Probal this has been discussed before, on previous board.
Where is best place to get a decent but reasonable price(pref not over £500) laptop, with good RAM and DVD player
Dell
Currys 1 seems better, RAM is anyway, you think MAC?
Been thinking of upgrading my old PC and getting myself a Laptop. What should I be looking out for considering I'm as green as grass. Want to be able to download and watch on the computer if possible, processor power?? Saw a deal in one of the nationals for a Compaq around £400 ?
sureyouwill is your man 2 ask!!!
rumour has it he got gadaffi sorted with a high powered laptop so he could talk 2 his thai bride everyday using his webcam.... ;)
I dont know about the cheaper end of the scale
I USED to be a big Dell fan
but some of the stuff I have had purched here in work has been nothing short of terrible.
Buying lenovo/IBM laptops now.
€1200 for a fantastic business model
£500 - €750 - I am not sure what you get for that money.
Maybe the HP models , Acer might be ok ...I have no knowledge of these but heard they were decent
Just warn you off Dells. very Plastic and now gone back 10 years in terms or reliability/prone to faults....the way laptops were unreliable all those years ago
their desktops seem to be going the same way...ok right now, but not great
prob is Dell have started to use whatever components are cheapest that week. Thats why laptop/desktop models made in subsequent weeks can contain completely different components and require diff drivers. You could have huge variances in machines in the same shipment.
Potential for failures greater her, plus if folk are reliant on ghosting, this pushed up the image count by a factor of possibly 4 - for each pc/model/per week.
think there are some pc/laptop model comparisons.
I'd recommend Lenovo though. Might be too exp for ya though.
I got me an IQON in Tesco for €699. :'(
As much as i like to buy Irish it has been a frustrating piece of hardware. Its been troublesome from the first week i got it. But i suppose thats what you get when you buy at the bottom end of the market
Doubt if I'd need a really high-spec yoke, can't see me using it for more than, downloading Music, tv shows(which I've yet 2 do anyway), bit of banking, shopping and maybe an independent film or two :o
stay clear of dell. I would go for fujisu or sony. fujitsu are better value for money sony are more style. Acer do have some excellent value ones but customer service does have a poor repuation. Saying that ive sold three and never had any problems. Seen an excellent one in a harvey norman leaflet 2 weeks ago. if your in the holylands go over to dunnes across the ormeau bridge and they are sellin decent ones with 1gig ram for around £400. By the way to them currys codes work for everything? woulda been handy if id known them a few months ago!
You ask this question and you're going to get twenty different contradictory answers: "Dell's crap"/"Dell rules"/"Avoid Sony Vaio"/"HPs customer service is awful"/"Dell's is worse" and on and on! There is probably a horror story out there for every single brand!
Just make sure the specs meet your needs and get a decent warranty. Read some internet reviews of individual models, as different models in a given brand name's range can vary wildly in terms of value for money. Sites like http://www.pcworld.com/, http://www.pcmag.com/ (http://www.pcmag.com/) and http://www.cnet.com/ (http://www.cnet.com/)do lots of side-by-side reviews and offer plenty of advice on what the specs mean.
And for what its worth, myself and most of my family all use Dell. Outstanding!
Lads, I'm in the same boat but i literally haven't got a clue! All this numbers and letters gibberish means nothing to me. Need one for the same requirements as bennydorano and would like to be able to keep as much info on it as possible. Could anybody do me a list of all the shit i need on it, the minimum spec (hard drive, RAM? etc) and what price i should be looking to pay. i haven't got a clue
In general
(at the very least) 512 MB+ RAM
60 GB+ Hardrive should be ok (but this all depends on how many movies and large files you want to store)
Try get an intel processor over AMD but some AMD's can be ok. Around 1.8 GHz is fine, make sure to find out if it is wireless enabled if thats what you want. I'd definitely recommend you getting wireless ability even if you have no current set-up for it. I'd recommend an intel core duo.
Dells are good and cheap but unfortunately only seem to be shipping with Windows Vista Operating System which you really want to avoid, so try get Windows XP.
I'd recommend Toshiba, IBM, Lenovo, Fujitsu and Dell's but only the latter two are probably in your price range.
Avoid those ACER and ICONs they're just not worth the hardship.
Saw this on Dell website, any good for my needs??
