Buying a laptop on a budget (& don't know much about computers!)

therealgirl

Hi,

I am looking to buy a new laptop for a present for my mum.
I know a bit about computers in the sense that if anything goes wrong with ours in the house here I can learn as I go & fix them...I know some terminology when it comes to buying in a store & the salesperson is nattering away about what this computer can do etc...but I haven't bought anything new in about 4 years so I am wanting to be prepared to shop & not have the piss taken out of me

My budget is small, €300-€400...my mum only uses it for very basic things like Skype, emails, Google information, store her digital camera pics etc.
She has wireless internet, so it would need wireless...I assume all new laptops would have this anyway?

Alot of the makes of laptops I've seen I have never heard of before, I am wary of buying something that's not a good quality.

Any information on what & where to buy would be greatly appreciated!!!

I am open to buying online, or shopping in the Kildare area.

Thanks!

Joshua J

http://www.laptopsdirect.ie/Acer_Aspire_E1_Windows_8_Core_i3_Laptop_-_Black-Silver_NX.M09EK.001/version.asp

The very least you should be looking for is a third gen i3 in your budget. I would advise buying online as there's better bargains and places like Pc world can be very overpriced.

I bought a laptop recently from laptopsdirect and am very happy with it and has pretty much the same specs as the one I've linked.

therealgirl

Thanks, I will check out that link now...I had heard of laptopsdirect before, but worried about buying online...but after shopping around the prices are so much cheaper than in the shops!

What do you mean by a third gen i3? Thanks :rolleyes:

Torqay

therealgirl wrote: »

What do you mean by a third gen i3? Thanks :rolleyes:

The third generation is the current generation of Core processors (i3, i5 and i7), otherwise known as Ivy Bridge. Some stores are still selling old models which have been catching dust on the shelves for a year or two.

The processors can be identified by the model number. In case of the i3, a current model would be the 3110M (m = mobile, used in notebooks).

The first generation has only 3 digits, a second generation mobile Core processor would have the number 2xxxM.

Not only have they become faster with each new generation but also more power efficient and have better graphics.

therealgirl

Thanks Torqay..I will look out for that so.

Also would you know if buying a refurbished laptop is a good idea? Just thought it might be another road to go down to buy something decent while keeping to the lower end of my budget?!

Torqay

Per se, there is nothing wrong with a buying a refurb, but you shlould know exactly what you're looking for, you should run a few tests immediately upon receipt (dead pixel, memory and HDD tests are pretty easy to perform) and make sure you can return the laptop if it fails to satisfy. The one component you can't be sure of, is the battery, you may test the battery life but there's no way to determine the number of previous charge/dischage cycles (which is limited) but that's the risk you'll have to take with a refurb.

therealgirl

Hi again, I am back from my shopping trips...

I have a friend who put me in touch with someone who sells computers & he said he can give me a good deal on one with his own discount...how bad..it is in my budget, getting it for €350...I just wondered if I can run the spec here first & make sure it's good before I buy?

It is a packard bell 15.6" Easynote TE

AMD Dual Core Processor E-300
15.6" 16:9 HD LED LCD
AMD Radeon HD 6310
6GB DDR3 Memory
500 GB HDD
DVD Super Multi DL drive
802. 11b/g/n
6 cell (something?) ion battery
Windows 8
Bluetooth

I took a photo of the spec list so I could check it out but my camera is crap & some things are blurry so i hope the above is correct

Thanks

sweetie

therealgirl wrote: »

Hi again, I am back from my shopping trips...

I have a friend who put me in touch with someone who sells computers & he said he can give me a good deal on one with his own discount...how bad..it is in my budget, getting it for €350...I just wondered if I can run the spec here first & make sure it's good before I buy?

