for a new laptop, I don't download music and only store small files. DVD is not an important factor. I am reluctant to buy refurbished again. but I need something between £200 & £300.

I have tried looking online and it's foreign to me, I just want something quick and easy to use, battery life is not a major thing as I usually keep it plugged in and never travel with it.

I have been looking at Dell online and I built my own Dell Latitude, I just don't know if the memory (1GB) or 80GB Serial ATA (5400RPM) drive is any good, all this is £278 with 1 year warranty. It seems reasonable, but it's very basic.

PROCESSORIntel Atom™ Processor N270,
1.0GB int memory
OPERATING SYSTEM Ubuntu Edition version 8.10
LCDN-Series 10.1in Widescreen WSVGA (1024X576)
Non Touch Screen with Camera
DRIVE80GB Serial ATA (5400RPM) Drive
PRIMARY BATTERY3 Cell Primary Battery - for lower weight
WIRELESS CONNECTIVITYDell WLAN 1397 (802.11b/g) 1/2 MiniCard
INTERNAL KEYBOARDInternal UK/IR Qwerty Keyboard
WINDOWS LIVENo Windows Live

Thank you in advance...

Garetha

I assume you've dismissed a new HD for your old machine?

The above spec is quite basic - I'd suggest a little more memory

katym79

Hi can anyone help? i'm torn between these two deals but can't decide.
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/5083008/c_1/1|category_root|Office%2C+PCs+and+phones|14418968/c_2/3|cat_15701344|Laptops+and+Netbooks|16164797.htm

and
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/5082432/c_1/1|category_root|Office%2C+PCs+and+phones|14418968/c_2/3|15701344|Laptops+and+Netbooks|16164797/c_3/4|cat_16164797|Laptops|16164800.htm

the only difference i can see is the hard drive - will this be important for someone who only really needs decent internet browsing speed? are either make any good? the 3 year warranty and virus protection is quite attractive on the Samsung but is it worth it? any help appreciated.