Buying a laptop....

[DQ]

... any hints/tips please? Getting fed up of sharing my PC with my daughter who has just started secondary school and discovered email, MSN and Habbo

Any recommendations? Thanks

[Roch]

Sorry cant help u there but i know 2 men who def could "Mike and Pierce" they are def the men 4 u.
Night x

[DQ]

Thanks Roch

[Pierce]

Id say any HP laptop.

Espically the ones now with media center on them. With WideScreens.

Pretty cool.

Best advice? Go to pcworld, or any computer store, walk around, look at each one, feel the quality, screen, keyboard (youll probably want a wireless mouse). And fidel about with them.

Dell? I am not a fan, espically when there customer care is out the window for home users. And I have heard that HP customer care is "okay".

Also, make sure its light!!

Pierce

[DQ]

Thanks babes Don't want to spend a fortune but have seen a few HP ones on ITCsales which look good, so will have a meander and get a feel for them.

[KD]

We always have Dell, cos they're good Yep, the customer care is poor though, so it depends on whether you think you'll need it. Sony also featured well in the top 10 list on the radio the other day. I've never tried HP so can't comment on that. Will take Pierce's word for it

I always buy laptops off Ebay and have never had a problem, but again....it's the risk you take.

Whichever one you go for, make sure you get as large a hard drive as possible. It's easy to add extra storage on a PC. Not so easy on a laptop. If you're planning to put music on it, it will eat up your space before you can say "Mrs Robinson" and you'll be off looking for another laptop to get the collection on.

If you haven't got a wireless network, it's worth forking out for an extra hard drive to back up onto.

You can get really small ones. My 80GB one is only a little larger than my ipod. I back up onto the wireless home computer and my external hard drive as I can't afford to lose anything. I know it's more expense, but it's one of those things you regret not doing as soon as you drop your first cup of coffee on it

Oh, and it's worth going 'wireless' when you have a laptop. You'll be walking around with it Mine's sort of glued itself to my knees

Think that's it.

Oh yes...another thing.

Music tends to sound crap a bit tinny on laptops. I have an excellent sound card but the necessary tiny speakers ruin the sound. It's okay just to get an idea of how the tune goes, but not for regular listening. A pair of headphones is a must if you want PMcK to sound like PMcK not Bill and Ben stuck in their bins. The sound is fine through headphones It's the bane of most musicians lives

Oh...again. Make sure it comes with a power lead (though I'm sure it will). The batteries run out quite quick after you've had it a while. And another thing...the very small ones you can get these days, look lovely....really feminine and cute. Bet they're a pain in the neck for viewing though, but that'll really depend on what you want to use it for. If you're planning to climb the himalayas with it on your back....small will be fine

Having said all this. I love my laptop. Hate having to go on the main PC.

Hope something there helps.

[bigbluefurrymonster]

Apple mac... apple mac.... apple mac!!!

The only way to go in my opinion

No viruses... no reliability issues.... and they are just soooo much nicer to use!

I have an apple mac laptop for sale... but the apple site will have loads of new ones... it depends what u are using it for?

But my laptop is beauuuutiful and she is called "snowy" (lol)... recently replaced by the uber powerful (graphic designer compatible, ready to take on the world) "stig"

I may be crazy... but I think it's important to name the things we care about... they behave more and will work harder for us (lol)

[icemoose]

My main advice is don't spend a fortune!!

The days of spending 1000 quid on a laptop for just basic internet and E-Mail are well over.

I would buy a sub 500 pound laptop with a standard 12 month warranty (don't upgrade the warranty regardless of any brand!)

Nowadays customer service is a thing of the past and they are all pretty bad so not a lot you can do.

Personally I prefer Dell and buy a lot of kit from them BUT they aren't perfect but do offer a lot of tin for your money and is a good balance between price, quality and performance.

I agree with P. that I would go to PC World and generally have a look at what size laptop you want, do you want big screen but heavy unit or tiny laptop but short battery life etc.

When you have made a decision on the type then check out Dell, HP, Acer etc on the internet for the best spec for your pennies.

Always remember that laptop prices come down and specifications go up so the longer you wait the better the laptop so don't believe any high street or internet crap about it is the best deal ever as there is always a better one coming along.

If you do get a spec then send it over to me if you like just to check.

My basic advice would be though...

A PC based laptop
Windows XP Media Centre addition
Minimum 512mb ram and ideally 1gb
A decent size hard drive
A DVD burner and reader
A decent carry case to protect it.

M.

[Piper]

Agree 100% with bluefurrymonster! Macs are the way to go! We are total converts in this house. My hubby has the uber power Mac, the kids have Mac Mini and I have my Mac Laptop. No viruses, no worries about the kids (or me!) killing the pooters.

Can't recommend them highly enough. It will feel weird after using a PC but you soon get used to it!

[Gill-cdthing]

I have an Acer aspire 1692 WLMI and i love it, it has bluetooth, which i really wanted cos i can zap pics from my mobile over to it in a flash, and it has great wifi, which i use now and again when i go to bed early with laptop to work in peace, i got it from comet, it was about 700 quid, we didnt have a huge budget,

[DQ]

Thanks guys

I'm basically looking for something for surfing, being on the forums, as I will still use my desktop for all my paperwork, etc. So it just needs to be vaguely speedy for internet use (we have broadband with DH in the kitchen and me in the living room) and not much else.

[DQ]

D505 Special Build Cancelled Order Min 1 Year Dell Full Warranty " Crazy Deal " 25 Only To Clear Ref: 1722

Latitude D505.
Intel Pentium M 1.6GHz Processor
14.1 XGA TFT Display
30GB HDD
256MB RAM
8 X DVD
WiFi Card
Floppy Drive
UK/Ire Sys Documentation and Power Cord
Genuine Windows XP Pro SP2
Software Drivers
Battery and Charger
Modem Cable
Latitude resource CD
DVD Cyberlink Decoder S/W lat
Genuine Windows® XP Professional SP2
D-Series 65W AC adapter - ULD
UK - 56.6k V.92 Capable Internal Modem & Adapter
14.1 XGA LCD with UMA Graphics
Wi-Fi
Genuine Windows® XP Professional SP2

1 Year Dell Collect & Return Full Warranty
Dell List Price £611 + VAT !

These are New Open Box sent to customer By Dell Made Wrong Spec to Order. Boxs have had seals broken have been booked back in all as new unused ETC


Price: £399.00 £468.83 Including VAT

[icemoose]

Mmmm! The price is ok but the RAM isn't enough and you will pay a lot for Dell RAM or have to buy matched memory otherwise.

Also 30GB is not much for a HD.

And!! The D505 isn't one of my favourites as the lid is quite flimsy.

The price is ok though

M.

[icemoose]

Oh and I love your new pickie!!!

Can you do me one!!!!

M.

[DQ]

Oh and I love your new pickie!!!

Can you do me one!!!!

M.

Course I can!!!! Or I can tell you where to get it!!

Meez: Home

Do you want to be chilling on a sofa too?!