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help me buy a laptop please

25 replies

stitch · 23/01/2009 13:26

what is the difference between a netbook, and a laptop?
i have been told to get 250gb memory. intel duo processor. nothing less than 1.8 ghz preferably 2 or above
3 hardrvie. or have i got the units all wrong/
HELP.

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Tabithacat · 23/01/2009 13:36

A netbook is a "handbag" sized version of a laptop. It does not have much memory, typically the cheaper ones come with linux as a operating system instead of windows XP/Vista and does not have a DVD drive.

It is OK if you only want to surf the net and do basic letters etc. If you want to download music or films, store photos or "burn" CDs get a laptop.

Not sure about the numbers - that alll confuses me too!

I always look at Dells website - their cheapest one is normally fine for all I want to do.

HTH, Tabitha

stitch · 23/01/2009 13:40

thank you tabitha.
a friend has told me all th enumbers business, buyt then said i need to do the research, and read the reviews etc and decide as they dont have th e time to tell me... i just want someone to tell me which one to buy.
okie, so i dont want a netbook. they just looked cheaper, so i thought maybe i could get away with that. but, i suppose if i am going to spend money, then i might as well be able to watch films on it.
i saw a pink sony i liked, but cant find it anywhere other than the amazon market place.

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SlightlyMadScotland · 23/01/2009 13:41

Absolutely nothing less than 1Gb RAM (memory). 2Gb is much better. It takes Vista nearly 1Gb to run on it's own.

stitch · 23/01/2009 13:49

my friend also said the same thinhg.preferably three gb.
but where from?? i like the inspiron one on th edell website. should i just get that?
hate making decisions.

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SlightlyMadScotland · 23/01/2009 13:53

My Dell desktop is fine....TBH I have never looked into brands of computer. A computer is a computor in my eyes.

What are you using it for? If you are doing a bit of word processing and surfing I think 2GB RAM is plenty. I am curerntly using 33% of mine with Vista and explorer running.

Teh other place to look is the Dell professional section....can sometimes get a better spec for the same money.

stitch · 23/01/2009 13:55

okie, will have a look. thank you

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RustyBear · 23/01/2009 13:56

In the figures you gave, the 3(Gb) would be the memory (RAM), the hard drive would be the 250Gb - the RAM is the memory the computer uses to run the operating system (Vista/XP)and the programs and the hard drive is where programs and data are stored.

Can you link to the one you're thinking of - 'inspiron' is a brand name, there are a lot of Dell models with that name.

retiredgoth2 · 23/01/2009 13:57

this is what I have, it meets all the specifications above....

...and is (as we say in Bristle) lush.

Just a thought. Are you sure you need such a large hard drive? 250 Gb is only necessary if you are keeping a lot of video. As an indication, most feature films will use about 1/2 a Gb, so are you really going to keep the equivalent of a couple of hundred films on it?

...a smaller hard drive is cheaper. For example, the computer I linked to ships with either 160 Gb or 250 Gb discs, there is more than £200 difference in price (though in fairness there are a couple of other differences between the two, but not many). If it turns out you do need more storage in the future, then a plug in hard drive (with another 500 Gb, say) costs about £50....

The processor speed (the one marked in Ghz) is the most important number, as this is difficult or impossible to upgrade. RAM memory (again expressed in Gb) is also important, depending on what you want to do and what operating system. More of it means you can do more stuff at once, and is useful for video/picture editing. Remember that if you do choose a Vista system, this needs more RAM to operate normally than most others. So you get more use from 2Gb on a Mac, Linux or an XP system than you do on a Vista system. In most computers RAM is easy and cheap to upgrade though....

Hope this is helpful, if dull and geeky.

retiredgoth2 · 23/01/2009 13:57

this is what I have, it meets all the specifications above....

...and is (as we say in Bristle) lush.

Just a thought. Are you sure you need such a large hard drive? 250 Gb is only necessary if you are keeping a lot of video. As an indication, most feature films will use about 1/2 a Gb, so are you really going to keep the equivalent of a couple of hundred films on it?

...a smaller hard drive is cheaper. For example, the computer I linked to ships with either 160 Gb or 250 Gb discs, there is more than £200 difference in price (though in fairness there are a couple of other differences between the two, but not many). If it turns out you do need more storage in the future, then a plug in hard drive (with another 500 Gb, say) costs about £50....

