Which laptop should I get, what do you have/recommend?

[Jeven]

I've been using an old Toshiba with XP and 2Gb of RAM - it is nearing the end of its usefulness, though, as the screen is flickering a lot and some of the buttons don't work anymore.

There seems to be a glut of new laptops available with Windows 8 and 4 or 6Gb of RAM and 500 or 1Tb hardrives - all around the £300 price point.

I'm not sure about Windows 8 however - would I be better with Windows 7?

And which brands should I avoid? The machines I'm lookin at are mainly ASUS, (which I think is good?) a couple of HP Compaqs, a Lenovo.

I don't need/want an optical drive, really, but if a good laptop has one then it's OK.

This one I'm linking says £350 but it's actually £300 over the holidays: http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produc...er/5088986.htm

[CrowdAds]

[PEACEFUL1]

get laptops with

Intel ivy bridge processors

HDD: 640 GB to 1 TB

RAM: 6GB-8GB

Graphic : (nvidia 6xx at least 630 or ATI 7xxx at least 75xx) with an on-board HD Intel Graphic card

battery : 6 cell it has to work at least 3.5 hours

weight : max 2.6 Kg

screen optional : mostly better to be between 14 -15.6

---------------------------------------------------------

Do not use windows 8 it's may be good for tablet but not for laptops
it has a very week graphic good for general usage like net but not the best for multimedia or game & ....

--------------------------------------------

see benchmarks here:
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-...ist.844.0.html

[WalkGood]

This one looks kinda nice
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=6Vjb_LqYOMw

[McDougal]

Good brands to choose from are Asus, Acer, and Toshiba.

For a CPU, I'd get a quad-core at least since CPUs are difficult to upgrade in a laptop.

IMO, don't listen to people who hate Windows 8. There are many great under the hood improvements. As for the interface, if you're willing to spend some time to learn, you get used to it. If not, then I'd suggest Windows 7. But I tried Windows 8 on my desktop, and the interface really isn't that bad.

Good luck, let us know what you choose!

[Jeven]

Originally Posted by PEACEFUL1

get laptops with

Intel ivy bridge processors

HDD: 640 GB to 1 TB

RAM: 6GB-8GB

Graphic : (nvidia 6xx at least 630 or ATI 7xxx at least 75xx) with an on-board HD Intel Graphic card

battery : 6 cell it has to work at least 3.5 hours

weight : max 2.6 Kg

screen optional : mostly better to be between 14 -15.6

---------------------------------------------------------

Do not use windows 8 it's may be good for tablet but not for laptops
it has a very week graphic good for general usage like net but not the best for multimedia or game & ....

--------------------------------------------

see benchmarks here:
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-...ist.844.0.html

I'm sure I'd be fine with W8 - I'm not going to be running HD games or doing anything very intensive.

[aimran]

I actually like Windows 8 for the performance increase over Windows 7. As for the Start Screen, all I did was install a Start Menu replacement like StartMenu8 and I never have to touch the Start Screen after startup.

As for the brand of laptops to get, I have three Lenovo and they all have pretty weak battery. Asus should be good since they actually manufacture their own motherboards, and for their computers, they theoretically should use their own motherboards. I use their motherboards for my custom desktops, and they have been rock solid.

[JK98]

Originally Posted by Jeven

I've been using an old Toshiba with XP and 2Gb of RAM - it is nearing the end of its usefulness, though, as the screen is flickering a lot and some of the buttons don't work anymore.

There seems to be a glut of new laptops available with Windows 8 and 4 or 6Gb of RAM and 500 or 1Tb hardrives - all around the £300 price point.

I'm not sure about Windows 8 however - would I be better with Windows 7?

And which brands should I avoid? The machines I'm lookin at are mainly ASUS, (which I think is good?) a couple of HP Compaqs, a Lenovo.

I don't need/want an optical drive, really, but if a good laptop has one then it's OK.

This one I'm linking says £350 but it's actually £300 over the holidays: http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produc...er/5088986.htm

Will this be carried around often, or will it be rarely moved? Some people buy a notebook as their only pc and keep it home all the time, while others might want a notebook as a second pc and carry it often. If you don't plan to move it much, I suggest getting one with a 17" (or larger!) screen.

