would a kind Geeky person cast their eye over this laptop (ebay link) please?

[NigellasGuest]

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/330831327504?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2648

can't stretch to a brand new laptop for DD ATM but would something like this be suitable for her?
Requirements: internet browsing, homework, i-tunes, watching DVDs.
NOT gaming.

does it look reasonably good value? it doesn't need to be light to carry as it will stay in the house. Thank you!

That's a very old laptop in computer terms- I can see reviews for it from 2006. The specs on it are odd - it has a very high processing speed for a laptop, but the RAM is low and so the processor probably won't perform adequately. Also the hard drive is only 80gb which is very small these days. And then at the end of the listing, it says the battery life isn't tested and isn't covered by the warranty, which could potentially cost you another £20-30 to replace if it's dead. In my opinion that laptop is not worth £150.

Is there anywhere near you that sells second hand computers? Somewhere like an independent computer shop or CeX? Places like that are usually happy for you to have a little play around with the laptop before you buy, and at least there's somewhere physical to take it back to if you have problems.

In taking it for a "test run" :) I'd take a DVD with you to check that it will play one without requiring extra drivers or screeching to a halt entirely. Also, try loading up the internet on it and Word (or wordpad) at the same time, search for an image on google images and then try to copy and paste the (large) image into word to see how smoothly it runs for homework. You probably won't be able to test iTunes on it or data transfer from a USB stick (in case you've hidden viruses in there!) but the DVD and copy-paste check should give you a good idea of how fast it runs and how useful it's going to be for homework etc.

If the laptop has Windows 7 then it's really going to struggle with anything less than 2GB of RAM. XP will be fine with anything you'll get nowadays. I wouldn't have thought that a second hand laptop will have Windows 8 on, so don't worry about that.

Vista as an operating system would put me off,my laptop fan has died recently and rather than use the vista laptop we have, I have dragged out an old xp desktop,it is like a racehorse compared with sluggish carthorse that is vista.
There is a review of that laptophere but you need to be aware that laptop was released with windows xp,vista has obviously but on by the seller when refurbishing it,so anything related to speed would not be accurate.

Ah I didn't clock that - yes Vista would be a big no from me too. Windows XP is fine, Windows 7 is fine, Windows Vista... well, there's a reason you never see it these days

Also worth noting that the speed of a laptop 6 years ago is not likely to be comparable with the speed of a computer today because all of the programs, so iTunes, as well as system-included programs like Internet Explorer, have all been updated to take advantage of more up to date computer speeds and will be a big system-hog (slowing the computer down and running slowly/jerkily) on older computers.

Thank you both SO much - that is one big load of invaluable information and help you have given me! I will DEFINITELY be going down to the local shop to look for something second hand rather than buying from Ebay now, and will be heeding ALL your advice, thank you again

Your welcome,if it had xp,as it had when it was new,it might have been worth a look but not with vista.

I would not class a system with 2 GB of RAM to be one to ignore, however the fact it has Vista on is something I would suggest avoiding. My experience with Windows 7 is that 2 GB of RAM is perfectly usable. I had some issues with networking, and that's why I gave a brand new Compaq (reduced 250 quid when Asda Living wanted to make space in February 2010) to my BiL, who then installed all his engineering and business applications on it. Have had no complaints or shrieks for help from Staffordshire so assume all is OK!

However, depending on your budget, you might find the local shops (especially with people willing to "find the extra" to provide a present for Christmas) have Windows 7 systems at 200 pounds and more (based on my regular checks at the local CEX, CashGenerator and CashConverter).

I tend to look for Windows XP (which is pretty stable and I have a load of suitable software ready to install) but fewer and fewer XP systems are to be found on the shelves.

There are some deals to be had on Ebay - I got a Dell Inspiron for about 85 quid in the summer - but well worth checking the ones with a 'Buy It Now' price and contacting them (15 minutes before their listing closes) to make an offer. If no-one has bought it at the price they wanted, they may relist it, perhaps with a 'make an offer' option.

Also worth checking whether it is a business listing it - the seller may be paranoid about getting anything less than 5 stars for everything, so the description should be completely correct.

Finally, look for Tesco Outlet, Argos and Ebuyer Express selling off systems (it means their primary online sites can have the newest models and the older cheaper ones are not found there for comparison against costly newer ones). (Why bother with Tesco, Argos or Ebuyer ? You should get 12 month warranty with anything they sell.)

Took a look today to see how prices compare in the local secondhand market, and 200-250 will mostly get a Win 7 system with 2 GB, 300 quid may get 3 GB RAM, and for 4 GB or more, prices are often 350-700, pretty much whichever one of the three stores you choose.

It does probably vary a little across the country, but to me it almost looks like they are buying on Ebay and adding 50 to 150 quid and sticking item in their own window.

2GB is fine I agree, anything less than that and you'll struggle though.

The thing with ebay is it's fine if you know what you're looking for, if you're not technically minded you can run into major problems. Unless you have a particularly techy friend I'd probably stick to either a second hand shop (although IME stick to the ones which specialise in computers/electricals as the general ones which "buy anything" tend to have shoddy returns policies and the staff won't necessarily be knowledgeable about the machines) or an electricals outlet as NetworkGuy says. You will pay more but it's worth it knowing that you can take it back and don't have to argue online with an unknown entity.

Fairly sure my Acer nettop box running Wih 7 has 1 GB RAM and copes well with fairly heavy use - BBC iPlayer + browsing + text editor + FTP so it depends what you're doing. Will agree extra RAM does no harm on most systems.