£459
£399
Includes VAT & Shipping
Product Tour
Product Details
Processor
Intel Core™ Dual Core Processor T2080 (1.73 GHz, 1 MB L2 cache, 533 MHz FSB)
Operating system
Genuine Windows Vista™ Home Basic - English
Memory
1024MB 533MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM (2x512)
Monitor
15.4" Wide Screen WXGA (1280 x 800) Display
Harddrive
60GB (5400rpm) SATA Hard Drive
Optical Drive
Fixed Internal 8X DVD+/-RW Drive including software
Graphic Card
Intel® Media Accelerator 950 Graphics Up to 256MB shared graphics memory
Modem
56.6k V.92 Capable Internal Modem & Adapter
Service
Collect & Return, 1 Year Service only
Anyone know any good deals about at the min? Need to get a laptop for general use, planning on spending up to £500.
£500 is a good budget for a laptop. You'll have plenty of options from Dell, Acer, Sony, HP etc.
All depends what size of screen you want. I have a laptop with 17" screen and great for watching video's on.
If it comes with Vista, make sure you get as much RAM as possible. I only got 1GB RAM with my Dell laptop, found it quite slow running Vista, upgraded to 4GB RAM and noticed a massive improvement.
Agreed, get as much memory as you can. However unless you are getting the 64 bit version of Vista, there is no point in getting more than 4GB are Vista 32 bit cannot use it.
The GPA are advertising a Toshiba L300 on their website for 399.00 euro. However, they do not say if that price includews vat or not.
http://www.gaelicplayersshop.com/ (http://www.gaelicplayersshop.com/)
:D
They also have a jobs page on which they not alone give the jobs description but also the mobile phone numbers and names and email addresses of the actual companies advertising the jobs, owners of companies who as Pat Short would say, could get themselves locked up fairly lively, if they are seen to advertise employment and restrict it to GPA members,or people of any different race, colour, creed, age or disability. I answered one today and I was asked was I a member of an intercountry football team and when I said I was a retired failed hurler the lad told me I was to wait for a few days because the person that had the job was in India. Still, I'd say that if I scored five goals in last years All Ireland Football Final I would still have not got an interview other than was I a member or did I want to have my balls squeezed until I became one.
I think the lad thought I was a shit stirrer or a messer. ? ! ? :o
Quote from: haranguerer on July 07, 2009, 01:35:59 PM
Anyone know any good deals about at the min? Need to get a laptop for general use, planning on spending up to £500.
Saw this on hotukdeals.com, looks like a pretty good deal, although if you have 500 dabs to spend you could probably get one with a higher spec if you wanted
http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/uk/en/ho/WF06b/321957-321957-3329742-89318-89318-3837670-3885078.html?jumpid=in_r2515_uk/en/hho/psg/fps-CQ60-214EM_featuredsearch-ba-st-pu-/chev-hpstore/20090529
enter promo code 'HPSHARE' for 10% discount
comes to £324 after discount
Cheers lads, all helpful!if I can get away with spending less, I will, that does look a gd deal waterboy.
Well before you go off spending remember that a laptop is only as good as its battery if you are using it on the move and there are different batteries, different voltages with different amps so the difference between getting on a plane in Dublin and the battery running out over Howth is a factor. Look for a minimum three hours operation, the new type battery is out there now and some are flogging off the old type with cheap computers.
(bet that frigs up your day and puts you back thinking)
Does indeed, thats a whole other limiting factor, very tempting to ignore it!
Cheers tho Bud, its something else to think about
I'm after a laptop myself - mine has stopped picking up any usb devices (well it'll pick up some after about 10 restarts).
Now it's four year old and I can have no complaints but thing is it's insured (for everything) for 5 years. Now does anyone know if it was to take a nasty spill of the end of the table or if I left it somewhere what I'd get of the insurance? I'd imagine f**k all?
Quote from: pintsofguinness on July 10, 2009, 08:10:32 PM
I'm after a laptop myself - mine has stopped picking up any usb devices (well it'll pick up some after about 10 restarts).
Now it's four year old and I can have no complaints but thing is it's insured (for everything) for 5 years. Now does anyone know if it was to take a nasty spill of the end of the table or if I left it somewhere what I'd get of the insurance? I'd imagine f**k all?
I have the same issue on one machine. Anyone know what that's about?
Apart from online, where's the best place to purchase a laptop in person, in Belfast?
Curry's in the City centre usually have some good deals. There also is a laptop shop in Victoria Square.
I'd try Curry's - you are better placed to get a better deal all round from them
Looking for a new laptop fairly soon and have been looking at a few different options. Will be used for quite a range of things but mainly photo editing / graphics manipulation, internet (wifi), downloading music/movies.
Really dont want |Vista but it seems to be bundled with all new laptops now but can easily re-install XP if Vista proves troublesome - i see a few free upgrades offered for Windows 7 - any early reviews on how thats going to perform?
