a RELIABLE not so expensive laptop?

[vannah]

Is it actually possible to buy a laptop for about 300-400 that:

1. has lots memory
2. won't pack in after a year, ie might last about 5-6 years?

and if so what would you recommend?
I only need it for internet browsing. DH might use it for editing pics in adobe photoshop. But I would like lots of memory to avoid the slow pace at which Im having to work now...

thanks

[piratecat]

I saw one adviertised, A Toshiba, for 399 on tv the other day. may have been Pc world.

I am tempted!

[MissingMyHeels]

I have that Toshiba and think it's fab - I got it for £350! Good memory and a 17" screen, fab for catching up on tv shows I miss etc and Mumsnetting of course

[MissingMyHeels]

Oh and in tech terms it has a 160GB hard drive and a 2ghz duel processor (this is the bit that makes it fast I believe!) and was told it should last five years

[hoxtonchick]

i have a toshiba too, am happy with it. dunno what the tech specifications are though... i got laptop insurance with it from pc world which is ace - a nice man comes & takes it away to mend it periodically & it arrives back nice & clean. well worth £7/month .

[oxocube]

My dad was going to buy me a Toshiba from PC World but they had run out o he bought an Acer Aspire 5630 instead which has been great so far (had it about a year) Cost about £500 though so a bit more than you want to pay.

[charliecat]

www.microwarehouse.co.uk/catalogue/item/A0397458
i got this with 14 quid back from quidco and 50 cashback making it under 300.

[piratecat]

missing my heels, how many usb ports does yours have, and if it hasn't got many can you buy extras I think.
ia m not up to date at all in 'add ons'

Is it better to get laptop? than a pc. I am so I have no idea, how would I get it to work wirelessly etc...

and a hundred other questions.

I have an orange live box which I have never used btw.

[SummerDIY]

aolbraodband are giving away free laptops if u sign up with them!

[RustyBear]

You might want to read this before you go anywhere near AOL - from what I've heard it's fairly typical of their customer support...

[MissingMyHeels]

It has 3 USB ports, am sure you could get an add on dual usb thingy if you needed more. It's automatically got wireless enabled (and bluetooth) so you would just connect it to your wireless router - takes all of about 3 seconds.

Laptop is best IMO if you are mainly using it for surfing the internet etc. You do however get more for your money with a desktop so if you don't mind sitting at a table when you want to use it then it could be a good idea to look at a desktop too..

[piratecat]

what wireless router (thick emoticon)

is that what my broadband livebox is for??

[RustyBear]

Hmmm - I've just bought a new Toshiba laptop & it took rather more than 3 seconds to connect to my livebox - about 45 minutes on the phone to Orange support.

Hint - if you have problems - get them to check what channel the livebox is on - once they changed that all was fine.

[vannah]

thanks for all your suggestions
my friend has a toshiba so will look into it.
missingmyheels thanks for the memory info

[Lovesdogsandcats]

www.play.com/PC/PCs/4-/3477675/Acer-Aspire-4920-Core-2-Duo-T5250-1-5GHz-Santa-Rosa-2GB-120GB- 14-1-DVD-SM-Vista-Home-Premium-Laptop-Notebook/Product.html

really good laptop for the price.I have this for the dc and never had a problem and they are really fast too. Sharing a router with my desktop which is slow compared to this laptop.

[blithedance]

Yep

Have found my Acer laptop very reliable. Still going strong after 4 years.

Try to get the longest battery life you can, maximises your wireless reclining-on-the-sofa MN sessions. some of the cheap laptops are a bit power-hungry.

You could look at morgancomputers for good value for money.

[EvelynsDad]

I recently bought this Toshiba for my wife. It's a lovely piece of kit, a little over your budget, but the cashback offer just about brings it under £400.