Laptop buying advice
Discussion
Hi folks,
As part of my initial business set up costs, I need to invest in a Laptop and i'm looking for some advice as to best 'bang for buck' really.
Budget:
£500 - £750
Requirements:
- General MS office applications
- Small amount of web design and graphic design
- Internet browsing
- Decent performance and future proofing with potential to upgrade things like RAM eventually.
Now i've always used a Dell Latitude laptop here at work and it's been pretty good, it does seem to have slowed down somewhat in the last 6 months though and running multiple applications is becoming a chore.
The other benefit of Dell is that they're always up for a deal, you can always negotiate for money off, extra kit, free delivery etc etc. They also offer a business finance & leasing package which although is a benefit, it's not a necessity as i've got the funds to buy one outright if needs be.
Any advice would be very welcome!
Cheers,
Phil
ETA: Not fussed about size or weight but good battery life would be an advantage.
As part of my initial business set up costs, I need to invest in a Laptop and i'm looking for some advice as to best 'bang for buck' really.
Budget:
£500 - £750
Requirements:
- General MS office applications
- Small amount of web design and graphic design
- Internet browsing
- Decent performance and future proofing with potential to upgrade things like RAM eventually.
Now i've always used a Dell Latitude laptop here at work and it's been pretty good, it does seem to have slowed down somewhat in the last 6 months though and running multiple applications is becoming a chore.
The other benefit of Dell is that they're always up for a deal, you can always negotiate for money off, extra kit, free delivery etc etc. They also offer a business finance & leasing package which although is a benefit, it's not a necessity as i've got the funds to buy one outright if needs be.
Any advice would be very welcome!
Cheers,
Phil
ETA: Not fussed about size or weight but good battery life would be an advantage.
Edited by Phil Hopkins on Thursday 4th January 10:06
I've had / dealt with Acer for about 4 years, bought a top flight one from them and they dealt with the one breakdown admirably under warranty. No problems dispite my sausage fingers, dubious browsing, travelling to Africa with it 6 times a year (once in the hold - thanks BA)
Guess you'd have to ask them regarding upgrades for each model.
Top quality as far as I'm concerned, with my (limited!) experience - still running very fast graphics etc, build is very good, very hardy, no signs of ageing to talk about.
Guess you'd have to ask them regarding upgrades for each model.
Top quality as far as I'm concerned, with my (limited!) experience - still running very fast graphics etc, build is very good, very hardy, no signs of ageing to talk about.
Edited by andy_s on Thursday 4th January 16:23
Laptops are a real easy one. Pick which ever one fits your budget and you like the looks of. Internally they are made by about 3 or 4 companies who supply the likes of Acer, Fujitsu, Dell, etc. So if you like the looks of the Acer go for it as in terms of component failure it will be as statistically likely as any other supplier. Just remember to get the best warranty package available.
As for getting a copy of Office bundled with the laptop, doubtful. Most laptops come with either Works (which does have Word I believe) or the 180day trial of Office. However depending on what you are (NHS employee, student, etc.) you might be able to get a discount on a full version.
As for getting a copy of Office bundled with the laptop, doubtful. Most laptops come with either Works (which does have Word I believe) or the 180day trial of Office. However depending on what you are (NHS employee, student, etc.) you might be able to get a discount on a full version.
I wouldnt recommend Acer. The actual machines are usually of a good spec and well priced but their quality control and warranty repair needs a lot of improvement. We used to be an Acer dealer but switched to HP after suffering a 50% failure rate on new machines.
If you are relying on the machine for business I would go for an HP, Dell, Toshiba or IBM but make sure you get a warrany where the machine is replaced and you dont have to send it back for repair.
If you are relying on the machine for business I would go for an HP, Dell, Toshiba or IBM but make sure you get a warrany where the machine is replaced and you dont have to send it back for repair.
www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/Acer_Aspire_9301AWSMi_Laptop_LX.AEF0J.070/version-1.asp
What do you all think to that?
What do you all think to that?
Phil,
Do you not fancy a Mac Laptop.
When I started my business I began with an Acer AMD 65 Laptop and it effectively fell apart (within 12 months)
I then swapped it for a Mac Powerbook which I gave to MOH when his Compaq laptop pc gave up the ghost. The powerbook is now 2 years old and has never missed a beat.
I then bought a Toshiba Qosmio laptop last October and the keyboard packed up just out of warranty.
I am now using an Ibook G4 which although only with a 12" screen is really very good.
I know it's a personal thing but I now won't go back to a PC. My machine runs Office for Mac which does not include Micrsoft Access.
Do you not fancy a Mac Laptop.
When I started my business I began with an Acer AMD 65 Laptop and it effectively fell apart (within 12 months)
I then swapped it for a Mac Powerbook which I gave to MOH when his Compaq laptop pc gave up the ghost. The powerbook is now 2 years old and has never missed a beat.
I then bought a Toshiba Qosmio laptop last October and the keyboard packed up just out of warranty.
I am now using an Ibook G4 which although only with a 12" screen is really very good.
I know it's a personal thing but I now won't go back to a PC. My machine runs Office for Mac which does not include Micrsoft Access.
The Macbooks start at £750 inc VAT, although the ones at that price have a 13" screen, which you might find a bit small. The Macbook Pro has a bigger screen, but starts at £1349 inc VAT, although there are some refurbished ones on the apple store site just now starting from £899. These look like good value if you're not bothered about having the latest and greatest - they're Core Duo processors as opposed to the Core 2 Duo in the brand new one. For the stuff you're talking about doing, I'm not sure you'd notice any significant difference.
edit - one thing to bear in mind is that I don't think you'll be able to transfer your Office licence from your PC to your Mac, so you'd be looking at either something like OpenOffice or buying a copy of MS Office for Mac. Although someone who knows better might correct me about that.
edit - one thing to bear in mind is that I don't think you'll be able to transfer your Office licence from your PC to your Mac, so you'd be looking at either something like OpenOffice or buying a copy of MS Office for Mac. Although someone who knows better might correct me about that.
Edited by jamieboy on Thursday 4th January 17:04
Phil Hopkins said:
I must admit Catherine, I have never even considered a Mac as an option. What would you suggest as an appropriate mac for the money?
The cheapest is 749. Although a nice computer that doesn't require additional £££ effort for web-safety, you'll clash with your budget and your office-licence, when the Mac-version requires a separate, or your current PC only has an OEM-version (?). Have you considered to upgrade your Dell Latitude, since its lacks sound like insufficient memory? What CPU does it have?
oops, beaten to it...
Edited by Bodo on Thursday 4th January 17:14
Phil Hopkins said:
Sadly they do look a bit rich for me really, especially given that as you said, it's doubtful that I could transfer the PC Office licence.
I know what you mean, I'm trying to justify one myself. But lots of people say that their older Powerbooks have lasted better than equivalent Windows laptops, so you could argue that it might cost the same over it's lifetime. Not sure if that's still true with the Macbooks, might be too early in their life to tell. Bodo said:
Phil Hopkins said:
I must admit Catherine, I have never even considered a Mac as an option. What would you suggest as an appropriate mac for the money?
The cheapest is 749. Although a nice computer that doesn't require additional £££ effort for web-safety, you'll clash with your budget and your office-licence, when the Mac-version requires a separate, or your current PC only has an OEM-version (?). Have you considered to upgrade your Dell Latitude, since its lacks sound like insufficient memory? What CPU does it have?
oops, beaten to it...
Edited by Bodo on Thursday 4th January 17:14
Bodo, this Dell is the property of the company I currently work for so won't be coming along with me in my new venture sadly.
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