Laptop spec for university?

nullogik

The processor is up to the job and should provide ample power for all your documents, spreadsheets and presentations and some more.

Depending on your pre-installed OS it will depend on how much RAM you should have. For Vista, I would recommended at LEAST 2GB of RAM, for XP you'll need at least 512MB of RAM, but 1GB would be my preference.

Hard disk size is not so much of a problem these days. 80GB should be ample for documents, spreadsheets and presentations. If you do find that you run out of space, you can purchase an external USB hard drive for around £60 that will offer an extra 300GB-odd of storage.

Finally, I would recommend that you have a look at the actual machine before you buy it. Check to see that you like the size, feel and layout of the keyboard and that the touchpad is responsive enough for your use. Also check to see what type of screen it comes with.

Some companies like Sony sell laptops with very glossy screens. The up shot is that they offer good vivid colours and deep blacks, but the downside is that for office use they're extremely distracting as they're very reflective, so you'll see your office lights and the people around you as reflections on your screen.

For you're type of usage go for a screen that does not have a glossy finish but more of a matt finish. Vivid colours and deep blacks will probably be not on your list of priorities and it'll make use indoors and a lot more comfortable and less distracting.

b33r

nullogik wrote: »

The processor is up to the job and should provide ample power for all your documents, spreadsheets and presentations and some more.

Upto the job? I used to do all that on a Pentium 166 with MMX (yes you heard right-MMX) technology! It's a dual core 1.6 mobile processor! I've got a single core 1.6 pentium M on my laptop and I can run half life 2!

nullogik wrote: »

Depending on your pre-installed OS it will depend on how much RAM you should have. For Vista, I would recommended at LEAST 2GB of RAM, for XP you'll need at least 512MB of RAM, but 1GB would be my preference.

I've used Vista on 3 PC's, one had 512, one had a gig and 1 had 2 gig and can honestly say I didn't notice a difference, perhaps 512 had a bit of a slow-down opening some video's but really if she isn't gaming, doesn't intend doing high end video rendering, run 100's of programs in the background or playing top end games a gig will be fine.

P.S. I love the shiney screens but I guess it's down to preference.

richyrichuk

beat that!!

http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.200-6139.aspx

nullogik

b33r wrote: »

Upto the job? I used to do all that on a Pentium 166 with MMX (yes you heard right-MMX) technology! It's a dual core 1.6 mobile processor! I've got a single core 1.6 pentium M on my laptop and I can run half life 2!

I've used Vista on 3 PC's, one had 512, one had a gig and 1 had 2 gig and can honestly say I didn't notice a difference, perhaps 512 had a bit of a slow-down opening some video's but really if she isn't gaming, doesn't intend doing high end video rendering, run 100's of programs in the background or playing top end games a gig will be fine.

P.S. I love the shiney screens but I guess it's down to preference.

Well I did answer the question the original poster asked!

Anyway, if she finds that the system doesn't have enough RAM, she can upgrade it herself (PS - original poster, inquire on how accessible the RAM slots are), what with the price of RAM memory being so cheap these days.

mrs_scrooge

I think she'll be using it for surfing, email, work, storing photos, music and MSN with webcam. Her room in hall has internet. I'm not sure whether she'll take it to lectures or it just stays in her room!

Its a good idea to try and see one although I will probably actually buy online. I think Comet may sell acers. Have got just under 4 weeks to get one.

mrs_scrooge

richyrichuk wrote: »

beat that!!

http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.200-6139.aspx

Good spec.....is FS a good make?

StockportGerbil

mrs_scrooge wrote: »

Good spec.....is FS a good make?

Hi!
Generally I'd say yes. I work for another bit of Fujitsu and we have to use FS kit. Having said that I don't have any major grouses over the kit, in my experience it works acceptably and stands the punishment I give it. My current one I've had for over two years and is still going strong, my previous one kept going until I poured a can of diet coke into it... :embarasse

My worry would be buying from Tesco, if you have a problem with the thing how good are they at getting it sorted or replaced?

Regards
Kevin

mrs_scrooge

StockportGerbil wrote: »

My worry would be buying from Tesco, if you have a problem with the thing how good are they at getting it sorted or replaced?

I was thinking the same. Its a good price but there doesn't seem to be an option to upgrade the warranty to 3 years.

Conor_3

epz wrote: »

why, its an utter flop, plenty of apps, drivers etc dont work with it and when i tried it i was not at all impressed.

Well you will have driver problems if you get something that doesn't have them for Vista won't you?

And I've not had any software issues yet but then again, I'm not still trying to run 10 year old crapware.

dreamypuma

richyrichuk wrote: »

beat that!!

http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.200-6139.aspx

Not bad for a Intel at all. I would recommend the Dell Vostro 1000 range. They generally come with an AMD Athlon / Turion dual core 64bit enabled, but for the money Dell seem very good value in the Small Business section of the website at the moment.

You can buy from the Small Business section even if its not for commercial use. Just bear in mind that prices here excluded VAT and Delivery. The machines also have choice of Vista or XP. Vista is the Business version so comes complete with the Aero pack that is not included in the Basic version.

All in all a very good buy at the moment. Just bought my folks one last week and it really is the dogs cherries.

I'd recommend upgrading the 4 cell battery to 6 cell for £10 and don't forget to remove the 3year warranty at extra cost that Dell put on as default. :j