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Original poster

Laptop recommendations

33 replies

Matilda2013 · 27/10/2020 21:14

Seen a lot of this but thought I'd start my own. Looking for a laptop that does all the basics and has the capacity for an occasional game of Sims in case lockdown hits again Grin. Hoping for it to last a while my old Packard bell has given up the ghost but was purchased from Comet 8 or 9 years ago.

Also does anyone know of a good quality photo scanner? Looking to organise all the family pictures digitally but most seem very expensive!

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Original poster
Matilda2013 · 27/10/2020 23:11

Bump

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Mutunus · 28/10/2020 01:33

Don't know what your budget is but normally you would expect to pay over £400 for a reasonably specced laptop. With that in mind how about this one from Argos (other outlets available) www.argos.co.uk/product/5029976
It's £499, but has a decent processor, 8gb ram and a 256gb ssd (hard drive) which really is the minimum size to get started with. Preferably I'd like 500gb but of course the price goes up.
What resolutions were you looking to scan in?

Original poster
Matilda2013 · 28/10/2020 09:43

Budget can go a bit higher as I'm looking for something that will last me and work well Smile and I don't know much about resolutions...just ordinary sized photographs normally?

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Mutunus · 28/10/2020 22:12

How about this Dell from Currys tinyurl.com/ravhlu6
The main differences between this and the HP are;
£699 for this as opposed to £499 for the HP
512gb SSD (as opposed to 256gb)
Backlit keyboard.
To be honest, I'm not convinced the Dell is worth the extra £200
I think I would save the money and in a years or so time (after the 12 months g'tee in other words) upgrade the 256 SSD to 512gb or even 1TB for about £60, but obviously that's just my opinion Smile.

Regarding scanners. A separate flatbed scanner resolution would be up to 4800dpi but the file sizes would start to be quite big. Epson do one for about £90
An all in one printer/scanner like a Canon or HP will scan at 600dpi which is pretty good unless you're a professional photographer looking for hi-res images to work with. Perhaps a visit to some photo forums will give you a better answer.

Original poster
Matilda2013 · 28/10/2020 23:03

Thank you for the advice Smile haven't used my old laptop much in years due to having an ipad, smartphone etc but it's definitely useful to have for some things! And with all this COVID stuff you just never know when you'll need it for work.. Or just to play sims which my old one just won't do anymore Hmm.

And thank you for advice on scanners too! Hoping to get all the memories stored digitally too!

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Bunnybigears · 28/10/2020 23:05

Lenovo are good value for money.

snowy0wl · 28/10/2020 23:42

A friend of mine is a fan of Lenovo. My first laptop was a Dell Inspiron, which lasted around 8 years. I switched to an Acer Aspire two years ago (8GB memory, 1TB storage - the Dell equivalent was more expensive) and I've been very pleased with it so far. I went for HDD instead of SSD because I wasn't going to do much gaming and preferred to have the extra drive space. This is something to consider if you are going to be storing a lot of photos on it. I would love the option of a back-lit keyboard (something to consider for my next laptop) - it would make typing in low light so much easier!

It's also worth exploring the backup options for your digital photos. Various companies offer cloud-based solutions (eg. Google and Amazon) or you could invest in an external hard drive. There is also the old-fashioned DVD option (N.B. most laptops don't come with a CD/DVD reader/writer these days and so you will need to buy an external one).

Original poster
Matilda2013 · 29/10/2020 00:03

I do own an external hard drive for storage of pictures which I will probably upgrade given how long I have had it.
Which Lenovo do you have @Bunnybigears?

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Mutunus · 29/10/2020 00:49

Be a bit careful with Lenovo as some of the popular ones seem to come with Windows 10 S instead of Home or Pro.

Bunnybigears · 29/10/2020 07:42

@Matilda2013 we have a Lenovo Thinkpad. DH hs one for work and we were very impressed so we got one for the family now that remote learning is becoming a regular occurrence for DS. I dont know the exact model but there are a few depending how much memory, what processor and screen size you want.