It is a packard bell 15.6" Easynote TE

AMD Dual Core Processor E-300
15.6" 16:9 HD LED LCD
AMD Radeon HD 6310
6GB DDR3 Memory
500 GB HDD
DVD Super Multi DL drive
802. 11b/g/n
6 cell (something?) ion battery
Windows 8
Bluetooth

I took a photo of the spec list so I could check it out but my camera is crap & some things are blurry so i hope the above is correct

Thanks

it's not an i3 though is it? Seems dated and overpriced, pc world type of deal.

therealgirl

oh yeah...the i3 thing, I knew I was meant to be looking out for something
so that is the E-300 number in the processor part of the spec?
Is it no good for €350? (she just uses it for basic things)

excollier

For it's intended purpose, it's most likely more than capable. Not many will push a pc to it's limits in normal use.

therealgirl

So I was told today that AMD is the same as the i3....the i3 is just a name owned by Intel & AMD is the name for the same thing but the rights bought by other company...I saw it alot on Packard Bell laptops....is this right?

excollier

AMD and Intel are different companies as far as I know, but AMD set the standard for 64 bit computer chips, and now are always quoted when giving specifications for computer hardware/software compatibility.
I have two computers, one an Acer, one a HP both have AMD 64 bit processors.
Different computer manufacturers use different components. AMD and Intel are processor manufacturers and will supply any company.

GarIT

therealgirl wrote: »

So I was told today that AMD is the same as the i3....the i3 is just a name owned by Intel & AMD is the name for the same thing but the rights bought by other company...I saw it alot on Packard Bell laptops....is this right?

you are being had there, that AMD processor is over 5 times less powerful than the i3 mentioned earlier.

GarIT

excollier wrote: »

AMD and Intel are different companies as far as I know, but AMD set the standard for 64 bit computer chips, and now are always quoted when giving specifications for computer hardware/software compatibility.
I have two computers, one an Acer, one a HP both have AMD 64 bit processors.
Different computer manufacturers use different components. AMD and Intel are processor manufacturers and will supply any company.

That's not right at all, most Intel processors are miles better than AMD. Basically Intel make good processors and and make bad but extremely cheap processors. Comparing Intel and AMD is like comparing M&S and Aldi. You can check the performance of any processor at CPUbenchmark.net

excollier

Well these two computers of mine running AMD dual cores are both around 5 years old and, for the ordinary user, are more than sufficient.
I could pay more and get Intel machines, but why bother when these AMds are working well.
I shop at Aldi, why would I pay more?
I drive a Skoda, why would I pay for VW or Audi with the same engine / chassis?
Why would I pay for Windows when Linux does the same job for free? Catch my drift here?
All I am pointing out is that for the average computer user (me and millions of others) the AMD does a very good job.

Balmed Out

http://www.laptopsdirect.ie/Samsung_350V5C_Core_i3_Windows_8_Laptop_in_Pink__NP350V5C-A09UK/version.asp

http://www.laptopsdirect.ie/Asus_X55C-SX049H_15._X55C-SX049H/version.asp

http://www.dabs.ie/products/lenovo-g580-core-i3-2328m-6gb-750gb-dvdrw-win8-black-8C0Q.html?refs=54580000&src=2

the i3 processors are generally better but then again her requirements shouldnt be too taxing. Its fairly rare for a shop to be able to match the on line offers, even with sale prices.

Barr

I am also in the market for a new laptop and think this is great value from a bricks and mortar store.

I was instore recently and without the package this costs €379.

http://www.soundstore.ie/Product/PACKARD-BELL-NXC0AEK0074GB-156-4GB-CORE-i3-Laptop/4076/2218.0.0

GarIT

excollier wrote: »

Well these two computers of mine running AMD dual cores are both around 5 years old and, for the ordinary user, are more than sufficient.
I could pay more and get Intel machines, but why bother when these AMds are working well.
I shop at Aldi, why would I pay more?
I drive a Skoda, why would I pay for VW or Audi with the same engine / chassis?
Why would I pay for Windows when Linux does the same job for free? Catch my drift here?
All I am pointing out is that for the average computer user (me and millions of others) the AMD does a very good job.

Its not exactly like that. You implied AMD was the market leader when in reality ita a budget alternative.

