Want to buy a laptop for <£500

[Pia]

Hi i'm starting a uni course in a few weeks and need to get a new laptop.

Has anyone spotted any good deals? I've seen a HP one on ebuyer for £390 but i'm put off by HP cos my mam had loads of issues with hers. Any tips on brands to avoid or look for?

Cheers

[losdev]

I have used (and still am using) an HPNX8220 and have used it for many years trouble free. All the pcs I buy are HP, Compaq/Packard Bell so i would always recommend HP.

Brand to avoid IMHO is Dell, cheap to buy, a beggarly expensive machine to upgrade/repair.

You spec should meet your needs and your price will reflect this accordingly. Why do you need to upgrade if you don't mind me asking?

[AbyssUnderground]

I was going to say check out eBuyer as they have loads of back-to-school deals on at the moment.

Avoid HP and Dell as they tend to feel very plastic and badly built from my experience. If you want cheap and cheerful, go with Acer. Some would disagree but I think they're built well, but the only downside is the components the use are cheap, so sometimes they go wrong quicker than other brands. Never put me off though and mine have been great.

[Graham M]

I have had both HPs and Dells, HPs are quite well known for dieing after a certain period as they don't seem to build very efficient cooling systems. I currently have a Dell and it's amazing!

[roger skillin]

Don't listen to things about makes of laptop, the only thing that the companies make are the outer casing, everything inside is made my different companies, e.g. an HP laptop does not have an HP hard drive/Motherboard/Memory so basically take a trip to somewhere like PC world (DO NOT BUY FROM THERE) and just have a look at some on display, find one you like the look and feel of and that is fast enough for what you need, take note of the model number, go home and find it on the internet cheaper

[Pia]

Thanks - i've currently got a Toshiba satellite and i've been very impressed with it.

I bought it in Nov 2006 it's dual core 1gig RAM and still going relatively strong, just a bit battered.

I want to upgrade now because i would like a more up to date OS (using XP now), more RAM, and ultimately, because the Open Uni are giving me £260 towards it.

I want one that's still going to be half decent in a good few years like the one i've got now.

[roger skillin]

I'd go for this one for the top end of your budget
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/190970

[Pia]

Roger that one looks very nice, but i can't go that high. The cheaper the better because i'm making up the rest of the money myself and i'm poor

---------- Post added at 13:28 ---------- Previous post was at 13:27 ----------

And by the way guys the first 3 posts are all of a different opinion so i'm still no wiser

[roger skillin]

this one is still good but more in your price range
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/195968

[Pia]

Originally Posted by roger skillin

this one is still good but more in your price range
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/195968

Do like the price of this one, but i've heard negative things about Celeron?

I haven't seen another one with a spec like that, for that kind of price.

[roger skillin]

Originally Posted by Pia

Do like the price of this one, but i've heard negative things about Celeron?

I haven't seen another one with a spec like that, for that kind of price.

Like what?
It's still Intel, just more of a budget cpu, hence the cost

---------- Post added at 13:55 ---------- Previous post was at 13:53 ----------

Actually i prefer this one and it's slightly cheaper
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/199170

[Pia]

Just that it's slow and rubbish.

Someone linked me to this before, not that i'm taking it seriously or basing my decision on it!



<3 toshiba

---------- Post added at 14:03 ---------- Previous post was at 14:01 ----------

Oooh the Acer one is nice

[Rob]

Nothing wrong with Dell laptops. The one I'm using for work on a daily basis is now 5 years old and going strong despite being bounced about quite abit. Only thing that has needed attention was a replacement power lead. There are equally old and reliable Dell laptops in the office too.

Realistically, laptops aren't that expandable, or repairable. True you might replace a battery, or perhaps try and find where you could add more memory, but they are inevitably less flexible than desktops. You need to buy now to meet current and perceived near future needs.

If budget is tight then you probably are looking at makse such as Dell, HP, Acer. You might get a flashier machine from the likes of Sony, but you are paying for that name. Consider what you are doing with the laptop. What is important, storage size, battery life, processiing and graphics power, media playing, wireless speeds, portability? It is thos factors that determine the machine that is best for you at the price you can afford, rather than brand.

[Osem]

How about this @ £499:

http://aldi.medion.com/md98410/uk/?refPage=aldi

Intel® Core™ i3-350M processor
Intel® HD Graphics with digital HDMI connector
17.3'' widescreen LED-backlit display with HD resolution 1600 x 900 pixels
3GB DDR3 SDRAM memory
500GB S-ATA hard disk drive
For more than 100,000 music tracks/photos (at 4 MB per track/photo)
Using the integrated second HDD-slot you can more than double your storage capacity with a standard 2.5''/6.35cm hard disk
High Definition Audio with 2 speakers and 1 subwoofer, Dolby Home Theater® v3 certified
Digital DisplayPort and HDMI output for brilliant multimedia experiences
Wireless LAN IEEE 802.11 n-standard technology with up to 300 Mbit/s 802.11b/g compatible2
eSATA connection - for fast and lossless data transfer with external storage devices
8x multi-standard DVD/CD burner with DVD-RAM and Dual Layer support3
Keyboard with flat key design and integrated number block
Powerful 8 cell high performance Li-ion battery
Network Controller Gigabit LAN (10/100/1000 Mbit/s)
Multi-format memory card reader (SD, SDHC, MMC, MS and MS Pro) (Memory cards not supplied)
Comprehensive software package (OEM versions) with genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 32 Bit

We have 2 Aldi/Medion PCs (one about 4 years old and the other about a year) and are delighted with them. A 3 year warranty is standard and apparently their quality and customer service has improved a lot over recent years although I've not had to use it. I'd have no hesitation buying another Medion.

[Aragorn]

How about Novatech - they assemble their laptops in the UK using standard parts. Not bought a laptop from them but never had a problem with desktops and Mobo bundles from there.