Laptops

[gallego1968]

Does anyone deal with computers here.

We are thinking on getting my 12 year old daughter a laptop for Christmas but don't know which one as there are so many on the market. Her usage would be mainly internet and school work and maybe music downloads but she is not a gamer.

Can anyone recommend a laptop or if you sell them give me a price.

[Macdemon]

Have you checked out the prices at the Comet 'firesale'.???

[GentleGiant]

For use AT SCHOOL, or at home?? The requirements differ greatly.

Personally, I ONLY use a netbook for portable work, I think a laptop for home use is a waste of money, PLUS they tend to use them in/on their bed, which can cause all sorts of muscle and spinal issues as they are slumped in a very bad posture position.

If you dont have the space for a small tower system, buy a micro ATX system, I picked up three ex corporate lease DELL systems, comprising of a microATX case and 15" monitor on a small stand, complete with carrying handle, for £50 each at my local computer fair. The 2.8-3.0Ghz P4 is still perfectly good for basic office and internet use, the only thing I have done to them is replace the 1GB of RAM with a 2GB stick.

[Aspman]

^ is all true, I'm constantly picking up SWMBO for hunching over a laptop on the sofa. Does she listen, no, does she often have sore neck/back yes.

If you've room a decent desk and chair are all worth getting.

I can understand if you're short on space you might want a laptop, plus it's a little more flexible. I's still suggest a small desk, decent chair and aproper keyboard.

I think the Dell outlet offers the best value for money on laptops. I'm typing on a Dell i5 with 4Gb ram, 640Gb HD and a 1Gb gfx card all for about £400. They will have i3 laptops from about £350 which is still pretty good.

In all honesty the best laptop I have for working on is my 7yr old HP. It has a 4:3 screen which is massively better for document work than the more common widescreens you get now and the keyboard is miles better for actually typing on. So you may even want to consider a used HP, Toshiba or Lenovo from Ebay for the square screen and better keyboard. Depends of your daughter wants something that lookes more modern or is more practical.

[djswivel]

If you have an operating system to put on, you can't go wrong with ex-corporate stuff.

I use these guys regularly - http://www.schtrade.co.uk/grade-b-1/?sort=featured

[Lazy Daisy]

Just one point on the desk vs lappy thing, I'd assume a desktop would go in the daughters bedroom, and her with it for most of the evening, with a lappy you can work at the dining table and keep an eye on what a 12yr old is getting up to online.

[jrw]

Dell Outlet all the time for new laptops or desktops, you can't beat them.

Avoid celeron on laptops though as these kill batteries over time. i3/i5 will be the best bet for a Dell lappy.

[Evening Star]

Think very carefully about buying from Comet, as they're in administration, whilst the prices are going to be keen especially if they're having a "Fire Sale", just remember that if something goes wrong with it, you will have no redress or support.

I bought a power laptop about 16 months ago (£1500 monster) from Sony, however you can look for other less powerful ones at Dell, Currys Digital, Acer etc. You may also want to change the hard drive for an SSD drive to improve battery life.

[gadgetman]

Redress will be with the manufacturer. Buy on a credit card (not bank) for extra protection

[andypandypoos]

wouldn't want to work on a netbook myself

[Evening Star]

Nor would I, I would find it very underpowered compared to mine.

[Dr Zoidberg]

Recommending an ex-corporate machine to someone who doesn't seem to know much about computers (no insult intended) isn't the best idea. you'll have to source an os and spend the time to get it working which isnt always straightforward.

There's plenty of very nice laptops between 3 and 4 hundred quid - have a look on hot uk deals for some tips.

Buy a machine with at least an i3 processor and 4gb ram like this.

http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/dell-inspiron-15-new-clearance-3520-laptop-15-6-screen-i3-2370m-4gb-ram-500gb-hdd-1362152

Edited 17 November, 2012 by Dr Zoidberg

[TriggerFish]

Think very carefully about buying from Comet, as they're in administration, whilst the prices are going to be keen especially if they're having a "Fire Sale", just remember that if something goes wrong with it, you will have no redress or support.

I bought a power laptop about 16 months ago (£1500 monster) from Sony, however you can look for other less powerful ones at Dell, Currys Digital, Acer etc. You may also want to change the hard drive for an SSD drive to improve battery life.

Doesn't anything like this (phone, TV, radio, DVD player etc) come with a 2 year warranty from the makers anyway under EU law? I agree though it's not as simple as walking in and getting refund if it blows up.

Agree on the SSD front too - for speed if nothing else.

I've done uni work on my netbook (11.6inch) and it's alright, but I much prefer a proper sized machine. If nothing else is around I'll use it - the issue is more with eye strain than lack of speed/keyboard size though.

[gallego1968]

Someone mentioned a HP 650 to me being good, is it.

[Aspman]

Someone mentioned a HP 650 to me being good, is it.

