computer advice

[nickbell69]

For all you techies out there.
Due to desktop PC being 6years old, running slow, crashing/freezing lots i'm thinking of getting a laptop.
Space is a factor in this too as it'll free up corner of 2nd bedroom.
What i want to know is what should i be looking at when getting one?
Hard drive size? (80gb on PC at mo with only 20used so don't think i need too much)
RAM??????
Processor speed?(looking at 1.6Ghz PC at mo is 2.6)

Computer is used mainly for internet, e-mail, odd bit of music download(prob 2 albums a month on average so not huge), little bit of word and excel and storing photos and documents.

Also thinking of wireless printer eventually would laptop need wireless or bluetooth for that?

Any un biased advice would be great as obviously walking into PC world etc tends to be sell sell sell!

Thanks in advance
Nick.

[Stranger]

I'd certainly go for the best you can, whatever you get it'll be out of date as soon as you get it that's just the way with technology I'm afraid. I'm not a lap top fan nor am I a wireless fan so I shan't give you biased opinions. Suffice to say check out places like big pockets and e-buyer as well as local, recommended shops.

If you have one built by a reputable local stockist there are many benefits; they'll build it to your specs so you'll not be paying for a super duper graphics card if you're not going to use it but you will get what you need, they'll be better equipped to provide advice than some one like PC World as they need repeat business and want you to be happy, they'll be more personable to deal with and most importantly they'll not be out to sell at any cost and will be there for repairs.

[Paddy]

I have just purchased this laptop for my masters year at uni.

I wanted it for all the above reasons you have mentioned plus to run CAD software (SolidWorks), so it has a good bit of grunt reducing rendering time over my last machine.

Its a very well speced machine and looks smart.

4GB PC2-6400 DDR2 SDRAM 800MHz
Windows Vista Ulitimate Premium 64-bit with Service Pack 1
12.1" WXGA High-Definition HP LED BrightView Widescreen Display (1280x800)
320GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3410 Graphics (512MB)
802.11a/b/g/n wireless and Bluetooth
5-in-1 card reader
External Blue Ray Drive
6-Cell Li-ion battery
Dimensions: 11.50 in (L) x 9.45 in (D) x 0.93 in (min H) / 1.29 in (max. H)
Weight: 3.95 lbs (with 6-cell battery)

Its a bit over kill for just using the internet but the best of all I got it delieved for less than £450 from Amazon.

Heres a Review of the same machine just slightly different spec.

http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=4963&review=hp+pavilion+dv2

[Ray]

the spec above is pretty good for £450. obviously, screen size is sacrificed here (or not if you want a small portable laptop).

But for your general needs, you don't need anything flash. anything upto £500 will do, but stay clear of netbooks. I bought my dad a laptop based on very much the same spec as your own.

Look for a Core2Duo around 2GHz or higher, RAM is about 3GB standard these days. HDD, anything above 250 is normal, but older models (or business laptops) ship with 120; you probably won't fill it. screen size is upto you but 14" is a nice compromise between portability and usability. Graphics you can get away with the standard on-board Intel GMA 4500 (which is what most ship with) but a dedicated chip from nVidia or ATi is always beneficial.

FYI: i ended up buying my dad a Dell Studio 14 for £500. (this price was with some small additons which bumped up the price). Sadly you can't get them in the UK for some reason.

[andywills]

bit of a small screen to be running cad on...

saw these the other day...

http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.206-5794.aspx

or

http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.206-6382.aspx (but you'd need an external drive for that one)

[Paddy]

Not that bad at all and i carry it around all day so wanted a smaller machine, anyway it has an HDMI out so a just connect it to the Pioneer when i work at home.

[TheMGN]

Maybe you should wait a little for Windows 7 to be released (it's sometimes in October i think) to spare you the Vista system.

[andywills]

i think if you have a machine with vista home premium you are eligable for an upgrade to windows 7? Also, can someone explain what the porblem with vista is? i use it at work running autocad 2010 everday at work and never had any issues with it

[TheMGN]

My brother had bought a laptop with Vista and it's really a pain in the back imo (but i've been using xp for so long time maybe im not fair ).

[nickbell69]

Thanks for all the advice guys. Tescos is looking good at the mo, will be out this weekend shopping for one.
Heard a few people comment about vista but i guess you get used to 1 and another seems awkward. Have seen a few stores offering free upgrades to windows 7 if bought now so will look into that.
Cheers again.

[andywills]

if you go to http://www.software4students.co.uk, you can get discounted software. to qualify, you either have to be a student OR someone who has children that goto university, college or school.

[IainMW]

Having spent years specifying and supplying and maintaining laptops for the toughest of jobs (use by children in secondary schools) I would recommend that you stick to Toshiba or HP (and my own choice would be at least a dual core Intel processor with a minimum 2GB of RAM)

Tesco did have a good offer on Toshiba's the other week but they had AMD processors in them.

Vista is crap, wait for Windows 7 and stay clear of anything with ACER on the front!!!

[Paddy]

Yea ACER is a CHINATECH rebrand.... Stay clear.

Although im an AMD man... but thats an argument for a different forum.

One other thing. Any PC as of a while back that comes with VISTA has a free upgrade to 7.

P

[Ray]

Acer, while not my preferred brand to buy, have been fine everytime i've used them. They're very popular over in asia.

[TheMGN]

Vista is crap, wait for Windows 7 and stay clear of anything with ACER on the front!!!

Oh yeah, Acer are not very good!
Agree with HP or Toshiba. I've also been using an Asus for three years now and not a single problem with it (and it's constantly running).