Laptop Advice and What To Download

Bladebaby_2

Good Afternoon everyone,
My current laptop is very slow and quite old now (Dell Inspiron 6400). I currently have £430 vouchers for currys that I'd like to use to buy a laptop to see my daughter through university.

She really likes the Dell Inspiron 1545 Red laptop and I just thought I'd get a bit of advice on whether this laptop will be good enough to see her through uni?

Also what free software do I absolutely need to download onto it to keep it protected and running smoothly?

Thanks in advance :A

gonzo127

well the question is when does she start Uni and how long is the course, on top of what is she actually going to use it for? finding out what she is planning on using it for will dictate a lot of major points such as screen size - bigger is better for videos, but worst for battery life and portability,

for ~£400 from currys you will not really be able to get a laptop which will be comfortable with (proper) gaming although they should all be suitable for the basics of office work, internet and playing media (videos, music etc) - which in reality is what most people use them for

as to free software
1 x anti virus - either microsoft security essentials, Avast or Antivir are the current recommended ones

1 x anti malware - personally like anti malwarebytes however this is a on demand scanner which needs to be set to run manually

a firewall is a sometimes contentious thing as the built in one with windows 7 is ok for most people so a lot of people will say stick with that, however there are others which are better - but require more user input, such as zonealarm or comodo

next is office software - personally love open office which is totally free and does everything microsoft office does, however being a student she should be able to get microsoft office cheaply

web browser - firefox or google chrome both very good, dont bother with IE

VLC media player and or itunes for media players

the above should cover most bases in my mind

quick edit just had a look at the dell, spec is reasonable and will do fine for all the basic tasks, as i thought will not be great for proper gaming but should be able to handle some low level games

Bladebaby_2

Wow gonzo great reply I'll look into the downloads and work out which to download.
Her course will be 4 years and she'll be starting in September.

Mainly just general word processing, presentations for her uni work and then just teenage stuff such as social networking. She doesn't often play computer games so that shouldn't be an issue
Hoping for her to use Skype a lot.

Do you think the Dell will be ok for this? Or is there a better option from currys?

gonzo127

ok as i edited above the Dell one will be fine for all the normal basic uses she will likely want and if she likes the look that is of course a massive plus point

well the advent roma 4001 one at just under £400 would be worth a look, very slightly slower processor but more ram and hard drive

and the Advent Sienna 300 is worth a look aswell as it has the latest generation of processor however you have less RAM - and although RAM is a relitively cheap and easy upgrade in future it depends if you would want the hassle or feel comfortable doing such a upgrade

quick edit (again) have you thought about other items she may need to go with her laptop? (just thinking about the remaining ~£30) ie printer, laptop case or a portable hard drive?

Bladebaby_2

Shown her your suggestions and she's still favouring the dell so I think i'm off to curry's
Thankyou very much for all your help I'm sure your download advice will be invaluable

Clark80

Not sure if I am too late. I believe Curry's/PC world will accept your old laptop in and give you money off your new one...

[Deleted User]

Check with her university whether they are enrolled in any schemes that will allow her to get Microsoft or any other software she'll be using for her studies from them. Often you'll find they can either for free or a small price.

Donnie

Clark80 wrote: »

Not sure if I am too late. I believe Curry's/PC world will accept your old laptop in and give you money off your new one...

Oh my goodness...did you recommend an Advent?

I would have gone with the TOSHIBA Satellite C650D-12J, in conjunction with a Toshiba 3 year Extended Warranty including Data Protection(£50). Maybe not the highest spec, but a good all round package for a student when you factor in the aspect of Data Protection and peace of mind for three years.

The same warranty with the DELL would cost considerably more.

Other other hand for superior specification, I would choose the ASUS X5AE-SX002V.

The DELL would not figure in my plans. Don't open the box. Get her to take a look at all three on the shelf. If the Toshiba is ok for her eyes and fingers, go for it. Then go online and register for the Insurance.

Toshiba link here. Press F5 to refresh the page if necessary.

elfen

The Toshiba sounds like a better bet, before I got my Mac I was using one of the uni Toshibas (brand new in) and they have a decent battery life and screen size and are pretty nice to use too. I'd definitely go for the Satellite over the Dell or the Advent one.

always_running

TOSHIBA Satellite C650D-12J where is the cheapest plavce to buy one at the moment?

we were also looking at a KODAK ESP 9 All-in-One Printer or a cheaper version dependant on price and price of ink.

with a Dell Inspiron Zino HD

any codes best prices etc would be useful please

always_running

any body any ideas as ours was stolen from DHL van !