Cheapest laptop please

[Harrison's Discos]

Hi guys. I am looking for a laptop to do tasks like college work and internet browsing.
The majority of my other fellow teccies have them and i am now persuaded to get one. I also know it will become of a great advantage aswell.:)
Its not the memory i am worried about, although a 5GB hard drive would just be plain silly :D
I am looking to spend around £250 - £300 and the laptop would have to be windows based (apple computers do not like me :D ). The condition would also have to be brand new as i wouldnt want to take any chances.
Please help me out guys :) :thumbs_up:

[DMX Will]

Well for £250 pounds sir, I can offer you think very nice, top of the range (and ultra light weight i might add) paper laptop.

Yes thats right, it's been hand crafted by a very nice chinese man, on an excellent rate. This master peice (otherwise known as origami) can be purchased by either by money-tree coins or by washing up in our staff canteen during your summer holidays.

Seriously though - £250 isnt alot, I know prices have come down alot, but you won't find yourself anything worth having (in my opionion) for that. £350 - 400 and your a bit more on track, but still I'd be looking to spend around £500 for something that is well spec'd and will last.

[BeerFunk]

I'm not sure if it's possible to buy a new one for that price. However, I do think your price range is correct for what you plan to use it for, as it doesn't have to be 'well specced' for general use. I would look around for refurbished laptops from online retailers or computer shops.

[Harrison's Discos]

Well for £250 pounds sir, I can offer you think very nice, top of the range (and ultra light weight i might add) paper laptop.

Yes thats right, it's been hand crafted by a very nice chinese man, on an excellent rate. This master peice (otherwise known as origami) can be purchased by either by money-tree coins or by washing up in our staff canteen during your summer holidays.

Very funny Will.......... :lol:
Yes i will have to up my price up then it seems... but i wont go for a referbished one as im not keen on used equipment, I like to know whats been done with it before hand :D

If anyone else knows of a good place that sells good laptops at competative prices let me know please :)

[pulsemobiledisco]

Check this out £321.94 inc VAT HP 510 - http://www.misco.co.uk/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=264605&CatId=0

I work in the IT department of a large travel company. We have just purchased 10 of these for our staff to use while out of the office. They are by no means the best spec, but for the money you can't expect much more and should be fine for what you want to use it for.

They are HP so you know they are a good make and the build quality is up to HP's usual excellent standards.

Sam.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

There's a few here - ignore the fact that it says Macwarehouse !http://www.macwarehouse.co.uk/catalogue/item/HPN0096

There are a couple that come in under £300, but the one I've linked too had better spec.

[Corabar Steve]

Cheapest I could find (http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/126199) Have a look here (http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/search/index.html?rb=27431739438&strSearch=UK+store+45+cat+Notebooks+Laptops&bolShowAll=true&minprice=94.0&maxprice=523.0&intPage=2&bolShowAll=true&intPage=1)

[DJ Frankie]

Go to your local woolworths they are doing some good deal on Median wide screens, which is where I got mine from and is a good little machine for the price.:)
Alternativley give Andy a call on the DJU forum he can get cheap new laptops. [email protected]. (Tell him I sent you, that way I might get a drink out of him one day) :beer1:

[Corabar Steve]

(Tell him I sent you, that way I might get a drink out of him one day) :beer1:
Ever hopeful eh Frankie? :d

[DJ Frankie]

Ever hopeful eh Frankie? :d

Got to keep trying Steve. :rolleyes:

[DMX Will]

Cheapest I could find (http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/126199) Have a look here (http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/search/index.html?rb=27431739438&strSearch=UK+store+45+cat+Notebooks+Laptops&bolShowAll=true&minprice=94.0&maxprice=523.0&intPage=2&bolShowAll=true&intPage=1)

That's a linux laptop Steve! OP wanted a windows based machine. I'm not sure I would be comfortable running windows XP on 256mb :S :rolleyes:

[Corabar Steve]

