Laptop Advice

[Eve]

My current laptop is pretty much dead so i'm looking around at how much it would cost for me to get a new one.

I mainly use it for the Internet, email, work stuff (mainly word documents), storage wise it's mainly photos and a few mps and maybe a few other downloads from time to time. So I don't need (or can afford) anything too fancy or complex.

I'd need decent security, anti virus etc... so I am safe for online banking, eBay etc... and preferably Office for work (Word, Outlook etc...). Is just something like free AVG enough rather than something like Norton?

I currently have an ESystem 3083 I bought in 2006 with Intel Celeron, 512MB Ram and 40GB HDD.

It's knackered, keep having to delete things for memory to upload photos etc... very very slow, keeps crashing, overheats and shuts down, has a broken Ethernet port so online via a USB connector...not to mention the now not working keys (juice/cats incidents).

I have a very limited budget, preferably under £350-£400 all in if that's feasible to get something decent that will last.

If anyone could give any good guidance about what to look for, where to get a good deal, what I do and don't need I'd be really grateful.

[VHG]

Prices of laptops have dropped a lot lately so there are many available for £300 and upwards.

The latest Intel CPUs are called i3 (and i5 and i7) and an i3 shoud be fine for you so see if you can get one with an i3 CPU on it.

Many new computers come with Office 2010 Starter on it which consists of Word and Excel with slightly limited function. This is NOT time limited and will run forever so this may be good enough for your work.

However it does not include Outlook so if you really need it you may need to buy it (there may be way of you not needing Outlook itself but getting your mail some other way like Windows Live Mail which is free) or via a web interface.

To be honest there are hundreds of possible laptops you could buy, and they are sold through many supermarkets (Tesco etc) as well as Comet, PC World, Dell etc etc, so it is difficult to suggest just one.

I use a web site called HotUkDeals where members of the public post good deals and it may be worth looking on there to see when a good laptop deal is posted (then get in quick before they all go).

Note that people can "comment" on the deals so read the comments and see if people really do think it is a good deal.

See web site here

http://www.hotukdeals.com/computers/all/new

[VHG]

Here is one possible (I am not saying it is the best deal around, but it is a starting point).

From Tesco, an Acer with an i3 CPU, 4Gb of memory, and a large 750Gb hard drive for £399.

http://www.tescotechsupport.com/acer/

[VHG]

This is another deal from Tesco, though this laptop is not as good as the one above (but it is £100 cheaper)

A Compaq (owned by HP) with a Pentium Dual Core CPU, 4Gb memory, 500Gb hard drive, for £299. I would class this laptop as "cheap and cheerful" but it will probably do the job.

This may not have Office 2010 Starter on it, but just a trial version of Office that will run out after 60 days.

http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.211-8727.aspx

[Mosaic]

Could also be worth having a look at a chromebook
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVqe8ieqz10

[VHG]

Here is one from Argos mid way between the price of the two above, a HP laptop at £349.

It does have an i3 (though a slightly older model) with 3Gb of memory and 500Gb hard drive so not a bad deal.

http://www.argos.co.u...artNumber/5084784.htm

[VHG]

So I have posted 3 laptops above, priced at £300, £350 and £400 to give you an idea what is available.

But to be honest I could have posted dozens of others as there are hundreds of laptops available between £300 and £400.

Many arguments about computer security. AVG is OK (not great just OK) but it is only anti-virus so you may not be protected against spyware and malware. Avast may be better.

I run Microsoft Security Essentials (free) plus Malwarebytes (free) but to be honest some of the paid for products like Norton do provide more complete support (ignore those who say Norton is rubbish - it may have been a couple of years ago but is now excellent).

In reference to the Chromebook above, note you cant install Word or Excel on it as it does not run Windows.

[Eve]

Than you so much, really helpful. I've had a bit of a look and just so worried about making the wrong decision or paying more than I need to.

[VHG]

As long as you go for a good laptop make, and buy from a reputable company, it is hard to make a "mistake".

If I were you I would spend about £350 (a £300 laptop may be a bit basic, and £400 may be a bit over the top).

There are plenty of decent brands like Dell, Toshiba, HP, Sony, Compaq, Lenovo etc.

[wolf63]

My last PC went to the PC hospital where the guy found a cat's worth of cat hair inside. But upon reading your post again Jenna it seems that your laptop was just exhausted.

The 'guys' have given you an idea of what to buy - this link might be worth a look to see if there are any current bargains to be grabbed.

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/shopping/

Good luck