Laptop spec. for wireless browsing and some downloading?

[steve z]

I want to buy a laptop predominantly for wireless broadband access around the house. What minimum spec. should I be aiming for in terms of:-

Processor speed/type
Hard Drive capacity
RAM

[Plotloss]

Bugger all effectively.

For browsing a £150 ebay job will be more than adequate.

[ThePassenger]

Look at the Aldi website they sell cheapo laptops (Medino brand) for pennies or at places like Novatech if you want new.

[mcflurry]

Dell - £350. Job done

[ThePassenger]

mcflurry said:

Dell - £350. Job done

Personally... I'd avoid Dell unless your getting the next business day warranty option. Take, for example my XPS Gen 2. Current list of parts that have been replaced by Dell: 2x Motherboards, 1x CPU, 4x GFX cards, 1x Display panel. And as Sadako reported to me a day or so ago, it's just killed it's GFX module.... again. This machine spends its life sat on a desk or lap, in the shade, doing not a great deal of grunty work and tootling around the net. Not good.

That's the tally from one of their £1,500 super units; how often do you think that £350 job will be in for repair? Much better to have them come to you than you ship it back and wait a week or so.

[toni896]

mcflurry said:

Dell - £350. Job done

trick with Dell go for their business machine, ok ish spec, but stable.

XPS/game machines not the best

[Davi]

toni896 said:

mcflurry said:

Dell - £350. Job done

trick with Dell go for their business machine, ok ish spec, but stable.

XPS/game machines not the best

have a total of 9 Dells I am supposed to look after - including 3 laptops. I don't want to jinx them so I'm not going to say much more than I'd buy another without hesitation.

oh - and we have another laptop arriving friday from Dell, cost £275 in the sale.

[tinman0]

dell or a cheap toshiba from dabs.com

personally, being a tosh fan, i'd go tosh.

[ThePassenger]

toni896 said:

mcflurry said:

Dell - £350. Job done

trick with Dell go for their business machine, ok ish spec, but stable.

XPS/game machines not the best

I'd have to agree, although also avoid the ultra cheap home user stuff. With Dell shoot smack bang in the middle of their business market and you can't go wrong really.

Note: The XPS laptops are reworked Inspirion chassis... they should be stable but... obviously aren't. I get the impression my old Gen 2 is rather erm... an oddity in that it hasn't exploded