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Which laptop to go for?

rawr

Member
Joined
14 Apr 2009
Messages
598
Location
Enfield
I'm going to be buying a new laptop soon and can't choose which to go for! I was originally going to get a MacBook but am a couldn't go without Windows. I could just imagine myself hating it after a while, despite their sexyness. Still, works out cheaper anyway!

I want something, small and leightweight that looks good and is quite cheap. I don't do much apart from browse the internet, sync my iPod (i.e. store music), watch films and do the odd bit of homework.

So, here's the two that I can't decide upon.

The Sony is smaller and weighs less, which I like. But, it's slightly thicker and comes with XP instead of Vista. I could just about live with that, but would prefer Vista. It also has more storage than the other one, but less memory but that isn't too much of an issue - the stuff I want it for isn't demanding at all. Bearing in mind I also have more faith in Sony as a brand over Advent.

The Advent is slightly larger, but almost half the thickness which is nice. I like the 'fingerpring protection feature' and the fact that it has Vista but this all comes with a more expensive price tag.

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/store/ ... oid=-35074

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/store/ ... oid=-27757

So, opinions? Thoughts? Advice? I know there's quite a few teccy guys on here, what do you think? :)
 
that advent seems over priced for the spec.in fact looking through all the advents seem to be robberey prices.

this for example...

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/store/ ... sku=585767

you can get twice the laptop for less money. PC world really are robbing gits! and crap after service to boot.

i bought a Toshiba Satellite Pro U400-130 - Core 2 Duo 2.26 GHz - 13.3 " - 3 GB Ram - 250 GB HDD and found it for 500 quid....you need to search hard though.

nowadays, dual core is minimum requirements IMO,(not in terms of running programs of course) and from being a user of dual and now i'm on Quad core, i'd spend a bit more on your laptop, to try and make it future proof as poss.
 
Thanks guys :) looking at it now, the advent probably is too overpriced for what it is. I think the Sony is great value but I'm just so dissapointed it comes with XP rather than Vista!

Mark - I would spend a bit more on the laptop but I think every system has it's lifespan and there's no point in going for top of the range with loads of memory etc when I don't need it. I've had a Toshiba for around 18 months now, and it's still going strong from me looking after it. Before that, I had a top of the range Sony Vaio and that was running for about five years, which is probably quite reasonable considering it took a bit of bashing from me being younger and I didn't really know what I was doing when downloading software and stuff.

So the Sony it is!

Just to clarify - it doesn't have a disk slot thing to put in CDs etc (forgotten what it's called).

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/store/ ... ll&tm=null

Would this act as a normal disk drive thing and allow me to import CDs to iTunes, watch DVDs etc?
 
chilled84 - could please chill out a bit and stop being so aggressive. Just because you don't like Vista doesn't mean that everybody else has to dislike it as well. Yes, it has some problems but for most home users it works well and is my preferred choice for home use as well.
PS, a spell checker wouldn't go amiss as I couldn't make head or tail of half your post

I fix up old broken laptops as a sideline along with repairing friends/neighbours machines. Most of the big name brands like HP/Compaq, Toshiba, Acer, Fujitsu build very respectable machines these days. I've never liked the Advent machines but they work well enough. Any dual core machine with 2GB ram will be fine for you. Sony make very nice stylish machines but are a tad overpriced for what they are imho. Set your budget and then go and see which machine suits your needs. Try and get one that will do the Windows 7 upgrade free if that is what you would want to do.

I have noticed that prices in the past couple of months have started to increase quite dramatically, especially HP. This is for business machines but I'd expect the same to be true for home machines.

HTH
James
 
rawr said:
Just to clarify - it doesn't have a disk slot thing to put in CDs etc (forgotten what it's called).

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/store/ ... ll&tm=null

Would this act as a normal disk drive thing and allow me to import CDs to iTunes, watch DVDs etc?

If that connects to the laptop OK then it will do exactly what you say above.

I haven't looked at the specs of the laptops you mentioned, but one thing that hasn't been spoken about is the warranty - worth comparing them to when you're comparing laptops.

Good luck with your choice - it's always daunting!

Mark
 
chilled84 said:
why the hell would you want vista?? UI have loaded that onto my pc and have hated it ever since. Wish i had XP! how can you moan about a op stystem that does what it says on the tin! clearly still in my eyes its got to be the sone.

