laptop recommendations

[Babyramone]

Hi been swithering about a laptop and have decided to go for it. Don't need anything really fancy but also need slighty more than a notebook.

What I'm unsure about is brands, do I go for a Dell, Hp or.....?

Does it male any difference or is the brand of processor important.
is it worth paying more for a name?

Any tips thankfully received.:)

I would highly recommend a MacBook - because I have one! It's so easy to use, which is why DH chose it for my birthday present a few years ago

There's a newer one out now, it's smaller and thinner and probably costs £££, but if you can afford it I would go for it.

hth

I have a toshiba that I am quite fond of. I need something a little more portable for the office and have been looking at the Dell Inspiron Duo that flips from a tablet to a laptop.

I'd suggest you need to give a hint about your budget, and how you want to use your laptop.

For example, there have been Compaq (owned by HP) laptops running Windows 7 on sale in the 250-350 region for the past year or more (admittedly some when Asda Living was clearing its shelves, they were reduced by 100 pounds, but there are still bargains to be had if one searches). Clearly if your budget stretches to 600, 900, 1200 you have many more choices possible :)

On the 'use' side of things, some seem to suggest 2-3 hours on battery while (again, doing a bit of searching) others suggest 6 to 7 hours or more. If you will need it to run longer on battery, then it would help to know early on, to avoid suggesting something which would be inadequate.

If the budget can do ii.. macbook all the way. Even my second hand macbook outlasted several Window's machines by several years (I think cos of the lack of virus problems) also they are so easy to use, intuitive and beautiful.. strokes macbook :D The battery life is brilliant.. mines 2 years old now and still holding 5+ hours with everything running..

If you like Windows we have had one toshiba on the go for 4 years which I don't think is bad.. BUT have had issues with my DD's new one she had for uni..we had to take it back and she now has a Packard Bell which is doing ok!

I've got an HP Envy 14 which is lush. Got it instead of a macbook pro as decided to stick with windows when saw windows 7 quite good.

Hi thanks for replies lot to think about. My budget is up to 600 possibly 700 but happy to go cheaoer if find one in lower price range.

A quick look on Ebay for 'daily deals' (linked from front page) will find some daily, or weekly, deals costing from around 225 up.

Looking at laptops that are above minimum spec so won't need replacing for a while, there were a couple I saw with 4GB of RAM and generous hard drives, one (Acer) at 299 and an HP at a little over 400 pounds.

Unless there are really strong reasons for choosing some others (because of software you want, or for playing video on a big TV needing some special connection) I would have thought a 400 pound laptop would cope with majority of needs...

My main reason for mentioning the HP was because some here on MN have reported less than ideal experiences with Acer, so you might want to spend the extra for a 'big name'. However other names to consider should include Lenovo (IBM), Compaq (HP) and probably Toshiba (been around the longest, but maybe they have lost the edge). I know some people swear by Sony but I think they may be a bit overpriced (similarly for Sony radios/music systems/TV, and the fact they have Sony stores to keep prices high, add to my belief!)

Maybe worth checking John Lewis (.com) as you may find a longer warranty and possibly a price match.

Also, worth visiting JL, Comet, Currys branches to check the keyboards before parting with your cash. Some people find they love or hate specific keyboards. I would tend towards 17" laptops with separate numeric pad.

I rarely actually use the laptop keyboard (4 laptops here at present) because each is different, some don't have a numeric pad, function keys and home/ end/ page up/page down etc are often awkward... so at home I plug in a full size USB keyboard, and an optical mouse. Cheap option (keyboards from 4 pounds, multimedia a little more expensive, but give volume control etc without touching the laptop) and standard layout, prevent spills from getting into the laptop, and I can place the laptop further with the screen closer to eye level, but those are personal choices, of course.