[Bonjoy]

Heeeeeeeeeeeeelp!  In a fit of frustration with our ancient clockwork desktop PC my wife has dismantled it and decided we are replacing it with a laptop. I have tried to look into what to get but I frankly haven’t a clue what is good value for money these days. This is primarily to act as a housebound desktop replacement and can be used plugged into the mains much of the time. A decent screen-size is essential. It’ll be used mostly for:
*Storing photos, vids of camera and music
*Internet browsing
*Low level photo manipulation
*Low level video editing
*Word processing
*Streaming video, Iplayer and the like

Budget = the cheaper the better, though this is weighted against longevity. I’d prefer cheaper per year of use rather than a cheap machine that breaks or is outdated in a few years. £300-£500??
Any helpful suggestions from folk who know about this sort of stuff would be most appreciated.

[tomtom]

Lots out there in that price bracket - have a look at PC world etc.. for £400 (in between your prices) you should get some thing with a 15" screen (I'm guessing that you're nto after something ultra portable) 8mb memory and a 1TB hard drive - with an i3 or even i5 processor.

The main next step up IMHO, is to get a machine with an SSD instead of a HDD - this is much faster and will make the machine boot up and run much better - BUT, will cost more and where you get 1TB in a HDD, for similar (or a bit more money) you'll only get 128 or 256GB of storage. As you don't want to spend too much and have lots that needs storing then a HDD might be the better option for you here...

IMHO you need to try the machine - as for me things like how the keyboard and trackpad work can be really important and can vary quite a bit from machine to machine.. so I'd suggest trundling down to PC world having a play on a few then see if you can get the same or similar cheaper elsewhere online..

eg: http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/hp-pavilion-15-ab043sa-15-6-laptop-blue-10132650-pdt.html

[andy popp]

I can vouch for just how great SSD is (albeit mine is in a Mac) - quite a revelation.

[filz]

In the latest years the PCs and laptops I've bought have all been Asus and some Acer and they are working really well.

I'd look for one of them with the features suggested by tomtom: 8GB Ram, i3 or i5, 1TB hard drive.

These seems a couple of good options

http://www.amazon.com/F554LA-Laptop-Intel-500GB-Black/dp/B00YR6BME6/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1443731465&sr=8-6

http://www.amazon.com/Acer-Aspire-E5-571P-55TL-Screen-Windows/dp/B00PESVP3Y/ref=sr_1_36?ie=UTF8&qid=1443731616&sr=8-36

ssd drives are great but still expensive so if you need a large disk 1TB or 500GB you'll need to expand your budget.

Keyboard is important for me too, but if you use it mostly at home and you have space you can still plug a keyboard and mouse to the laptop and work much better.

Inviato dal mio Nexus 7 utilizzando Tapatalk

[Obi-Wan is lost...]

Avoid spending on features you don't need like touch screen etc.

As suggested, you should be able to get an i5 processor,  4Gb RAM (8Gb better), a 500mg hard drive (1TB is better although you will be backing up to an external hard drive won't you so a huge local drive isn't vital) SSDs are nice and fast but you'll fill it up quickly especially with photos and video.

15.6inch seems to be a popular screen size at the mo for 'desktop' replacement, look for the keyboards with the number pad to the right, always a sign of a larger machine.

Several in the £300-400 range...

Lenovo i5/4Gb/500GB
http://www.ebuyer.com/700309-lenovo-essential-b50-80-laptop-80ew00hpuk
Same model with SSD...
http://www.ebuyer.com/720342-lenovo-essential-b50-80-laptop-80ew01akuk

HP i5/4Gb/500GB
http://www.ebuyer.com/698622-hp-350-g2-laptop-k9j03ea-abu
http://www.ebuyer.com/717118-hp-250-g4-laptop-n0y97es-abu
Similar spec, more expensive one is probably a bit better built.

