Recommend me a laptop

a11y said:
MikeS said:
pc-decrapifier freeware (google it!).
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:thumbsup:

Didn't know anything like that existed! Saving this link for later :)
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CCleaner is the best - pretty intuitive and free. But like all these things be bloody careful where you download it as there are plenty of dodgy 'fixed' versions out there that will dump spyware on you. This is the correct site for it. http://www.ccleaner.com/download

A Pawn - OK cough time, where do you work then that you're selling Dell kit? Only curious as I know it never used to go through channel because they made their fortune with their 'build to order' model, but I notice that Tesco and PC World are selling their stuff now, proably because Moore's Law is failing LOL.
 
Play nicely boys........... :D :poke: I've written off a MAC , so defo windows for me.I'll have a look over the weekend and see what the stores have got and then I'll make my decision.For my work lapper now I use an old IBM thinkpad, it's physically robust enough and the battery life isn't that bad but I'm on my 3rd one this year, so not that reliable.
 
bigshurv said:
Play nicely boys........... :D :poke: I've written off a MAC , so defo windows for me.I'll have a look over the weekend and see what the stores have got and then I'll make my decision.For my work lapper now I use an old IBM thinkpad, it's physically robust enough and the battery life isn't that bad but I'm on my 3rd one this year, so not that reliable.
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Oh don't spoil my fun!!!

Stinkpad was OK but since the chinese bought it out its gone downhill.....

I think message is, for business use, stick with a major manufacturer (Del/Tosh/HP), don't get tempted by useless features and think carefully about warranty and support - it may be your lifeline. Oh and BUY A BIG F*CK-OFF EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE and make sure you BACK EVERYTHING UP REGULARLY. A terrabyte (1000Gb) should be well under £100 these days and stores loads of pron, I mean data... :oops:
 
bigshurv said:
Play nicely boys........... :D :poke:
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You started it :)

I had a look at the new Toshiba Sat Pro machines for a friend before Christmas, they do look very good! But I'd try and get a deal on an HP business machine (slightly more robust and less background apps you don't need) - www.hp.co.uk and go in through one of the business tabs. If you see something with a part code ending ET or AT it's a top value product (special offer).

lacroupade, I know you're a granddad now (hope that's going well BTW!) but you need to get with the times... USB was invented a while back and now most peripherals just plug and play... even on OSX! Software too - well at least what I need... if I really needed to run Office I'd just install VMware Fusion - VMware partner so I think it's free! Main thing that impresses me is OSX Snow Leopard - it just seems to work so much better than Windows (not tried Linux). Also, I can be close my MacBook and it switches off... open it and almost instantly it's online and ready for use, all Windows machines I've used would take a while and blue screen occasionally. Again, not sure I would try and sell someone on spending the extra £300!

As for the luddite argument, Macs are (these days) apparently more intuitive to first time users... but no I generally don't recommend them to people used to Windows or needing to connect to a corporate network that isn't set up for Mac use.

IIRC, I've only been lording it up because I have a Mac (another perk :D ) and didn't actually recommend one to bigshurv!
 
lacroupade said:
A Pawn - OK cough time, where do you work then that you're selling Dell kit? Only curious as I know it never used to go through channel because they made their fortune with their 'build to order' model, but I notice that Tesco and PC World are selling their stuff now, proably because Moore's Law is failing LOL.
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This will be a little dull for the rest of you...

I work for a reseller (9 years in) I won't post the details as I think that may be frowned upon... and I don't want to be seen touting for business on the forum. Yeah, Dell didn't like having to deal with me at first, about 8 years ago, but they had little choice if they wanted the business, back then it was VERY hush-hush. Since then my client (council) has replaced it's Compaq estate with Dell notebooks and desktops (about 1,500 users), servers (around 110 - although vastly rationalised with virtualisation) and a Dell EMC SAN solution CX-3 I think). Also sell to other corporates who prefer to let us.

Dell do now have a channel model. From your side, we're actually an HP preferred partner... I think that's what they call it these days!
 
Hi, I'm not going to attempt to recommend one but there are plenty of good choices available in your price range if you know what to look for.

Be careful of the Intel CULV processors (Consumer Ultra Low Voltage = Good Battery Life/eco-credentials but poor performance - usually 1.3GHz) which seem to be more widely available now and you might get caught out by them, which means you'd have longer boot up times & more waiting for pc to do something! They're great for netbooks, ultra portables but not worth it if you're going to be using it at a desk for most of it's life.

Main difference between vendors will be support, build quality and vendor's bloat-ware. Apart from that they'll all be pretty similar, I have had several Toshiba's and the majority have developed power issues after a year or so, I actually have one on my desk to return for a colleague. Saying that I have also had good a one, although I did have to fix it first but since then it's worked a treat! I own a Lenovo, and whilst it isn't the prettiest, the spec for the price was outstanding and build quality is solid.

With your budget I'd look for Intel Core 2 Duo (not the same as "Intel Dual Core"), and 2.0 GHz or higher processor with 3GB RAM or more. Intel's CPU codes can get quite confusing, but keep an eye out for Core 2 Duo. Get Windows 7 as it is excellent.

