Apart from a plug, screen and keyboard I mean??

Msb isn't a Techno Babe so now that she is considering buying a laptop in order to do her Forumming from the comfort of her lounge (or wherever!) she needs advice on which ones to buy, which to avoid and the kind of things I should expect for what prices?

Basically - I know nowt - off you go then peeps. Not too much of the technical speak now though or I will just glaze over...:rolleyes:

Preferably something lightweight, and incororates mobile technology - something with Centrino technology.

Depending upon the price you wanted to spend, some of these perhaps?

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=79595

Infact, I'd recommend any on this page: http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?rb=8623343236&action=c2hvd3N1YmNhdGVnb3J5X3BhZ2U=&subcat_uid=432

The notebooks/laptops with Centrino technology don't ome cheap, however for the cost they come with a reasonable battery life, and generally good specifications.

HTH,

:)

Buying a laptop is not a cheap option by any means and it is worth investing as much as you can afford. Although there is always lots more to go wrong with laptops/tablets they are becoming more reliable.

FInd out about post sales technical support; it is critical - most dont offer free loan replacement while under repair so consider what the options will be when there is down time. It is worth trawling the grey box manufacturers in Sheffield/Chesterfield and asking whether they would offer a free loan replacement - some will and some wont but if you dont ask you wont get.

Ask to see the manufacturers insurance policy requirements so that you know what your getting in to before you buy it and whether it is appropriate for your needs.

Laptops are usually returned to the manufacturer for repairs and you need to find out the costs involved in that if you buy direct, eg from DELL rather than John Lewis which I dont really recommend as an IT supplier and nor would I want to own an IBM Thinkpad or later developments.

When I started looking at laptops for myself I was tempted by Medion which is nifty and cheap (Staples) but after some bad reports of it and another manufacturer decided to go back to the drawing board. My concerns were exacerbated when they didnt bother to reply to several pre-sales queries!

If you do a lot of travelling consider its weight and whether all of the components are on board or not. Its worth investing the extra £90+/- on a spare battery which is more weight. Screen size is important because it affects the laptops overall size- do you really want to lug a 17" TFT weighing in at circa 3-4 Kg.

Centrino is essential - the battery lasts much longer. Go for as much Ram and Hard Disk memory as possible because laptops are still not easy to upgrade. I think the minimum HD size is 40Gb and 1Gb Ram.

These days laptops are designed with modern technology in mind and will therefore come with USB ports for back up storage devices, printers, cameras, phones, webcam etc.

If you want something cheap and cheerful DELL are offering laptops for £399 including VAT/delivery - however I am not sure about the quality of their post sales support which may be something of a moot point.

My last thought is dont treat this purchase as if you are buying 1/2 dozen eggs from the supermarket. I'd recommend reading up on things and browsing around a few sites, pop into John Lewis, staples, Curries, Dixons to look at their stuff and ask questions. In other words TRY before you BUY.

Hope that covers a wide enough range of issues in a sufficiently non-technical way for you.

Originally posted by wendygs


Centrino is essential - the battery lasts much longer. Go for as much Ram and Hard Disk memory as possible because laptops are still not easy to upgrade. I think the minimum HD size is 40Gb and 1Gb Ram.

1gb ram is a bit excessive imo, i have 512 in mine, and it runs happily no matter what i do

Joel

If the cost of 1Gb ram is only marginally greater than the cost of 512mb, eg say £20 +/- I think it is a false economy not to go for it. Some years ago an IT Consultant advised me to buy the maximum RAM/HD possible within my budget. I think that is still excellent advice. It speeds up things like multi-tasking, ie when lots of programmes are open simultaneously and is also really good for graphics work etc.

On reflection I also think it would be an extremely good idea to ensure all of the software is fully/properly licensed. Microsoft is clamping down on licensing arrangements for download access rights to software that is not properly licensed and would have very serious long-term repercussions. Specifically it is unlikely that you could or would be able to access security updates for viruses, spam etc and any post-sales technical support would almost certainly lead to an entirely unforgettable experience.

It is now a legal requirement that vendors must sell computers with an Operating System because computers can not and will not work without.

Also had some further thoughts about acquisition. Under no circumstances do I recommend buying a complex piece of equipment like a computer (car, kitchen etc) with a loan or a consumer credit agreement with finance from the vendor. This route is fraught with problems and should be supplied with a warning "buying goods on credit agreements can seriously damage your credit references irreparably".

Instead I strongly recommend you use a credit card. Same s56, 75 Consumer Credit Act 1975 (as amended) entitlements etc but far more protection. If in the event of problems your credit card company then start bleating they only offer this protection for 3 or 6 months or whatever that is bunkum. Their contract is for 6 years minus 1 day, LImitations Act 1980 applies.