James i wasnt being agressive. Was exspressing how i felt. Sorry my spelling is not the greatest,But does that make me different, headwise to others. besides i only missed keys with my fat finger,
 
Eh, no worries. :) I just prefer Vista because that's what I've got on my Toshiba laptop now and really like the design of it. To me, it isn't much different to XP apart from the fact that I think it looks nicer. I think going back to XP would seem like a downgrade. It's like having the opportunity to buy a Porche but getting a Ford KA instead, maybe not that extreme but you get the idea.

Thanks for your advice James, another thing you reminded me of is how the laptop looks and keyboard placement. My parents have a Fuji laptop, and I just think it looks ugly and being a touchtyper, can't get used to the keyboard at all, it seems all wrong. I'm going to go have a look in-store to see what they've go there at some point over the weekend though.

Regarding prices, I would say they've stayed abou the same since May last year when I bought my current laptop for £400. You can get similar specs for similar prices at the moment. Thanks again. :)

Vauxhall - good point about the warranty! I overlooked that and it's quite important. ;)
 
Ah I just noticed something after reading saintly's post again. What's the difference between the processors? Like, an Intel Atom which the Sony has to say a Duo Core or whatever it's called that my current Toshiba has?
 
I had a pc world bought 'Advent' PC which was ok, nothing great.
I've got a Dell laptop which I've had for 4-5 years now and can do with a replacement as it's got old.
I would recommend Dell 100% as my father got a PC from them which didn't work and after sending replacement parts which didn't fix the problem, gave him a new PC with an upgrade. Whilst my father can complain for England, he was impressed with their customer support.
I would also recommend getting as high spec laptop as possible as then it'll remain up to date for a few years.
 
The dual/Quad is quite confusing for most but in theory if you buy a standard 3000Ghz processor then a duo 3000Ghz 'should' be about twice as fast and quad about 4x as fast. This of course is in theory.

Personally I'm with Chilled84. I have used Vista, and have 'downgraded' it to XP. I wouldn't say it was like a Porsche vs a Ford Ka. More like intending to buy a Ford Ka and thats what you get compared to buying a Porsche only to find its a less reliable Ford Ka with a Porsche kit body around it.

I have heard and read great things about Windows 7 though and intend to get it soon. I would personally either use XP or 7.

Never been a fan of laptops. For the money both in purchase price and upgrading you can get much more bang for your buck with a desktop and more robust and reliable in the main too. There are 3Ghz Quad (advertised as 12 Ghz :lol: ) Core 8mb, 1Tb setups with 1Gb Nvidea going for the £250-£300 mark (w/o OS, keyboard, mouse, screen) on ebay.

AC
 
Cheers Clark, I've had a Dell PC before and don't have such great stuff to say about it, but that was a few years ago now and since have heard good feedback about Dell. I've found a laptop with similar specs but £100 cheaper, slightly more ugly but cheaper nonetheless.

Andy, having a laptop is just easier for me when I'm on the move and stuff from a portability point of view, even just moving it around the house which is why I'm going smaller. With regards to Vista, I see what you're saying. A lot of people I know don't like it but I myself don't see anything wrong with it, never had any problems at all with it and find it more aesthetically pleasing than XP. I've also heard good things about Windows 7. Is it an easy process to change operating systems do you know?

Regarding the processors, I sort of understand that but then what's an Intel Atom Processor?

Thanks again for the advice guys - very much appreciated so keep it coming! :)
 
rawr said:
Andy, having a laptop is just easier for me when I'm on the move and stuff from a portability point of view, even just moving it around the house which is why I'm going smaller. With regards to Vista, I see what you're saying. A lot of people I know don't like it but I myself don't see anything wrong with it, never had any problems at all with it and find it more aesthetically pleasing than XP. I've also heard good things about Windows 7. Is it an easy process to change operating systems do you know?

Regarding the processors, I sort of understand that but then what's an Intel Atom Processor?

I se why you want a laptop and understand it. I know lots of people who buy them and put them where they used to have the desktop saying 'looks better'. lol

Vista is definately more aesthetically pleasing than my XP :) I turn all the aesthetics off as they slow it down a little bit. I have it on the basic windows 95 style with no special effects :) I am after the speed rather than something that looks 'bling'.

It is very easy to just upgrade BUT it is better to do a clean install i.e. format and then load up the new OS. That of course means having to buy the full program which at the moment is about £150. Was £80 a month ago!!! the upgrade is now £80.

