Computer Related > Lap-top recommendations Miscellaneous
Thread Author: FocalPoint Replies: 16
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 Wed 9 Mar 11 23:37 
 Lap-top recommendations - FocalPoint
I'm planning to buy a lap-top that will need to be wi-fi enabled and able to display digital photos well. I plan to take it abroad sometimes, though probably not when flying is involved, so portability/weight is a bit of a consideration. I assume battery life varies a bit as well.

Having exclusively used a PC recently I really don't have much idea of what to expect and your thoughts would be most welcome.
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 Thu 10 Mar 11 00:26 
 Lap-top recommendations - rtj70
All laptops and netbooks will do what you want. Time to visit a shop to see how big/small/heavy/light a laptop you want/need.
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 Thu 10 Mar 11 00:35 
 Lap-top recommendations - RattleandSmoke
If this is a second computer then the betbook is the way to go, they seem to be better built than laptops too.

Mine has had all sorts of abuse and it is simply brilliant, it weighs nothing too.

Be careful of some of the full size HP laptops currently on offer, they have quite few design falws including a badly laid out keyboard. Make sure you play about with a laptop so you are sure you can live with it.
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 Thu 10 Mar 11 09:16 
 Lap-top recommendations - Fenlander
>>>some of the full size HP laptops currently on offer, they have quite few design falws including a badly laid out keyboard. Make sure you play about with a laptop so you are sure you can live with it.

Agreed... this is what we found the other month when looking. Some good stuff on this thread...

www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?t=4698&v=f

Still completely happy with the Toshiba we ended up with from PCW... this model but new not refurbished...

www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/toshiba-satellite-c660d-102-15-6-refurbished-laptop-black-08616479-pdt.html
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 Thu 10 Mar 11 13:32 
 Lap-top recommendations - Mike H
The biggest design flaw in the HP is the fan outlet under the machine, using it with inadequate air circulation fries the motherboard it seems. Look for one with a rear outlet - I replaced my dead HP with an Asus, which is also lighter. Not sure of the current situation, but 9 months ago the Asus was the second most reliable make of laptop.
Last edited by: Mike H on Thu 10 Mar 11 at 13:33
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 Thu 10 Mar 11 09:21 
 Lap-top recommendations - Zero
Checkout Lenovo, the best built, most ergonomic, reliable and well sorted laptops available.

Of course it costs.

www.lenovo.com/uk/en/

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 Thu 10 Mar 11 10:24 
 Lap-top recommendations - Focusless
>> Checkout Lenovo, the best built, most ergonomic, reliable and well sorted laptops available.

www.ebuyer.com/search?limit=20&store=5&cat=10&filtermfr=739&sort=pricelow&page=1
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 Thu 10 Mar 11 10:44 
 Lap-top recommendations - movilogo
>> so portability/weight is a bit of a consideration

If budget is not a constraint, you may consider Macbook (and I am not an Apple fanboy)

Otherwise any laptop will do. Just choose one to your liking.

If you don't do processor insentive operations, dual core processor will be fine.
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 Thu 10 Mar 11 10:57 
 Lap-top recommendations - Dog
>> Checkout Lenovo, the best built, most ergonomic, reliable and well sorted laptops available.

www.ebuyer.com/search?limit=20&store=5&cat=10&filtermfr=739&sort=pricelow&page=1

b'Jaysus - dats a bit more like it (price wise) compared to the T series!
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 Thu 10 Mar 11 11:23 
 Lap-top recommendations - spamcan61
The IBM/Lenovo T43 laptop was the standard in my last job, within 2 years of issue virtually every machine in the office - a dozen or so - had some major issue; dead cooling fans being a favourite. They had a fairly easy life for work laptops as well, mostly office use rather than knocking around in car boots or airliner lockers. Maybe they're better now.
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 Thu 10 Mar 11 11:29 
 Lap-top recommendations - Zero
The failure rates we had on 20 thousand T series laptops was minuscule. And they really took some abuse, in use as primary machines.
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 Thu 10 Mar 11 13:34 
 Lap-top recommendations - RattleandSmoke
The cooling fan is a problem with the T43s, I've replaced a couple.

Thinkpads are easy to work on though.

I had a T22 for a couple of years the only reason I upgraded was the fact the RAM could not be upgraded beyond the 256MB already installed.

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 Thu 10 Mar 11 16:10 
 Lap-top recommendations - Victorbox
It's got to be a new Sandy Bridge (!!) processor laptop like the new Sony C series exclusive to John Lewis www.channelpro.co.uk/Reviews/783415/sony_vaio_ca1_review.html
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 Thu 10 Mar 11 17:05 
 Lap-top recommendations - FocalPoint
Fenlander's Toshiba recommendation looks good - not sure about refurbished computers, though.
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 Fri 11 Mar 11 14:04 
 Lap-top recommendations - Iffy
Not many full-size laptops have long battery life.

A lot of £250ish netbooks will run for eight or nine hours.

If that's too cheap, then an 11" MacBook Air is a nice bit of kit.

I think Apple quote about five or six hours for the battery.



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 Fri 11 Mar 11 14:48 
 Lap-top recommendations - FocalPoint
Point taken, but I'm rather put off by the smallness of the netbook screen. I know that's the nature of the beast, but as one of the intended uses of the machine is to show photos of family etc to my elderly aunt, I'm thinking the bigger the screen the better.

I'm thinking, too, that as the netbook is restricted in its functionality I would find it less of a jolt going to a laptop from the PC I'm used to.
Last edited by: ChrisPeugeot on Fri 11 Mar 11 at 14:48
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 Mon 14 Mar 11 20:10 
 Lap-top recommendations - FocalPoint
Just to wrap up this thread, I have now ordered the (refurbished) Toshiba recommended by Fenlander from PC World. I spent some time comparing stuff on the internet and visited PC World and Comet and came to the conclusion that what I have ordered is a pretty good spec for the money.
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