Laptop

2mature

Hi,

I will be attending UCC in september as a mature student and I was wondering if anybody coul;d recommend a good but cheap laptop to get....How many MB or GB should I get one with...

Anyhelp would be appreciated as Laptops and computers wouldnt be a strong point for me....:cool:

Btwndeyes

http://www1.euro.dell.com/ie/en/home/Laptops/laptop-inspiron-1545/pd.aspx?refid=laptop-inspiron-1545&s=dhs&cs=iedhs1&~ck=mn
Nice big laptop and bog standard is cheap enough while somewhat decent.

http://www1.euro.dell.com/ie/en/home/Laptops/inspiron-1012/pd.aspx?refid=inspiron-1012&s=dhs&cs=iedhs1&ref=lthp
Very handy for college and available with high memory. Only downside is a lack of a cd rom built in
For college a laptop with 250 gb memory is loads

2mature

Hi Thanks, I will probably get one that can watch dvds so a disk drive is neede ...Also having limewire would be good...Sorry should have said that ha..

Thanks for the Links

Ricky91t

2mature wrote: »

Hi Thanks, I will probably get one that can watch dvds so a disk drive is neede ...Also having limewire would be good...Sorry should have said that ha..

Thanks for the Links

Hey 2mature,

Just to let you know limewire will not be usable on campus.(incase you were planning to use it there) I think every new laptop will easily run limewire nowadays so that's not an issue.

What's your budget?

If you want a cheap laptop cheap an eye out in Tescos, My mum's owned 2 laptops from there, Both very cheap but perfect for assignments,web browsing DVD's( she's studying too ).

Are you doing a course that will require anything out of your laptop?

Are you planning to join any societies? Example, photography/film making would require a more powerful laptop if you do start to enjoy it.

Just a suggestion

2mature

Hey 2mature,

Just to let you know limewire will not be usable on campus.(incase you were planning to use it there) I think every new laptop will easily run limewire nowadays so that's not an issue.

What's your budget?

If you want a cheap laptop cheap an eye out in Tescos, My mum's owned 2 laptops from there, Both very cheap but perfect for assignments,web browsing DVD's( she's studying too ).

Are you doing a course that will require anything out of your laptop?

Are you planning to join any societies? Example, photography/film making would require a more powerful laptop if you do start to enjoy it.

Just a suggestion



Hi Ricky91

Thats good to know about limewire....would have done that ha!!! I will be doing sports studies...wont be joining a photography club ao anything so just assignments, browsing the internet, watching dvds and downloading music...not loads of music though just now and again

my maximum budget would be 500 but if I could get a good one for less even better....

Unfortunatel Ram memory and operating speeds mean nothing to me so 2GB, 3GB OR 4GB ...All i know is the higher the better...Apparently I read somewhere 250mb is enough for speed

Liveit

2mature wrote: »

Hey 2mature,

Just to let you know limewire will not be usable on campus.(incase you were planning to use it there) I think every new laptop will easily run limewire nowadays so that's not an issue.

What's your budget?

If you want a cheap laptop cheap an eye out in Tescos, My mum's owned 2 laptops from there, Both very cheap but perfect for assignments,web browsing DVD's( she's studying too ).

Are you doing a course that will require anything out of your laptop?

Are you planning to join any societies? Example, photography/film making would require a more powerful laptop if you do start to enjoy it.

Just a suggestion



Hi Ricky91

Thats good to know about limewire....would have done that ha!!! I will be doing sports studies...wont be joining a photography club ao anything so just assignments, browsing the internet, watching dvds and downloading music...not loads of music though just now and again

my maximum budget would be 500 but if I could get a good one for less even better....

Unfortunatel Ram memory and operating speeds mean nothing to me so 2GB, 3GB OR 4GB ...All i know is the higher the better...Apparently I read somewhere 250mb is enough for speed

Your confuzzling things there a bit... RAM is measured in GB and so is your hard drive... RAM= random access memory and it is like how many things you can do at one time.. hard drive is for storing your music,video documents etc and 250GB should be plenty(you shouldn't really fill it up because your laptop is slower as a result. you can get hard drives cheap so it doesn't really matter.)
Any laptop will really do all the things you mentioned, the only thing is if you want to keep on using it for years... put some good money in and i bet you that you wont regret the investment

2mature

Liveit wrote: »

Your confuzzling things there a bit... RAM is measured in GB and so is your hard drive... RAM= random access memory and it is like how many things you can do at one time.. hard drive is for storing your music,video documents etc and 250GB should be plenty(you shouldn't really fill it up because your laptop is slower as a result. you can get hard drives cheap so it doesn't really matter.)
Any laptop will really do all the things you mentioned, the only thing is if you want to keep on using it for years... put some good money in and i bet you that you wont regret the investment

Hi Liveit thanks for a bit of clarification...I have no doubt I was mixing it up but thanks youv'e helped me at least realise what the different memories are so at least when I'm looking now I can at least pretend to know what I'm on about:D

rachel_koeman

dont get a dell there honestly terrible computers!

