ChatterBank1 min ago
New Laptop
12 Answers
I am 67 next Saturday(27th.) and my Daughter is giving me �350 to buy a new Laptop. I would welcome any suggestions about which model to buy. Many Thanks.
Answers
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If you can put the extra �50 to it - I think this is a great buy:
http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.202-2281.aspx
http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.202-2281.aspx
Tesco has a huge advantage over the other shops - you can take it back for a full refund if it doesn't suit you. Full returns policy of 28 days, no fault needed.
Now to my mind, that puts Tesco way ahead of the others for such items.
I have an Acer - two and a half years old and not a single problem. I love it that much I have just increased the RAM.
Now to my mind, that puts Tesco way ahead of the others for such items.
I have an Acer - two and a half years old and not a single problem. I love it that much I have just increased the RAM.
Be careful of places like PC World and Currys.
Those places tend to sell brands of laptops that are only available from their shops and nowhere else.
Therefore you have no idea of the quality of the product, or what the "real world" cost is, you only know what THEY are selling it for.
I would also guess that the sales people have some sort of incentive to sell those brands, so they are more likely to push those brands to get their "bonus".
Brands I am thinking of are EI System and Advent for example.
Stick to one of the "big boys" who sell their laptops anywhere, such as:
Toshiba, Acer, Sony, Fujitsu Siemens, HP Compaq and so on.
As Ethel says, around �399 seems to be the price point for a "decent" laptop. You can get cheaper but they tend to skimp on build quality, or memory or disk size.
Try and top it up to �399 and you will get a better laptop.
Those places tend to sell brands of laptops that are only available from their shops and nowhere else.
Therefore you have no idea of the quality of the product, or what the "real world" cost is, you only know what THEY are selling it for.
I would also guess that the sales people have some sort of incentive to sell those brands, so they are more likely to push those brands to get their "bonus".
Brands I am thinking of are EI System and Advent for example.
Stick to one of the "big boys" who sell their laptops anywhere, such as:
Toshiba, Acer, Sony, Fujitsu Siemens, HP Compaq and so on.
As Ethel says, around �399 seems to be the price point for a "decent" laptop. You can get cheaper but they tend to skimp on build quality, or memory or disk size.
Try and top it up to �399 and you will get a better laptop.
Some basic things to consider when choosing your laptop.
Most laptops nowadays come with Windows Vista. DONT get one with Vista Home Basic, get one with Vista Home Premium.
Vista needs a lot of memory, make sure it has AT LEAST 1Gb (1 gigabyte) of memory.
Make sure it has a 15" or bigger screen. Some come with only 14" or so.
Hard disks are pretty big nowadays, so the minimum you are likely to get offered is 60Gb or 80Gb. Some come with 120Gb. Try to get the biggest you can.
Its up to you, but I would not let the sales staff talk you into buying an extra 3 year warrenty. This can often cost half as much as the laptop.
Just take the laptop as it is. All laptops have some osrt of warrenty, and if it goes wrong it is likely to go wrong in the first few weeks so it will be covered.
It can go wrong after 2 years or so, but after that time it is usually better to buy a new laptop.
Most laptops nowadays come with Windows Vista. DONT get one with Vista Home Basic, get one with Vista Home Premium.
Vista needs a lot of memory, make sure it has AT LEAST 1Gb (1 gigabyte) of memory.
Make sure it has a 15" or bigger screen. Some come with only 14" or so.
Hard disks are pretty big nowadays, so the minimum you are likely to get offered is 60Gb or 80Gb. Some come with 120Gb. Try to get the biggest you can.
Its up to you, but I would not let the sales staff talk you into buying an extra 3 year warrenty. This can often cost half as much as the laptop.
Just take the laptop as it is. All laptops have some osrt of warrenty, and if it goes wrong it is likely to go wrong in the first few weeks so it will be covered.
It can go wrong after 2 years or so, but after that time it is usually better to buy a new laptop.
I agree you don't need the extra warranty - no matter what you buy.
Think carefully about what you want from your laptop. Do you want it to be very portable -carry it around a lot? If so, the size and weight will matter and you should buy a smaller and lighter one. Oddly these tend to much dearer.
If it is going to be mainly used in one place, occasionally transported, then a bigger one will be more suitable.
But if I were buying a laptop today I would be very tempted by that Acer from Tesco.
Think carefully about what you want from your laptop. Do you want it to be very portable -carry it around a lot? If so, the size and weight will matter and you should buy a smaller and lighter one. Oddly these tend to much dearer.
If it is going to be mainly used in one place, occasionally transported, then a bigger one will be more suitable.
But if I were buying a laptop today I would be very tempted by that Acer from Tesco.
Just purchased http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/Toshiba_Satelli te_Pro_L40-12T_PSL43E-00L00NEN/version.asp with �50 toshiba cashback
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