I had an hp business laptop previously which was very good. The 650 comes with an i3 or a Celeron processor. I wouldn't recommend the Celeron.

I think you'd get better from Dell outlet for the same money,

[Scribbler]

You will get a range of advise from people who are brand loyal and have heard on the tech grape vine that certain things are essential.

Im going to avoid getting into a brand or retailer comparisson as they are largely irrelivant. However the following are important when considering a portable computer.

1. Portability weight and physical dimensions. (Light as possible is usually the best but not at the compromise of robustness should be able to take a knock or two.)

2. Battery ( id personally want a minimum of 3 hours)

3. Feel of Keyboard or touchpad (this is often overlooked and is very important and personal. get your daughter to trial some, some keys are soft touch others have a definte clunk. I garantee she will be more bothered about look and feel than if it has an i7 processor.)

4. Connectivity (Ethernet port & hdmi essential usb3.0 sata and band N wifi desirable)

5. Spec. (dont get celeron or atom based processor - i3, i5 or i7 should do for what you have described and amd equivalents. SSD drives are quick and low power usage however still quite small in capacity compared to a HDD. non dedicated graffics should be ok if shes not going to be playing games although a dedicated amd or nvidia GPU would be better.

Hope that helps

[GentleGiant]

Ré netbooks underpowered.

Yes they are, they were built down to a price, but with some tweeking and a relatively cheap SSD they are plenty fast enough for web browsing and word processing; if SSDs had been cheaper when they were first introduced, they would probably been a lot more popular, it was the creaky, slow flash drives that made them so slow.

I had an EEEPC901, I upped the RAM to 2GB, replaced the 16GB flash drive with a 32GB Patriot SSD, and installed TinyXP; and now it is as fast for most things as my old 3Ghz, Dual Core desktop. It was all I had during my 6 months in China last year, and by the end I was typing as fast on its undersized keyboard as I do on a full size one, although with a few more errors - but that is down to the fact I have enormous hands and fingers (Wedding ring had to be custom made).

It is not just posture that is a problem with teenagers and laptops, a friend is having terrible problems with his son, the boy takes the laptop to bed and is playing games and on social networks all night; falling asleep, then waking up when someone sends him a message - he is like a zombie going to school in the mornings. At least with a proper PC you can poke your head around the door and make sure they are in bed asleep and the thing is switched off.

[andypandypoos]

Ré netbooks underpowered.Yes they are, they were built down to a price, but with some tweeking and a relatively cheap SSD they are plenty fast enough for web browsing and word processing; if SSDs had been cheaper when they were first introduced, they would probably been a lot more popular, it was the creaky, slow flash drives that made them so slow.I had an EEEPC901, I upped the RAM to 2GB, replaced the 16GB flash drive with a 32GB Patriot SSD, and installed TinyXP; and now it is as fast for most things as my old 3Ghz, Dual Core desktop. It was all I had during my 6 months in China last year, and by the end I was typing as fast on its undersized keyboard as I do on a full size one, although with a few more errors - but that is down to the fact I have enormous hands and fingers (Wedding ring had to be custom made).It is not just posture that is a problem with teenagers and laptops, a friend is having terrible problems with his son, the boy takes the laptop to bed and is playing games and on social networks all night; falling asleep, then waking up when someone sends him a message - he is like a zombie going to school in the mornings. At least with a proper PC you can poke your head around the door and make sure they are in bed asleep and the thing is switched off.

that's a parenting issue and unlikely to be solved by getting a netbook instead of a laptop

Edited 18 November, 2012 by andypandypoos

[Aspman]

Even a boggo BT router can be set to switch off at a certain time.

[GentleGiant]

that's a parenting issue and unlikely to be solved by getting a netbook instead of a laptop

I agree, but a PC would be easier to police (bit of a pun, he's an ex copper).

Re, turning the router off, he has students living in the house and they are often using Skype or QQ to call home during the wee hours (being Chinese)

Edited 18 November, 2012 by GentleGiant

[gac]

It is not just posture that is a problem with teenagers and laptops, a friend is having terrible problems with his son, the boy takes the laptop to bed and is playing games and on social networks all night; falling asleep, then waking up when someone sends him a message - he is like a zombie going to school in the mornings. At least with a proper PC you can poke your head around the door and make sure they are in bed asleep and the thing is switched off.

Windows 7 with the free Windows Live Family Essentials (or whatever it's called) will limit when the computer can be used, I think either by cumulative time (i.e any 4 hours a day) or fixed times. Bar it after midnight, child will soon learn, and won't affect the Chinese students being able to speak to their families at convenient times.

[GentleGiant]

Thanks I'll look at that, and if it is possible, slip it on to the kids lappy. It is no good trying to get the friend to do it, he cannot even figure out how to load mp3 files onto an SD card!!!