Asus i5/4Gb/1Tb
http://www.ebuyer.com/711777-asus-x555la-laptop-x555la-xx842h

[shurt]

I'd second SSD (again on a Mac) I went from crap PC to this and it was like going from a BMX toa  BMW. I realise there is a budget issue. The almost total lack of viruses on a Mac is a new level of bliss.

I've also had an Asus in the past and it wasn't bad.

[El Mocho]

Nothing to add for Bonjoy, I asked the same question on here a few years ago and bought one of the suggestions...

I'd second SSD (again on a Mac) I went from crap PC to this and it was like going from a BMX toa  BMW. I realise there is a budget issue. The almost total lack of viruses on a Mac is a new level of bliss.

I've also had an Asus in the past and it wasn't bad.

Had a few niggling viruses on my Windows machine, are Apples likely to stay virus free? Is it just a case that they haven't been targeted as much in the past but now they are more popular (are they?) this is likely to change?

[tomtom]

Nothing to add for Bonjoy, I asked the same question on here a few years ago and bought one of the suggestions...

I'd second SSD (again on a Mac) I went from crap PC to this and it was like going from a BMX toa  BMW. I realise there is a budget issue. The almost total lack of viruses on a Mac is a new level of bliss.

I've also had an Asus in the past and it wasn't bad.

Had a few niggling viruses on my Windows machine, are Apples likely to stay virus free? Is it just a case that they haven't been targeted as much in the past but now they are more popular (are they?) this is likely to change?

Probably (last point). W10 is v good btw.

[shurt]

Nothing to add for Bonjoy, I asked the same question on here a few years ago and bought one of the suggestions...

I'd second SSD (again on a Mac) I went from crap PC to this and it was like going from a BMX toa  BMW. I realise there is a budget issue. The almost total lack of viruses on a Mac is a new level of bliss.

I've also had an Asus in the past and it wasn't bad.

Had a few niggling viruses on my Windows machine, are Apples likely to stay virus free? Is it just a case that they haven't been targeted as much in the past but now they are more popular (are they?) this is likely to change?

I think there are viruses but just aren't that common. I've had no problems for over a year now which was almost unthinkable on a PC.  I was very loathed to change to a Mac as had been using PCs for over 10yrs. It's not the holy grail though there are other issues with Macs

[dave]

Had a few niggling viruses on my Windows machine, are Apples likely to stay virus free?

I've had my mac 5 years, never installed any anti-virus software, never had any virus problems. (Also means I don't have anti virus software running all the time eating up resources.)

Contrast to when I bought a windows laptop in 2003 it managed to get infected with a virus in the time between connecting it to the web for the first time and me managing to download and install norton on it, which was in a period of about 3 minutes.

[tomtom]

for the PC side, I've been running Microsoft security essentials (its free AV software) on 7 - (and its inbuilt in W8 and 10) - and never had any problems either. People flogging AV software nowadays are snake oil retailers...

[andy_e]

install norton on it

I bet he wasn't happy about that.

[andyd]

I've been reliably informed that the idea that Apple is less susceptible to viruses is a myth. That said, I've had a Mac for 7 years and it's only just starting to fail. I miss the functionality of a pc but like the interface on a Mac. I'm in a similar position where I need something new soon. I think I'll buy a Windows operating lap top. Not from PC world though. Never from PC world.

[psychomansam]

Search 'laptop 3 year warranty' or something similar on ebay and buy a refurb with as close to a full 3 year on site warranty as you can get. It will cost about the same as a new one - but a far better purchase, especially if you move the laptop around a lot. Have done this with my last two and have used both warranties. It's quite amusing getting a 1day business warranty service sending a guy and part to turn up to a student house.

[SamT]

Surprised nobodys mentioned Dell Outlet - I've always used dell and they've been very good on the whole.  Picked up some bargains for work from their re-furb/end of line stuff.
 I don't get too hung up on "brands" of laptop, they're all running windows, they're all using intel chips etc etc.

