Which 15" laptop: Dell, Acer, HP or ??

Biggus_Dickus

My son recently had his b/band upgraded to Vodafone 100Mbps fttp.

FTTP has only just become available in his neighbourhood and it’s a huge improvement on his previous b/band speed which was more often than not the wrong side of useless.

As such he’s now looking to buy a new 15” laptop. He’s wants at least 256GB storage, Win-10 (not Win-10S), Wi-Fi and an Ethernet port, reasonably good battery life, a decent’ish screen and a reasonably nippy processor. His max budget is £500 and he's not interested in spending less if it means major compromises. Equally he doesn’t want to go above £500 if it can be helped.

He’s not a Gamer,..uses video conferencing,.. general internet surfing,.. watches Sky footie/Youtube and all that gubbins,...uses MS word/excel etc.

His short list has been whittled down to these 3 offerings:

...what do you reckon?....as ever all replies gratefully received.

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

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/acer-aspire-3-15-6-laptop-intel-core-i5-256-gb-ssd-black-10224403-pdt.html

https://www.box.co.uk/2E9J2EAABU-HP-255-G8_3461358.html

p.s. on a personal note I’m a bit concerned about HP’s build quality these days. I have a 3 year old (expensive!) 17” HP laptop that’s literally falling to pieces. From day one it had all the structural integrity of a Victoria sponge cake.

 

MattMattMattUK

My first recommendation would be do not buy from Curry's, my second would be do not by from Curry's and my third would be under no circumstances buy from Curry's.

Now going onto the actual devices. If he has a perfectly adequate device at the moment then upgrading makes little sense, especially as the current semiconductor and memory shortages are pushing up prices.

In terms of HP, I have a 6 year old HP Envy 17" laptop (£1,100 at the time), still in perfect condition, no issues at all. Employees are using Dell and HP laptops, no issues in build quality or in general (Around £1k each). I think a lot of it depends on usage, my and my employee's laptops are used in an office and at home and when moved between locations they are always in proper protective laptop bags/backpacks. Laptops, especially at the cheaper end are really not build that strongly so tend not to take much punishment. 

Neil_Jones

The Windows 10S can be changed in two seconds, its not a deal breaker:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/switching-out-of-s-mode-in-windows-10-4f56d9be-99ec-6983-119f-031bfb28a307

coffeehound

Keyboard backlighting can be very useful if watching TV in the dark.  IPS screen gives wider viewing angles and is worth having, IMO.

Cisco001

I suggest spend a little more getting something with IPS screen...

https://www.box.co.uk/NX.HSHEK.001-Acer-Aspire-5-Intel-Core-i5-8GB-RAM-512G_3777564.html

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/9188916?istCompanyId=a74d8886-5df9-4baa-b776-166b3bf9111c&istFeedId=c290d9a9-b5d6-423c-841d-2a559621874c&istItemId=ilwtlmaim&istBid=t

Biggus_Dickus

Cisco001 said:

I suggest spend a little more getting something with IPS screen...

https://www.box.co.uk/NX.HSHEK.001-Acer-Aspire-5-Intel-Core-i5-8GB-RAM-512G_3777564.html

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/9188916?istCompanyId=a74d8886-5df9-4baa-b776-166b3bf9111c&istFeedId=c290d9a9-b5d6-423c-841d-2a559621874c&istItemId=ilwtlmaim&istBid=t

Thanks so much for that;...for £30 over budget the laptop at ‘box’ certainly looks very appealing,...IPS, 512GB SSD and a backlit keyboard! 

Biggus_Dickus

Neil_Jones said:

The Windows 10S can be changed in two seconds, its not a deal breaker:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/switching-out-of-s-mode-in-windows-10-4f56d9be-99ec-6983-119f-031bfb28a307

Thanks,...that’s good to know. I thought Win-10S was set in stone.

Jenni_D

What's the make/model of your son's current laptop?

You might be able to improve it for relatively little cost. (The stated usage should be supportable from a relatively low spec machine).

Biggus_Dickus

@Jenni_D His old machine is too small and battered I'm afraid. It’s beyond the pale tbh.

************

He’ll probably purchase the Acer Aspire 5 from Box.co.uk as suggested by @Cisco001 upthread;...it ticks all the boxes, and more.

We've never used Box.co.uk before;...anyone got experience of ‘Box’ ?

He'll also need an external DVD drive that will only be used infrequently. Any suggestions?

https://www.box.co.uk/NX.HSHEK.001-Acer-Aspire-5-Intel-Core-i5-8GB-RAM-512G_3777564.html

 

Jenni_D

No personal experience, but they've been around since 1996 according to Companies House. Plus they also have an FCA registration given that they offer finance, and a physical location that seems viable (i.e. not a virtual office). On that basis I'd feel OK using them.

Cisco001

Biggus_Dickus said:

@Jenni_D His old machine is too small and battered I'm afraid. It’s beyond the pale tbh.

************

He’ll probably purchase the Acer Aspire 5 from Box.co.uk as suggested by @Cisco001 upthread;...it ticks all the boxes, and more.

We've never used Box.co.uk before;...anyone got experience of ‘Box’ ?

He'll also need an external DVD drive that will only be used infrequently. Any suggestions?

https://www.box.co.uk/NX.HSHEK.001-Acer-Aspire-5-Intel-Core-i5-8GB-RAM-512G_3777564.html

 

Go to ebay and get an external DVD burner. Plenty under £15