What i am looking for is;
4GB RAM (Min)
300GB+ HDD (pref 7200rpm)
Core 2 Duo 2GHz+
Dedicated Video Card
Good wifi card (eg newer Intel N-series)
Decent battery life (4hrs+)
Bluetooth
CD/DVD RW (open to BluRay option also)
15" screen min (widescreen / good resolution needed)
Dont care about bundled software tbh - i already have most of what i need to use on it.
I know there are some poor opinions on Dell but i have used one for about 4 yrs (Inspiron 6000) but it was never really tested for much apart from internet / office / music etc. Built this one online with Dell - anyone any experience with these models?? Or any alternatives with a similar spec??
STUDIO 15 (N0053504)
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T6500 (2.1GHz, 800MHz, 2MB), Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium SP1 (64 BIT) - English
Windows 7 Upgrade Eligible - Expires 30 December 2009
Save £264 (Inc Vat) until 12/08/2009
Expires 12 August 2009
- £264.00
Catalog Number: 202 N0053504
Base Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T6500 (2.1GHz, 800MHz, 2MB)
Microsoft Operating System - Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium SP1 (64 BIT) - English
Memory - 4096MB 800MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM [2x2048]
Keyboard - Internal UK/Irish Qwerty Keyboard
Video Card - 512MB ATI Mobility RADEON HD 4570
Hard Drive - 320GB (7,200rpm) Serial ATA Hard Drive
Optical Devices - Fixed Internal DVD+/-RW Slot Load Drive including Software
Wireless Networking - Intel WiFi Link 5300 Half Mini Card (802.11 a/g/n) (Centrino)
Cables - 1 Meter Power Cord (3 Wire) - UK
Shipping Documents - English - Documentation Studio 1545
Gedis Bundle Reference - N0853504
Standard Warranty - 1Yr Limited Warranty - Collect & Return
Enhanced Service Packs - 1 Year Limited Warranty - Collect & Return
PalmRest - Silver chainlink palm rest – with Black Chainlink cover only
Bluetooth - Dell Wireless 370 Bluetooth Module - European
Order Information - Studio 1555 Order - UK
Primary Battery - Primary 9-cell 85 WHr Lithium Ion battery
Carrying Cases - No Carrying Case
Dell System Media Kit -Studio 1555 Resource DVD (Diagnostic & Drivers)
Camera - 2.0 Mega pixel Integrated Web Camera
Colour Choice - Black chainlink
Accidental Damage Support - No Accidental Damage Support
Online Backup - DataSafe Online Backup 2GB 1 year
Labels - Wireless Label (Intel Wireless Cards) - Core 2 Duo
LCD - 15.6in Widescreen High Definition (1366x768) WLED with TrueLife
DataSafe (Services Owned) - Datasafe Local 2.0 Basic
Microsoft Application Software - Microsoft® Works 9.0 / English - (Does not include Microsoft® Word)
Protect your new PC - McAfee® Security Centre - 24 Month Protection - English
Power Supply - 90W AC Adaptor
TOTAL Incl. VAT:£696.38
The only thing i would prob upgrade is the processor - up to the Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor P8600 (2.40Ghz, 3MB, 1066MHz)
Have you tried looking at www.ebuyer.com (http://www.ebuyer.com)
Some good deals on there. Got an email from them the other day with a great offer for a laptop, though it has no OS with it but that would be easy enough to get hold off and you'll not be tied with Vista. It's 5th one down on the link below.
http://www.ebuyer.com/search?sort=pricelow&store=5&cat=10&limit=50&page=1 (http://www.ebuyer.com/search?sort=pricelow&store=5&cat=10&limit=50&page=1)
Tesco have some great Acer and Compaq deals at the minute for in and around 400 quid.
Base Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T6500 (2.1GHz, 800MHz, 2MB)
That processor has actually lower specs than the T7600 that came with my 3 year old. mac book pro
You could check out what laptops have the P7350 processor, better performance and longer battery life.
Sony Vaio possibly at the same price?
Usually a separate video card draws more battery power, that could be an issue for you
You can do custom comparisons on this web page
just scroll down to
Refine Comparison Charts
http://www.laptopmag.com/review/laptop/sony-vaio-vgn-nw-series.aspx?mode=benchmarks&cids=1875%2C1257%2C1382%2C1912%2Cpa (http://www.laptopmag.com/review/laptop/sony-vaio-vgn-nw-series.aspx?mode=benchmarks&cids=1875%2C1257%2C1382%2C1912%2Cpa)
Quote from: gallsman on August 13, 2009, 11:13:01 PM
Tesco have some great Acer and Compaq deals at the minute for in and around 400 quid.
