woodz77

right , its happened again . after all the probs with my computer last week , its now official dead again !


Anyway ive decided to buy a laptop cos when i move into my birds there aint no where to put the pc and plus her kids would probably fook it and then i would have to give them beats.

whaat i need is a 15.4 widescreen at least. my old PC had 160 gb so i want at least that again . it had 1.87 ram ? i was told this is what makes the computer perform tasks quicker ? and i cant remember what processor it had but it work nice and quick . so again i want a fairly quick one .the new one must be able to write music and dvd to disc aswell. i also wathc youtube etc so i want on that can keep up with the vids and not what 10 mins to keep downloading each bit . im really rubbish on all the numbers and j

now i want a laptop thats nice and quick but i want to be able to download films and music like i did before but this time the conection is going to be wireless ?will this make the download time longer ? im really confused with all the numbers and dont know if its the broadbadn that dictates this or the transfer speed (hers is 54 mbps at her house) or is it something on the laptop . i dont want to but one that then takes a week to download a film etc basically i dont want to waste my money . im skint anyway but i have to have a computer so im going to buy one anywhere .

budget wise i really dont want to spend more than £350-£400 . ive had to buy the external hard drive and pay my mate to sort the power pack etc

ive looked on comet etc and found a recon one for £329

http://www.comet.co.uk/shopcomet/pro...-RECON-AS7720G

any good ?

id rather buy a brand new one but can i get one in my budget ?

any help and recommendations would be great .thanks

woodz77

this one any good ? i know its only 120gb

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/sto...ory_oid=-28487

Spiritinthesky

Have you thought about getting a Mac? Once you go Mac, there's no going back!

woodz77

never thought of a mac . always here nothing every works on them lol

woodz77

im going to pc world in a minute to have a look about , wish me luck lol

woodz77

just been to pc world . dicks ! all they wanted was for me to sign up on mobile broadband . get a £600 laptop for £249 then pay 30 a month for mobile broadband for 2 years . no chance .

still could do with some advice please guys and girls

i think i need 2 gb of ram ant at least 1.66 ghz processor ? does that sound enough for what i want ?

BM08

Dont go to pcworld and listen to them ramble on

You can pick up some good deals from time to time but generally you dont go to pcworld to buy a pc.

You want to try and get a core 2 duo processor, these are newer technology than any of the older ones, might be abit hard to find one for under 400 though.

Ebuyer is normally the best place but i cant find one under 450.


Also with regards to wireless, it will be the same speed as your wired connection

Stu.H

Hi mate

I specced a laptop for both my mum and warleydaddy of here, was an acer aspire, 17" widescreen, 2gb of memory, wifi, dvd re-writer, card readers built in, and that was for £400 delivered, and also going back a bit so might be cheaper now.

You speak of things like youtube keep buffering, this will be down to the speed of the internet connection, not the laptop/pc itself.

So, for a budget laptop, its ideal!

BM08

Id be surprised if it was core 2 duo granted you dont HAVE to have that for it to be quick ish, but if you want a really fast laptop then you need a core 2 duo

Stu.H

After a quick google

link

Big-Dan

iTrader: (2)

That's a good spec for the price but the only 2 reviews left by customers who have purchased the laptop are awful.

Stu.H

Probably due to Vista in all honesty.

I used my mums laptop for literally 5 minutes, as it was awful, before upgrading it to XP.

BM08

I dont like/use vista but you cant blame hardware failure on vista

Good price but shit reviews

GGR*TUNED

i have the older 7520 acer 17" model which is a year old ,no problems with reliability or hardware but imo the keyboards are crap on the acer's , the keys feels cheap and rubbery like they're from a toy laptop or something. i find it impossible to type fast using them so i use a separate keyboard .

woodz77

any others i should look at ? what about ths one ?

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/store/pcw_page.jsp?

dual core processer thingy etc 1.66ghz ?

what controls how quick i can download things of the net ? is this the broadband and wireless connection ?

Chris Honeywell

M8 i have just replaced mine
Got a macbook now
best laptop i have ever had

BM08

Did you read a word ive said above

Plus that link only takes you to the menu choices, not an actual laptop.

