best laptop

K

kd1964

Registered User
Messages
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Hi.
I promised my daughter one for her 18th birthday but I know absolutely nothing about them. I want to spend about one thousand euro.
Toshiba was recommended to me, can anyone tell me the best shop to buy in, whats the best one in this price range.
Any info at all would be much appreciated
thanks
k
 
There is no best. You need to figure our what she will be using it for and then match one to these needs and your budget. There are lots of PC/laptop buyers guides which are useful for figuring out what is needed.
 
I recommednf the Del 6000 series.

I've configured quite a few in recent weeks - lovely piece of kit.

The new 6400 is just out

Current deal @ €1079 inc SATA drive 1Gb Ram, firewire, card reader, DVD RW its a good buy.

I'm not connected with Dell in any way!
 
I have a Toshiba .....and its rubbish! and I mean that! Unless I got a dud ....but it keeps breaking down and I have to keep sending it to Dublinto be fixed! right pain....del for me next time!
 
I wish my parents would buy me a Laptop for my 18th!!!

I reckon the Sony Vaio series is the best out there (i've spent the past two week investigating which laptop i'm going to buy for college!)

The most important features of a laptop are:

Battery life: aim for 3hrs plus, some run for as little as 1hr 30min's!
RAM: This determines how quickly many applications run (it is the memory the computer uses when it is turned on). Aim for a minimum of 512MB
Hard Disk Memory: This is the "long term" memory of the computer, it determines how much stuff can be stored on it such as videos, photos, music etc., aim to get above 60GB because it is very expensive to expand at a later stage
Processor: The processor literally processes the data, so faster is usually better; however sometimes a "slower" processor may be better as there are other factors such as reliability and heat. The best out there (in the mid-value price range) is the Intel Centrino (also called Pentium M) processor.
Weight: Laptops can range in weight from 1.5kg to over 5.5kg!
Keyboard: Some keyboards are very awkward, so try before you buy.

costs €920 (althought it currently is out of stock.) It has excellent spec for such a low price; 80GB Hard disk, 512MB Ram, 1.7Ghz Celeron (that's the only slight weak spot)
 
What she really wants is probably an [broken link removed]

(Not connected to Apple, just biased in favour of great computers).
 
kd1964 said:
Hi.
I promised my daughter one for her 18th birthday but I know absolutely nothing about them. I want to spend about one thousand euro.
Toshiba was recommended to me, can anyone tell me the best shop to buy in, whats the best one in this price range.
Any info at all would be much appreciated
thanks
k
Click to expand...

I'm in exactly the same position - big day next week! After quite a bit of research I went for an iBook [broken link removed]

Reasons include a) MAC functionality (keep getting told "once you use a MAC you'll never go back"), b) image seems appropriate for an 18 year old going to college (probably more female oriented but I'm sure CGORMAN can comment on that!!) c) MACs dont get virus's (well are far less prone to getting them as the guerillas target MS.

Cost is a bit higher than you are budgeting - but I started off the same. You'll want to budget for some accessories too - the old Crumpler bags can be a bit steep but......

Given that she'll probably be going to college you can avail of an "Educational package" from Apple - probably the same with Dell & Toshiba, if you're interested let me know and I'll dig up the guy I dealt with who provided the discount for my daughters.

As for the final judgement - well I'll know that next week. In my case it's a surprise so judgement is reserved.

Roy
 
Female oriented? Macs are strictly unisex. :)

You can access the education pricing direct from the [broken link removed] of the Apple online store

About €65 off the cheapest iBook - not the greatest discount!
 
I must admit i'm tempted by the Apple's! But at this stage I would prefer a PC as a platform - virtually all software runs on it. Apples are excellent machines and are beautifully put together... that's why designers and graphic artists fall in love with them! Also the specs are too expensive for an Apple - I just popped in the spec of the €920 Sony Vaio mentioned above... and the equivilant Mac costs €1,419... and it is still slower, smaller screen and uncompatiable with millions of pieces of software!!!