Acer seems to be the real deal all right. Top of the range yoke in Argos as well at the minute, £599 i think it is. all the bells & whistles!
Main Street,
How do you rate the HP Business class laptops?
Had current one just over 3 years and will be looking again soon.
Will be wanting decent spec again, prob similiar to Aontroim's.
Also, would you go for warranty?
I did with my last one, the 3 year Next Business Day on site. I was thinking it was a waste, but after a lightning strike last year my motherboard got fried and that was with Surge protectors etc. Was good in that case when its used daily for work.
Thanks for the replies so far lads. Mac - i'm happy enough to spend around £700 as i want something with a spec that will be robust enough to perform well for a few years at least - as i said I only have real experience with Dell and Toshiba (Tecra) models - wasnt a fan of the Toshibas at all.
Would like to keep the spec as good as possible for that price range so min 4gb RAM, fast processor, fast wifi card etc. Have you a link to that Dell partner channel to check out the other models you mentioned?
Quote from: Mhic Easmuint on August 14, 2009, 12:33:58 AM
Main Street,
How do you rate the HP Business class laptops?
Had current one just over 3 years and will be looking again soon.
Will be wanting decent spec again, prob similiar to Aontroim's.
Also, would you go for warranty?
I did with my last one, the 3 year Next Business Day on site. I was thinking it was a waste, but after a lightning strike last year my motherboard got fried and that was with Surge protectors etc. Was good in that case when its used daily for work.
You would have to provide a link to a model.
It usually makes good sense to follow on with what has worked for you. I would look for one with the T9400 processor 2.53GHz.
A good medium price - battery efficient / fast / cool running processor
I had a look at HP website and it's a cluttered jungle, a truly awful website.
I checked out the HP EliteBook 8530p USD 1850
http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/sm/WF06b/321957-321957-64295-3740645-3955549-3782310-3994572-3795143.html (http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/sm/WF06b/321957-321957-64295-3740645-3955549-3782310-3994572-3795143.html)
The HP has 1/2 the memory and ca. 1/2 the battery life that you get in a $150 cheaper Mac Book Pro.
15"Mac book pro USD 1700
http://store.apple.com/us/configure/MC118LL/A?mco=NjcxMTU2OQ (http://store.apple.com/us/configure/MC118LL/A?mco=NjcxMTU2OQ)
I would buy a Mac Book Pro and run windows on it, if I needed to.
As I wrote, even my MBP from 3 years ago has better specs than the current Dell studio 15
I have never bothered with an extra warranty.
Statistically, if some component in a laptop is likely to breakdown, it will do so inside the first month.
Home insurance covers most everything that is likely to happen.
Hey guys,
Heading over to NY in the summer and was considering purchasing the basic macbook ($999.00). The spec is as follows:
2.26GHz : 250GB
* 2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
* 2GB DDR3 memory
* 250GB hard drive1
* 8x double-layer SuperDrive
* NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics
* Built-in 7-hour battery2
* Polycarbonate unibody enclosure
All I really want from my laptop is to be run very smoothly, browsing and to hold around 50gb of media without slowing down. I do however want something that will last me for years and have been recommended the macbook by numerous people. Everyone I know who has one loves them. they are, however, very expensive so I was wondering if you could advise me if a Mac is definately the right laptop for me? Is it true they don't pick up viruses?
Also, will there be any issues at customs if I decide to bring one home?
Will there be any compatibility issues between using a US Macbook in the UK?
Thanks,
Mal
There are no compatability issues either software or hardware with the UK, power adaptor is automatically adaptable for 110v and 240v.
Unless you leave the laptop and accessories with original packing on and shout out at customs 'do I have to declare this'? you should have no problems.
The price you pay for a macbook is higher than a bog standard laptop but once you consider the graphics card, the quality processor inside and the long battery, both short term and long term, life, then the price you pay is considered competitive.
You can also set up Windows to run on its own partition. Handy if you want to watch certain Widows based streaming software, like sopcast, for sports. Incorporated into the Macos is a very simple and easy to use back up software called Time Machine. Other benefits are that you don't need to bother with anti-virus/bug-ware/ spy-catcher protection.
I have had a dell inspiron 1525 for a year and a half now. A couple of weeks ago it started completing turning off for no reason, I checked online sites for a solution and I read out the heat sink as it was clogged with dust.
I thought the problem was solved but it iis only getting worse. I think its related to the heat sink but im no expert and could be wrong. Possibly the fan isnt driving well enough to cool the heat sink.
Anyone have this problem before?
Anyone able to direct me to a websites and/or helplines/people to solve this problem?