The processor speed (the one marked in Ghz) is the most important number, as this is difficult or impossible to upgrade. RAM memory (again expressed in Gb) is also important, depending on what you want to do and what operating system. More of it means you can do more stuff at once, and is useful for video/picture editing. Remember that if you do choose a Vista system, this needs more RAM to operate normally than most others. So you get more use from 2Gb on a Mac, Linux or an XP system than you do on a Vista system. In most computers RAM is easy and cheap to upgrade though....

Hope this is helpful, if dull and geeky.

stitch · 23/01/2009 14:15

wow, thank you for very helpful replies. must now re read them iyswim

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ilovemydogandMrObama · 23/01/2009 14:19

retired -- did you get yours at the Apple Store in Cabot Circus? Reason I ask is that they don't seem to want to negotiate at all! John Lewis is offering a 2 year warranty (Apple Care for 1 year plus a year warranty elsewhere). Relayed this to the Apple Store and they were absolutely not interested.

Oh, and they said that Apple don't do 'extras' which is news to me as I wangled a free i pod out of the store in San Francisco

retiredgoth2 · 23/01/2009 14:26

...I bought mine from John Lewis.

(never been to Cabotmead!)

...I have a few Macs (geek alert) all from John Lewis. For the reason you state, that you get 2 years warranty for no extra cost. I think this is true for all electronic goods from there....

ilovemydogandMrObama · 23/01/2009 14:32

Hmmm - at Cabotmead! It's actually better than dreary Galleries, although DD (aged 2) was concerned about the modern sculpture of reindeer outside wondering if Santa forgot them....

So, if you are a fully fledged geek, I will assume that you've looked at all angles and have decided that John Lewis is best?

stitch · 23/01/2009 14:34

joh lewis online didnt seem partiuclarly helpful

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retiredgoth2 · 23/01/2009 14:39

....yes, John Lewis is best.

Apple stores will not negotiate, the official outlets won't anyway. There are two authorised re-sellers locally, though.

Western Computer is by Temple Meads, and is ok. I have bought quite a few accesories (and got repairs and free advice) from this place in Bath.

retiredgoth2 · 23/01/2009 14:40

John Lewis online is a good place to buy if you know what you want, Stitch.

...rubbish for advice though. This is true of the shop, too....

retiredgoth2 · 23/01/2009 14:41

..and I can spell accessories. Honest.

stitch · 24/01/2009 14:41

vaio ns20ep and its pink.... what do you think?

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Tabithacat · 24/01/2009 14:49

Hi Stitch,

Really nice looking laptop! Good choice.

Two things to think about - It doesn't seem to have bluetooth, which isn't the most important thing in the world but if you want to transfer photos from your mobile is a useful extra. Secondly, it has a 60 trial of the Microsoft Office Suite so at the end of 60 days you would have to pay out an unspecified amount to keep it.

Neither are that important but just thought I would point them out.

Otherwise, Sony is a good make and it's pretty!

stitch · 24/01/2009 15:03

thank you tabitha.
the microsoft office isnt that important as we have it from when e bought the desktop, well, it is somewhere.
i just cant find any reviews on it though.
should i get it?

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RustyBear · 24/01/2009 15:03

Most computers only come with a trial version of Office these days, so that's not really an issue - they mostly have Works. Office student edition is around £60 - it can be installed on up to 3 computers and includes Word, Excel, Powerpoint and OneNote

stitch · 24/01/2009 15:07

rusty, should i get it then?
or am i being reeled in by the fact that it is pink?

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RustyBear · 24/01/2009 15:20

If you're not worried about the Bluetooth, it looks good - just one thing - if you have a digital cameras, what kind of card does it use - as far as I can see, this laptop only has slots for Sony and SD cards - if you have a different one, like xD or Compact Flash, you'd have to get a separate card reader, or use the camera cable.

stitch · 24/01/2009 15:30

both cameras are sony, so not a problem there.
my mobile phone will be replaced in the next three months, so that will have a cord with it for downloading pictures. i havent been able to find one with those specs, and pink, and bluetooth, that doesnt cost a fortune. iyswim.
okie, here goes.

thank you lovely mumsnetters

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costagirl · 25/01/2009 21:16

Hello, I've spent all afternoon trying to choose a laptop, so know how you feel! I phoned Dell and did a bit of bartering, they put together an Inspiron 1525 with 2 gig memory, dual core processor, 160 hard drive, plus Microsoft Office for £429. I'm hoping that sounds ok and nobody reckons I've been fleeced! My Dell PC has always been really reliable.
Hope you are pleased with your choice.

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