Assuming you go down the PC route -  You'll be lucky to get something with windows 7 on it, but if you get windows 8.1 - just upgrade straight away to Windows 10 .
Forget anything touch screen - utter waste of time on a lap top IMHO.

My shopping list would be :
i5 or above (i7)
At least 6Gb Ram - 8 preferably.
SSD would be rather nice depending on your storage space requirements/budget  but a 1Tb hard drive is fine and probably an improvement on what you have now.

I just run Avira free antivirus - never really had a problem with viruses for a long time (probably just jinxed myself!)

Anyhow - try Dell..http://outlet.euro.dell.com/Online/InventorySearch.aspx?brandId=7&c=uk&cs=ukdfh1&l=en&s=dfh

[dave]

I've been reliably informed that the idea that Apple is less susceptible to viruses is a myth.

That myth has kept my computer virus free pretty successfully.

[tomtom]

install norton on it

I bet he wasn't happy about that.

He's probably all over it anyway...

[lagerstarfish]

my wife and eldest child both have laptops from Dell outlet - an i7 and an i5

they've been great

new stock seems to get put up from 3pm to 7pm - you have 15 mins from clicking the "buy" button to research the specs and value before it is taken out of your basket

delivery seems to be within a week (and often free - well it was the other week when I got a new PC for my Dad)

[lagerstarfish]

install norton on it

I bet he wasn't happy about that.

he'd take up even less space than an SSD

[sidewinder]

If you have a screen, keyboard and mouse from your dead pc you can save money and arguably have better ergonomics by hooking those up to the new laptop.  You can then get a laptop with a smaller screen, which will be cheaper, act as a potential second monitor and also be more portable is you ever wish to move it (the main advantage of a laptop).

[Paul B]

for the PC side, I've been running Microsoft security essentials (its free AV software) on 7 - (and its inbuilt in W8 and 10) - and never had any problems either. People flogging AV software nowadays are snake oil retailers...

You might want to review your AV choice. As I understand it M$ haven't been keeping up with MSE for quite some time now and it has performed poorly against other free options when tested (which was the opposite when I first installed it).

Windows 7 for me has been the first Win system that has performed as desired; I still haven't had a to do a fresh install which is a novelty.

I bought a refurbed Lenovo Thinkpad (i5) a few years ago, its great and built like a tank. I think I was nearer the £350 mark (it'll be on UKB somewhere).

[lagerstarfish]

I got a Thinkpad before Lenovo took over from IBM (2004?) - as Paul said, very solid, very reliable

[Obi-Wan is lost...]

Surprised nobodys mentioned Dell Outlet - I've always used dell and they've been very good on the whole.  Picked up some bargains for work from their re-furb/end of line stuff.

This is probably one of the first PC recommendation threads where I haven't mentioned the Dell outlet. So I'm glad someone else did. Couple of notes on using it, it's worth browsing the Education & Biz outlet store (link on left hand side), the stuff on there is better built. A Latitude laptop comes with at least 3yr warranty where as the consumer range or lower spec biz ranges like Vostro only come with 1 year. There's nothing stopping anyone buying from the biz site, think you just put in a biz name like Obi Ltd. I've both done it and a claimed on a Dell warranty without issue. There's obviously a risk actually are scratched or otherwise cosmetically damaged, not really an issue with a desktop PC but might be annoying with a laptop. To date the desktops I've got from there have been mint.

With both Lenovo and Dell there is a noticeable difference between their consumer ranges and the biz ranges. The Thinkpads are from the biz range and really nice machines. Likewise Latitude machines are much better built than Vostro or Inspiron.

Microsoft security essentials seems to do the trick with AV on Win 7 and later. I still run anti-malware such as Malwarebytes on occasion, not sure if Macs suffer from this also. I don't loose sleep over the minor risk compared to using a mac. Both should be backing up regularly anyhow.

[Mike Tyson]

I've just seen a TV advert for Argos, they are apparently offering a Toshiba laptop, 15.6inch with 8gb RAM and 1tb hard drive plus i3 processor for £299. Only problem is I can't find it on their website? 

