Laptops for children

[Barmaid]

I am considering getting the children (12 and 13) lap tops for Christmas. The usage is likely to be internet surfing and games, although the older one may need Word for homework.

Can anyone recommend a good make that is not going to break the bank, please? If it is going to be too expensive we will have to rethink......

[mike11111]

Dear, dear, Barmaid. judging by the excellent advice you have given on this site I assumed that you practised at the bar, hence money can be no object!!! :-)

[boxtops]

If you are going to get Word you might as well get Excel, and if you do that then I'd suggest one of the Microsoft packages - nothing fancy, but means miniBar could email spreadsheets and stuff if he needed to.

[jaydah]

Lappys need a lot more care than desktops. If they're both cybering the lappy would need to be wifi. = more expense.

[Buenchico]

Internet surfing and word processing don't require anything special from a computer. Almost anything will do. It's the 'games' bit that could be a problem. To play some of the very latest games you'll need fast processors and separate graphics cards (rather than 'on board graphics'). That can push laptop prices alarmingly high.

My own inclination would be to go for decent, cheap, factory-refurbished laptops, which could be used for web browsing, word processing and simpler gaming - and to reserve the 'heavy duty' gaming for proper games devices, such as PlayStations or a Wii.

If that option appeals to you I can personally recommend this excellent firm:
http://www.accomputer.../sort-normalprice_asc

Chris

[hc4361]

I agree with buenchico. And you can use OpenOffice which is free and compatible with Word and Excel.
In fact if the homework is being printed out, any word processing software will do.

It should not cost any more for three computers to use your wifi than one or four or five.

If you don't want refurb, look at any of the £300 ones sold by Argos, Comet, Tesco and so on.

This one has 3gb RAM
http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.210-6691.aspx

I would prefer one with a minimum of 2gb RAM and Windows 7 to Vista.

[Barmaid]

Excellent, thank you.

That site seems really good Chris - refurb is good for me!

So for surfing (and low level games), is there a minimum I should look for? (We have wi-fi here) so I assume I need to look for one that is "wifi enabled"?

[hc4361]

It would be fairly impossible to buy a laptop that is not wifi enabled these days, but it's always worth checking.

[VHG]

many new laptops now come with "Microsoft Office Starter".

This includes cut down versions of Word and Excel that are NOT time limited and can be used for as long as you have the laptop.

So if you go for a new laptop look for one that inclides "Microsoft Office Starter"

[Buenchico]

Thanks for your reply, Barmaid.

My own preference would be to look for a laptop with a DVDR-w drive, as it means that software can easily be loaded and pictures and videos can easily be copied to CDs or DVDs. These might be worth looking at:
http://www.accomputer...-160-gb-hdd-windows-7
but, if you don't mind XP Pro (rather than Windows 7) these could be worth considering:
http://www.accomputer...cheap-wireless-laptop

Chris