Laptop Purchase

by Nellie • 21 Sep 2009, 16:13 • Journals
Hi there,

Seems I’ve been given a £400 grant to buy a new laptop – meaning it’s time to consult the Anonymous Crossfire knowledgebase ^_^

Even after years and years of using computers intensively I don’t know the foggiest about them (likewise can only change my car tyre!) – so I be a bit clueless on where to start. So what do people think?

The only stipulation is that it has to be new, and it can’t cost more than £400 (I don't get to keep any change >.< ). Can be bought from wherever as long as they provide a receipt and it’s for work related things, so gaming isn’t an issue… fast load / can multitask would be my only qualms – m$ XP preferably (nobody likes change) & I’ve no issue with pirating software.
  • Cost £400
  • Work related
  • New

Be great if we could get some kind of consensus! <3


http://www.thegamehomepage.com/play/stick-war/
Comments
28
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GoodGuyGary 21 Sep 2009, 17:14
Do not buy laptops from Sony me2cents
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pepe 21 Sep 2009, 17:16
Don't do Dell or Acer and notebooks suck!
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Nellie 21 Sep 2009, 17:16
BBC Click said notebooks suck for multitasking! I'm a tab'r so that'd drive me crazy ^_^
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pepe 21 Sep 2009, 17:20
There's a few notebooks in my 6th form, I find myself sitting their like a caveman typing with one finger on the small keyboard and squinting with my face rubbing the 12 inch monitor :'(
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darthmob 21 Sep 2009, 17:37
I would go for linux if you want multitasking. Way better performance when multiple applications are open + multiple desktops (firefox on one desk, one for msn + mail, two for work) + tabs in file browser = epic win for nerds.
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Nellie 21 Sep 2009, 17:38
Linux scares me...
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darthmob 21 Sep 2009, 17:40
I understand that. Nevertheless it's very good for multitasking. ;-)
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Nellie 21 Sep 2009, 17:43
No doubt – but the technical side just doesn’t interest, nor does it come naturally!

At most it’d be Office programme / web – probably not worth the hassle. Were you to buy (minus linux :p ) what would you go for? <3
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darthmob 21 Sep 2009, 18:49
Don't have much experience with notebooks so I can't really help with that. :/
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RazZaH 21 Sep 2009, 17:19
where is the daily trivia
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Nellie 21 Sep 2009, 17:25
With the Crossfire Prediction League !
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RazZaH 21 Sep 2009, 17:27
...always starting new projects and then you dont finish them :/
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Nellie 21 Sep 2009, 17:31
The trivia is still going :)

Some things work, some don't - you only found out by doing them :> just as many worked ^^
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Kendle 21 Sep 2009, 17:30
I buy Dell for work (usually Latitude's but have a had a few Vostro's recently as well). We buy them with 3 year warranties but can't recall ever having to use it, they just work, and carry on working for years.

Bought an Inspiron 1540 for £400 for the wife a few weeks ago, but only because it had to be purple! To get it @ £400 I had to go for a dual-core Celeron rather than core2 duo, but it has a decent Radeon graphics card and 3Gb RAM and runs well under Vista Home Premium.
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Nellie 21 Sep 2009, 17:34
Kendle, a man we can trust.

You buy from the Dell shop?
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Kendle 21 Sep 2009, 17:36
Online
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Nellie 21 Sep 2009, 17:40
Righto, cheers - endless customisation on there! Will have a look at the spec suggested above.

It's all so subjective... would you say Inspiron is better quality / value than the other 'brands' listed on there?
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Kendle 21 Sep 2009, 17:50
My wife's Inspirion is well made although it's a bit "shiny" for my taste, and the Vostro's are also bit "cheap" (plastic cover) compared to the Latitude (matt finish alloy), but they're a great spec for the price and as you can see you can completely customise them to your exact requirement.

Like I said, I bought Inspiron for the missus cos they're the ones they advertise on TV that come in all colours. If she hadn't insisted on purple I'd have bought a Vostro.
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Mayni 21 Sep 2009, 18:10
I really mean this. Just buy a dell. If you want gaming and other stuff, stay clear. But if you want a cheap reliable laptop for work, that will run programs fine + multitask, might as well just get a dell or hp compaq or something well known. :D
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darthmob 21 Sep 2009, 17:39
I've got a vostro 1310 (or 1330? don't know how it's called). It's a nice notebook but the fan is horribly loud. I wouldn't recommend it for work in libraries or other quiet places. :)
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Kendle 21 Sep 2009, 17:43
Can't say I've noticed, but then my office is pretty noisy and I buy them for my firm's remote workers, usually home workers or salesmen on the road, doubt they use them anywhere that they need to be quiet.
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darthmob 21 Sep 2009, 18:53
I bought it for university where it's mostly quiet when you are learning. The problem is that the fan only kicks in when it gets hot but then as fast as it can. In the end you have two minutes of absolute quiet, then thirty seconds of horrible loud fan and again two minutes of quiet. Rinse and repeat.
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pedro 21 Sep 2009, 17:52
Just got three laptops for work. A macbook pro, a samsung X120 and an advent altro (Not sure if that's the right one. It's the tiny one they do at least).

For what you're spending, go with what Kendle is advising.
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Skydeh 21 Sep 2009, 19:59
I got my cousin a wicked Vaio for £435!

Laptopsdirect is the place I got it from!

I use a Macbook Pro at home and it's so sexy but out of your price range!
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beggin 21 Sep 2009, 20:41
PCWorld refurbished laptops are basically new...they just can't sell them as new because they have been opened/used once. My cousin used to work there and used to get great deals all the time. And they are so much cheaper than brand new.
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Nellie 21 Sep 2009, 23:04
It's a grant, it has to be new.
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