Wee bit of advice please.

muffler

Hi guys,

My daughter was thinking of buying this laptop and has asked me if I think its value for money.

I know nothing about them so I would welcome any comments.

Her budget is €500 and it would be used for general stuff - word processing, internet access, music etc.

Thanks in advance

drunkmonkey

There's a few upgrades i'd recommend...

Go with the

Intel® Pentium Dual Core Processor T2390 (1.86Ghz, 533 MHz FSB, 1 MB L2 cache) [add € 45.00 or €2/month1

15.4" Wide Screen WXGA+ (1440 x 900) Display with TrueLife™ [add € 30.00 or €1/month1

160GB Free Fall Sensor (7200RPM) Hard Drive [add € 65.00 or €3/month1

9-cell 85WHr Li-Ion primary battery [add € 24.66 or €1/month1


Genuine Windows Vista® Ultimate SP1 - English [add € 110.00 or €4/month1
3072MB 667MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM [1x2048+1x1024] [add € 35.00 or €2/month1

Better processor €45
Best screen €30
Faster Hard Drive €65
Best Operating system €110
Best Battery €25
More Ram €35

These total upgrades will cost you an extra €310 online.....
I think if you call dell direct you may get them all for an extra €140, this would make a big difference to the laptop and the lifetime of it......

The Battery, Processor and screen upgrade are essential......advise you call them to get the best deal on this machine with the Upgrades....

muffler

Thanks for that drunkmonkey. I will pass this info on to her. I think she is a bit limited with the budget but what you said is correct if she wishes to have a good laptop and have it for a good time to come.

drunkmonkey

No worries, make sure she dosen't forget the longer life battery & intel processor above all else....

Tom Dunne

drunkmonkey wrote: »

No worries, make sure she dosen't forget the longer life battery & intel processor above all else....

As an ex-intel employee, I wouldn't necessarily agree.

Muffler - have a look at the Vostro in the small business section. Here's one I threw together for under €500:

Catalog Number: 5102 N0810004 Module Description Show Details Base AMD® Athlon 64 X2 Mobile Technology TK57 Microsoft Operating System Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium - English Memory 2048 MB 667MHz Dual-Channel DDR2 SDRAM (2x 1024 MB) Keyboard Internal Keyboard - UK/Irish (QWERTY) Video Card ATI Radeon® Xpress 1150 HyperMemory (integrated) Hard Drive 120GB (5400rpm) SATA Hard Drive Modem 56.6k V.92 Capable Internal Modem & Adapter - Ireland/Spain Optical Devices Fixed Internal 8X DVD+/-RW Drive including Software Wireless Networking Dell™ Wireless 1395 Mini-Card (802.11 b/g) Shipping Documents English Documentation with English/Irish Power Cord Gedis Bundle Reference N0810004 Microsoft Application Software Microsoft® Works 9.0 - English Standard Warranty 1Yr Basic Warranty - Next Business Day Enhanced Service Packs 1Yr Basic Warranty - Next Business Day Onsite - No Upgrade Selected CompleteCare Declined CompleteCare Protect your new PC No Security/Anti-Virus Protection Power Supply 65W AC Adapter Bluetooth No Bluetooth® Card included Order Information Vostro Laptop Order - Ireland Primary Battery 4 cell Lithium-Ion Battery (29 Whr) Carrying Cases No Carry Case Dell System Media Kit Resource DVD - (Diagnostics & Drivers) Online Promotion Option for GEDIS Configs Dell Internet Order LCD 15.4" Wide Screen WXGA (1280 x 800) Display
€476 delivered.

Now, it isn't the most powerful machine around, but if your daughter is looking for a cheap and cheerful machine that will do basic internet/music/word processing, that machine will do it.

And you will have no problems ordering from the Business section of the Dell website.

Edit: Ok, that looked much better on my screen.

muffler

Thanks Tom. Much appreciated.

Col_Loki

There is a big range of laptops for under €500 these days.
It might be worth looking at www.laptopsdirect.ie , the Acer Gemstones are a nice laptop for the budget price (from €350).

AlmightyCushion

There's some good value laptops on dabs at the moment.

http://www.dabs.ie/ProductView.aspx?Quicklinx=5372&CategorySelectedId=11105&PageMode=1&NavigationKey=11105,49290000,4294953470,15,411230000,46400000&InMerch=1

http://www.dabs.ie/productview.aspx?Quicklinx=569F&CategorySelectedId=11105&PageMode=1&NavigationKey=11105,49290000,4294953470,15,387320000,46400000

Both those are more than enough for what she'll be using it for.