[Archived] Cheap, But Half Decent Laptop Needed!

[Dan]

Ok I use a mac, which I love but the fact I can't run a lot of applications is starting to really annoy me! Using bootcamp or parallels isn't an option since I don;t have an intel based mac.

So I am think a nice little laptop would be handy to have along side the mac. Anyone know where I can find a bargin?

[Flopsy]

www.dell.co.uk

[LeChuck]

What are you considering to be cheap? Dell are about as cheap as you're probably going to get if you're talking under £400, unless you find a bargain on eBay, though some of the sub-£400 on Laptops Direct could be worth looking at, this one seems to be decent if hard-drive space isn't a big issue.

[LeChuck]

Get this. Now.

AMD Dual Core, gig RAM, 256 graphics...all for £439 delivered when you knock the warranty down from 3 years to 1 year (90 day collect and return).

[revolutionrock!]

i got a

intel core 2 duo

15.4 widescreen

120gig hd

1gb

for 570

[LeChuck]

Could have gotten much better for that money (if you bought recently). This is what I was going to suggest if the budget stretched to £550.

Intel Core 2 Duo

2 gig RAM

160 HD

15.4" Ultrabright widescreen

[tcj_jones]

Ebuyer.com

Always go here first for anything computer related. Always look at the ratings.

[LeChuck]

No, don't go to ebuyer for laptops. I'm aware of how brilliant they are for components, but do not buy laptops from there. The two deals I've posted are the best you will get for those prices, I've been researching for weeks.

Go and look on ebuyer at their laptops and compare the specifications of the laptops for the prices of the two I have linked.

Edit: For example, compare the £439 Dell one (which I have just purchased) with a £460 one at eBuyer. The eBuyer one only has 512 RAM and it isn't a Dual Core processor. Anything around £550 doesn't come near the one from Play.

[tcj_jones]

Fair enough LeChuck, I have never really looked into Laptops before. You are obviously more in the know on this.

I bought my latest PC from Ebuyer and it was extraordinarily good value for money. I also bought my components for my last PC from there and, as you say, they are excellent with components and such.

[Flopsy]

Could have gotten much better for that money (if you bought recently). This is what I was going to suggest if the budget stretched to £550.

Intel Core 2 Duo

2 gig RAM

160 HD

15.4" Ultrabright widescreen

mmm shiny

you couldnt find me a gaming PC, twin 8800GTX cards, 2gb of Ram for about £1800-£2000 please

[LeChuck]

Sorry Flopsy, I've only been looking at laptops, don't have a clue about desktops. If that is your budget though I'm sure you'll find something adequate. I didn't even realise twin graphics cards existed.

Back to the original point for a second (if Dan is actually taking notice)...there's an offer on this laptop for £351. It's the same as the other Dell I posted apart from it has a Turion processor (64 bit specifically for laptops, still a very good processor) and 512 RAM. I don't even know if new laptops exist for under that price, so if it's a tight budget that could be the best bet.

[Flopsy]

Ive got one in mind, and those cards are so fast that I expect to have to build a small nuclear plant in my back garden to power them, but its alright, they're quite green because i'll use them to help heat the house

[Ricky]

Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T5500

Genuine Microsoft® Windows® XP Media Center Edition 2005

15.4" Ultrabright WXGA TFT

2048MB DDR2 533MHz dual-channel memory

160GB SATA hard drive3

8x Multi-Format Dual-Layer DVD±RW

Integrated Intel® PRO/Wireless 3945ABG (802.11abg)

Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 950 with up to 128MB shared video memory

All available for just £539. It's a Gateway one and is available on Hotukdeals.com

[LeChuck]

Same one I posted up there Ricky, the price has gone up to £549 now though for some reason.

[roversyoyo]

Ive got one in mind, and those cards are so fast that I expect to have to build a small nuclear plant in my back garden to power them, but its alright, they're quite green because i'll use them to help heat the house

Dont you think you are rushing in a bit there Flopsy. These are the first gen dx 10 cards (admittedly the best dx9 card money can buy)

Personally i'm quite content with my 7800gtx for now. I'll wait about 4/5 months and check what other dx10 cards are on the market.

quad core and dx10 reference cards seem the way to go. but ATI or NVIDIA???????

[Flopsy]

I will have the money and to be honest however long I wait something new will just be coming out. So Im going to future proof as much as I can

[Dan]

Thanks for all the replies! Very much apprieciated. Will look at the links when I get chance this weekend. What is Dell customer support like? I heard of peoples problems years ago, are they ok now? Used to be that the call centre was in India........

Anyway thanks again, once again this Forum is an invaluablefountain of knowledge

[cn_barlow]

What is the general consensus on Macs on here?

Im looking out for a laptop at the moment and quite fancy getting a macbook. I dont know anything about them, i just think they look cool. Are they any good?

I mainly want it for uni work and footy manager etc, and next year when i finish uni i'll need a computer for work so figured i might as well invest now.

What exactly are the differences between a mac and a PC? is it just that a pc uses windows? Do macs have programs to help with presentations like powerpoint for windows??

I dont know that much about computers so any techie talk will be lost on me.

Cheers

[LeChuck]

Macbook's are excellent by all accounts. My friend recently bought one and he got a big discount by going through the university (20% or so I think), you should check into this if you haven't already.

[LeChuck]

So I am think a nice little laptop would be handy to have along side the mac. Anyone know where I can find a bargin?

Did you get round to getting one?

If you're still considering which one to get, have you thought about getting a refurbished machine? http://www.lowcostcomputer.co.uk offer some good deals, this Dell Latitude for £235 looks like the best value, although there are cheaper available.

If you're willing to spend more then I can't recommend the Dell Inspiron 1501 more (posted somewhere near the beginning). I recieved mine on Thursday and it's excellent. Build quality feels brilliant and it's handled everything I've thrown at it so far (including Doom 3 and a glass of cider).

[Flopsy]

Its a scary game but I dont think Cider's going to scare the Zombies off though.

[American]

Macs are good for games (when you can find them), video and graphic design. For office suites, they have them, but not as good as on the PC. I've always been a mac disciple, but with Windows XP, the gap was bridged and we bought a PC.

[Dan]

Did you get round to getting one?

If you're still considering which one to get, have you thought about getting a refurbished machine? http://www.lowcostcomputer.co.uk offer some good deals, this Dell Latitude for £235 looks like the best value, although there are cheaper available.

If you're willing to spend more then I can't recommend the Dell Inspiron 1501 more (posted somewhere near the beginning). I recieved mine on Thursday and it's excellent. Build quality feels brilliant and it's handled everything I've thrown at it so far (including Doom 3 and a glass of cider).

Not bought one yet, definitely considering a dell. I am very tempted however to wait a while and get a new macbook, then run parallels or bootcamp.

Trying to pursude the misses isn't easy however, since I seem to waste all my money on gadgets, games and etc she thinks money is best spent on domestic pratical things :S

[Hannah]

My laptop is 18 months old now and it has decided that it doesn't want to charge itself anymore.

The battery has never been any good no more than two hours without charging but that isnta problem as i only use it in my lounge but now it will only charge if I hold the cable in the back and push it in. Is this a case of just needing to buy a new charger for it or could it be more complicated?

[Dan]

My laptop is 18 months old now and it has decided that it doesn't want to charge itself anymore.

The battery has never been any good no more than two hours without charging but that isnta problem as i only use it in my lounge but now it will only charge if I hold the cable in the back and push it in. Is this a case of just needing to buy a new charger for it or could it be more complicated?

Sounds like a dodgy connector, so it may be the charger or the socket it plugs into. Have a look at the connections and see if they look damaged.