Thanks.
Quote from: trileacman on May 19, 2010, 11:01:33 PM
I have had a dell inspiron 1525 for a year and a half now. A couple of weeks ago it started completing turning off for no reason, I checked online sites for a solution and I read out the heat sink as it was clogged with dust.
I thought the problem was solved but it iis only getting worse. I think its related to the heat sink but im no expert and could be wrong. Possibly the fan isnt driving well enough to cool the heat sink.
Anyone have this problem before?
Anyone able to direct me to a websites and/or helplines/people to solve this problem?
Thanks.
Random shutdowns would lead me to check/replace the PSU (power supply unit)
Ordinary laptop or a Mac, which is better and why?
Not sure if Jim asking that question as Macbook was updated yesterday. Interested in the same thing although was thinking about buying one, but have read that the Mac Book Pro may be a better bet, for the more durable casing, possibility to upgrade ram above 4mb. better battery?
Have heard they wear better and still go strong long after other laptops. My own one at the moment could fry an egg and takes a good few mins to load up, frequently freezes etc. Had it about 4 years.
Quote from: JimStynes on May 20, 2010, 06:13:45 PM
Ordinary laptop or a Mac, which is better and why?
There is a huge range in the variety of 'ordinary laptops'.
Just like car models can differ with engine size and general build, Laptops also differ re quality and type of components installed within.
One respected reviewer of all things laptops,
when reviewing the latest 15" MacBook Pro
"There are still (sadly) no Windows notebooks that can live up to the MacBook Pro"http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Apple-MacBook-Pro-15-inch-i7-2010-04-Notebook.30506.0.html (http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Apple-MacBook-Pro-15-inch-i7-2010-04-Notebook.30506.0.html)
Much depends on what you want to do with a laptop. You don't have to spend the extra money for the latest MBP.
You are also paying for a graphics card which is there to also attract gamers.
Netbooks are pretty crap. If you want something light, go for for a 12" or 13" Laptop with a long battery life.
The 13" entry level Macbookpro has had an processor upgrade (still a Core 2 duo) and a new 10 hr battery, is a good enough deal for £1,000.
http://computershopper.com/laptops/reviews/apple-macbook-pro-13-inch-2010-version (http://computershopper.com/laptops/reviews/apple-macbook-pro-13-inch-2010-version)
Lenova have recently launched a 12" ThinkPad X201, comes with the newer i5 processor, for about £1100, 8-10hr battery life and looks a very good deal as well.
http://computershopper.com/laptops/reviews/lenovo-thinkpad-t410 (http://computershopper.com/laptops/reviews/lenovo-thinkpad-t410)
The single most expensive component in a laptop is the processor.
If you are going for an older laptop.
The manufacturers prices come way down for the older Laptop mobile processors once new ones are launched.
The retail market becomes a dolly mixture mess of different manufacturers, different sizes, different prices and different specs. Some laptops with obsolete processors are dumped on the market and jazzed up to appear a bargain with a bells and whistles misleading advertising campaign.
If going for older laptop you may as well select the better performer laptop.
The older processor type is called the Core 2 duo, but there are many different grades.
The newer mobile i5 processor uses less power = less heat= longer battery life. They say it is better for the computing process needed for games but in general use on a laptop, you would be hard pressed to notice a real difference between it and say the P8400 Core 2 duo
Here you have a list of laptops from Dabs
http://www.dabs.com/category/computing,laptops-and-netbooks,laptops/11105-46400000#filters (http://www.dabs.com/category/computing,laptops-and-netbooks,laptops/11105-46400000#filters)
look at the menu on the left called
Dual core, you see a lot of listings,
From the rated list, at the bottom of this page linked, we can see how the various Core 2 duo are graded accorded to capacity.
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-Core-2-Duo-Notebook-Processor.7322.0.html (http://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-Core-2-Duo-Notebook-Processor.7322.0.html)
Considering what Dabs are selling,
and based on that league table at Notebook Check, we can see that the T4400 is a basic entry cheapo - best ignored and that the best laptops will have the
P8600 and P8700 mobile pentium chip
The 8600 list
http://www.dabs.com/category/computing,laptops-and-netbooks,laptops/11105-423630000#filters (http://www.dabs.com/category/computing,laptops-and-netbooks,laptops/11105-423630000#filters)
the 8700 list
http://www.dabs.com/category/computing,laptops-and-netbooks,laptops/11105-432160000#filters (http://www.dabs.com/category/computing,laptops-and-netbooks,laptops/11105-432160000#filters)
You then pick out the models that have a reduced price but are comparitively well specced.
If you have more questions then ask.