I wanna laptop

welshasiancheapskate

Hi,
My birthday this month so want to treat myself:o
I'm not the techie type-so don't know the difference between a netbook and laptop.
I use a desktop at the moment and I usually use the net to surf/browse,listening to songs online/youtube,research for my course,e-mail,print off jobsheets etc.
On the laptop-would like to do camchat/voicechat with the surrounding family (with families back home),wouldn't mind a webcam(don't have one on the desktop)..I dont know what the realistic budget is for the above criteria but so long its the best quality,cheap,yet with warranty/guarantee-as hate the hassles of breakdowns and having to pay,purchase again etc.and FINALLY SORRY TO HAVE BORED YOU:eek:
Any ideas/detailed opinions will be MUCH APPRECIATED...#lightbulb#:(

welshasiancheapskate

anybody,please???

Coopdivi

A netbook has a small screen, typically 10'' measured diagonally, and small keys on the keyboard. So not much good if you do a lot of typing or have fat fingers. Also they don't have a DVD/CD player built in.On the other hand they are very portable because they are lightweight with a decent battery life.

A laptop will typically have a 15'' screen size (measured diagonally) with a reasonable sized keyboard and a DVD player.

Based on your preferences I don't believe you need to spend more than £300. Here are a few laptop suggestions all with built in webcams.

Compaq Presario £263.20 including delivery from PC World. Also available at the same price from Dixons and Currys.

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/compaq-presario-cq56-107sa-07757076-pdt.html?srcid=369&xtor=AL-11

Asus £299 including delivery from Ebuyer.

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/222460

Toshiba £300 reserve and collect from Argos.

http://www.argos.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Search?storeId=10001&catalogId=1500002701&langId=-1&searchTerms=Toshiba+C650-1CR

Lenovo £300 including delivery from Amazon.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lenovo-notebook-Pentium-2-00GHz-Bluetooth/dp/tech-data/B0049SQ83C/ref=de_a_smtd

welshasiancheapskate

Coopdivi,thanks ever so much for addressing the differences, which one do you think is the most reliable one.If I recall,I've read here somewhere that a Lenovo is a good brand. MUCH APPRECIATED FOR THE SUGGESSTIONS.

Wacs xx

Coopdivi

If I was buying one I'd go for either the Asus or the Lenovo. They're both reliable brands but it depends what you want really. The Asus has a better webcam and a slightly bigger hard drive capacity which is handy if you're going to download much. But on the other hand the Lenovo has a card reader and face recognition software which is good for protecting your computer.

PopCulture

I always go with Toshiba. They're a reliable brand and I've had my latest one for years.

welshasiancheapskate

Coopdivi wrote: »

If I was buying one I'd go for either the Asus or the Lenovo. They're both reliable brands but it depends what you want really. The Asus has a better webcam and a slightly bigger hard drive capacity which is handy if you're going to download much. But on the other hand the Lenovo has a card reader and face recognition software which is good for protecting your computer.

Hi again,
Thanks for the suggestion,well I think I'm going to go for the Asus.I'm not fussed about the face detection option as I know everybody will be allowed to use my laptop,lol!
Also are you aware of any guarantee/warranty options with any of these laptops.
I wonder if I can buy the Asus through a cashback site .
Once again THANKYOU for the advice-much appreciated.

Wacs xx

welshasiancheapskate

PopCulture wrote: »

I always go with Toshiba. They're a reliable brand and I've had my latest one for years.

Thanks for the info,unfortunately I have owned other Toshiba appliances in the past and have felt let down but I guess it may not be so with laptops.

Coopdivi

I can't find any voucher codes on Hot Uk Deals and there's nothing listed on MSE's cashback checker.

http://www.hotukdeals.com/vouchers/new-ebuyer

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/shopping/cashback-sites-comparison/providers/#e

But I think that's a pretty decent laptop for the money.

As regards guarantees, don't forget you're covered for the first 12 months regardless of any extended warranty. If your computer breaks down after that period you can still make a claim if you can prove that your laptop had/has an inherent fault. All that means is if, say, it gives up the ghost after 20 months because the motherboard has had it you get a local computer shop to look at it, they give you a written report and you forward it to the retailer. I personally would expect a computer to last at least 3 years.

In any case, for the cost of an extended warranty, you might as well stick £100 to one side to cover for any eventual repair. It'll be a lot cheaper than buying a rip off warranty.

PopCulture

welshasiancheapskate wrote: »

Thanks for the info,unfortunately I have owned other Toshiba appliances in the past and have felt let down but I guess it may not be so with laptops.

It might be. I also use a Samsung for work and it seems to work fine. There are soooo many makes and models to choose from. I'm sure you'll find something.

irstaroo22

I have a mac and wouldnt chance to another brand. Although they arent the cheapest they are really reliable and you dont have to worry about having anti virus software. Before that i had a dell and would never, ever get anything from dell again, it kept getting viruses and so slow that I found my self never using it! Plus Macs are awesome for music!