TanG411

rachel_koeman wrote: »

dont get a dell there honestly terrible computers!

It's a bit of a chance buying off them alright, some laptops are good, some are brutal, even if they're the same one.

I'd recommend going to a reliable store, like Soundstore on Oliver Plunkett Street, or O' Callaghan's just across the road from it.

rebel girl 15

No one with our year group uses a laptop during the lectures, we all find it easier to print them off, so we can add our own notes to them, so invest in good folders!!! You will need a good bit of memory, 200GB would be plenty! 13/14 inch screen is plenty for watching DVD's and is also light enough to carry. You are lucky though, because our department used be down Sheare Street but they have moved it, lugging a large laptop down there wasn't fun! You would also need about 2GB of RAM as well, so that the laptop doesn't slow down when you start saving a large amount. You can't use limewire on campus, but I've been told you can use it in the Mardyke

You can get a decent laptop that will last for under 500 euro. I'd also advise you to get a memory stick with a decent memory, 2 or 4 GB, around 20 or 30 euro - also invest in a decent bag for it! Most of us only bring our laptops if we are doing assignments, especially at the end of the year when the Boole and the library computers get busy. You can have the notes printed off beforehand for lectures, or print them off in college (which you will have to pay for).

For semester two, make sure someone in the class has a decent camera as well to catch the dance performance!!!

Manach

I bought a Asus Eee notebook last year for courses. I found it good in that
- Long battery life, 10 Hours average
- Fairly cheap at 350e
- Small and compact, handy as I commute
- robust, (tea spill resistant anyway thankfully).

Drawback, keyboard slightly clunkly but still good enough to type during lectures.

BigDaddyCan

my advice would buy a bog standard dell, alot of people will say bad things about dells (myself included) but for the money they are the best on the market of windows machines

just on the note of limewire, my advise is loose that as quickly as possible, not only will u not be able to use it on campus but using those types of programmes leaves you VERY open to viruses!

2mature

Hi all,

Thanks for the advice and recommendations....I will get something basic and cheapish on yer recommendations..So thabks all...And i promise no limewire...scouts honour:D

MoogPoo

Nothing wrong with dell, might as well get the cheapest one you can find really. should be able to get a fine one for under €500 anyway. look on dell.ie and just check for any cheap ones, id say stay away from the minis though a 10" screen is way too small. computers always get outdated very quickly so paying €1000 seems a waste as in a year or slow it'll probably be slower than a new one for €500. I always thought soundstore and harvey normans etc. werent great. Check the dell outlet store too, they have used(most just have scratches and werent able to be sold ot something) ones but you can find very good bargains there and get a good quality one for cheap.

Ricky91t

I'd be careful with Dell, I decided to get a Dell laptop for my first year in College, It broke within 2 monthes, Was without it for a week, got it sent back, Then I noticed the VGA port didn't work and the hinges were breaking and the touchpad was wearing, They told me all the issues were considered wear and tear, I fought my case and got it repaired, when they sent the machine back It was damaged (more than when I sent it) and the issues still there, It took me a month to finally get a refund, After threatening legal action they finally gave me one.

Another person in my course told me he had the same issue with dell. They are not a great company.

starlit

HP, Toshiba and Acer seem to be the best on the market at the moment! Would you consider a netbook even though a laptop is probably better?
I'd say get the fastest paced ones, MB/GB size isnt a major thing depending on what course you are doing. Best to go with the highest processor speed you can get and a size of 250 GB Hardrive with 1 GB RAM.

2mature

Hi all just wanted to say got a laptop last week...an ACER 5551-A under 500 euro 3GB and 250 RAM...all going well so far...its fast and easy to use...thanks for all the tips and advice

marti8

2mature wrote: »

Hi,

I will be attending UCC in september as a mature student and I was wondering if anybody coul;d recommend a good but cheap laptop to get....How many MB or GB should I get one with...

Anyhelp would be appreciated as Laptops and computers wouldnt be a strong point for me....:cool:

We've used http://www.laptopsdirect.ie before and never had any probs, they have great prices, you could get a netbook - you don't really need a laptop - for bout €180 with delivery, maybe even cheaper.