What laptop please- lower end of the price scales....?
What laptop please- lower end of the price scales....?
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Discussion

gazzab

Original Poster:

21,708 posts

313 months

Tuesday 8th May 2007
quotequote all
Hi - I am moving house next week and wont have broadband sorted for a while I guess.
I therefore want to buy a laptop so my wife can go to coffee shops and surf the web looking for houses and checking her emails etc... We will probably also use it for watching DVDs on holidays.
I am not bothered about Vista. I cant stand slow machines. I would prefer a smaller machine. I can put it through my own LTD co and so will save on VAT and it will be tax deductable. BUT I dont really want to spend that much on it but at the same time dont want to end up with something rubbishy. I dont really want a refurbed machine etc ... I have a Toshiba for work which is ok but it feels cheap and gimmicky. I have had an IBM which was ok - straight and sensible. MACs look interesting but they seem to start at £700ish. I guess I would prefer to spend £400 plus.
Anyone got any recommendations - either a machine or a spec (eg processor)?
thanks !!! Gary

ThePassenger

6,962 posts

266 months

Tuesday 8th May 2007
quotequote all
Novatech do a range of cheapy laptops... built quality on their LOW LOW end ones isn't that bad. Generic innards, generic replacement parts as far as laptops go you understand. Comes with Vista of your choice or... blank and a driver CD. Drop a copy of XP SP2 on it (legitimate copy obviously), feed it the drivers and bingo.

Dell, cheap n' cheerful, as generic as a Dell Might want to get the NBD warranty or use your LTD to screw the VAT back and try to aim further up the range (say slap bang in the middle of their business range).

Both of these options are new obviously.

Hunt around ebay, I seem to remember seeing an old IBM T40 floating around for £200ish. Obviously no real warranty and the T40 can be twitchy (in my experience of the work issued one, even with my XP build and raw drivers) but it'll survive happily as an e-mail machine... get about 4 - 5 hours out the battery as well.

cjs

11,718 posts

282 months

Wednesday 9th May 2007
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I second Dell, they are doing some cracking deals at the moment. I've had a Dell for 6 years and it worked well until I gave it a drink recently. !!

SneakyNeil

9,296 posts

268 months

Wednesday 9th May 2007
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You can get a bottom end IBM R60e w. XP Pro for around 400 notes ex. VAT - quality, sturdy machines.

gazzab

Original Poster:

21,708 posts

313 months

Saturday 12th May 2007
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Ended up with a Toshiba via laptops direct. £290 plus vat, delivered the next day. Warranty = if it needs a fix or replacement then you ALSO get your money back!
Great laptop too (for my needs).