The Great 'Cheapest Decent Laptop' Hunt

duggyfresh

Good luck, smelly, but I think they only take money... ;-)

Seriously though, this thread will be invaluable...

Duggy.

ym

Jefflad just wrote that the inspiron N1000a is going for £521. If you choose to customise your order instead of Dell recommends, you get the same (N1000d) for £491.
I must say I'm proud to beat the £499 with good specs, but what have I missed? Is it the 256kB L2 Cache, 400MHz FSB? Or is it the case
??? ??? ??? >:( ???

This offer ends on the 13th, but if everyone grabs it, they might pull it early, like all the other shops!
Can I pick up from the shop?

Go to this page to see the two choices:
http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/inspn_1000?c=uk&cs=ukdhs1&l=en&s=dhs

If you do buy, think about a case, and find out how long the battery lasts for, it may only be 1.5hrs. Also go via greasy for the 1.5% (or Rpoints) and I'm sure you knew all that!

ym

There are two more chats about laptops, on this site. There needs to be better rules about what can be posted.
One of them has this code: N??1SWSBSDHH41 for £30 off the Inspiron.
I spoke to Dell today, it took them ages to answer. The N1000a is 256Mb 30gb 14" and so is the N1000d, but the D model has optical advantage of CDRW, hence the extra £30. Niether come with any case, and both have the same 8 cell battery.
Dell seems to be poor service and slow delivery. Lots of people seem to say the AMD athalon is far better for quality.

N9eav

Is there any reason a Laptop imported from the USA would not work in the UK? The power transformer is now worldwide universal..Any catch?

calibrax

Is there any reason a Laptop imported from the USA would not work in the UK?  The power transformer is now worldwide universal..Any catch?  

It will work fine... except that the keyboard will have a US layout.

Basically, if you set up Windows to use a US keyboard layout everything will be fine, but you won't be able to type the £ symbol in the usual way. And if you set up Windows to use a UK layout, then you will be able to type £ by typing #, and vice versa. There may be problems with other symbols as well (I think the double quote is in a different place on a US keyboard?)

Getting repairs under warranty could be difficult as well.

Also remember that if you buy from outside the EU, and the laptop is worth more than £18, then customs will most likely charge you for VAT when it's imported.

Hope this helps!

Steve ;D ;D

Jolly_Roger

The code mentioned by ym does still work and you do get a £30.00 discount! Also, by ignoring the recommended version of the Dell computer and "customising" (you do nothing different!!!) your purchase, it is also cheaper. I have been following this debate for ages and last night used my 0% on purchases Barclaycard to pick up this bargain, which worked out about £100.00 cheaper all round. Thanks to everybody who has contributed. Now, I just have to hope that the Dell I receive is a good one, as oppossed to some of the rubbish Dell computers that are the stuff of chat rooms!!!!

JeffLad_2

This ends today 13th Oct - so get in quick!!! Includes VAT and delivery.

This is the same spec machine as I posted earlier -
also, you should be able to get LineMyPocket or GreasyPalm discounts on top - which may give another 1.5% off = £483.86. Of course, if you have cash back on your credit card, could be effectively less.

Be quick though, this is the last day for this offer.

Click on this link:
http://configure.euro.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?b=&c=uk&cs=ukdhs1&l=en&oc=N1000A&qbc=N1000A&s=dhs&sbc=ukdhstvhpnotebook1

Click on "continue" at the bottom of the screen, then "continue" again, then add to basket and it should automatically show £491.43 - if it doesn't, put in coupon number N??1SWSBSDHH41 and apply it. This will then show the correct price.

JeffLad
The following are included in the Base:
Mobile Intel® Celeron® 2.20GHz
Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition
256MB shared DDR SDRAM & 30GB Hard Drive
8-cell NiMH Battery
CDRW/DVD Combo Drive
Microsoft® Works 7.0
Inspiron 1000, 2.2GHz Cel ,14"XGA Screen, 256MB DDR RAM, 30 GB HD, 8 Cell NiMH

david_skinner_2

Give these people a try. I've been well served by
them on other PC equipment.

http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/NBRanges.html

Jezza101

As far as the weight's concerned any idea where can i find cheapest, lightest laptop computer?

Im afraid you pay a premium for small/light laptops at the moment.  

Think carefully about your needs before buying a cheap laptop - although a £399 machine will be perfect for some users others may quickly regret not spending more.  

This comes from my own experience of cheaper laptops not being fully featured (inferior connectivity, no DVD writer, etc), having inferior screens (can only be viewed from 1 angle, blur during animated display, etc), tend to be larger and heavier and with poor battery life.

If mobility is important I would strongly recommend checking out more expensive slimline models as some cheaper ones are not very mobile at all!   Your cheap model may look portable and yes you will be able to lift it, but a modern Sony Viao for example will slot into your back pack without you knowing it is there, whereas your old skool machine will need a seperate case and trust me, they are heavier than they look...! People dont seem to notice the weight problem until they've actually owned one!

My experience with users is that  many come back wanting to exchange their large cheap version with a fully featured slim line model that actually suits their needs!

If you are just looking for a PC that doesnt take up much space at home, or to pack in your student daughter/son's bag then the bargin bucket is for you - at the end of the day any new PC will have the power to run modern software.  

Note: Check what 'free' software is supplied with your new machine, perhaps you save hundreds on hardware but will have to splash out hundreds on software eg a new copy of Office - no you cant (legally) just install the one that came with your desktop :P.  I find that you save much more in the long run by getting good software deals - eg a recently paid £10 more for a DVD-writer than I needed to but it came with Nero - worth £40.  I guess not a consideration for the Long John Silvers out there - ooo arr!

Good luck

Effective_savings

As a virgin money-saver I am aiming to make a good impression so apologise if my first posting appears a bit needy

Like many of you, I am working up to buying the best spec laptop I can for the least money. I have read and re-read much of this site and have just taken a look at the Dell offer(s) mentioned - albeit a bit late in the day.

Anyway, can anyone tell me if they can match or better the following Dell offer for a similar or better spec laptop?

Dell Inspiron 1150 - £767.18 incl. VAT

• Mobile Intel Pentium 4 Processor (2.80GHz);
  15" XGA;
  Microsoft Windows XP2 Home Edition;
  Memory 512MB 266MHz DDR RAM;
  Hard Drive 40GB;
  Modem Internal 56K v.92;
  CD ROM/DVD ROM Fixed Internal 24x CDRW/ 8x DVD
  Combo Drive with Software;
  Microsoft Works 7.0;
  8 Cell 65WHr LI-ION Primary Battery

;D Thanks so much!