unsure which type of lap top to by 11 year old

icecreamdogpark

My daughter needs a lap top (not a net/note book as screen size too small) she needs a 14/15 inch screen and to be able to play dvd`s,she needs to do homework and surf the net and then of course play some games ie Moshi monsters.I am soo confused looking at them all i dont want to spend too much as it`s her first and she will need to learn all about looking after it ,Many thanks

m5rcc

By a second hand/refurb for £150 or less on eBay. No point spending a crazy amount.

dsavvy83

I agree don't buy a new one, also have a look here http://www.tier1online.com/ they do refurbs and give you some warranty aswell.

Richard_T_

Dell outlet sometimes has some good offers on laptops
http://outlet.euro.dell.com/Online/InventorySearch.aspx?brandId=7&c=uk&cs=ukdfh1&l=en&s=dfh

m5rcc

dsavvy83 wrote: »

I agree don't buy a new one, also have a look here http://www.tier1online.com/ they do refurbs and give you some warranty aswell.

I believe eBay now do warranties on any electronic item, including refurbs and second-hand items.

penrhyn

Try Big Pockets, they have good prices on ex business laptops.

MickMack

personally i think your crazy buying a kid a laptop, no matter what spec or age or price it is, laptops require careful owners

i think for kids a small format desktop is much more suitable plus you can more easily manage their use of a desktop and ensure you are able to monitor what they are doing if it's kept in a public part of the home

keyboards and mice are much cheaper to replace if thing inveitibly get spilled and you can upgrade them much more cheaply

but thats just my opinion!

Notmyrealname

Buy a used IBM Thinkpad T60 or T61 off Ebay - the T61 is a widescreen and you should be able to pick one up for under £150 delivered. They are bomb proof and more than fast enough for what you need. They have a solid alloy chassis and a solid 2mm thick alloy plate behind the screen so you can damned near run over them in a car and they'd survive. They also have drain holes on the keyboard so if she spills a drink on it it drains through to the surface the laptop is sat on.

Replacement parts are cheap and the full service manuals are on IBM/Lenovo's website should it need fixing.

VoucherMan

dsavvy83 wrote: »

I agree don't buy a new one, also have a look here http://www.tier1online.com/ they do refurbs and give you some warranty aswell.

I'll second tier1online. I've bought a couple of IBM/Lenovo laptops from them for less than £60 (auction not BIN). A T43 without a battery - which you can buy on ebay for about £16, and a T60.

Both are quite capable of doing everything you've mentioned. And they're good solid laptops, as laptops go, so will withstand quite a bit of rough handling.

dsavvy83

I have to agree i use to sell IBM laptops they are tough laptops, better build quality than the rest.

But also might be a good idea to get a small desktop computer as they are much easier to fix if your son breaks it.

grizzly1911

A cheap one and be prepared to replace it or parts frequently.

Desktop is a better alternative as a PP has said.

It will probably end up permanently tethered to the mains due to a knackered battery anyway.