If you just want it to do your Forumming, all you need is a cheapy one.:thumbsup:

Most of the advice given is applicaple to someone wanting a business laptop, not for the stated use of surfing from my living room.

And some of it is just FUD, there is no law requiring that all pc's be sold with an operating system, thats nonsense.

MsB, firstly you need to identify what you will use the laptop for. If it is literally what you said, surfing from your living room then this leads us several points;

1) portability isn't important, as you won't be travelling with it often.
2) battery life isn't important, you have plug sockets in your living room.
3) screen size is probably a fairly high priority as you'll be looking at web pages and the like.
4) weight is probably irrelevant (linked to portability)

So - if battery life and portability aren't important, there's no point in going for centrino, as that's an expensive option for what is effectively a desktop replacement requirement.
Warranty with temporary replacement isn't necessary as this isn't a business critical tool.
Personally I like dell, they provide solid well built tech, possibly not quite as stylish as some of the competition, but who wants to pay for style (well, in a pc anyway).
A dell inspiron 2200 might match what your looking for, although it does have the pentium-m processor, which is uneccesary.

The other thing to determine is what your budget is, should have put that earlier. I'll assume you'd like to spend the minimum possible to get the laptop that will do what you want.

for £399 you can get an acer aspire 3502, you'll also need to spend about another £30 and put another 256MB of ram in it. I wouldn't go for 1GB, you've no requirement that needs it.

Originally posted by wendygs
If the cost of 1Gb ram is only marginally greater than the cost of 512mb, eg say £20 +/- I think it is a false economy not to go for it. Some years ago an IT Consultant advised me to buy the maximum RAM/HD possible within my budget. I think that is still excellent advice. It speeds up things like multi-tasking, ie when lots of programmes are open simultaneously and is also really good for graphics work etc.


Its not worth the cost if your not going to require it, I have 512 in mine and have never had a problem, and I do a lot of develoment work, compiling etc, plus music playing surfing, and doing allsorts of bits and pieces at once, it may be because I use BSD, rather then windows, but really, 512 seems enough for "general" usage

Originally posted by wendygs

On reflection I also think it would be an extremely good idea to ensure all of the software is fully/properly licensed. Microsoft is clamping down on licensing arrangements for download access rights to software that is not properly licensed and would have very serious long-term repercussions. Specifically it is unlikely that you could or would be able to access security updates for viruses, spam etc and any post-sales technical support would almost certainly lead to an entirely unforgettable experience.


As long as you buy froma reputable supplier, you will be fine, whereas buying a laptop of a guy in the street is a sure way to get stung.

Originally posted by wendygs

It is now a legal requirement that vendors must sell computers with an Operating System because computers can not and will not work without.


No it is'nt, as much as M$ would like it to be so they cash in, it is still quite possible to buy PC's with no OS, its not in anyway illegal

The likes of Dell, IBM, Samsung, Toshiba, Acer, and HP all have good laptops, with good support. I'd steer clear of anything with sony on as they are pretty terribale with aftersales service.

HP nx6110's can be had for cheap now as they are becoming end of line, so they are a steal (ebuyer have em for under £500) and they are solid laptops, none of our sales reps has managed to break one yet. and belive me, they try :D

Joel

Make sure whatever processor you go for its a mobile version or you will end up cooking your lap was you use it! Laptop-wise I personally covet an apple powerbook!

Originally posted by evildrneil
Make sure whatever processor you go for its a mobile version or you will end up cooking your lap was you use it! Laptop-wise I personally covet an apple powerbook!

use a lap tray. A laptop sat on your lap is unconfortable anyway.

Originally posted by Joelc
No it is'nt, as much as M$ would like it to be so they cash in, it is still quite possible to buy PC's with no OS, its not in anyway illegal

The likes of Dell, IBM, Samsung, Toshiba, Acer, and HP all have good laptops, with good support. I'd steer clear of anything with sony on as they are pretty terribale with aftersales service.

HP nx6110's can be had for cheap now as they are becoming end of line, so they are a steal (ebuyer have em for under £500) and they are solid laptops, none of our sales reps has managed to break one yet. and belive me, they try :D

Joel

Agree with all Joel's points, and would like to add:

1) If your PC does come with Windows I think you can return it to M$ and get a refund. Don't get excited though, as it's only about $10, not the £69 retail price!

2) A lot of Sony gear is rebadged, especially CD and DVD writers (they use Opteron equipment).

3) NX6110's are great, we started using these after the nx9005 was discontinued. Support is very good, especially if you use the on-line method.