[lagerstarfish]

this?

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/4240567.htm

[Mike Tyson]

I looked at that, and checked all colours, but the advert said £299, honest!

[lagerstarfish]

if you were using the paid version of UKB you would have been linked to the £299 laptop

 

[Mike Tyson]

What is this "paid" version I keep hearing so much about?! 

[tomtom]

If you pay extra they remove the scrolling p0rn ads at the top of the page.

[Bonjoy]

That Argos one looks like decent to me at that price. Anyone see any downside or can suggest better before I go for it? I can't see mention of a warranty

[Mike Tyson]

I thought it fitted the bill pretty well. I recorded the programme that the advert break was on, jut to prove I'm not going crackers!

[Bonjoy]

From what I can tell a warranty must be bought separate (2 years cost £90). Is this typical, is it still a bargain?

[dave]

I wouldn't buy a warranty, they're just wanting to charge you for a service that they have to provide by law anyway. Sale Of Goods & Services act states things should work and be fit for purpose and work for a reasonable length of time. I would have thought two years was well within what the law accounts for with a laptop. We once had issues with a cooker hood and the Citizens Advice thing told us the law allowed for faults up to six years after purchase to be pursued.

[tomtom]

I wouldn't buy a warranty, they're just wanting to charge you for a service that they have to provide by law anyway. Sale Of Goods & Services act states things should work and be fit for purpose and work for a reasonable length of time. I would have thought two years was well within what the law accounts for with a laptop. We once had issues with a cooker hood and the Citizens Advice thing told us the law allowed for faults up to six years after purchase to be pursued.

+1

Maybe I'm lucky or chose a better brand -- but never had to send a laptop back under warranty...

[Bonjoy]

I came to the same conclusion after speaking to the IT guy at work. Was slightly thrown by previous posts mentioning warranty periods.

[Mike Tyson]

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/4240567.htm

Boom! I knew I wasn't going mad.

[Obi-Wan is lost...]

Tosh seems fine, they are basic but I've not seen many issues with Toshiba laptops

I wouldn't bother with a third party warranty, but a manufacturer one is useful. As said previously Dell include 3yrs with their pro-range and they wouldn't do this if they didn't think it would last three years. I've seen plenty of laptops die in less than 3yrs. Dead HDDs, screens, keyboards, power packs, charging sockets etc. 3-5yrs is a realistic life of a laptop that gets regular use.

Had a hard drive start to fail recently on a  Dell desktop that was only a few months old, some Dell monitoring software flagged it up automatically before it died totally, got me to run some additional tests, then told me to ring Dell with a ref number, they sent out a new HDD which I cloned dropped in they picked up the dead one. Impressive service.

If your bothered you can extend the Tosh one to 3years total for £48 which isn't that bad.
http://www.toshiba.co.uk/services/warranty-extension/

If a cheap laptop dies after one year (out of warranty) I wouldn't hold out much hope with trading standards in getting a replacement/repair. Unlikely it going to be worth your time and effort in doing it.

[dave]

Small claims proceedings would cost you a lot less than the price of a warranty. In most cases any half decent retailer would relent before it got to that. Most of em know they're pulling a fast one with extended warranties and just bank on most customers not knowing their rights.

But if folk want to perpetuate the situation where retailers make money selling you the rights you already have then by all means go for it.

[Mike Tyson]

Not sure if you're still in the market, but this looks like a stonking deal, as do the other offers on the website. Good company, I've ordered from the a few times with no hassle.

https://mobymemory.com/uk/10tb-birthday-sale/lenovo-x1-carbon-14-ultrabook-intel-i7-3667u-2ghz-8gb-ddr3-240gb-ssd-win-8-64bit-refurb.html?utm_source=Clean+Data&utm_campaign=127cd3e105-Moby_10_Year_October_15th&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_bca1336e98-127cd3e105-128566561&mc_cid=127cd3e105&mc_eid=a464efe278