Bunnybigears · 29/10/2020 07:42

Oh and it has Windows 10 Pro

tanstaafl · 29/10/2020 08:50

Hi OP.
Just to clarify something, did you play Sims on your old Packard Bell laptop?

Original poster
Matilda2013 · 29/10/2020 09:51

@tanstaafl well I would like it to be an option? No guarantee it'll be as exciting as I remember at 30 Grin but given lockdown all over its best to have options.

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Original poster
Matilda2013 · 29/10/2020 10:07

Sorry I misread the question. I used to be able to play sims on the Packard Bell. There's a file missing or something nowadays but I think the laptop is generally just done.

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Original poster
Matilda2013 · 31/10/2020 21:08

@Mutunus disappointed the hp laptop isn't available from argos where I stay! Now to keep looking for similar Hmm is Ryzen instead of Intel a problem? I remember back when I knew things! Clearly havent a clue now.

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cherrypiepie · 31/10/2020 22:21

Have you considered a MacBook?
I have had one for 8 years now and love it.

Original poster
Matilda2013 · 31/10/2020 22:26

Oh I have an ipad but don't really fancy a mac book. I'm much more used to windows for work etc! Wouldn't know where to start with that!

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chuffedasbuttons · 31/10/2020 22:38

It's more about the processor
The i5 on the Argos one will be perfectly sufficient for Sims.

You can (and should) save your sims on an external hard drive anyway. So the Dell link isn't worth the money.

If you can afford the Argos, go for it. Laptops sold out in the last lockdown

Original poster
Matilda2013 · 31/10/2020 22:40

The argos one isn't available here Sad had the same thought about buying it before lockdown hits Scotland.

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DominaShantotto · 31/10/2020 22:48

@cherrypiepie

Have you considered a MacBook? I have had one for 8 years now and love it.
Macbook Air at least is really struggling with videocalls now we're all locked up in our houses trying to work these days. (I have the 2020 i5 version)

I love the machine, love the build quality and the inter-operability with my other Apple devices - but it wasn't built for a world where we're stuck on fucking zoom calls constantly bless it - it was built for slinging in your backpack, being incredibly light and portable and working on the go.

Graphista · 01/11/2020 01:54

Following with interest I could really do with a an idiots guide actually as I'm clueless these days despite a mere 10 years ago knowing exactly what I was on about!

I'm debating iPad or laptop and if laptop windows based (what I'm familiar with) or MacBook

I'm in the fortunate position of having a little in the way of savings for this but this is a rare situation that won't repeat itself so whatever I get I want it to last at least 5 years.

Mainly for usual recreational usage but perhaps if I'm lucky I might be wanting to use to study/work on (admin type jobs possibly remote call centre type work as I'm hoping that companies being more adapted now to people wfh that this might make it slightly easier for me to get back into employment, at the very least hopefully do some further study that will get me a recent qualification or 2 with the same aim once the worst of the recession is over

Such a big decision isn't it op? I hope the replies help you find the right one for you.

Original poster
Matilda2013 · 01/11/2020 09:10

@Graphista it really is Smile I really don't want to make thr wrong choice and waste money. Don't need it for work (so far...) but still want it to be worth the money and work well.

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Graphista · 01/11/2020 20:34

Yes it's a big purchase for most people and we want value for money.

I don't think that's too much to ask

Mutunus · 02/11/2020 22:04

Matilda2013
Apologies for the late reply. Ryzen is OK. You should be aiming for Ryzen 5 or higher.

How about this. It's a lot of money (for me) at £699 but it is a very good spec
www.argos.co.uk/product/7816204

It's definitely good enough for Sims and it's available in Scotland apparently!

GrumpyHoonMain · 02/11/2020 22:07

If you have a lot of Apple products already then the bog standard MacBook air (upgraded with a faster processor and more memory if you need it) might be a good idea. It’s a bit pricier but you can organise files really easily across devices