Discussion
Number 1 daughter has just had her GCSE results and dad promised a laptop for good results. Now it's time to cough up.
What laptops are good value, reliable and where to get them are the questions I would like to throw open to the house.
Spec would need to include a dvd player(rec?), wireless connection and be generally suitable for an A level student.
I use a Dell desktops at work and they seem OK but someone put me off their laptops
Otherwise any comments gratefully received
cheers
What laptops are good value, reliable and where to get them are the questions I would like to throw open to the house.
Spec would need to include a dvd player(rec?), wireless connection and be generally suitable for an A level student.
I use a Dell desktops at work and they seem OK but someone put me off their laptops
Otherwise any comments gratefully received
cheers
the apple powerbook range has fell behind the pentium m range in terms of processor speed but the build quality, styling and package are so much better. OS X Tiger is awsome and some of the apple creative software is near pro level at consumer prices, plus you get massive education discount. Good ipod/powerbook deal at the mo.
They are a bit expensive but they also hold their value better.
my 15' has DVD RW, wireless, modem, bluetooth and 10/100 ethernet standard. plus a few bits added on.
They are a bit expensive but they also hold their value better.
my 15' has DVD RW, wireless, modem, bluetooth and 10/100 ethernet standard. plus a few bits added on.
Personally, I dislike Sony...every one I've ever seen has had to go back to them on numerous occasions, and it takes *forever* for it to come back again (6 weeks at last count 
)
IMO Dell's are a bit hit and miss - my Dad has one and it's been superb - great build quality and no problems. Some of the ones at work are seriously dodgy though - after less than a year of use, one particular model's screens end up with a "halo" in the centre and the screen hinges on all models are appalling.
At work, I use an IBM which I love, but it takes FOREVER to boot up (and I've removed most stuff from boot up). I have a Compaq as my personal laptop - it was the cheapest I could find at the time (because I'd just blown up my desktop PC
) and has been superb. The cat used to sit on it, it got thrown around, dropped, hit...you name it, and it still works (just 
). It personally heats my whole flat for me as well (great in winter, not so good in summer 
)
I've heard good things about Acer and Apple, but never used so I can't comment
My recommendation would be Compaq/HP.
) IMO Dell's are a bit hit and miss - my Dad has one and it's been superb - great build quality and no problems. Some of the ones at work are seriously dodgy though - after less than a year of use, one particular model's screens end up with a "halo" in the centre and the screen hinges on all models are appalling.
At work, I use an IBM which I love, but it takes FOREVER to boot up (and I've removed most stuff from boot up). I have a Compaq as my personal laptop - it was the cheapest I could find at the time (because I'd just blown up my desktop PC
) and has been superb. The cat used to sit on it, it got thrown around, dropped, hit...you name it, and it still works (just ). It personally heats my whole flat for me as well (great in winter, not so good in summer ) I've heard good things about Acer and Apple, but never used so I can't comment
My recommendation would be Compaq/HP. Apple or Samsung. If you visit apple uk's education site you can get some good deals - also visit www.rm.com and have a look at their deals for students on their own range of laptops and samsungs.
KB_S1 said:
the apple powerbook range has fell behind the pentium m range in terms of processor speed but the build quality, styling and package are so much better
Completely untrue, the build quality of any windows based laptop can be brilliant or rubbish dependent on who you buy from.
Styling and package is X1000 times better on intel systems due to having a choice of buying what ever suits your taste rather than just one flavour as in the Mac's case.
KB_S1 said:
They are a bit expensive but they also hold their value better.
Huh?, 6-12 months later they have all been surpassed anyway!, its just the windows/intel market makes steps at much quicker pace than Mac's. This isn't really a consideration for most.
Having just spent about a week looking through the hundreds of options that seem to be available I came across this website which is for students etc. I have placed my order with them and am just waiting for my shiny new laptop to arrive. They were very helpful, seemed to know what they were talking about and have great specs and prices. Student store is what I found but following some links gets you to the getech website which has a much larger range of equipment.
So here are the links...
www.studentstore.co.uk
www.getech.co.uk/education/educationhome.htm
Hope this helps!
Richard
So here are the links...
www.studentstore.co.uk
www.getech.co.uk/education/educationhome.htm
Hope this helps!
Richard
aranell said:
IMO Dell's are a bit hit and miss - my Dad has one and it's been superb - great build quality and no problems. Some of the ones at work are seriously dodgy though - after less than a year of use, one particular model's screens end up with a "halo" in the centre and the screen hinges on all models are appalling.
The difference in quality between the Latitudes and the Inspirons is huge. Purchasing made a mess of an order and we got an inspiron in by mistake last week and it just fells rubbish. Plastic case as opposed to metal of the Latitudes, and just designed really cheaply.
Whilst they are slightly more expensive than average, I have nothing but good things to say about the IBM range. You can immediately tell where the extra money went - they are solidly built, a joy to use (best keyboards & pointers out there), are easily repaired with mostly standard parts (all easily obtainable from IBM), lightweight and perform well. Plus, the range scales from very reasonable entry-level models right up to the powerhouse mobile workstations.
Now that the IBM laptop business has been taken over by Lenovo I don't know if the quality will still be there for much longer (rumours already abound of cost-cutting through the use of inferior components), but my 'last-of-the-real-IBMs' Thinkpad T42p is frankly the best laptop I've ever used.
[k]
Now that the IBM laptop business has been taken over by Lenovo I don't know if the quality will still be there for much longer (rumours already abound of cost-cutting through the use of inferior components), but my 'last-of-the-real-IBMs' Thinkpad T42p is frankly the best laptop I've ever used.
[k]
[quote=[k]ar|]Whilst they are slightly more expensive than average, I have nothing but good things to say about the IBM range. You can immediately tell where the extra money went - they are solidly built, a joy to use (best keyboards & pointers out there), are easily repaired with mostly standard parts (all easily obtainable from IBM), lightweight and perform well. Plus, the range scales from very reasonable entry-level models right up to the powerhouse mobile workstations.
Now that the IBM laptop business has been taken over by Lenovo I don't know if the quality will still be there for much longer (rumours already abound of cost-cutting through the use of inferior components), but my 'last-of-the-real-IBMs' Thinkpad T42p is frankly the best laptop I've ever used.
[k]
[/quote]
Another vote for IBM's. My T41 is indestructable.
I would also be tempted by a Mac. Unless you are running very intensive apps (which very few of us can honestly claim to do) the peformance difference is not a huge concern. OSX is a great operating system & currently not subject to anywhere near the number of virii and nasties.
Now that the IBM laptop business has been taken over by Lenovo I don't know if the quality will still be there for much longer (rumours already abound of cost-cutting through the use of inferior components), but my 'last-of-the-real-IBMs' Thinkpad T42p is frankly the best laptop I've ever used.
[k]
[/quote]
Another vote for IBM's. My T41 is indestructable.
I would also be tempted by a Mac. Unless you are running very intensive apps (which very few of us can honestly claim to do) the peformance difference is not a huge concern. OSX is a great operating system & currently not subject to anywhere near the number of virii and nasties.
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