A dual core 1.66ghz processor would run winxp fine, but vista might be abit unresponsive on that spec


P.s if you must get one from pcworld dont let them feed you bollocks, just go in there knowing which one you want and get it, pay for it and leave

woodz77

sort of tried to understand it all mate lol

so the speed of the me downloading things off the net will be the samw wired as wireless ? so the quicker the processor , the quicker i can do lots of things at once ?

sorry , i willl try the link again . i know you said get that better, newer processor but i just cant stretch any more money above £400 at the mo

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/sto...1&category_oid=

or s it a slow ass processor ?

woodz77

this one ?

http://www.comet.co.uk/shopcomet/pro...35/ACER-AS5735

woodz77

any other recommendations ? im staying in tonite but i reckon im going to have to go shopping after work 2moro ............ im desperate for a laptop

Stu.H

Its got 4GB of memory, which sounds like they might be trying to sell it on that. Laptop memory is cheap.

Id just get something like that acer I 1st put, you are going to have warranty on the hardware if it fails anyway.

Get XP on it and you will be fine, nice 17" screen as well

BM08

If it were me id get that Acer, its a superb spec for £400, you have a VERY fast core 2 duo processor(so windows will boot fast, everything will run quick plus it will run cooler, so you wont have roasting legs if its on your lap), 4gbs of ram, again that will get you into windows and browsing etc super quick, you have wireless(you will wonder how you got along without this), and a nice bonus of a built in webcam, which coupled with wireless can mean lots of fun
Only slight downside is the 15.6" screen which is probably why they managed to give it away at £400 but 15" should be fine for web browsing and watching vids etc, acers have very good clear screens

My sister has an Acer by the way, she got it second hand and its a workhorse, shes here there and everywhere with it and it hasnt missed a beat.

Hope that helps, ive tried to simplify certain areas for you


EDITED to add id also stick xp on it aswell, but you'll have vista so you can always try it first and see what you think.

woodz77

lovely . thanks for the advice people . just trying to decide between the 2 acers . i will probably get the one from comet , cos i hate the thought of spending £429 and then having it to be sent through the post lol

i hate spending money , but i have to get myself back online with out having to use other peoples

what dictates the speed i will be able to download off the net . is this just down to the broadband then ?

this was my biggest worry .

and how do i get XP on to it ?

Mrs T

i got my last one from a dell shop on ebay have you look at them

Stu.H

Woods, downloading is dependant on the broadband line you have.

Mr S1

iTrader: (2)

Gat a Mac. Period.

BM08

As stu says............................. so if your currant home internet is fast enough then you will have absolutly no problems when using wireless, it will be exactly the same speed

With regards to getting xp onto it, you need a xp cd obviously(if you dont have one already) which will cost about £60, but i dout thats an option if your already stretching the monies on the laptop, but i wouldnt not buy it because its got vista on it, you may well like it/not be bothered, but for me i prefer xp as its what im used to mainly

BM08

Hes only got 400 to spend so a mac is not an option

woodz77

i used to have xp , then my mate that put my last pc together put vista ultimate on it and now im used to that lol .

think i will have a week with the vista i get with it and then have a think
.

thanks for all your help . i understand it all alot better now and dont need to go and listen to a nerdy 18 year talking bollocks to me now lol

It's Czech Mate

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/sto...6&category_oid=


Thats where I'd be spending my £400 ish. Sure its cheaper elsewhere. The Toshiba Satellites are excellent

natehall

iTrader: (2)

slightly smaller laptop - but more Ram (memory) and a bigger HDD (Storage)

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/147745

Thats where my £429.99 went and i can say, its a excellent laptop (so far) and comes with a xp downgrade if you want to use it

It's Czech Mate

Great Price! The Toshiba's are excellent and very reliable. We use them extensively at work as well as my personal machine being a Tosh

Kris_23

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/158350

I'd go for that. Got my laptop from ebuyer their service is spot on.

natehall

iTrader: (2)

This is my 3rd Toshiba now - had one break about 10 years ago now, replaced the screen and it was good to go again though!

Can also highly reccommend Sony Vaio's and Dell Inspirons as they have been spot on for me!

whatever you do, dont buy a cheap unbranded laptop - they are usually poor quality and break frequenty!

It's Czech Mate

Agree with Dells and Tosh's.........we had a large batch of Viao's at work and had no end of trouble, I imagine they'd get less abuse as a home machine tho so may be better!

tejy

iTrader: (1)

do you mind buying online? i build pcs and stuff its a hobbie of mine..and im studying computer technology at uni - if you dond mind buying online i had a look at your budget and i strongly recommend you dont set foot in pc world again - they try to sell you old stock when theres newer models out of a certain computer system.

have a look at this laptop its from a website which i highly recommend

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/152233

i think i might even buy one for my a pressie 4 my sisters birthday its a really good deal! and the specification of the laptop is amazing for the price. hope i helped!