So many laptops

dsmythy

It can be hard to figure out which one might be best. I'm giving one as a present for Christmas. The requirements for it are not too taxing but this kind of leaves me with so many options. The basic needs are:

I've a budget of 600 Euro.

It would need to be good for storage of pictures, videos and especially music.

The screen size would need to be as large as the rough price and performance would realistically allow.

It would need a decent inbuilt webcam, at least 1MP.

Gaming ability and mobility are not important.

Warranty is not important, it would be Windows operating system.

For shipping, it would be preferred to be from Ireland.


Any help is much appreciated.

dsmythy

With the help of Elara I've narrowed it down to three laptops, all within budget.

The ACER one has the best webcam but with the amount of negativity I seem to come across about ACERs in general on the internet I am kind of put off by it. Would anyone be of the positive opinion on ACERs?

If I let the webcam requirement drop I like the look of both the HP and Toshiba ones here. Anyone have any thoughts on them?

HP G62-a20sa

ACER Aspire 5742

TOSHIBA L500D-16M

dazzday

The acer blows the others out of the water. The others are solid laptops but are old technology, the i3 is going to out perform them in every way: power, heat, battery life, performance etc.

I always stand by the notion that when spending a significant amount of money on a laptop always aim for the highest tech possible for your budget, for ergonomics and future proofing.
Although you may feel you dont need a powerful GPU, or a cpu that can decode videos etc, in 2-3years time your needs may change (a new game comes out that appeals to you etc), at least then you have the ability for such tasks and not require a new machine etc.

Acer did have a meh reputation in the past but have really stepped up their game in the last 2years. Excellently specced models for the price, and each generation getting better built.

My personal recommendation, although overspecced for what you want:

https://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/Toshiba_Satellite_Pro_L670-14L_1035503.html

Equivalent prices on dabs, elara etc ~850euro. The 5650 is better than the Nvidia 420 that comes in the new XPS

vinniew09

theres a great toshiba core i3 processer, 3gb ram in currys/pc world 540E,or packard bell similar spec,similar price,both have webcams average 1.3mp ,check out their website

maria.m

Have Acer travelmate for over 4 years now and have only good experience with it........

pabloh999

Stay away from HP laptops
http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Display-and-video/hp-dv9500-screen-problem/td-p/30856/page/117

dunworth1

i have had a hp laptop that served me four years of use i was very happy with it
and i just purchased a new laptop and its a hp.

just because one product has a problem dosent mean all of them do.

look at all the dell laptops with the battery problems

vinniew09

agree....tbh theres no specific brand that you should pay extra for,apart from apple,asus,lenovo
reality is with laptops you are paying for preformance. parts are obviously better quality as you go up.you will find hps,dells,toshiba all in or around 400 euro. obviously their fairly basic specs when it comes to processer, RAM etc
my advice would be to look for preformance rather than brands because feedback is generally mixed and you will be more confused as to when you started.
3gb-4gb RAM should be enough and either intel pentium,core i3,AMD athlon,AMD turion. if you can get a core i5 spec processer at a good price go for it!;)
i would try your best to stay away from celeron even if its celeron duel core.the price will more than likly be tempting

pabloh999

Of course each laptop brand has its own problems.
But because HP shafted their customers i have to mention it.
Millions of us paid well over a grand for top of the range laptops and most of them died within 18 months, same story over and over.
The problem was/is with the nVidia graphics card.
Apple managed to sort out their customers with the same problem, so why could a corporate giant like HP not do the same

ricman

i would not be in a hurry to buy a hp laptop,at the moment ,i had one,my friend had one both had problems with overheating and powering up.I WOULD
recommend ,toshiba or dell laptops.You may want a hdmi out port, for connection to hdtvs in future ,make sure screen is not too shiny,glossy, i prefer to buy in a shop,not online ,as you can check the screen quality ,and go back to shop if it breaks down.

PlayGirl

i'm selling a brand new today, in box dell m301z on adverts.. lovely machine..