help picking a laptop please

my_definition

hi guys,

im a student looking for a new laptop. The laptop will be mostly used for uni work as its the priority so word processing and searching the net. I want to get one which will last a few years and would like to play to occasional game eg sim 3 but im not a big gamer.

I would like something about 3gb ram and 250 gb harddrive but im unsure of things like processor speed so i wondered if anyone would give me some advice. My max budget is £400, as im a student this is money ive saved and i would like the best deal. I would like a name ive heard of but im trying not to be to fussy.

Heres some i was considering could anyone give me some basic help with processor power. Thanks

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/236680

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/5083280.htm

http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.210-1049.aspx

http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/hp-g56-130sa-laptop-07908263-pdt.html

missile

I bought this http://www.johnlewis.com/231101354/Product.aspx

:j£399 minus £25 off voucher from Costco and I am very pleased with it.:j

swstevewil

My advice from personal experience would be to stay away from the compaq. I bought on of these for my daughter It performs very well for her for schoolwork, internet e.t.c but is flimsy. two keyboard buttons have come off. the I had to put new screen in (to be fair to compaq she did stand on it). the adapter plug has been replaced as the plug that goes into power socket on laptop is a poor design very slim and sticks out so that it is easily knocked. I was informed by somebody who knows more than i do about computers that although compaq is owned by HP they are nowhere near as good.
I bought an acer aspire 5552 for my son and it performs very well and much sturdier, power plug is the right angle type so fits snugly against laptop.Nothing broke yet about the same price from ebuyer as i paid for compaq

swstevewil

the hp one seems to have the better processor but i am not too sure about the graphics.
maybe somebody with more knowledge will come along

alexmole

Cant fault ebuyer, would avoid the others.

Why not the Asus http://www.ebuyer.com/product/237739 ? that is what I would buy for that money

my_definition

thanks for the advice guys
alexmole - any reason to avoid the others?

kazd

Can you afford an extra £49, just got this one for my husband and it has the latest processor.

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/acer-aspire-4820t-06539219-pdt.html?srcid=198

rdpro

admittedly my signature gives my bias away, but three points of advice - never take a 3Gb option - the manufacturer is short-changing you. Modern memory is designed to work in matched pairs; 1+1, 2+2, etc. Anything else will suffer in performance.

Make sure you buy a 64-bit version of Operating System (which should be a zero price upgrade). This allows maximum usage of the motherboard memory potential, making it upgradeable.

Look at the after-sales support. What cover are you getting, and how much would it cost to extend the warranty?

PCs are easy to support after warranty, as most parts are generic, but laptop aren't - and cost a fortune to repair if they fail. Haggle an extended warranty from the manufacturer.