Packard Bell Laptops - yay or nay?
Discussion
Im in the market for a laptop and Ive narrowed it down a few that are on offer at PC World.
I like the PC world idea as it give me somewhere to actually take it back to if it goes wrong. Which I think it will.
So my budget is about 450 squids and Im looking at an HPG606 with an AMD processor that Im told is equivalent to Duo core thingamy, a Toshiba A210 something that looks like good value, nice and fast processing for the money but no inbuilt webcam (I will be on Skype to relatives a fair bit - honest) but what really caught my eye was the "Limited Edition" Range from Packard Bell.
They do an orange one and a Green one (has a bigger screen) and they are the same money at the moment for 599. Mainly, I just like the look of them but according to the website they have loads of "class leading" features too.
Anyone have any thoughts on why I should or shouldnt go for that brand if the components stack up?
Cheers in advance
I like the PC world idea as it give me somewhere to actually take it back to if it goes wrong. Which I think it will.
So my budget is about 450 squids and Im looking at an HPG606 with an AMD processor that Im told is equivalent to Duo core thingamy, a Toshiba A210 something that looks like good value, nice and fast processing for the money but no inbuilt webcam (I will be on Skype to relatives a fair bit - honest) but what really caught my eye was the "Limited Edition" Range from Packard Bell.
They do an orange one and a Green one (has a bigger screen) and they are the same money at the moment for 599. Mainly, I just like the look of them but according to the website they have loads of "class leading" features too.
Anyone have any thoughts on why I should or shouldnt go for that brand if the components stack up?
Cheers in advance
Seconded, Packard Bell would be my last choice for an off-the-shelf PC...
If you absolutely don't want to buy online, and if you don't have a specialist PC store nearby, go to somewhere like Comet, John Lewis or even a biggish Tesco/Sainsburys/Asda and have a look at what's on offer there - you'll get the same "ease of taking it back if it all goes Pete Tong" reassurance as from PC World (probably moreso, given the bloody good returns policies of some/all of the above stores...), but you won't get distracted by any of the crappier products on offer at PC World (or the other stores in the DSG empire).
FWIW, I used to love the Dell laptops we had at my last employer, and the IBMs we use at my current one are pretty good too. Meanwhile, I've spent my own money on Fujitsu-Siemens and Acer laptops, both of which have been problem-free over the 2 and 1 years I've had them, and I think if I were looking for a new one right now it'd be another Acer - decent build quality, nice screens and keyboards, and sensibly priced for what you get...
If you absolutely don't want to buy online, and if you don't have a specialist PC store nearby, go to somewhere like Comet, John Lewis or even a biggish Tesco/Sainsburys/Asda and have a look at what's on offer there - you'll get the same "ease of taking it back if it all goes Pete Tong" reassurance as from PC World (probably moreso, given the bloody good returns policies of some/all of the above stores...), but you won't get distracted by any of the crappier products on offer at PC World (or the other stores in the DSG empire).
FWIW, I used to love the Dell laptops we had at my last employer, and the IBMs we use at my current one are pretty good too. Meanwhile, I've spent my own money on Fujitsu-Siemens and Acer laptops, both of which have been problem-free over the 2 and 1 years I've had them, and I think if I were looking for a new one right now it'd be another Acer - decent build quality, nice screens and keyboards, and sensibly priced for what you get...
Thirded. (think I just made that word up)
Worst thing about Packard Bell is the mountain of junk that will be pre-installed. I'd second the Dell nomination but you need to know a bit about what you're buying to get through their ordering system (but you can specify XP on a lot of them).
If you're happy in a supermarket then the Gateway I had years ago was OK and they seem to be good prices now at Tesco.
As an aside, there are no AMD processors that can really be compared with an Intel Core 2 Duo. They're getting closer but Intel still has them whipped, inlcuding the Athlon and Turion X2s.
Your left-field option is a Mac. A 13" 2Ghz macbook will set you back £699 (from PC World if you insist)_ which is a bit over budget but £1000 better than a Packard Bell (that should surprise a coupe of people on here
)
In you want Windows then give this a look (sorry about it having Vista).
Worst thing about Packard Bell is the mountain of junk that will be pre-installed. I'd second the Dell nomination but you need to know a bit about what you're buying to get through their ordering system (but you can specify XP on a lot of them).
If you're happy in a supermarket then the Gateway I had years ago was OK and they seem to be good prices now at Tesco.
As an aside, there are no AMD processors that can really be compared with an Intel Core 2 Duo. They're getting closer but Intel still has them whipped, inlcuding the Athlon and Turion X2s.
Your left-field option is a Mac. A 13" 2Ghz macbook will set you back £699 (from PC World if you insist)_ which is a bit over budget but £1000 better than a Packard Bell (that should surprise a coupe of people on here
)In you want Windows then give this a look (sorry about it having Vista).
Nay.
I used to be a DSG store manager, back in 1999-ish, we used to sell loads of cheap Packard Bell stuff to all the mugs wandering in off the street having just read something about 'that internet stuff'.
Mostly they were unreliable heaps of shit.
Mrs 75 recently got a Toshiba Core 2 Duo machine from John Lewis - not sure if it has a webcam in it or not - she's only using it for her college course as she usually uses an ancient Powerbook.
Personally, I'd look at the Apple MacBooks on the Apple refurb site, they had several versions at under 600 quid last night - they run Windows very well and you can even use the built-in webcam when running Windows XP as a virtual machine.
ETA: I should have said 'eee pc'.... the MX-5 of laptops.
I used to be a DSG store manager, back in 1999-ish, we used to sell loads of cheap Packard Bell stuff to all the mugs wandering in off the street having just read something about 'that internet stuff'.
Mostly they were unreliable heaps of shit.
Mrs 75 recently got a Toshiba Core 2 Duo machine from John Lewis - not sure if it has a webcam in it or not - she's only using it for her college course as she usually uses an ancient Powerbook.
Personally, I'd look at the Apple MacBooks on the Apple refurb site, they had several versions at under 600 quid last night - they run Windows very well and you can even use the built-in webcam when running Windows XP as a virtual machine.
ETA: I should have said 'eee pc'.... the MX-5 of laptops.
Edited by 75_Steve on Saturday 26th January 21:19
I had to take a Packard Bell mini-pc back to PC World because the S key didn't work. We also noticed that the seal had been broken on the one they sold us. I suspect it was returned for the same reason before, then re-sold. PC World tried to fob me off with an excuse but I got all loud in the shop and that seemed to sort it out. 
So, I won't be going back to PC World or affiliates (Dixons, Curry's whatsit) any time soon. Also note, they don't have a discretionary return policy. Suppose rare with computers, but worth considering.
So, I won't be going back to PC World or affiliates (Dixons, Curry's whatsit) any time soon. Also note, they don't have a discretionary return policy. Suppose rare with computers, but worth considering.
Edited by nsa on Wednesday 6th February 11:02
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