The difference in this case is the computers are roughly the same price and one will complete tasks 5 times faster than the other. You also can't just compare names, each individual processor has its own perfomrance. Every AMD processor that starts with C or E are the worst available processors on the market. An Intel atom which is intended for 10 inch netbooks and is extremely weak is much more powerful than the laptop the OP mentioned.

excollier

I never implied anything of the sort.
What I did say or tried to say, was that when softwares are referenced for architecture, they are labelled as 32 bit i386 or whatever or AMD 64 for any 64 bit processor, because AMD set the initial standard for 64 bit, they may well have been surpassed by now, but they set the base mark.
Anyway, I still maintain that for the average user, which is most of us, an AMD processor is as good as we would need for everyday usage, i.e. web surfing, word processing etc.
I have a 10 year old laptop with the latest Linux Mint 13 Mate installed, single core AMD Athlon processor, perfectly adequate and fast enough for general usage.
My apologies to the OP for getting off topic.

therealgirl

No worries excollier, this banter is very informative!

therealgirl

Are acer a good brand?
There is an i3 Acer ,
4GB Memory,
500GB hard drive,
Intel HD

....selling in PC World ,
reduced from €600 to €420 aparently....
my mum has said she would prefer a shop to go back to if any problems, as I live a very long way away from her to be any help after it is bought...that's why I am reluctant to buy online I guess

excollier

Acer, in my opinion, are very good. I have a five year old Acer Aspire 5535 notebook which has undergone numerous operating system re-installs and still runs beautifully dual booting Windows Vista and Linux Mint.
Can't comment on the one you have seen but I imagine it would be way better than mine in terms of speed etc, and a handy sized hard drive too, mine is only 250GB and runs two operating systems with around 100GB still free, so you won't run out of storage any time soon, unless you store lots of video. Plenty of ram, good processor.
Good price too, considering I paid £399 sterling for mine when it was new in 2008.

my computers (all old)
Acer Aspire 5535 / Windows Vista Home Basic 32 bit / Linux Mint 13 KDE 64 bit dual boot (AMD Turion 64 X2 R70 Processor)
HP Pavillion DV5 1111EA / Linux Mint Debian Edition Cinnamon 64 bit / Ubuntu 12.04.2 32 bit dual boot (AMD Turion 64 X2 R72 Processor)
Compaq 2138 EA Linux Mint 13 Mate 32 bit (AMD Athlon32 bit Processor)

mordeith

therealgirl wrote: »

Are acer a good brand?
There is an i3 Acer ,
4GB Memory,
500GB hard drive,
Intel HD

....selling in PC World ,
reduced from €600 to €420 aparently....
my mum has said she would prefer a shop to go back to if any problems, as I live a very long way away from her to be any help after it is bought...that's why I am reluctant to buy online I guess

From my experience of Acer the build quality isn't the best.

GarIT

i3 means nothing. There are over 100, different i3 processors ranging from crap to amazing. If its i3 followed by a 4 digit number starting with 3 in the format 3xxx possibly followed by an m then it is good. Otherwise its crap for the money.

Pc brands dont matter they are all the same really. The brand on the laptop didn't make any of the parts at all, they made the plastics, put the pre made electronics together and put their name on it.

Argos is the only shop in Ireland that offers any value for money on computers and laptops.

excollier

Would you suggest a model and spec / price at Argos and help the girl then?

GarIT

excollier wrote: »

Would you suggest a model and spec / price at Argos and help the girl then?

There has already been a suggestion made. I don't have time to look through hundreds of laptops for somebody else.

Joshua J

If your going bricks and mortar you can forget about value for money. My sister was looking for a sony vaio and saw one in PC world. Took her to a sony store and got it 100 euro cheaper. She would have bought in PCW and been none the wiser. The same vaio was cheaper again online but she's the kind that cant wait.

You have all the advice now OP, the one i linked in post 2 is still there and is good value. The AMD will do the job for basic computing and suit your needs more than likely but it offers no value for money. Up to you.

Joshua J

Barr wrote: »

I am also in the market for a new laptop and think this is great value from a bricks and mortar store.

I was instore recently and without the package this costs €379.

http://www.soundstore.ie/Product/PACKARD-BELL-NXC0AEK0074GB-156-4GB-CORE-i3-Laptop/4076/2218.0.0

Bought that model recommended by Torqay on this forum for €340 about a month ago. It's a good lappy for the money although the ad says its i3 but in the description says it's AMD. You'd want to check that out although I'd imagine its i3.