If you do plan to carry it often though, then battery life, size, and weight become very important. What do you plan to use the notebook for? Any heavy computation(video editing, photoshop, etc.) or perhaps just for net browsing? Prioritize what you want in a notebook. More processing power will mean less battery life, and/or a larger heavier battery.

[kp-j3]

Originally Posted by JK98

Will this be carried around often, or will it be rarely moved? Some people buy a notebook as their only pc and keep it home all the time, while others might want a notebook as a second pc and carry it often. If you don't plan to move it much, I suggest getting one with a 17" (or larger!) screen.

If you do plan to carry it often though, then battery life, size, and weight become very important. What do you plan to use the notebook for? Any heavy computation(video editing, photoshop, etc.) or perhaps just for net browsing? Prioritize what you want in a notebook. More processing power will mean less battery life, and/or a larger heavier battery.

Definitely 2nd this. I'm being forcibly moved from a 17" to a 15" laptop that stays at home and the -2" makes a huge amount of difference.

[McDougal]

IMO a 17" screen seems kind of big for a laptop. I've got an older Dell 15.6" that's used as the family computer and is basically a desktop replacement, and also a netbook that we bring places.

[The DarkSide]

If the laptop stays home I think the larger the screen the better. You don't need compact for a home rig,...and the extra screen real estate is a huge plus. And if the laptop is larger usually there's more room inside for a small upgrade or 2.

As for brands, find a laptop you like & read the user reviews & complaints. They provide more info than most realize. Especially since most laptops are quite similar in specs,... Just don't get a Dell. They tend to give me a headache.

[Marvin the Martian]

Originally Posted by The DarkSide

If the laptop stays home I think the larger the screen the better. You don't need compact for a home rig,...and the extra screen real estate is a huge plus. And if the laptop is larger usually there's more room inside for a small upgrade or 2.

This.

[The DarkSide]

Originally Posted by aimran

I actually like Windows 8 for the performance increase over Windows 7. As for the Start Screen, all I did was install a Start Menu replacement like StartMenu8 and I never have to touch the Start Screen after startup.

As for the brand of laptops to get, I have three Lenovo and they all have pretty weak battery. Asus should be good since they actually manufacture their own motherboards, and for their computers, they theoretically should use their own motherboards. I use their motherboards for my custom desktops, and they have been rock solid.

StartMenu8 kicks ASS!!!

[Jeven]

Thanks for the replies - seems that Windows 8 does its best to be confusing but is actually quite good beneath the surface, I would definitely install StartMenu8.

This laptop is just to be used at home, really, I have a tablet for portability. I think I'm going to get the Asus linked or another Toshiba.

[The DarkSide]

Toshiba is top notch. If I still had mine I'd be running Linux on it. And, it's still going strong running Windows XP. The person I gave it to still uses it,...plugged in of course. The battery died quite some time ago. Still, you can't go wrong with either the toshiba or asus.

[PEACEFUL1]

^^^^^^^^^^
agree those two are very different from others.

[Jack4L]

For 300£ that laptop you linked is an a-okay choice. There's not a lot of wiggle room, usually whatever is on sale is probably the safest bet.

Although if you had a external display, keyboard and mouse you might be able to still get by with your current laptop. As long as its not crashing, or having other problems.

[Jeven]

Well, that £300 ASUS actually has an aluminium lid and other parts metal, too, which is pretty unusual at that price. It gets a good review here: http://www.itproportal.com/hardware/...sx373h-review/

Not sure if I'd use the 1Tb HD versus 500Gb for the £270 model here: http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produc...er/5088962.htm

[The DarkSide]

I'd get that asus you listed. It really is a nice deal,...

[Marvin the Martian]

Originally Posted by The DarkSide

I'd get that asus you listed. It really is a nice deal,...

+1, and Asus is quality hardware in my experience.

[Jeven]

Ok, now whether to get it in white, black, red or blue?

I think either white or black.