The Great 'Cheapest Decent Laptop' Hunt

ksh123

that seems a very good price SweetChuck.
would it suit me/my daughter.?
Main use would be the usual software (windows XP, word etc) a few games (but not anything faster than the Sims); surfing and shopping and emailing.

Also do you/does anyone know if I can network it with my PC? I am on NTL broadband. Is it expensive to get a network going (and do you have to be techie? cos I'm not)

GMonster

While I wouldn't put you off buying form Dell as they are very good I think it is very hard to beat PC World for value. You tend to find when you Buy something from Dell they suddenly start suggesting you should 'upgrade' memory, processor speed, monitor spec etc and before you know it you're paying 200 quid more than you wanted to!

If you're starting out and you're mainly going to use your laptop for surfing the net and using the most popular applications like microsoft word, excel, outlook (for your email) etc then you should expect to pay no more than 450 for a laptop that will easily meet your needs. For 500 pounds you could get a laptop that would be wi-fi enabled. This basically means you can connect to the internet from anywhere in your home via a wireless connection (of course you will still need to sign up to a broadband provider - this site has loads of tips on the best broadband providers). Normally to connect to the internet like this you would have to buy a seperate wireless card so alot of laptops now are moving towards wi-fi.

Another option to look at is tesco (https://www.tesco.com) - they have an excellent Acer 4021WLMi Intel Centrino 15.4'' laptop offer at the minute for 499 - it has more than enough power to meet all your current (and future) needs - and it is also wireless enabled.

alternatively two good websites to try are

https://www.dabs.com

https://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk


HOPE THIS HELPS - GOOD LUCK!!

buglawton

Don't forget that Comet has an Acer laptop with 512MB RAM, DVD writer, wifi and a free Voda PAYG 3g data card "worth £200" at £499 currently. It looks fine if you don't mind a shiny looking tft screen rather than a matt one. The image is very sharp, mind.

Sweetchuck

Acer have a horrendous track record when it comes to build quality and customer service. Even if you are on a budget, I would advise anybody to steer clear of them.

Dell are far from perfect - there are much better laptops out there, but for a sub-£450 budget, you get just as much bang for your buck as with the less reputable brands, plus decent customer and after-sales service.

The Dell Outlet can be found here. To get the extra £100 rebate, you need to find a laptop you're interested in. Add it to your cart and scroll down the 'My Cart' page to the "Software & Peripherals" section. One of the options you can select to add to your order there is a £100.08 rebate voucher. Select it, then scroll back to the top of the page and click "Update Selected Items". Voila! You've just knocked a further hundred quid off the price.

ksh123

ahaaah I knew it was too good to be true! You see it was the £350 pricetag that attracted me to the Dell just can'tafford that extra £150-200.
ah well, patience is a virtue (and I ain't got it!)


But thanks GMonster and Buglawton (of the Congleton Buglawton's I assume?) because your advice was still helpful. Especially re the wi-fi. So, with NTL broadband which I already use I can use a wi-fi for the same monthly cost can i?????

Sweetchuck

ksh123 wrote:

ahaaah I knew it was too good to be true! You see it was the £350 pricetag that attracted me to the Dell just can'tafford that extra £150-200.
ah well, patience is a virtue (and I ain't got it!)

What extra £150-200? I've just checked and you can get a decent laptop from the Dell Outlet for £402 right now - 40GB HDD, DVD-RW, 512MB RAM. That price includes the rebate I mentioned earlier (which is available to everyone) and includes VAT and P&P.

If you keep checking, you'll find new deals coming up every day.

GMonster

Hi ksh123

Re the wi-fi.......

in order to get use wireless broadband you will need to get a wireless router - i'm not sure about NTL but I'm sure they'll give you a good deal on one considering ur already a customer. It may be worth checkin out their website as I know BT give a 50% reduction on the price of a wireless router if u buy online. U should get one for around 30 pounds sterling.

Once u have the the wireless router u can surf away on ur laptop for d same cost as ur already paying!

Then you'll never have to get out of bed!!!!

(,")

buglawton

ksh123 wrote:

...Especially re the wi-fi. So, with NTL broadband which I already use I can use a wi-fi for the same monthly cost can i?????

Yes I have 3 computers on the NTL Broadband connection at basic broadband single line price. The same scheme works on adsl (thru your phone line) I am told but certain providers eg AOL/Tesco were not possible to set up this way at one time or still aren't. Things are changing fast - more Broadband providers now even make a feature of wireless broadband routers & multiple computers at no extra cost.

Browntoa

just posted this on the Grabbit forum as today only

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?p=1387794#post1387794

Dell inspiron 1300 for £339 inc shipping

mercurystar999

Thats a super deal gonna get me one of those!