Help me choose a laptop!
 

In June I'm planning to go to the states for a bit and I'll need a laptop to watch DVDs, browse and email with.
It will also act as storage for all the photos I'll be taking.
I've searched a few places but can't find one with the exact features that I need for connectivity etc.. I'll be getting online via ethernet or wireless and will need USB 2.0 or firewire (preferably both) to use with the digital camera.
A modem would be a bonus too.

It must have the following specs:

AMD Athlon CPU (mobile or XP version), it must be an Athlon because I need the higher FPU performance.
256MB RAM
30-60GB HD
ATI Radeon 9x00 graphics
Firewire, USB 2.0, Ethernet and wireless.

I want to pay up to £800 for one - is this a realistic price?
Thanks in advance. :)

Re: Help me choose a laptop!
 

Using your search criteria, all I could come up with was the following: http://uk.pricerunner.com/computing/...a_656=&a_663=1

And even that doesn't fit the bill 100%.....

Re: Help me choose a laptop!
 

I've already tried Pricerunner, the closest I could find was this:
http://www.simply.co.uk/pricerunner/...ters/index.htm

It's perfect, except that there is no wireless. :(

Re: Help me choose a laptop!
 

Cant you just stuff a wireless card in it?

Re: Help me choose a laptop!
 

I'm not sure. :confused:
I've never owned a laptop before, only huge ATX cases. :D

Re: Help me choose a laptop!
 

Wireless PCMIA Cards are a doddle - just pot it in, run the software, and away you go.


I have 2 laptops, both with wireless cards in. Never get any problems, and are about £50 I think.

Re: Help me choose a laptop!
 

PCMCIA - never though of that!
Thanks. :)

Re: Help me choose a laptop!
 

I had a packard bell with a simililar spec to what u require and i think it was £1200 Although my guess is £800 should get you something very clode nowadays. I Put a wireless card in it for £30.

Re: Help me choose a laptop!
 

Just spotted this - may be useful.
http://www.reed-electronics.com/elec...rid=1641918559

Re: Help me choose a laptop!
 

The Vaio PCGK115M is a little over your budget, and has a 2.8 Pentium rather than the Athlon - so don't know if this is any use. I suggested this one becuase if you have a Sony digital cam, then it has the memory stick gubbins built in - so you just slot in the card and dump it all to your laptop - which is what I do when I go away.

You'll need to lump in a wireless PC card, which is about another 50 quid.

Re: Help me choose a laptop!
 

I would recommend a viao as well. Although they are a little expensive, i have had a PCG-FX209K for a couple of years and i love it!

Spec: p3 1ghz
256mb ram (upgraded from 128mb)
2 x usb
firewire
1400x1050 screen res
30 gb hd
dvd /cdrw
wireless pcmcia card (added later)

It cost me just under £1000 originally.

Re: Help me choose a laptop!
 

why dont you wait and buy it in america , money to be saved there i reckon :)

Re: Help me choose a laptop!
 

Cos they have keys in funny places...lol

Re: Help me choose a laptop!
 

do they :Yikes:

Re: Help me choose a laptop!
 

Yep, they do. :)

Re: Help me choose a laptop!
 

yep... " and @ are swapped round, and on some of them the \ key is next to backspace instead... very weird. Oh and you get a $ and euro sign instead of $ and £. Typing on a german keyboard is odd as well cos they have z on the top row cos it is so commonly used... i was back to the old one finger typing!!

Re: Help me choose a laptop!
 

but you can buy replacement keytops and reconfigure the keyboard.

My home PC has a US keyboard but is configured to think it is UK. Works the sam, just that above the 3 key a different symbol exists, but if i press shift 3 i get a £ symbol (if that makes sense).

The keyboard is similar, biggest gripe is the enter key is long and narrow like a shift key, not big and fat. Not as wonky as a french keyboard. Now they are weird.

Re: Help me choose a laptop!
 

http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/N...a.html?NNB-166

What about that? A bit over your budget (about £930 inc. vat)...and also no wireless card, but like people have already said, £30-£50 for a pcmcia. I bought my laptop from novatech a couple of months ago. I have had no complaints at all....although if you are using it to travel, then you may want to opt for the centrino technology ones as the battery life is not great to say the least.

