A Laptop for college

Valmont

I'm finally leaving home this September for the U.K to start a postgrad course and I'm going to need a laptop. I'm used to tricking around with my desktop but I know next to nothing about laptops; just browsing this forum I see there are netbooks and notebooks and I'm sure there are other types too. Here are my intentions for its use so if you could recommend any good shops or brands I would be grateful.

Budget: As cheap as possible really; I don't have a lot of money to work with. I suppose right now, not knowing what to expect, I'm thinking 500-700 euro sounds reasonable but I'd prefer to stay closer to 500.

Intended use: General Microsoft Office type usage for writing assignments and the like. I will be using the net for a lot of research so I suppose if there are any screens that are easy on the eyes? Maybe not. I also have a lot of music I want to bring away with me so as large a hard drive as the budget will allow. I'm aware I can buy an external hard drive on the cheap anyway. I don't intend on playing any games or watching movies so I don't care about the video card or RAM. As long as it performs the basics quickly I'm happy. A few USB slots would come in handy too.

Mobility: I have a really nice backpack that will fit a 15.4 inch laptop so preferably I don't want anything bigger than that. I don't intend on watching movies or playing games so the size isn't really important.

What Operating System do you use?: Here's the confusing part, I'm familiar with both Macs and PCs as I have always had both at home. I guess if you could advise me on any pros and cons between the two for the purposes I've listed that would be great. I've been suffering with Vista for years now so I'm sure any change will be an improvement.

Warranty: I've always been able to fix any problems with my desktop but I suppose a laptop brings a new set of potential problems to the table. I'll probably buy it here and then bring it to the UK with me so I guess that might cause some issues.

Hope I'm not asking too much of you all but any advice on what shop I should visit or what brands I should be looking for will be greatly appreciated!

sceptre

Quick comment (others will give longer more useful contributions) but for a main machine being used for research and writing essays, get a "proper" laptop with a reasonable sized screen and keyboard rather than a netbook. The portability is fantastic but a netbook tends to be a secondary machine bought for mainly that purpose rather than as a primary machine.

dr.bollocko

I am currently in the market for a new laptop as well however I just picked up one a few months ago for the OH.
I went with ebuyer.com at the time for a bricks and mortar job.
http://www.ebuyer.com/store/Computers/cat/Laptops
That first compaq 615 is the one we picked up in the end. It's been perfect for your type of use so far. My gripes would be bad speakers and no handy buttons around the keyboard, no hdmi out either but a good fast laptop, quiet fans too. That site has a few options for not too much money any how.

Voodu Child

Valmont wrote: »

Intended use: General Microsoft Office type usage for writing assignments and the like. I will be using the net for a lot of research so I suppose if there are any screens that are easy on the eyes? Maybe not.

Yeah, for something that is easy on the eyes I would go with a mainstream 15" size. Just nicer to work on for long periods than smaller screens. And matte (anti-glare/non-glossy) screens are easier on the eyes also, more suited for word-processing etc imo.

Matte screens are hard to find nowadays, but have a look at the Dell Vosto 3500. Its in the business section so the prices are ex-vat, but I reckon you'd customise something decent in the €500-600 range.

Valmont

Thanks guys, I think I have a good idea what I'm looking for now.

dr.bollocko wrote: »

no hdmi out either

Out of curiosity, why would you want a hdmi-out on a laptop? Is it to hook it up to a tv?

dr.bollocko

Yup. Dead handy. Say if you carry your laptop abroad. Every hotel telly seems to have hdmi in now. Same for the speakers. Nothing worse than watching movies on a lappy with crap speakers.

hare05

Valmont wrote: »

I'm finally leaving home this September for the U.K to start a postgrad course and I'm going to need a laptop. I'm used to tricking around with my desktop but I know next to nothing about laptops; just browsing this forum I see there are netbooks and notebooks and I'm sure there are other types too. Here are my intentions for its use so if you could recommend any good shops or brands I would be grateful.

Budget: As cheap as possible really; I don't have a lot of money to work with. I suppose right now, not knowing what to expect, I'm thinking 500-700 euro sounds reasonable but I'd prefer to stay closer to 500.

Intended use: General Microsoft Office type usage for writing assignments and the like. I will be using the net for a lot of research so I suppose if there are any screens that are easy on the eyes? Maybe not. I also have a lot of music I want to bring away with me so as large a hard drive as the budget will allow. I'm aware I can buy an external hard drive on the cheap anyway. I don't intend on playing any games or watching movies so I don't care about the video card or RAM. As long as it performs the basics quickly I'm happy. A few USB slots would come in handy too.

Mobility: I have a really nice backpack that will fit a 15.4 inch laptop so preferably I don't want anything bigger than that. I don't intend on watching movies or playing games so the size isn't really important.

What Operating System do you use?: Here's the confusing part, I'm familiar with both Macs and PCs as I have always had both at home. I guess if you could advise me on any pros and cons between the two for the purposes I've listed that would be great. I've been suffering with Vista for years now so I'm sure any change will be an improvement.

Warranty: I've always been able to fix any problems with my desktop but I suppose a laptop brings a new set of potential problems to the table. I'll probably buy it here and then bring it to the UK with me so I guess that might cause some issues.

Hope I'm not asking too much of you all but any advice on what shop I should visit or what brands I should be looking for will be greatly appreciated!

Option 1
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/176514

5+ hours of battery

Light weight

Bluetooth

500gb hard drive

Good for all basic stuff and can play movies (Though it might have problems with HD movies). This is for people who use the laptop unplugged a lot. If you intend to spend your evenings in Starbucks, this is for you.

Option 2
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/176091

2-3 hours of battery

Mid weight

bluetooth

ATI 4330 graphics

500GB hard drive

FULL keyboard with numpad

Cheaper than the other one and a good bit more powerful, but battery life isn't great on most budget 15 inchers. If you want the extra power, go for this and save a bit of cash.

Valmont

Damn, I didn't realise Office professional was so expensive! I like the ebuyer website, it is a lot more reasonably priced (with the currency converted, obviously) than the Dell site. I'll probably get one from those guys.

hare05

I figured if you're going to live in the UK for a while, you might as well buy from an English supplier. Also helps you get used to thinking in Sterling

If you're looking for Office on the cheap try here http://www.software4students.ie/. Or here http://www.micromail.com/studentsoftware/ You can get the Enterprise version for under a hundred quid.

Freebie sites for students:
https://www.dreamspark.com/