Laptop for a student - is this the one?

yorkshire_grafter

Hi
I have decided to take the plunge and buy my 16 year old a laptop for Christmas. I have visited local stores and found the whole experience overwhelming to be honest.:( A friend had recommended that I buy a Sony Vaio VPCEH1L8E/B 15.5" Laptop in black which is currently sold for £479. :eek: It doesn't end there though I'll need some anti virus + word etc. This is far more than I can afford. We have never owned a laptop so venturing into the unknown. Is there anyone who can recommend a similar laptop? Apparently he will need a core i3 processor, minimum memory to be 2Mb and the hard drive to be a minimum 300 Gb. Thanks for your time.

scotty_591

Here is one I have found;
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Acer-Notebook-i3-370M-Processor-DVD-Super/dp/B005WOEJCE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1322256611&sr=8-2

£345

You will struggle to get a laptop with an i3 processor for less than that unless you go into the refurbished market, which can be dogy if you don't know what to look out for.

p.s. Sony VAIOs are over priced, you are just really paying for the brand, you can buy cheaper laptops with the same specs from other companies. One advantage of the VAIO is that they look alot nicer than most laptops

james123

hi,


I'm certainly not a laptop expert, but http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.212-8511.aspx seems better spec, and much cheaper. Also, before buying MS office, consider the free openoffice software, this can open , edit and save as all MS office files, and has a very similar interface.

good luck!


Jim

EDIT oow scotty has found it cheaper, go with amazon i think !

scotty_591

Doesn't hurt to shop around

james123, just want to add to your Microsoft office comment, Openoffice may be a good alternative but if you are used to Microsoft Office (as many school children are - I know I used to use it all the time at school) it can be hard to use.

Also, students can get a reduced copy of Microsoft Office, such as the one here for about £80;
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Microsoft-Office-2010-Student-Product/dp/B0039L31JY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1322257349&sr=8-2

EDIT: Just found out my link above is to a product key and not the actual disk, actual disk might be more expensive

pogofish

As well as the suggestion for Open Office above, remember that there are excellent free antivirus and anti mailware packages - the best are discussed here.

I agree Vaios are good but overpriced. There are many very decent and cheaper alternatives.

And as a student, he will qualify for academic pricing on microsoft and other software products.

TakeThis

You can impress him with your knowledge by telling him that you have purchased him a SandyBridge i3.

Fujitsu AH531 MRSC2GB £329.94 Almost exactly the same basic spec as the Sony. The Sony Bluetooth spec is higher, but that's it. The Fujitsu has an ExpressCard slot, Gigabyte Ethernet, a better quality webcam and invaluable for student life...a spill resistant keyboard. . You will not beat that spec at that price point. A warranty extension to three years may cost another £60 to £70.

Has most of the bells and whistles that he might like.

Still too much?

yorkshire_grafter

Thank you so very much for your responses. Hopefully I'll have a happy 16 years old on Christmas Day

giraffe69

If you must have MS Office then a student licence is less than the £80 mentioned above. If the problem is that the school uses it and therefore for school work he needs files in that format then Libre Office or Open Office can save in those formats and is attractively priced at £0.You can give it a go and if it does not suit then give in and buy MS Office but for me Libre Office does all the business so far that I want it to do.

GunJack

https://www.softwareforstudents.co.uk will do office for around £40, a 2-user lisence


http://www.software4students.co.uk/Microsoft_Office_2010_Professional_Plus-details.aspx

direct to the page

closed

Free

http://www.filehippo.com/download_avast_antivirus/

http://www.openoffice.org/

Probably get more value with a different brand of machine

Are they planning to use it for gaming?

TakeThis

closed wrote: »

Free

http://www.filehippo.com/download_avast_antivirus/

http://www.openoffice.org/

Probably get more value with a different brand of machine

Are they planning to use it for gaming?

I should emphasise that you are referring to the Sony and not the Fujitsu.

That together with the Office 2010 package in Gunjack's post for under £38 and Avast in yours, covers all bases for under £368.

Should also point out for the OP's information, that the other machines(ACER) in this post feature the older generation i3.
Only the Sony and the Fujitsu feature the newer and better, second generation i3 chipset.

If still above budget, let us know.