That's a linux laptop Steve! OP wanted a windows based machine. I'm not sure I would be comfortable running windows XP on 256mb :S :rolleyes:If you want me to check the spec as well, that'll cost you extra :d

[CRAZY K]

Hi guys. I am looking for a laptop to do tasks like college work and internet browsing.
The majority of my other fellow teccies have them and i am now persuaded to get one. I also know it will become of a great advantage aswell.:)
Its not the memory i am worried about, although a 5GB hard drive would just be plain silly :D
I am looking to spend around £250 - £300 and the laptop would have to be windows based (apple computers do not like me :D ). The condition would also have to be brand new as i wouldnt want to take any chances.
Please help me out guys :) :thumbs_up:

Heres my view--not as regards the make of Laptop but how you buy it.

There was an item on Watchdog last night about a computer company I wont name BUT the customer service was :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

Now what you have to realise is IF you buy direct from the Manufacturer you have certain rights as regards getting faults fixed BUT if you buy from a retailer the buck stops with the retailer--you dont have all this horlicks about were working on it--if the product is faulty to start with or goes wrong then you go back to the people WHO SOLD IT--they must either get it fixed within reasonable time frame or give you your money back OR ANOTHER MACHINE.

Local Trading Standards are very supportive on these things which revolve around the Sale of Goods Act, I have spoken about a couple of problems and they are very helpful.

I personally rarely ever buy electrical products direct--always go to retailers like Dixons, Tescos, Comets etc who have a reputation to worry about and should support you if things go wrong.

Recently a friend of mine bought a PC directly from a well known American firm.

Its never worked properly and hes been frigged about for 6 weeks getting nowhere with them.

If he had bought it from a big retailer all he had to do was to go back to the store and say--I want another one that works or my money back OR Im off to Trading Standards:D

My last 3 computer purchases were--
PC Tescos
Laptop Dixons
Laptop Comet

As it happens no problems.

Just my view,

CRAZY K

[Harrison's Discos]

Thanks for your suggestions guys much appreciated :) :beer1:

I think Steve wins with his £250 lappy from ebuyer :d :approve: . Thats all im looking for really. Something that doesnt cost a lot and will easily be able to save word documents, pictures and a bit of music and so on..

I'm slightly worried now that Alan reminded me about how you could easily replace a laptop bought from a local store rather than an online purchase.
I'll just hope that i dont encounter any problems with my purchase...

[pagan_flame]

That's a linux laptop Steve! OP wanted a windows based machine. I'm not sure I would be comfortable running windows XP on 256mb :S :rolleyes:I have an antique Toshiba Portege running Win XP and OTSDJ on 256mb... hasn't fallen over so far in a year of useage. :cool:

[Harrison's Discos]

I have an antique Toshiba Portege running Win XP and OTSDJ on 256mb... hasn't fallen over so far in a year of useage. :cool:

:lol: you must be treating it well then :D

I think it all comes down to how you treat something like a laptop to depend on how long it lasts. Many people have nakered laptops out i know by purely their own fault. For example like blocking the air vent for the fan, or dropping them on the floor.
Its a bit obvious though that a cheap laptop isnt going to work aswell as a decent one if dropped on the floor (or abused in any way) because the build quality is less.

[Jiggles]

I will never! buy a pre built PC i will always build one as you know what you are getting! and it cheaper! :D

[BeerFunk]

I will never! buy a pre built PC i will always build one as you know what you are getting! and it cheaper! :D
I know where you're coming from, but then you generally get a warranty and guarantee that it will work if you buy it already built. I'm not so sure that it is cheaper to buy the parts seperately either, as companies tend to make less total profit when things are sold as a 'package'.

Definitely in the past, it was better to put your own together, but these days I'm not so sure! :)

[Jiggles]

I know where you're coming from, but then you generally get a warranty and guarantee that it will work if you buy it already built. I'm not so sure that it is cheaper to buy the parts seperately either, as companies tend to make less total profit when things are sold as a 'package'.

