what computer/laptop? help!

[monka]

right, looking to buy my self a computer soon, been looking for a laptop for a while and got speaking to a mate the other day, he reckons the following would be best.

just a desktop computer, connected to my tv, with a wireless keyboard and mouse.

now tbh i'm shit with computer specs and things like that, and what is available. due to space, ideally rather than a vertical tower i want a horizontal one.
the one thing i can think of when i think that is about that apple box thing, what ever its called.

what do ya reckon people?

 

[gv1.3]

Hi,

I aint a fan of apple machines to be honest but it is down to personal taste. What do you plan on using the machine for? Gaming, music, office apps, Internet?? give us an idea of what you will be doing with it.

 

[goldenvtr]

just a desktop computer, connected to my tv, with a wireless keyboard and mouse.

If going for a laptop (more ideal as its portable but depends on what you want)

get one with an AMD processor. the amd64 is there entry level but in my oppinion much better overall than teh itel equvilent, the intel processors run at max capacity all the time giving off more heat so teh fans always on and using about 40% more battery. so the AMD gets my win.

for about £350 you could get a
160gig hard drive
2 gig of DUAL CORE memory
AMD 64 processor (about 1.7)

And you would probly never use the full potential of that spec.

PS dont buy an Apple, you just fall into there world and are VASTLY limited in parts, programs, hardware and much more people who buy Mac's buy them for specific reasons

 

[dont_tell_him_pike]

I'm not a fan of AMD myself, they just can't seem to cope with anything warmer then a northern winter.

There's a lot of good used P4 laptops that are stupidly cheap due to dual core, vista and widescreen laptops making them look old hat, even though they're quite powerful enouph.

Not sure if I'm allowed to say this, but I have a P4 laptop I'm about to put in the local ad mag...

 

[starbogt]

Laptop wise Acer do a fantastic range of both AMD and Intel . Amd generally in my opinion are faster at multitasking etc but run a lot hotter than intel. My AMD is burning my knee as we speak... Where my mum's is identical but the intel version and it runs sooooooo cool but is slow!. As for getting 1 that plugs to your telly they are very good until you want the telly and the pc! unless you're talking about tv card etc. Multimedia pc's are very good and easy to make up. But you need to tell us what you will be using the pc for 1st so we can help with your application!

 

[Franza1]

personally i'm not a fan of the acer stuff, i Usually Stick to Compaq, HP or packard bell when Buying a Laptop or Desktop. Very good customer service and usually very reliable.

the Dell XPS is Suppost to be a fine piece of kit too, bit price though for the full spec one. you'd be looking at the 4000euro mark

 

[gv1.3]

on the laptop front Id go with Dell or Toshiba. I like their machines and have now owned countless ones without an issue. My current laptop is a toshiba tablet PC and its been on the road with me since Jan and used constantly and is showing no signs of giving up. Thats running VMware with lots of server OS's and never flinches.

The only thing I dont like about it is because it is so small it has crap speakers.

 

[monka]

cheers for the help guys, may have a look tomorrow at laptops in town, while looking on ebay. lol

 

[ChrisGT]

So what is it you want then? Laptop or PC? lol

For either I'd say an Intel Core2Duo's CPU is the way to go! I have an AMD 64 X2 4600 (AMD's dual core) and its pretty wank tbh. An Apple would be lush, but they are expensive and lack of software compatability etc its not worth it tbh. I would advise not buying from the likes of PC World and Currys as although their prices have gotten a bit better, they are still high. Browse the net matey!

 

[starbogt]

ebuyer is a good source for Laptops. As for makes and models I've been in computers for many years and compaq and hewlett packard are very over priced for the quality I have had bad experience with both but its all down to personal preference. I reckon most makes are ok nowadays but I've never needed any customers services from the manufacturers as my acer has ever broken down and I'm qualified to repair them anyway! As for Dell they come very basic everything you add means cost... A friend spent 800quid on a so called high spec Dell direct from them and he couldn't believe how my 450pound acer was better spec'd than his! and they've had to have dell customer service on as they had problems.


If you set a budget and list what you'll use it for then its easier to steer you towards the specifications you require then you can choose what manufacturer you want to use.

 

[ChrisGT]

I have an Acer and have had it nearly two years, not had a single problem! Was purchased from here: http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/.

