Laptop recommendations please

[fred peck]

No1 son has decided it's time to get away from "the family pc" and he's after a laptop for his room; maybe not such a bad idea as he's soon to start his GCSE studies.

So, what should I look out for, what's the best make, etc.

Any suggestions?

Fred.

[spekesoftly]

No.1 daughter has been using her own Toshiba laptop at Uni. for the past couple of years. So far it has proved a success.

No.2 daughter is after her own laptop by the Autumn, so I'm also interested in any up-to-date advice.

[tinyrice]

have an HP 5245(?) with the 15 inch screen. Heavy, clunky gets bloody hot and the battery only lasts a couple of hours. Serves me right for not staying with Macintosh.

[stagger]

The main decision is whether you want a true laptop or a desktop replacement. If it really is going to be used on the move, on trains, on aircraft - all over the place - then you need a slim, light system. On the other hand if it's just going to be a desktop replacement that gets moved from time to time then who cares if it's a little clunky. If you're willing to accept a little robustness you can usually get a higher spec system for the same price as an ultra-slim.

At the extreme end of things a colleague just bought very chunky new Toshiba which has a desktop P4 processor squeezed inside (it was brought to market before the mobile P4 was introduced). Anyway, it was a lot cheaper than a slim system with a mobile P4 - plus it generates enough heat to warm a small room :cool:

Myself I have a Dell Latitude C600 - quite slim and light - and I regret not having got something a bit larger like an Inspiron because mostly it just sits on my desk at home. Ok, it's less than 2.5kg but once it's in its bag with the power supply, a mouse, some CDs, papers etc - would I notice the difference if it weighed 3.8kg? Unlikely.

[What_does_this_button_do?]

About 5 of my chaps have laptops from Rock Direct (http://www.rockdirect.co.uk) - they had the choice of a standard issue Tosh or 1,400GBP - they took the cash and got the Rock - the model they have even has Firewire port on it and the only other Laptop I have seen with this as standard is the Sony. Leather carry case as standard!

Gets my vote.

[18-Wheeler]

Dell Inspiron 8000 here, and I quite recommend them. The only thing I don't like is that the case is not stiff enough, and feel too flimsy.

[fobotcso]

I'll speak up for the Hi-Grade/ASUS range although the customer support left me a bit grumpy.

The 8400 range would do the job; they are clunky but very robust. DVD/CD drive and Floppy drive are integral. For his room he would run off the charger so battery life not too critical.

I passed on my 7400 to No 3 son at Uni; when I used it I liked to warm my fingers in the airflow from the vent on the left side and coming up through the keyboard.

New, they're expensive at £1200 or so but you may get a used one for less. PC World bulk buy from Hi-Grade/ASUS and put their own badges on. Worth a look. If I wanted similar again I might be tempted to try another one.

Lacking a Firewire Port but has double PC Card slots.

An ideal solution for a student in a small study bedroom

[gofer]

Get your criteria right then buy the latest PC Mag and match the criteria to their lists for your country.

Recommendable criteria are possibly:

Space available - small = Baby Sony Vaio or similar
How often will it be lugged around = every day or once a week/month = more lugging = less weight (including most accessories)
How long will it be used at a time = longer suggests bigger screen (15") which is more cost also & perhaps a slightly less strong build
Will it have to survive dropping etc. = if yes small screen and cheapo
How much does it have to store 10 Gb, 20, 30, more? = depends on users fancy, tidyness and which faculty they are attending !
Look hard at the warranty - 3 years is a minimum and then check how easy and cheap it is to get it to a warranty center (some towns have drop off points chech what your youngster's university town has !

DELL price performant (no slow ones available) - If user is computer literate - possibly good choice - repairable almost worldwide ! (possibly another hidden criteria)

COMPAQ mid and cheaper parts of their range are good quality and fairly rugged - to of the range - possibly a bit fragile

IBM can be best value for money, but not always.

Finally check with the IT department at your employer ! Most companies have a solid deal with a supplier and will normally pass the full benefits on to staff ! Can mean that an IBM or COMPAQ at 20% more than the equivalent DELL turn out to be around 5% less. If going DELL ask for the student rebate.

And then when quoted a price always ask for a further rebate to make the quoted price just better than the competitions (only do this if this is the magic choice) - I'm surprised how often another 1 to 8-9% can come.

Remember average lifespan of a laptop in hard (student) type environments is 20-30 months.
:rolleyes: