Which laptop do I go for??? Decisions, decisions!

JPS

Hi guys,

I am currently looking at buying one of 2 laptops - I am looking at these 2 as they are so light and portable and offer what I want. I want a notebook with a small, high resolution screen rather than a big heavy laptop. I think these specs are decent.

The 2 in question are:
PACKARD BELL EASY NOTE A8550
&

TOSHIBA EQUIUM M50-216


Both have similar specs - The main differences are:
HDD: PB:50GB TOSH:40GB
SCREEN: PB: 13" Diamond View TOSH: 14" WXGA
WEIGHT: PB:1.9KG TOSH: 2.2KG
MEMORY: PB:512MB DDR TOSH: 512MB DDR2
GRAPHICS: PB: 64MB intergrated TOSH: 128 MB UMA

Those are the main differences really. I really like the look and feel of both of them. They are also the same price. I just can't decide! Maybe it's just personal opinion...or is it obvious which one is better?!

Thanks for your help!!

Josh:)

hobo28

Go for the Toshiba.

Packard Bell have a poor reputation for laptops (some would argue even desktops!). Toshiba are a tier 1 manufacturer for laptops.

Plus, the Tosh has 128MB onboard graphics whereas the PB shares 64MB from your main system memory.

The screen is bigger on the Tosh too and RAM is DDR2 rather than plain DDR.

You'll probably find that the Tosh lasts longer too as PB battery life tend to be pretty poor.

fguk

I absolutely agree with Hobo.

Tosh are far and away the better manufacturer of the two, and the laptop specs are better.

I am guessing you are viewing both of these at PC World somewhere. Make sure you check out the online price and use their collect @ store feature to get an extra discount.

It is also possible that you will find the same Tosh model cheaper at web suppliers with an even smaller price tag!

dabs and ebuyer are worth a look.

wolfman

Considered a Mac? The new Macbook is out, there was a post about getting £50 off, so it's total price was £700.

They certainly make the nicest laptops. For me personally, I'd buy one and dual boot as I mainly use the Windows environment, but then you'd have the added expense (£50-60) of a Windows license.

snax

Jut clicked through the links on the Toshiba out of curiosity and it looks like PC World force you to 'accept' Norton Security @ £29.99 [no option to remove from basket]
Delivery is free [free on all laptops over £400], so no need to pick up from store.

what about this from ebuyer ...under £500 incl VAT & Shipping

or dabs ...here ...£502.19 incl VAT & Delivery.

You may need to go 2nd hand or refurbished if you are looking for similar, cheaper.

hope it helps.
S.

JPS

Many thanks for your replies, that really has helped swing my decision!!!

Looks like it will be the Toshiba I think! I can get an additional £40 off it by using a code in the online discount codes section, so £560 really isnt bad for that lappie - as it is light weight and has everything I need.

I wouldn't consider a mac - look stunning but I do not like them - I know and love Windows and normal PCs and laptops.

The only downside is 40GB on the Toshiba - as I have never had a laptop before (sooo used to my PC lol) - how easy would it be to upgrade the HDD to a nice big one and are they expensive?

Oh and Snax there is an option at the bottom before you add to cart to remove Norton (a tiny tick box...cheeky).

Any more opinions still useful but I guess the PB has no real advatages especially if they are a poor brand.

Josh

EDIT: Just found this at dabs - is this a better option or should I stick with the orignial one? Satellite Pro M50

wolfman

JPS wrote:

I wouldn't consider a mac - look stunning but I do not like them - I know and love Windows and normal PCs and laptops.

You can install Windows on the recent Mactel's. One of the guys here has one dual booting. They come in black too, so you don't have to go for the white look. The design and build quality of them are very well thought out. You'd also be getting a faster Duo cpu instead of a standard mobile one, and it's about 1cm slimmer, comes with Office 2004 too.

hobo28

The Dabs one is better. Slightly slower processor but you'd not notice and extra 20GB capacity on the HDD.

I'd stay away from the Macbook if you want to run XP unless you are very technically minded and don't mind being on the bleeding edge. I bought a mac mini not long ago. My impression was that it was close but no cigar.

Laptop hard drives can be upgraded to about 100GB but they do cost more. Your probably looking at £85 for a 100GB laptop drive. Usually they just need swapping over but you do have a big hassle of transferring your data. A desktop is easy, you just attach the new drive at the same time. You can't with a laptop unless you buy a USB casing.

wiraone

wolfman wrote:

Considered a Mac? The new Macbook is out, there was a post about getting £50 off, so it's total price was £700. .

If you're in higher-education, you could get it from £640. Just use your uni's network or proxy-server to access Apple weborder website ..

DilbertJones

tosh, tosh, tosh

Do not Consider Packard Bell, and If Acer enters your mind immediatley wash it out!!! There Awfull

wolfman

hobo28 wrote:

I'd stay away from the Macbook if you want to run XP unless you are very technically minded and don't mind being on the bleeding edge. I bought a mac mini not long ago. My impression was that it was close but no cigar.

You'd basically need to know how to install Windows. Apple have an application called Bootcamp which means you can start installing XP within a few steps. It's currently free and quite simple to use. Will be built into OSX Leopard.