Is this Laptop any good for the price?

Scouse337

My work is currently offering this Laptop on 3 years interest free, straight out our wages(tax free) over 3 years for just under £1000:

Make Fujitsu Siemens
Model Amilo M 1437G
Display 15.4" WXGA+ Crystal View High-bright
Processor Pentium M 740 1.73GHz
RAM 512Mb
Hard Drive 80Gb SATA
Optical Drive DVD Dual Layer Multi Format
Graphics 128Mb ATI X700 Radeon
Sound Integrated
Pointing Device Touch Pad
Floppy Drive No
Modem 56k
Networking 10/100 Base LAN
USB X3
Firewire X1
Memory Card Reader 4-in-1
Wireless Networking Intel Pro Wireless 2200b/g
Operating System Windows XP Home
Application Software MS Works 8.0, MS Entertainment Pack, Recovery Disk (All Software on Original Disks)
Carry Case Yes

Warranty Includes 3 Year Collect/Return
Home Delivery Includes Home Delivery

Is this good value for money or are there better and cheaper Laptops out there? If so where and for how much?

Cheers inadvance

lyricalgangsta

This is a good deal if you are a 40% tax payer, yes.

But make sure you see the see the laptop in the flesh and that you actually like the 'feel' of it.

rogerramjet

http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/asp/product.asp?recorprod=1&product=296&cat=80

6th down from the top £697.83 exc vat, £819.95 inc vat...£9.95 postage.

Do you mean tax free or interest free?

meclive

Would you work for the Halifax by any chance :rolleyes:

steve!_10

I've got my eye on that make of laptop. Does anyone have any opinions on them? £1,000 for the spec above is a bit steep though.

blacksta

i would attended to the office provided laptop. But bear in mind you need pay off the laptop if you wanted to leave the job

apang

Point is that the laptop is being considered a work-related expense, and is therefore tax-deductible. i.e. it costs £1,000 of your pre-tax income.

So, in post-tax terms (assuming you're a higher rate taxpayer), it's only costing you £600 i.e. it's a bargain!

If it helps, think about it like this. If you didn't buy the laptop, you'd have an extra £1,000. But the tax man would take 40% of it. So only £600 goes in your pocket.

But instead of the £600, you get a laptop instead. So the laptop effectively costs £600.

That's a great price for this spec. I'll buy it off you for £650 if you don't want it!

seanparkin

alternatively if you're on a low-mid level income, your employers are fleecing you.

I wouldnt buy that laptop for any more than £750 although it is a decent spec.

gizmoleeds

I have just ordered a Dell laptop of an almost identical spec to that for £700.

It doesn't have memory card reader, HDD is 60 rather than 80GB and I have 64MB graphics card but does have 1GB ram (rather than 512mb)

http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/products/features.aspx/inspn_6000?c=uk&cs=ukdhs1&l=en&s=dhs (second option, in the middle, choose Customise and Buy)

I have been keeping an eye on this laptop for about a month now and it's price has fluctuated from £800 to £850 (and that was with a 40GB HDD and 512mb ram) and is now just £692 - offer ends today (I know Dell aways have offers but like I say I have been watching this).

You can upgrade to a 128mb Graphics card/80GB HDD if you want and it would still come out cheaper.

Scouse337

Thanks for all the feedback so far guys!

I don't work for the Halifax, i work for the NHS and if i needed to add i'm far from being a 40% tax bracket! Everyone knows we don't earn much work for the NS! If i earned that much i would have had a Laptop long ago! LOL

I've had a look at Laptops Direct and also Dell and they both have very good offers of better units for the same if not less money. The only downside is that you have to pay upfront where as if i take this offer up it's tax free, interest free over 3 years!

Sean Parkin? where have u seen the same or better on offer for £750???

Any idea's on what this laptop falls down on?? Any other idea's/offers drop me a message

Cheers

Number_6_3

The Fujitsu engineers I used to work with definately didn't rate the laptops, they reckoned the desktops were ok but nothing startling

I'd say on the day the Dells seem the best value. Just make sure you get double memory, cash off and the free delivery.

R