Just build your own PC ! Save tonnes of money! lol

 

[gv1.3]

Just build your own PC ! Save tonnes of money! lol

The days of saving tons of money by building your own PC are well and truely gone. Dell and the like make such a small margin on the machines they sell they can often offer them cheaper than you can build your own for.

I wouldnt consider building unless I was going for a very high end top spec bespoke machine.

DEll keep sending me offers for server for rediculously cheap prices.

 

[monka]

So what is it you want then? Laptop or PC? lol

For either I'd say an Intel Core2Duo's CPU is the way to go! I have an AMD 64 X2 4600 (AMD's dual core) and its pretty wank tbh. An Apple would be lush, but they are expensive and lack of software compatability etc its not worth it tbh. I would advise not buying from the likes of PC World and Currys as although their prices have gotten a bit better, they are still high. Browse the net matey!

still got no idea mate, only really need something for net/music. i'm just really behind on all the computer talk crap, so looking on ebay i'm like wtf
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Item=120279071944&Category=177&_trksid=p3907.m29

that ad for example, all i know about that laptop is it comes with a wireless card, no idea whether the specs on it are any good. lol

 

[ChrisGT]

Ahh the good old ThinkPad! I like them but they are old and dated mate. Plus very slow! lol My housemate has one and it was slow as! I personally wouldn't buy a laptop off eBay, although I'm sure its fairly safe, but I'd stick to a proper company, i.e. ebuyer.com, novatech.com, overclockers.co.uk, uk.zepto.com.

If your just going to use it for net browsing/music you won't need a huge spec but most laptops seem to come with 1GB memory and good Intel or equally as good AMD chip which would be more than enough for browsing/mp3ing.

 

[starbogt]

For internet usage you want at least 512mb ram and thats very low tbh.. go for the best you can get on your budget.

 

[97'GlanzaVTurbo]

To be honest mate its all done to your personal opinion which laptop/desktop to go for. As for connecting your system to the TV I really wouldnt recomend that because depending on the size of your TV you will need a decent graphics card for it to run correctly and decent graphics card = decent money so unless you plan on gaming there is really no point.
You say you need it for internet and music, so you idly want something with a decent amount of memory and a decent sound card. Now depending on the operating system you want to run depends on what a decent amount of memory is like XP = 1 GB and Vista = 2 GB this is to run it to its full potential like aero glass etc turned on.
It all depends on your budget if your going for a desktop I would build it yourself although you could buy one for around the same price the warranty you get now for building yourself is unreal for instance memory is now sold with a life-time warranty.
Send me a pm or post up your budget and we can have a wee look for you but think Dell will be your best bet due to the fact you can customise your machine to what you would be looking to run and also I could let you into a few secrets of Dell as I used to work for them and still do from time to time
Christy

 

[herbie]

Dell are incredible value for money

My current laptop has packed in, Ill be buying a Dell soon.

 

[Gryzor]

The first thing to do is set a price and stick to it!!!. This is the most difficult as you get what you pay....this can range from £400 to over £4000 ...

The second thing is decide what your going to use it for. Is it games, surfing, does it have to be portable, watching films, listening to music, media server, web server, etc... write a list.

The third thing is RTFM (read the f'n Manual) check out reviews on the web or in mags, don't go into PC world, Lidl, dixons etc. and get chated up by one of they're know nothing sales people and end up with a dud pc running vista at a snails pace and loaded with a heap of scheduled ads. Know what you want not what they tell you you need.

The fourth thing is don't forget the software this can add a chunk of money on the price and remember to get good anti-virus software support.

Lastly ask people to give you machine specs/software lists that will do what you need.
Top of the list is run Vista well as support for xp is ending soon and the last thing you want is to be waiting 5mins+ for boot up. (you'll need at least 2gb memory RAM, 2.5Ghz Dual Processor CPU & 500GB Hard disk)
I think £600-700 buys you a good machine that should last 5 or more years.

 

[Gryzor]

connecting to my tv

Connecting to your TV is very easy if you have a HDMI socket on the TV.

Most graphic cards come with a 2 ports a DVI and a VGA. You can get a DVI to HDMI cable and your sorted. You can Dualview and have the TV and monitor running at the same time :rockon:

 

[HutchGlanzaV]

I just bought my first laptop, its an Acer Aspire 6920. Got it from laptops direct.co.uk and I can't fault it. Use it mainly for internet gaming and surfing, all done wirelessly with no problems.