A good laptop to buy

[JJflyer]

Hello there.

I am looking for a good laptop to buy and a good place to buy one.Is USof A still about the cheapest place to get a top of the line models or are there other places to do shopping.

Price range upto 2500USD. Should have a big screen and DVD capability ( no need to be a writing drive )Also plenty of disk space and all the goodies.

Any suggestions?

JJ

[SOHCAHTOA]

A few people at work have bought in the US and seem pretty happy they did.
However, a few things to bear in mind are:

Current exchange rate may not make it as attractive

Duty could make it unviable once you declare it in customs :)

Can you get warranty sorted in the UK

Apart from that, it's probably the place to look for an all singing and dancing machine at a reasonable price (whatever your definition of reasonable is !!)

[JJflyer]

Looks like US then as...

... I get paid in USD.
I will not declare it and I travel so it does not matter if I have to take it to US for repairs.

One thing that worries me though is that Americanas still use 110v or something similar instead of 220v. Most computer surely come now with a converter where you just buy the correct plug type and plug in ... correcto or not ?

JJ

[AquaPlane]

Buy a Dell, we use those, and they're bulletproof. Probably. Seriously though, they're fine machines. Friend just bought a brand new Compaq with 14" TFT and DVD to replace an ageing Digital. Had no end of trouble with it so far.

Laptops are intended to be transportable, and as such their PSU's can invariably accept a wide range of voltages (110-250v) CHeck before you buy, but unlikey it isn't 220/240v compatible.

Aq

[ExSimGuy]

JJFlyer,

You do not say where you live; if you live outside UK (or if anyone else following this post does!) you will be able to reclaim the (17% ?) duty when you take it out with you.

I bought my laptop in USA, but had to pay the (un-refundable) Mass State tax of, I think, 8% on top of the price.

I suppose if I had been a bit more organised I'd have compared the price at somewhere like DXB

Yes, my trusty Dell has a "100-240v" supply, as does my Motorola Timeport (why the devil do people make some mobile phones with 100v or 240v only supplies? They are supposed to be mobile :mad:

------------------
What Goes Around . . . . .
. . often makes a better landing

[xsimba]

Just a friendly warning.

If you do not declare the machine when you bring it into the UK you will be running a risk every time you take it down route with you. If you also need to subsequently make an insurance claim for theft, damage etc then the insurance company may refuse to pay out if you did not declare the machine on first import.

The choice is yours.

[Mo Heekan]

Hi,

I bought my laptop (Sony Vaio 505) from an auction site (in the USofA):

http://www.ubid.com/

Saved me loads of money and its brand new. However, I do live 'tax free' in DXB. Computers are the same price as the UK here.

[JJflyer]

I lived outside EU for the last 4 years and have just moved back... I am still bringing all sort of " Old " stuff in via mail and with me...Also I am not a UK resident so that helps a bit.


JJ

[777AV8R]

I bought a new Toshiba for my 'road warrior' stuff. Dual USBs, Global modem with network plug in, DVD/CD ROM, 10Geg HD, 128 RAM, beautiful machine for about $2000 US....and...it works! Well written up in several magazines.

[ComJam]

Mine is a Compaq Presario (AMDK6 500Mhz), good machine so far. Only slight snag has been expanding the memory, hard to found the correct type.

[lineup]

If you by a DELL, consider the Factory Outlet, http://www.euro.dell.com/countries/uk/enu/dfo/local/dfo/topic_inspn.htm.

I got a Inspiron 7500, 256MB , 25 GB HD , 650 Step down, DVD for £1450 plus VAT. Service is exellent!! :) :)

[fobotcso]

Tnx lineup; that link was broken, but this one worked:

http://www.euro.dell.com/countries/uk/enu/dfo/default.htm

The prices are amazing!