15.4" or 17" Laptop

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philboy

Registered User
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Hi,

My uncle is thinking of buying a new Laptop. It will only be for use in his apartment & will rarely if ever be brought outside it. The only distance it will be travelling is from the bedroom to the sitting room. He doesnt want the clutter of a desktop so a laptop would be ideal.

i myself don't have a laptop so im looking for advice. I have a 19" LCD for my desktop at home & like a large screen. Since he will only be using it mainly for surfing the net and watching dvds, im thinking that a 17" would be perfect rather than a 15.4".

Any laptop users got any views/advice?

On a side note, can anyone recommend some good laptop retailers. I currently shop on Komplett & Pixmania but there 17" selection on laptops is lacking if non-existent. I had a look on laptopsdirect.ie and they seem good. Has anyone any experience with them?

Cheers.
 
ClubMan said:
Dell?
Click to expand...

Not a big fan of Dell clubman but looked them up anyways. They only have the one laptop & can get a much better laptop on laptopsdirect for about €320 cheaper with more features & low-cost (how low i don't know yet ) double memory offer. Tv tuner & remote control included

Dell: €1,409 Inspiron
Laptopsdirect:
 
philboy said:
Not a big fan of Dell clubman but looked them up anyways. They only have the one laptop
Click to expand...
This is not correct. Dell do at least three different ranges of laptops for home users (see here) and configure them to your requirements. Note also that the default prices often include an enchanced warranty so you can knock that off to save a few bob (c. €120) if that suits your needs.
 
Yes, I would start by looking at dell. AFAIK desktops normally come with 17" or 19" screens, but laptops with 14" or 15.4", except for highend multimedia machines, e.g these machines. The 17" screen is expensive!
 
Go to PC World / Currys and just have a nose around.
Take a look at the Toshibas, HPs and Acers if they have any instock.

Dell were ok but there are better built machines and cheaper in some cases.
HP do a nice line in 17" screen laptops but they are expensive. HP Pavillion dv8000 series.

Acer are not bad and are quiet cost competitive. AS9303WSMi

Also look at Elara on line for ideas on prices and what the models are like.
http://www.elara.ie

Check out [broken link removed]
and could also get laptops from Germany http://technikdirekt.de"
 

I meant one 17" Laptop. elara.ie looks like it has some good deals on it. I think ill sitck with an Acer or something similar. Not interested in paying for overpriced brand names like Sony.

Thanks for the link.
 
I have a 17" screen laptop from Dell. It's great for DVDs (it's widescreen.)

I have no complaints about Dell, although I would recommend (assuming you're able to do this) to format and reinstall Windows, as Dell install all kinds of crap on their PCs.
 
I had a 17" Acer which was stole. I replaced it with a 15.4" as the oroginal was very heavy. I don't miss the larger screen.
 

Have to join the pro-Dell lobby here, I've used Toshibas, Compaqs and Gateways in recent years but none compared to the Dell I use now. Even with the same specs the performance just seems so much smoother and faster - and I like the look and design of them too. If your uncle isn't going to be carrying the laptop around then I'd go for the widest screen he can afford, even that extra inch and a bit makes a huge difference.
 

Have to second (or is it third?) that. I bought a Dell Inspiron 9400 in October purely as a desktop replacement for my home. The 17" screen is great and the size isn't too prohibitive...I brought it to NYC and had no issues. This model would seem to tick the boxes for your uncle
 

I would also go for the 17" display. The price differential has come down a lot in the last 2 years.

If your Uncle is going to watch DVDs as you say then the bigger screen is especially useful.
 
Cheers All,
I think i'll go for a 17" screen when he finally decides to get one. Prob an Acer from one of the above mentioned websites.
 
Something I would advise is to trawl the web first looking for particualr problems with any model you propose to buy.
Check out user forums to see if possible problems with new releases, go with something that has been around for few months.

This definetly goes for Dells.
Otherwise you might end up with model whose keyboard loses some of it's keys functionality, the model that had problems with memory module seating, the model whose mouse pointer drifts across the screen to one corner due to the touchpad and pointer having problems.
The model whose case cracks in the corner.
Dell have had too many design and build flaws in the past for my liking.

Now using HP and see how these work out over next year or so.
Also used Toshiba and IBm (lenovo nowadays).
Not saying Dell only one that has problems but just too many on their laptops for my liking.



on the laptop
 
Jmayo,

thats one of the reasons im avoiding DELL, a colleague of mine has had numerous problems with their Laptops. Another person i know has had multiple problems with his Sony Vaio. Toshiba & FJ seem to be recommended well. I haven't heard of many problems with Acer. I know certain individuals might have had some problems with their laptops but id be more worried about laptops with a high rate of common errors which i think is what you are saying above.
Good idea to review the actual model of the Laptop too and not just the brand.
 
Philboy,
sadly you can have problems with any make or model of laptop since it is the nature of the beast. The componets all have to be smaller, lighter and more power efficient than normal and that usually adds problems.
Also they take more knocks and movement than normal PC so that adds to possible problems.

All you can do is decrease the likelihood of there being design and build issues as well.
 
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