Definitely in the past, it was better to put your own together, but these days I'm not so sure! :)


I built my own PC for christmas and i based it on the Dell XPS and they cost a bit or two (£1000) and i built one for only £356!

[DMX Will]

Callum,

BeerFunk is right, it's cheaper to buy a pre-built system these days, which is a shame to an extent because not so many people will be taking the hands on approach. Although having said that, Every PC is my house (inc server) is built by myself, as it happens if something failed I would know what it was, and you DO get at least a 1 year guarantee with each individual part you buy.

I think it would take alot in the price difference to make me buy a computer pre-built, although if I did I would go down the HP or Dell route for sure.

As it happens over the summer I'll probably pick up a new laptop, but I'm being slightly more realistic with about £400-500 budget.

Harrison,

As I said in a few posts up, the laptop Steve linked to was a LINUX laptop, it doesn't come with Windows, Windows Vista will NOT run smoothly (if at all) on a laptop of that spec, and you cannot buy Windows XP (properly, I think) from the shops anymore as Vista is now out.

I would say, unless you already own a legit copy of Windows that isn't installed on any other computer it's out of the question.

[CRAZY K]

Hi guys. I am looking for a laptop to do tasks like college work and internet browsing.
The majority of my other fellow teccies have them and i am now persuaded to get one. I also know it will become of a great advantage aswell.:)
Its not the memory i am worried about, although a 5GB hard drive would just be plain silly :D
I am looking to spend around £250 - £300 and the laptop would have to be windows based (apple computers do not like me :D ). The condition would also have to be brand new as i wouldnt want to take any chances.
Please help me out guys :) :thumbs_up:

Just got an email from Comet.

Siemens Lap Top. 1gb ram, 80bg HD £399

If you can spend that amount looks good to me, allegedly reduced from a lot higher price.

CRAZY K

[kilmeedyman]

Just got an email from Comet.

Siemens Lap Top. 1gb ram, 80bg HD £399

If you can spend that amount looks good to me, allegedly reduced from a lot higher price.

CRAZY K

Friend bought one (if its the one I am thinking about) about a month ago and after buying it discovered the video memory was 'shared' RAM and the performance was very poor. He sent it back to Dabs for a full refund. Not meaning to put you off Fujitsu-Siemens, just look twice at what you're buying.

Mind you, might have been Vista that slowed it down? Who knows?

[Jiggles]

Just to add have a look at this http://aldi.co.uk/special_buys/special_buys_pid_52817.html loooks good!!

oh and a 500gb external HDD!!! http://aldi.co.uk/special_buys/special_buys_pid_52818.html

[CRAZY K]

Friend bought one (if its the one I am thinking about) about a month ago and after buying it discovered the video memory was 'shared' RAM and the performance was very poor. He sent it back to Dabs for a full refund. Not meaning to put you off Fujitsu-Siemens, just look twice at what you're buying.

Mind you, might have been Vista that slowed it down? Who knows?

Vista problem-- Could be--my Laptop is run on XP media and excellent.

CRAZY K

[pagan_flame]

:lol: you must be treating it well then :D

I think it all comes down to how you treat something like a laptop to depend on how long it lasts. Many people have nakered laptops out i know by purely their own fault. For example like blocking the air vent for the fan, or dropping them on the floor.
Its a bit obvious though that a cheap laptop isnt going to work aswell as a decent one if dropped on the floor (or abused in any way) because the build quality is less.Mine lives inside a padded bag and then inside a metal briefcase... internal battery and mouse is gone so have to run it off the base unit and with an external mouse (which I would use anyway) - all files are on an external drive which is backed up onto another external drive - so if one thing falls over / breaks / gets nicked, I haven't lost the lot!

Also - it runs XP and OTSDJ - and that's it; No internet, email, Microshaft Orifice etc to clog it up or slow it down. Strip it down to the operating system and the DJ program and it seems very stable.

[Harrison's Discos]

Looks like i will wait a bit longer and spend about £400 on a laptop.. would rather a good one than one thats going to last a few hours :D