Recommend me a laptop in the €600 region....

JohnCleary

Folks,
I'm falling behind re. knowledge about laptops these days (for shame). Looking for a laptop which will be used only for general browsing etc. (have a work machine for other tasks) - would like a sturdy machine with big screen / keyboard as opposed to slimline/compact

So with the above being most important spec, any recommendations from online shops, or even bricks n' mortar like PC World etc...

Torqay

17.3" Tosh with a Core i5 processor, €556 at LD ... should suit your needs just fine.

JohnCleary

Torqay wrote: »

17.3" Tosh with a Core i5 processor, €556 at LD ... should suit your needs just fine.

Thanks for the link, will go ahead with that, seems to suit my needs.

Any idea if i'd have any trouble reverting back to WinXP with this machine? Can't seem to find any info online. I'm worried about drivers etc.

DipStick McSwindler

This post has been deleted.

JohnCleary

IrishFeeney92 wrote: »

Hey John, I would highly recommend this laptop here


http://www.harveynorman.ie/fujitsu-lifebook-ah532-m4562gb.html

i have it myself, and I use it for gaming!

It has twice the memory as the Toshiba, and double the RAM! plus its only 40 quid dearer

Thanks. For the extra few quid it seems worth it for the RAM and extra 500GB HDD alright.

I'm a sucker for WinXP, my favourite Win OS of all time. I only have the 32bit version though, would need 64 bit to make use of RAM.

Is it time I get over my WinXP obsession?

DipStick McSwindler

This post has been deleted.

JohnCleary

IrishFeeney92 wrote: »

Heres a suggestion

This Lifebook Laptop has windows 8 built in, unfortunately you cant change the OS as the developers have locked it down, now like you I was skeptical of learning a new OS as I always used Win 7, but Its actually quite useful when u get used to it. To combat the issue of Operating systems I downloaded VMplayer.

Using this program you can set up a virtual pc on your laptop and select any operating system you like, so I have one for Win xp, Win 7 , Kali Linux and Ubuntu, so effectively I have a Win 8 Laptop with 4 other Operating Systems built into it! very handy at times my friend

Cheers for the info re. lockdown - That's news to me... i'd have been scratching my head trying to format and install XP. How is it locked down?

It may be time to run virtual OS alright and get on with it. Just a pitty as I love XP, one of Microsoft better OS

Torqay

JohnCleary wrote: »

Any idea if i'd have any trouble reverting back to WinXP with this machine? Can't seem to find any info online. I'm worried about drivers etc.

Windows XP is still pretty much supported on all mainstream hardware today.

The only problems I ever had with XP/2003 in recent times was on a Dell Studio Laptop (the Realtek driver didn't support the internal microphone) and a Dell 1502 (Atheros) PCIe x1 WLAN card (which I couldn't get to work at all).

JohnCleary wrote: »

I only have the 32bit version though, would need 64 bit to make use of RAM.

If your laptop has 4GB RAM, 32-bit is just fine. Not worth going through the troubles with Windows XP x64

IrishFeeney92 wrote: »

This Lifebook Laptop has windows 8 built in, unfortunately you cant change the OS as the developers have locked it down

Not quite. You'll have to enable "legacy boot" in the BIOS and you can install whatever you want.

DipStick McSwindler

This post has been deleted.

Torqay

IrishFeeney92 wrote: »

as regards to your last bit Torquay, I actually tried to Enable Legacy Boot when I First got the Laptop, didnt work for some reason, I cant quite remember why but I recall researching on many forums this particular laptop model and changing the OS

Some manufacturers have made it a bit more complicated than others but I really haven't heard of any case, where you can't nuke UEFI secure boot at all.

JohnCleary

Thanks for the info folks. The Fujitsu seems slightly better value over-all, i'm just concerned about not being able to install XP. Although as said above, I highly doubt it's not possible to do.

I need to do a little research on this I think (although there's only so much you can do without having the laptop at your disposal to play with)

I'm considering taking the risk of getting the Fujitsu and hoping I can install XP

macjohn

The Tosibha has the bigger 17.3 screen
Dont know if that is a factor in your decision?

I am after something similar but going for the 17.3 screen. Am considering some dells as well

GreenWolfe

JohnCleary wrote: »

Is it time I get over my WinXP obsession?

Yes. Unless you have incredibly obscure hardware that isn't supported by 7 or 8, or incredibly expensive recertification fees (medical uses, etc) personally you have no reason to use XP anymore.

7 isn't much of a change compared to 8.

DipStick McSwindler

This post has been deleted.

JohnCleary

macjohn wrote: »

The Tosibha has the bigger 17.3 screen
Dont know if that is a factor in your decision?

I am after something similar but going for the 17.3 screen. Am considering some dells as well

Good point. As i'd be using it as a desktop replacement the bigger screen would be nice to have.

Decisions, decisions.... I wonder which one would seem better value?