laptop advice

[Rachum]

I need to buy a laptop, and have no more than �500 to spend. Can anyone offer any advice on what to go for? I generally use a laptop for downloading and storing music, photos, some essays and reports and watching dvds on the train, so no intense usage or complex needs. I get confused with all the computery words and what not so advice or reccommendations would be appreciated.

[joggerjayne]

Most men who want a laptop go somewhere like the Peppermint Rhino club.

I think the girls there will do a laptop for a lot less than that.

And apparently you can have a meal too.

[goodison1234]

Although you say no more than �500, this is available at Aldi for �599. I was sceptical about buying electronics from a cheap supermarket, but the spec/value is very good on laptops.

http://www.aldi.co.uk/uk/html/offers/2827_6017 .htm

[sp1214]

Don't buy one until you have seen and touched it. There are so many models on the market. I would recommend going to an outlet such as PC World where they have a large display of about 30 models. Get a shop assistant to explain the various models. Make a note of the model which suits your purpose. Then go home and do a search for that model on the internet. Usually it will be cheaper than in store or if not may give a discount for buying online.

[goodison1234]

Judging a laptop based on how it looks and feels and being sold to you by a PC World employee is not the best advice based on past experience. Finding the model and shopping around is good advice though.

((Isn't it Spearmint Rhino?))

[Ethel]

The �399 Acer at PCWorld, currently advertised on tv, looks good to me. If my 4 year old Acer needed replacing, I'd buy it.

[Rachum]

Ooh, had a look at that aldi one, it sounds really good from what I could make of the computer lingo. What is a notebook though? or are all lap tops notebooks? I'm bamboozled again!

[ACtheTROLL]

from your budget - and what you say it's for ... I'd be tempted to spend �400 on a lappy ... and �100 on a huge external HDD to store all your files.

I agree you need to run your fingers over the keys ... also agree you should ignore the sales pitch.

As I say loud and often ... slip down to tesco or similar and read a few PC magazines and see what they recommend

you don't have to buy ... but it should give you an idea of what to look for.

[joggerjayne]

goodison1234

Sorry, yes, it is Spearmint Rhino ... not Peppermint

blushes

[ACtheTROLL]

Rach
If you say your bamboozled by the language ... it can't sound that good - can it?

don't be tempted by the for a few dollars more argument
(I thought it was only blokes who fell for that)

you've set a budget ... stick to it ... unless you intend to become a power user ... or hard core gamer ... 4-500 is more than enough

[Ethel]

This is the �400, with details of the upgrade at �500 at the bottom

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/editorial/ace r-5520

Both will do everything you need, and moreb - go and have a look and a feel

[baylisst111]

I dislike PC World immensely. I had a laptop from them which broke within 9 months. Sent it back to them (warranty, yay!) to get it fixed, telling them what was wrong with it. It then takes them 2 weeks to tell me what was wrong with it (and I was right) another 2 weeks to return it to me (without a power lead) and then 2 MONTHS to get my power lead back. So PC World are ok, until you need to contact them for any help. And they overcharge a wee bit, and are quite good at selling you stuff you don't really need. But apart from that, they seem ok.

As for the main question... online retailers are quite good. The one's I'd advise are http://www.ebuyer.com and http://www.overclockers.co.uk
For your needs I'd say the one below is a safe bet, but as people have said it's a good idea to have it in front of you and have a play around with it first.

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/139121

Also that one doesn't have an ATI/Nvidia card, which you WILL need if you want to play any games. Here's a couple I'd advise:

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/138876
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/140406

The first has a bigger hard drive, but slightly worse graphics card. But if you don't want to play games, either would be good enough, so I'd go for the bigger hard drive. And as ACtheTROLL said, you can spend your extra few bob on a whacking great big external hard drive. You can get a large 500GB for ~�55, or a portable 320GB one for ~�78. Have a look around for some good deals.

And yes, laptop = notebook