Help needed please - buying a laptop for a Christmas Present!

[bigTillyMint]

DD(12) would like a laptop for Christmas - mainly to do her mountains of homework on, though I'm sure she has other plans too! But I don't know what we should go for.

I am thinking around the £400 mark?
She will need Microsoft Office - uses word, powerpoint, publisher, etc.
She will need internet access (and goes on U-tube / games, of course!)

What should I look for in terms of
RAM - is 6GB much better than 4GB?
Intel Pentium -v- Intel Core / other?
HardDrive - 500GB, 640GB????

Thanks to all you knowledgeable people!

DD(12) would like a laptop for Christmas - mainly to do her mountains of homework on, though I'm sure she has other plans too! But I don't know what we should go for.

I am thinking around the £400 mark?
That will get you a decent machine. Buy it from a shop so you can take it back if there is a fault. this one looks like a good deal at the moment. 15.6" screen is better for serious homework, 14" is more portable but at 12 I wouldn't recommend taking it out and about anyway.

She will need Microsoft Office - uses word, powerpoint, publisher, etc.
Get the full version of Office 2010 from Software4Students. Do NOT be conned into buying Home and Business from the place you get the PC - it will be more expensive (£38 fromS4S) and won't include Publisher. Don't be conned into anti-virus or any other software either - download Microsoft Security Essentials for free.

She will need internet access (and goes on U-tube / games, of course!)
Presumably you have wireless broadband? All laptops have wireless internet. If you are talking about mobile internet access, this is going to cost at least £10 a month: tMobile do an unlimited package for this but I wouldn't recommend it for a 12 year old.

What should I look for in terms of
RAM - is 6GB much better than 4GB?
No, no better at all for this usage
Intel Pentium -v- Intel Core / other?
Intel Core i3
HardDrive - 500GB, 640GB????
Anything over 320GB

Thanks to all you knowledgeable people!

Mranchovy (like the name!) thanks!

Yes, good idea to get it from a reputable shop incase of problems!
Thanks for the tip on S4S and Microsoft security - I downloaded Avast for the PC - are they similar?

And the techy stuff, all very helpful, thanks

The free version of Avast will not provide as much protection as MSE.

For around the £400 mark you should be able to find a Core i3 laptop with 4GB RAM and a 500GB hard disk. This should be sufficient for most purposes. MS Office will take it over the £400 mark or you could use OpenOffice, which is free.

direct.tesco.com/q/R.212-1035.aspx
direct.tesco.com/q/R.212-3150.aspx
www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/acer-aspire-5733-15-6-laptop-11318168-pdt.html

Thanks for that - looks like the Acer one must be OK as you have both linked to it

I wonder if I can get a warranty on these?.....

The Acer should be OK, OTOH I would be reluctant to buy anything from PC World. I would indulge (some of) my prejudices and buy one of the Toshibas from Tesco myself.

Yes, PC world/Currys/whatever doesn't have the best reputation!

I was thinking about John Lewis as they have warranties included, but they don't have those ones. And Tesco's means more clubcard points...

I would normally say that extended warranty is a waste of money - faults tend to occur within the first few months (which is covered anyway) or after 3 years when the warranty has run out. However, there is an extended warranty available from Acer on their products called AcerAdvantage which is not bad value, particularly if accidental damage cover is relevant (which isn't covered under the standard 1 year warranty) - 3 years including accidental damage for £82. Don't be tempted by anything a salesman tries to sell you in the shop - this is the only problem with PC World/Currys, you just have to have decide exactly what you want before going in to the shop and ignore everything the ill-informed and poorly trained school-leaver with a sales target to meet helpful assistant says. Using the online shop with 'collect at store' helps.

We have owned 4 Acer laptops and they are excellent quality IMHO. Consumer Toshiba machines are (again IMHO) crap.

One of those four Acers I bought from Tesco: if I went there now I'd have a hard job resisting this

Just think of all the clubcard points you could earn

Thanks again for the tips!

mranchovy,you must have been very lucky to have had four acer machines that have never gone wrong most people I know avoid them like the plague.

Oh no! Bubbles can you tell me what problems you have had with the Acers?

I havent actually had one but have read lots of problems from people who have had them.