Cheap laptop recommendations
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Discussion

Shnozz

Original Poster:

30,689 posts

302 months

Friday 1st June 2007
quotequote all
Hi chaps. As a result of a relocation I shall be rooming with a fellow PHer for a few months. With this in mind, I dont want to be lugging my desktop along with me so thought about getting a cheap laptop to play with for a few months.

I dont want to spend a lot as once my house move has taken place I'll have my desktop all set up again so this is an interim solution only. Likewise, i dont really do a great deal on the PC other than play around with a few bits of software, surf the net, check emails, manage photos/music. I have an external hard disk so dont need a huge memory, although more portable memory might be useful. The only real extra I would like is a re writeable DVD as my desktop hasnt got one of those.

I have seen some Acers and an HP at £299. I wondered what other gems PHers could point me in the direction of.

Oh, and question from a numpty...I also want to be able to connect to a wireless network and assume these days the connection is internal rather than via a USB dongle?

Shnozz

Original Poster:

30,689 posts

302 months

Friday 1st June 2007
quotequote all
just been looking on ebuyer and see a few Toshiba and Acer models at £320 that seem to offer wireless, an 80GB memory and a DVD R/W. Are they shite?

mcflurry

9,192 posts

284 months

Friday 1st June 2007
quotequote all
Toshiba had a thing whereby if you take out an extended warranty and claim on it they will refund it.

Guess that means Toshiba are happy to believe in the product and stand by it...


Psychobert

6,318 posts

287 months

Friday 1st June 2007
quotequote all
Shnozz said:
I shall be rooming with a fellow PHer for a few months
yikes

If you don't get one with an internal wirless thingy, I probably have a dongle floating around somewhere..

Shnozz

Original Poster:

30,689 posts

302 months

Friday 1st June 2007
quotequote all
erm....

possibly only rooming for a few days

Psychobert

6,318 posts

287 months

Friday 1st June 2007
quotequote all
No worries, as long as you need, no hassle.. biggrin

BTW, shall I fire up the BBQ at the weekend or do you need to head south in a hurry?

ThePassenger

6,962 posts

266 months

Friday 1st June 2007
quotequote all
Check out Dell or Novatech's uber cheap range of the market machines. Personally I'd go with a novatech (aka Mitac) cheapo over Dell's but if the price is right and it's ultimately a disposable machine what the hell smile

By example, got a Novatech "Maverick" here, the poverty spec of their old old poverty spec. It's been bounced in the boot, abused.. sparks came out of the USB port type abuse... the damn thing just keep trucking.

Shnozz

Original Poster:

30,689 posts

302 months

Friday 1st June 2007
quotequote all
cheers Passenger, have already checked those 2 out as it happens. My desktop is a Dell and has been superbfor reasonable money. Novatech is 10 minutes from me (I see you are Hants based too..) and so I checked their site and there seems to be some good deals. Nothing yet to beat what I have found from Acer, Tosh and HP in terms of price though but I guess they may be a far higher spec. I would rather avoid Vista home basic package if I can and would rather have XP.

Shnozz

Original Poster:

30,689 posts

302 months

Friday 1st June 2007
quotequote all
Psychobert said:
No worries, as long as you need, no hassle.. biggrin

BTW, shall I fire up the BBQ at the weekend or do you need to head south in a hurry?
Well I plan on staying in this job around 5 years so trust thats ok? wink

Besides, just think of the men behaving badly attributes. 32" LCD TV - check. Playstation - check. Portable hard disk with copious amounts of los lesbos porn - check. Lotus trackday toy - check. Stories about your past to use as blackmail - check. Beer fridge - check.

We cant hang around too long Sunday dude as we have to get back to the cats as leaving early Saturday morning. The racing at Donington should be over by lunchtime though so will head straight to you from there smile

ThePassenger

6,962 posts

266 months

Friday 1st June 2007
quotequote all
Shnozz said:
cheers Passenger, have already checked those 2 out as it happens. My desktop is a Dell and has been superbfor reasonable money. Novatech is 10 minutes from me (I see you are Hants based too..) and so I checked their site and there seems to be some good deals. Nothing yet to beat what I have found from Acer, Tosh and HP in terms of price though but I guess they may be a far higher spec. I would rather avoid Vista home basic package if I can and would rather have XP.
Novatech do blank machines and are still flogging XP Home and XP Pro OEM's for I think £50?. Don't quote me on this but I'm pretty sure a complete new laptop meets the OEM license requirements biggrin
The blanks just come with a generic Win98 - Vista driver CD in with the manuals.

And yep, I'm about 30min away if that over in Waterlooville... where abouts are you at the mo? biggrin

Psychobert

6,318 posts

287 months

Friday 1st June 2007
quotequote all
Shnozz said:
We cant hang around too long Sunday dude as we have to get back to the cats as leaving early Saturday morning. The racing at Donington should be over by lunchtime though so will head straight to you from there smile
No worries, just give me a shout when you get close..