Re: Help me choose a laptop!
 

http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/N...a.html?NNB-170

from the same site...a centrino laptop...check out the site for their entire range, some good laptops:

http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/NBranges.html

Re: Help me choose a laptop!
 

Thanks for the info, but I'm pretty set on getting the other one. :blush:

Re: Help me choose a laptop!
 

Fair enough....which one??

Re: Help me choose a laptop!
 

This one:
http://www.simply.co.uk/pricerunner/...ters/index.htm

Re: Help me choose a laptop!
 

What about this one?

http://www.timecomputers.com/showpac...hp?prodid=9844

I know its a TIME, but its gotta be as good as, if not better, than a weird unknown brand

SO for an extra £122
Your getting

Processor = 400 higher
Ram = 256 Higher
Ports = extra 2 x USB 2.0 / Internal Wireless card / 10/100 Ethernet card / 56k Modem / TV- Out
Drives = DVD-Rw

Id like to see you buy those extra bits for the original laptop for £122

an ethernet, modem, and wireless would set you back around £80 on their own... let alone the fast processor and more ram

Or theres this option, which is almost the same spec, apart from the DVD drive isnt DVD-Rw, only DVD/CD-RW
http://www.timecomputers.com/showpac...hp?prodid=9841


HTH :)

Re: Help me choose a laptop!
 

Damn KP, you've got me thinking now!
It is a Time though... :erm:

Re: Help me choose a laptop!
 

no please anything but time , please dont do it , pretty please , tbh i wouldnt buy off them in principle after the last fiasco :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

Re: Help me choose a laptop!
 

Until recently I would have agreed wholeheartedly with that - but I have a mate who recently (well 4 months ago) bought a time laptop - he had to call support a couple of times with windows type issues (I told him to put a proper operating system on but he wanted windows) and they were great :Yikes: They even got an engineer out when a key stopped working (he didn't tell them he dropped a portable stereo onto the keyboard mind you :naughty: ) ;)

Re: Help me choose a laptop!
 

The only reason i bought a time into the equation is because you were looking at a totally unknown brand...

If you do go for the Time laptop, let me know and ill give you a few names and numbers to call in the event anything goes wrong ;)

And just incase anyone has a time pc and is currently having problems........ did i mention the store support line before?? i.e. the number the store phones up incase they need help dealing with you or your machine... if not its 01282 775533 ;) :)

Re: Help me choose a laptop!
 

Somehow i dont think its was a time laptop..... not if they got an engineer out, time stopped doing on-site engineers in 1998 and havent offer it since :erm:

Re: Help me choose a laptop!
 

This is a nice laptop http://www.itreviews.co.uk/hardware/h540.htm

Re: Help me choose a laptop!
 

A bit more than what Richard M wants to pay, me thinks...

Re: Help me choose a laptop!
 

If you could handle a celeron, then PC-World are doing a very good deal on a Widescreen Toshiba model at the moment

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/sto...uct&sku=757685

£850inc VAT for a:

Intel Celeron 2.8GHZ Processor

256 mb RAM Memory

30 Gb Hard Drive

DVD-RW Drive

15.4" TFT widescreen

64MB ATi Mobility Radeon 9000 Graphics

MS Works software

1 x Firewire Connections

Windows XP Home Edition

1 Year Free warranty



widescreen and a DVD burner :)

Re: Help me choose a laptop!
 

For a laptop you should probably be considering a celeron or preferably Centrino. The power consumption is sufficiently lower to extend battery life considerably. I get 3.5+ hours on my Dell Inspiron 8600 15.4 W/S Centrino 1400 using the wirless for surfing.

The lower perfomance is not noticed unless you are working on big (and I mean big) spreadsheets, or big image / video files.

Re: Help me choose a laptop!
 

I get pretty good battery life out of my compaq presario 2143EA (i know its a compaq.... Shudder :D )

2500+ XP-M
512MB DDR 266Mhz
40GB hdd
integrated 11MBps wireless lan (Mini-PCI internal)
CDRW/DVDROM combo
Ati IGP 320 (Radeon 7XXX varient)
15" TFT

And the best bit is if you buy off ebay you can have this not amazing but pretty good value laptop for about £500 excVAT