A good online store is http://www.laptops-direct.co.uk but there's a lot of choice which can be a bit confusing.
You don't have to buy AV software, although they are usually very good, (especially Kaspersky), they can be overcomplicated and a bit hard to use. I would recommend Microsoft Security Essentials, which is Microsoft's FREE antivirus tool for users with a Genuine copy of Windows. Windows 7 has a firewall built in.

If you find one you like the look of post the details on here and I'm sure people will warn you off if there's a major problem with it.
 
I would give serious consideration to the new Core i5 HP's hitting the market in the next couple of weeks - they have some pretty robust offerings coming.

I personally have a 4 year old HP at home which has been on plenty trips with no problems with the exception of the battery which no longer holds more than 10 mins charge - but apart from that its solid as a rock and still well specced even now. I use a Dell at work, and they are ok, but travelling the small screen really annoys me, but eh, I didn't pay for it.

The other half recently got a new U50011G toshiba, nice brown 13.3" unit, shes running windows 7 on it and loves everything about it EXCEPT the mousepad, which is bloody useless...

If you want future proofing looks for a multi-touch pad on any laptop you buy - the technology's young, but overtime it will become really useful as Win 7 matures.
 
I bought myself one of these just before Xmas and couldn't be happier.

productimage.aspx

Samsung R522
http://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/Samsung_R522_679381.html

Why? Tons of disk space, tons of memory, Windows 7, decent screen (not too reflective), good kayboard and touchpad feel, hdmi port, great looking (piano black), one model down came second in gadget show laptop roundup for last year.

Why not? Bundled Windows 7 is 32-bit even though hardware supports 64-bit :| No built-in bluetooth support

Personally, I avoid Dell because they have screwed me multiple times on previous orders. Sony because they charge £200 more for their laptops than others then spend all that money developing pointless shitty applications which you have to uninstall as soon as you get it. And Apple because more than 6 of my brain cells are functioning :fuelfire:
 
biffa said:
I bought myself one of these just before Xmas and couldn't be happier.

productimage.aspx

Samsung R522
http://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/Samsung_R522_679381.html

No built-in bluetooth support
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£3.50 for a B/t dongle? Go on, splash out....

I still have a ten year old Compaq Evo 600 that I use offroad for running Memory Map, with a bluetooth atachment and a buetooth GPS unit - just had a new battery but still running like a train.
 
lacroupade said:
£3.50 for a B/t dongle? Go on, splash out....

I still have a ten year old Compaq Evo 600 that I use offroad for running Memory Map, with a bluetooth atachment and a buetooth GPS unit - just had a new battery but still running like a train.
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Yeah I got one of those but don't need it much. I can imagine if I used it more, the chance of snapping the dongle off and breaking the USB would be fairly high.
 
bigshurv said:
I'm a bit of a luddite when it comes to these things
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Spot on... the Dell Latitude range are quite good. I have one for work.

Acer are good also though.

The best is IBM, but they are out of your price range unless you go for 2nd hand or refurbed.
 
Eurohooner said:
For what you need it for I would save your money and buy a netbook. I have the Samsung NC10. £240. Very small, light and 7 hours battery life. Operates office well. Excellent for web, email and video conferencing (built in camera suprisingly good) and if you store your videos get a cheap external hard drive.
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+1 :thumbsup:

Got a lil blue one and dual boot osx & windows 7, love it. For £600 I'd probably buy another & clone mine, would be lost without it now.

Agree about Business HP's too. Not necessarily the prettiest things but always good spec and very sturdy, easy to repair & upgrade.
 
I'm no PC expert but £600 is alot of money to spend on laptop that you would only use for office work. I have ACER (ok, I know its not rated here) with 1.66Hz intel core 2 duo CPU with 2GB RAM and GeForce Go 7300, Windows Vista (yaiks :o ) for last 3 years. I paid £500 at the time as I wanted to play games on it, and it played WoW with mid level details without any problem. Office stuff like power point, words, excel all works fine, never broke once in last 3 years.

If I wanted to use it purely for office, I could have easily spent £100 less and all. Acer does give good value for money me thinks!

p.s. dont forget CCleaner doesn't remove spyware or programmes by itself.
 
Check out the Dell outlet store online, i brought 2 laptops before christmas from them.

First was for my girlfriend and cost £430....
Dell Studio 1555
Purple Cover Upgrade
15.6" Screen
P7450 (2.13Ghz, 3MB, 1066MHz) CPU
512MB ATI Mobility RADEON HD 4570
4096MB 800MHz Ram
500GB (5.400rpm) SATA Hard Drive
DVDRW Drive

Second was for my parents and cost £510....
Dell Inspiron 1750
Blue Cover Upgrade
17.3" Screen
P8600 (2.4Ghz, 3MB, 1066MHz) CPU
512MB ATI Mobility RADEON HD 4330
4096MB 800MHz Ram
500GB (5.400rpm) SATA Hard Drive
DVDRW Drive

And then my sister got a Dell Studio 1555 with very similar spec to above for just over £500 brand new in the sale.
 
I travel the country advising directors on IT matters.

I note that most organisations have either Dell or IBM

Me - I will only use Dell
 
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