Maybe I should buy both a Sony Vaio and a Mac... and a ferrari, bmw, rolex and a money tree while i'm at it!
 
extopia said:
Female oriented? Macs are strictly unisex. :)

You can access the education pricing direct from the [broken link removed] of the Apple online store

About €65 off the cheapest iBook - not the greatest discount!
Click to expand...


ET, The guy I dealt with got me €180 off the list price on the website. A coleague who put me onto this guy managed to get a free iPod for his kid - that was a pre Christmas promotion though.

CG - looks like you might have to hold off for another year or two http://www.askaboutmoney.com/showthread.php?t=20292&highlight=cgorman
 
CGorman said:
costs €920 (althought it currently is out of stock.) It has excellent spec for such a low price; 80GB Hard disk, 512MB Ram, 1.7Ghz Celeron (that's the only slight weak spot)
Click to expand...

I am sure you could get a dell with a higher spec for the same price
I got a 630m with 1023MB Ram, 1.73Ghz Pentium M, with Centrino Mobile for I think the same price
Although it is only a 50Gb harddrive

I would recommend the dell I got (so far at least)

stuart@oilean.ie
 
stuart said:
I am sure you could get a dell with a higher spec for the same price
Click to expand...

Thats exactly what I thought - we already have a dell desktop computer which was excellent value... but when I checked out several Dell posibilities they actually where very expensive for just mediocre spec... Acer, Toshiba, and HP all matched or where better value. Also I think Dell's are so common now, that a Sony simply looks more unique!!! I must admit, I have a fantastic Sony-Ericson phone which has instilled a lot of brand loyalty in me, so i'm very biased!

stuart said:
I got a 630m with 1023MB Ram, 1.73Ghz Pentium M, with Centrino Mobile for I think the same price, Although it is only a 50Gb harddrive
Click to expand...

I'm after checking this out, yes for the spec you mentioned the price is €978 (1yr collect/return)... but thats with just a 50GB/60GB hard disk, once I change this to 80GB the price jumps to €1,087... still not bad considering theres 1GB RAM, but it is no cheaper than a beautiful looking Sony!!
 
All very good advice above but can I ask what is she going to use it for? I'm guessing university beckons and the main purpose will be essays, a thesis or the odd spot of analysis or programming. Does she really need the horse-power of the latest and greatest machine or would she be better off getting something pre-owned for a few hundred euro and blow the rest on a new wardrobe or a nice trip. If I was 18 again :rolleyes: that would be a tough call, especially given how stealable the latest glitzy laptops are likely to be in the lecture theaters and refectories.

My husband had a Dell Latitude C610 until about a year ago. He took it on countless long-haul flights, many trips to Europe as well as using it many times to display marine charts as we sailed the coasts of Ireland and France, often taking a pounding from the waves along with us. It was a tough machine. He still claims it was much more robust than his current model, so you would expect most of them to be in reasonable shape when traded in. They can be got now for very little money on ebay - here's one example (I'm not vouching that it's a good one)

[broken link removed]

- just a thought. Of course there's a risk in buying pre-owned, that's the chance you take.
 
THe Inspiron 630M from Dell is a good buy too. (c. $899)

Has a good wireless capability.

For a student using it in College I'd recommedn XP professional
as it makes it easy to join a Domain (Wirelessly) when in College

I recently rebuilt a 630M that ewas bougfht for a student but it came with the Media version. When it came to logging on to Trinity's systems it would not work until it was changed to XP pro.
 
Modus said:
"often taking a pounding from the waves along with us. It was a tough machine. He still claims it was much more robust than his current model,
Click to expand...

I understand that the iBook is pretty study too "Durable Space-Age Construction - The iBook was designed with durability in mind, using ultratough polycarbonate plastic — the same material used in bulletproof glass — with an internal magnesium frame for added strength. The hard disk drive is rubber-mounted for impact resistance. And there are no doors or protruding elements that can accidentally get triggered, break off or snag on clothing."
 
onekeano said:
using ultratough polycarbonate plastic — the same material used in bulletproof glass — with an internal magnesium frame for added strength.
Click to expand...

Yeah, it's amazing the materials they are using now... some of the new Sony Vaios are built from carbon-fibre - the stuff used to build F1 cars - so they are unbelievably light...
 
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