I am after buying a new laptop but would like some advice from you experts on here.

I would rather buy basic quality and reliability than fancy gimicks.

The old laptop is a Siemens circa 2006 so has done well, it is a 1.6 processor and 75gig HD.

I use it for

This forum
A bit or word and exel
Internet
I-player
Photos
Music
DVDs

Not into gaming or anything like that so does not need to be ultra fast, as said looking for something solid and reliable.

So what spec do I need, what make and where to buy.

Thanks in advance

Drakes 2010 3.6TDV8 Stornoway Grey/ Black interior - gone
2005 4.4V8 (M62) Bonatti Grey/ Parchment interior - gone
1998 4.6HSE Blue/ Cream interior (can't remember exact colours) - gone
1977 White - gone (should have kept)

you'll get peeps saying get this or get that but i would have a look on the argos site for instance and read the reviews and this should give you an idea whats best...
tbh , a laptop around £250 to £300 will be ok and you'll get a years warranty maybe 2.. ... - .- -.




Y. O. L. O.
.

As a company we have decided to go for either HP or Lenovo due to their quality. They seem to have the best quality machines, good warranty conditions and excellent service (esp. Lenovo). For personal laptops I usually follow the lead of our IT specialists (although that didn't help me with my Toshiba years ago). MY 2010 5.0 SC Galway green and sand interior!!
Have the Faultmate MSV2 Extreme to be tinkering with the settings etc. !!

I've just made the switch to a Mac and been impressed so far.

Clearly a price premium, but I'm thinking it will last me for longer.

I bought a 13" Retina

When buying laptops I always go for HP. Tried other and been very disappointed.

Hi Drakes

Depends on what you really want. You can go for the £300 basic HP or even Dell and it will be sufficient for your needs for a couple of years. the problem is software moves on quickly and the latest OS (windows 7 or Windows is hungry for resources.

Edit: Cant get rid of the smiley..!! the number above 7 and below 9 will only show the face for some reason..!!

Basic spec will work but you wont have much left for doing much else.

As Alistair said he moved over to Mac - I'm a 3 year convert to Mac and to be honest would never in a million years go back to Bill & co... Personal opinion but Mac's just work. You do not have to be a computer nerd to keep them working of fixing problems every week.

They are a premium price but well worth it in my opinion. Ash
------------------------------------------------------
2016 SDV8 AB

Apple products are more reliable to run, that is for sure. However they don't run everything. My wife has been an Apple convert for many years but we agreed that I will stay with MS equipment as every now and then we have something that doesn't work properly on Apple. MY 2010 5.0 SC Galway green and sand interior!!
Have the Faultmate MSV2 Extreme to be tinkering with the settings etc. !!

I am looking for a new Laptop for my son after he played with my Mums new HP WindowsEIGHT machine.

What spec do you think is necessary to be FAST using WindowsEIGHT.

I have stuck with Mr Gates so far as 90% of what I do on a PC involves using Microsoft Office programs....

To be honest as someone who has worked with the stuffing things for over 14years i can only reccomend Dell or Lenovo.

Dell's outlet can be a good source sometimes and lenovo you pay a premium for the name really as they are just as tough.

If you can get a Windows '8' Pro machine and then just downgrade it to Windows 7 for ease of use more than anything else.

Dells E series are pretty good and Lenovo's T's as well.

They all do more rugged versions which are great if you ever want to use it outside or think you may drop it.

Get one with an SSD, even if its only 120-240gb it makes a hell of a difference.
Try to go for the highest res on the screen you can as it does help when staring at it for long periods.
Extended batteries can be worth it as well but get them off the bay or amazon instead of the manufacturer.

at least 4gb of ram, ideally 8gb is best. My desktops run with 16gb and my laptops with at least 10gb at the minute.

Apple is nice but not worth the price premium IMO in the laptop and desktop market. FFRR MY06 facelift With TDV8 Alloys Zeros/ATR's
Mantec Sump Guard, Rigid Load liner, MY10 BT upgrade.

PS you can get office on the mac as well and if you have kids at school your entitled to the education price for their office software  FFRR MY06 facelift With TDV8 Alloys Zeros/ATR's
Mantec Sump Guard, Rigid Load liner, MY10 BT upgrade.

Once you've had mac you can never go back!

Get a basic Macbook air 11" and a WD hardrive for backup, along with Microsoft Office Mac 2011.
Don't bother with the Time Capsule wifi thingy or equivalent though, they are expensive and a total pain in the
ae to set up.

This will be light, practical and easy to use, and small enough to take on holiday if you need.

Speaking from behind a 2011 Macbook Pro 13 with extra Ram goodness
These really are the FFRR of computing.

Starting at £850 its just too much to spend on a school use computer....

not convinced myself about the cost issue, had a middle-range dell prior to, and it was a total wreck after three years. two years down the line with a mac, hasn't skipped a beat. Have several friends with models from the early 2000s still going on strong.

I am sure my boys could wreck it....

^^ all subjective I guess! depends on the age range tbh...