Laptop under £500. Is this good value?

silvercar

Me again.
Is there anything I should be wary of on this one, other than only the red one is in stock:
https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/acer-aspire-3-15-6-laptop-intel-core-i5-256-gb-ssd-red-10208111-pdt.html

HereToday

If you want a device to last for ten years; buy a device that is designed to withstand rough treatment. Don't just buy on spec. Check what other people are saying about the brand and model...but not just about the spec
Some people aren't happy when the hinges go and the cases crack on their laptops after a year or two.

HereToday

silvercar said:

J_B said:

silvercar said:

That's beyond me!

Don't be so defeatist because first you asked ...

silvercar said:

Toshiba Satellite Pro C660-2F8.
How much would it cost to get someone to fit an SSD and clean it?

Do you have a local computer shop, maybe even a one man band you find on your local Facebook page?

A cheap SSD for under £25 (?) and a couple of hours work, not sure what these folks charge £100 (?)

That's a quarter of what you are thinking of spending.

Food for thought perhaps?

I’ve had the fan cleaned out before, it didn’t last that long before it started playing up again. Could that really be the reason everything runs so slowly?

It's a combination of things; but mainly poor design. Fan needs replacing or cleaning and whilst you are there replace the thermal paste. Added to that the possible Toshiba bloat coupled with your slow mechanical hard drive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8p1wIMVKCs

Best to go to get hands on with a few devices; to make sure that the build quality is up to scratch. 

silvercar

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/dell-inspiron-15-3000-15-6-laptop-amd-ryzen-5-256-gb-ssd-black-10214380-pdt.html

Is this good value?

TOP_CAT

This time last year Currys was selling a Acer a515-43 3500u 15.6inch  Ryzen 5 256 ssd 8 ram (the ram could be upgraded) for £399 pre black friday .
I played with this instore but never bought it as it had  no keyboard backlights where i think the usa model did which was a feature I wanted.
The screen was ok but not a high nit rating i think it was around 250  or less so not a bright screen .
It was pretty good overall at £399  from currys though 
I believe prices are hiked at pres because of lockdown demand so if you have time Id wait out .
At pres you see laptops with the same 3500u processor from last year  selling for more this year than last year...... yet the new ryzen processor 4500 is out .
I wish I had enough laptop knowledge to buy a refurb with the features I want to keep th price down,
A few years older model doesnt make alot of difference to me .

A_Lert

As far as the new ones go, spec box ticking won't tell you about stuff like build quality, screen and speaker quality, or the possibility the SSD is a mediocre one. (Most are good, but there have been a few real turkeys.) Look for reviews in reputable tech magazines or websites (not customer reviews on retailers!) to get an idea about those aspects.

At the moment both Intel and AMD make good processors, so you can buy either without worrying. Indeed AMD's latest desktop CPUs have overtaken Intel's best.

whenever

Not sure if you've bought something by now but there's a good spec ASUS Vivobook M431IA 14", AMD Ryzen 5 4500u, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD at Currys for £494 delivered using code ASUS10. I'm too new here so I can't post links.

silvercar

whenever said:

Not sure if you've bought something by now but there's a good spec ASUS Vivobook M431IA 14", AMD Ryzen 5 4500u, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD at Currys for £494 delivered using code ASUS10. I'm too new here so I can't post links.

Thanks. I got side tracked and haven't bought yet. 
I am fairly sure I want a 15.6 screen. Also read reviews that suggest the vivobook is not a patch on the zenbook.  

whenever

silvercar said:

Also read reviews that suggest the vivobook is not a patch on the zenbook.  

Zenbook is a more expensive range so you're unlikely to find one new at £500. Using the code at Currys there is one for about £550 after discount but has the older generation Ryzen 3500u chipset. Personally I'd go with higher performance and OK build quality, especially if you want 5+ years out of it. At £500 there is going to be a compromise somewhere.

Bartown22

Look at amazon Renewed laptops, better specs for less money, I've had a couple I had an issue with one, a faulty disk drive they sent me a new drive to fit immediately, excellent service