With the processors there are some better than others. The Ghz doesn't necessarily tell you how fast the processor is. One type of processor may have the sam Ghz speed but be slower/ faster than another. As new ones come out they give them new names. P3, P4, Atom, Athlon etc.

AC
 
Haha, my parents basically use their laptop as a desktop - it's never moved since they bought it!

I couldn't cope with the Windows 95 style! :sick:

Ah right, so if the laptop came with XP - I could just buy the £80 upgrade and upgrade the OS easily enough then? Sounds good to me!

So effectively a 3000Ghz Core Duo or whatever it's called is no different to a 3000Ghz Atom processor? :? The one with the Sony says 'Intel Atom N280 for portability' do you think this would be suitable for what I'm after?

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/store/ ... ll&tm=null

Thanks again Andy, I appreciate the helpfulness from someone who knows their stuff! :)
 
Another vote for XP (over Vista). I have 4gb RAM and 2.2Ghz processor running Vista and 512MB 1.4Ghz machine running XP. The latter is far more responsive (and less susceptible to random oddities and BSOD).
 
rawr said:
So effectively a 3000Ghz Core Duo or whatever it's called is no different to a 3000Ghz Atom processor? :? The one with the Sony says 'Intel Atom N280 for portability' do you think this would be suitable for what I'm after?

Nope. Think more of the Duo/Quad being a measurement and Atom being a model name. A 3000Ghz Duo is in theory 6000Ghz.

The atom is just the name of Intel's smallest chip so there may be different versions of it.

With an upgrade all you do is put the disk in and it should run you through the process. Personally I would try and find a retail version of the full upgrade and clean install it.

AC
 
Hi, just thought I would explain a few things in general since you seem a bit confused about the prcessors and all.
The Atom processor is a low cost lw power processor mainly designed for netbooks where processing power is not that important. The core 2 duo however is full fledged processor so to speak and is good for just about everything anyone would do on a computer (obviously varies depending on the model). A dual core 3 Ghz processor is not the same as a 6 Ghz processor. Put simply, a dual or quad core processor is better at multitasking. For example if you are running two programs then each would be able to make use of 3 ghz of computing power. This isnt exactly efficient because it depends on available RAM, ahrd disk speed, etc.

Dont buy the Sony Vaio, it is just like a premium "netbook". If you do want a netbook then I would suggest The Samsung NC10 or NC20.
If you do not want the extra portability then I would suggest a normal 15.4" laptop as you usually get the best deal on this size. Tell us what you need it for and what your budget is. It would also be helpful yo mentioned any special requirements like screen size, Hard disk space required, DVD or Blu Ray drive, etc. Do this and I will try and find something that suits you.

Now as for XP vs Vista, both have their pros and cons. I have been using Vista for 1.5 years now and after the first month of "XP is better" I got used to it and quite like it.
I would also suggest buying a Vista computer but make sure it allows you to upgrade to Windows 7.
I have been fiddling with Win 7 for the past 2-3 months and it is really great. I would highly recommend it. If you really need the laptop now then I would suggest buying a Vista one with the Win 7 upgrade option or if you can wait for a month then get a new laptop that comes with Win 7 installed since it releases in October sometime.
 
Hi Mortis, thanks for clearing that up.

Since my last post I realised that the Sony was slightly overpriced for what it is. From looking at other netbooks, I've seen that literally all of them come with 1gb memory, Atom processor, 160gb hard drive, webcam, Windows XP and 10.1" screen - just vary in price and look etc.

I think those specifications are okay for what I use my laptop for. I like the idea of having a netbook because of it's small size. The hard drive is big enough (more than the 120gb I have now) and memory could be better, but I think it will be able to cope with what I do (surf the internet, listen to music on iTunes which will be the bulk, MSN, ocassionally do some word processing or watch a DVD). I don't necessarily need a DVD drive or whatever it's called because none of them come with one and an external one would surffice. The webcam is a nice extra which always comes in handy and it needs to look good and be reasonably priced for what it is! If it has Vista then that's a major plus side for me too, I really don't like the idea of going back to XP.

I've looked into this model that Toshiba actually sell with Vista installed (on their own website): http://www.comet.co.uk/shopcomet/produc ... ification#

And this Dell that seems to do what all of the others do but be a bit cheaper: http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/store/ ... sku=901259

I'll look into the Samsungs you sugested too.

Cheers :) let me know what you think or if you have any other advice, like I said it really is appreciated!
 
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