Buying a new laptop

[Abbie]

I really need to buy a new laptop, I probably wont buy one till october time but I want to start looking now
I just need some help
Anyone know of any offers or want to suggest a laptop?

[alan45]

I really need to buy a new laptop, I probably wont buy one till october time but I want to start looking now
I just need some help
Anyone know of any offers or want to suggest a laptop?

If you arent buying one until October its too early to start looking as the specifications change almost weekly. It really depends what you want to use it for. Obviously if you are using it for gaming you need a good seperate graphics card and sound card. You will also need at least 4gb of Ram and at least 250 gb hard drive is now the norm.

Obviously your pocket will dictate the final choice.

[Chloe O'brien]

Actually I was going to start a thread about this. I was going to buy a new laptop for Marley for her birthday in September and was wondering where the best place to buy one was. The one she has got at the moment I got from pc world 3 years ago, it's a 1gb and I'm going to use it until I get enough dosh to buy my own laptop. My budget would probably be £400 to £500 tops.

[Siobhan]

if you don't need a CD drive then Netbooks are the best option.. has all the ram and hD space without the price tag of a laptop

[alan45]

The problem with a netbook is its lack of CD?DVD drive which restricts you if you want to install programmes or watch movies. Also the screen size is too small to be useful when working with something like spreadsheets or photographs.

IMHO they are really only useful for accessing the internet and reading your emails when out and about. With 400 quid to spend Im sure Kath can get a pretty decent spec machine.

[Abbie]

The only reason why Im looking now, is cos Im sortig out my money as Ive just paid rent and booked a holiday plus I get my loan in october so want to have a look at some to see if I need to save up some money as well
I would prefer to spend arounf £400, well I would prefer less but thats never going to happen
I ideally need good memory really, this laptop Im using is just utter crap

[Dazzle]

I recently got a new netbook and I love it. Since I don't use it for spreadsheets or photo editing, the screen size is fine for me. I love the portability, and I use it as an ebook reader too.

[Chloe O'brien]

Thanks guys & girls. I'm leaning more towards a laptop rather than a netbook, because I'm going to need software such as spreadsheets, word ect for Marley to do her homework. I'm just wondering were the best place is to shop. PC World, Currys, Dell or does anyone have any other suggestions.

[Siobhan]

Dell is more expensive but they have great after purchase support.. PC world does Dell laptops so maybe they will offer same service.. I would personally go to PC world or Curry's simple as you can see the product.. with Dell (at least in Ireland) it is just phone/online shopping so you don't get to see what you get

[Abbie]

I would like a dell, I know loads of people that have a dell and they look good

[alan45]

Have a look through the dell website and see which one you can afford then go and look at in PC World. When you are ready to buy check the PC World price against DELLs own website because they often have great offers available

[Abigail]

I highly recommend Toshiba. I've had a Dell (Inspiron I think) and to be honest, it was bulky, heavy and slow. This was about four years ago so I'm not sure how they've come on since then.

I'm on my second Toshiba Satellite Pro (L300D and L450). They are both brilliant laptops, easy to use, not too much bloatware, quick and excellent displays. Personally I preferred the L300D to to 450 as it had a quicker processor.

You can get some great deals online. Ebuyer and Amazon are my top choices. I would stay away from PC World, they're overpriced and customer service and aftersales is somewhat lacking.

I would say, once you've decided on the make and model, have a look on the internet to see if you can get it any cheaper. Dell have also started selling in selected shops now but I don't know how the prices compare. Also, wait for the "back to school" sales as you'll probably get some extras thrown in.

If you're going with Windows for general use (i.e. not gaming), I would suggest no less than 2GB RAM, 250GB hard drive and a duel core processor.

[Chloe O'brien]

The reason that I''m put of fro, buying another laptop from pc world is there customer service. The last time her laptop needed fixed was a nightmare trying to arrnge pick up. I've been on the dell webbsite bu t they only have black ones at the moment. I was hoping to get one with a pink lid. I've another 5 weeks before her birthday so I'll keep trying.

[Abbie]

Ive never thought about buying a laptop from amazon, I mean I trust the site but Ive never bought any electircals from them

[alan45]

. Ebuyer and Amazon are my top choices.

If you're going with Windows for general use (i.e. not gaming), I would suggest no less than 2GB RAM, 250GB hard drive and a duel core processor.

Personally I recomend at least 4gb of Ram especially if you are doing photo editing and other memory hungry applications and certainly a good fat dual core at least.. Dell are a very good make with a fairly good after sales service. PC World/Currys/Dixons are all the one and unfortunately the level of service varys not only from store to store but from technician to technician

[Abbie]

At the moment Im only looking at dell, but is it worth getting it through the dell webiste or the likes of pc world?

[Kim]

I have a Dell desktop that I got from Dixons and I haven't had a problem.

[alan45]

At the moment Im only looking at dell, but is it worth getting it through the dell webiste or the likes of pc world?

Go through the Dell website. They always have good offers on plus you can pick the upgrades you want as each machine is built to order