Please help me select a new laptop

[caller]

Greetings all.

I stand here before you as an IT numpty. I'm hoping some of you have the time and patience to help me select my next laptop?

The only PC/laptop I have owned is my current one, a Dell inspiron 6000 from c2005. Its feeling its age and the sound has just gone wonky - I don't know why, but thumping it doesn't fix it! Here's the spec:

http://www.cnet.com/laptops/dell-inspir ... 57675.html

My needs are quite simple. wifi, surfing, storing photos and some music, letters and a few documents. However, I intend to scan a lot more (photos and corres) and already have back up on an external hard drive and will probably go 'cloud'. Bluetooth would be helpful and I'd like something that means, whenever the next IT 'wow' hits us in a couple of years time, that I can by and large cope without having to buy another one!

I'm in the UK and I'm not intending to travel with it - well not foreign hassle travel in any case. I intend getting a basic netbook and e-reader for that (I have access to an ipad and thats not for me).

Soooo, these are the three contenders (all from PC World as they will set it up for me for about 30 quid):

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/toshiba-s ... 5-pdt.html

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/samsung-s ... 0-pdt.html

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/hp-pavili ... 9-pdt.html

Unless you know something better?

Seriously, any help really would be appreciated.

Many thanks.

[MrPlum]

PC World is ok for 'numpties' but I was never impressed with them. If I were looking I would go for a Sony Vaio or Apple with the largest screen (15.6"+) I can afford. You are enjoying the quality and design, long after you've forgotten the price! Differences in RAM and speed don't usually matter in real-world use unless you are running 20 graphics-hungry apps or games at the same time.

Your 3 options are great value for money but the amount of software bundled can make a big difference. Many bundles have software you will never use or are limited versions. Any differences between your 3 look to be be minor. So it could be down to which one floats your boat aesthetically.

Have owned a Toshiba Satellite in the past and found it too heavy. HP have a solid name. Samsung looks to have the edge on what you get. The quality of tech support can make a difference. You could try calling their help lines and see how long it takes them to respond.

The versions of MS Office they bundle are limited, with advertising. You will probably wish to upgrade so factor that into your cost.

As an aside. I know it is fashionable but I am wary of cloud computing. Who do you want storing your data? Will copyright laws bring down your hosting service? Look at the take-down of Megaupload. Will you be charged in the future for such services? I'd rather keep my data local where I have control and its free, than someone else have control and charge. Terabytes of storage are cheap as chips. I also don't want armies of private and government spooks having easier access to my personal or business data. Your hosting service will give them access without you knowing and without a fight.

[PeteC]

No one talks about Fujitsu much. I used them for years before I went to Apple and they are an excellent product. I don't think you will find a bad review on them. Below is the link for Europe, where you can buy on-line as well. Pete

http://www.fujitsu.com/fts/products/com ... index.html

[splitlid]

my choice in order-
1. toshiba
2. hp
3. samsung.

the toshiba basically meets all of your requirements and is the best priced.
6gig is more than enough, and the i3 processor wont hinder your performance.
i choose the hp second because of the i5 processor, better but not necessary.
and the samsung last because of the name.

in 2 years you will need an upgrade any way.

[Big Boy]

I've actually got the HP model, and wouldn't recommend it.

Firstly, you get automatic updates from HP, which if you say you are a numpty, you won't be able to switch off. If you don't catch them before they happen, it can take an eternity to get your machine working on the net again.

Secondly, I've had more 'Blue Screens' with this machine in less than a year than I had in the rest of my IT lifetime.

Obviously, I know about the first problem, but the last time that I missed the update, it took me over 3 hours to fix. The second problem is an inconvenience, but the machine works fine when you restart it. Outside of these problems, it works fine, and my use is very similar to your perceived use. I actually paid £70 less for mine as well

[buksida]

From your lineup I'd say go for the Tosh, the Samsung has more memory but the difference between 6 and 8 Gb is negligible. HP are terrible, would never touch one again, also had hardware problems with my Acer. Have you looked at Lenovo (IBM) they make some good kit.

MrP makes some solid observations about relying to heavily on the Cloud. BB makes a good point with software, make sure you uninstall all the pre-loaded manufacturers bloatware unless you want to be hounded and bogged down by it.

BTW, anyone buying a laptop in Hua Hin would do well to read this first: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=20178

[Super Joe]

I've actually got the HP model, and wouldn't recommend it.

Firstly, you get automatic updates from HP, which if you say you are a numpty, you won't be able to switch off. If you don't catch them before they happen, it can take an eternity to get your machine working on the net again.

Secondly, I've had more 'Blue Screens' with this machine in less than a year than I had in the rest of my IT lifetime.

Yes, my wife has a HP Pavillion G4 and I'd sum it up as 'junk'. But conversely I got a HP Envy 4 recently and so far it's the best computer I've ever had.

Can't really comment on the Toshiba or Samsung except had a Toshiba a good few years back and it was bulky and ugly as someone mentioned.


SJ

[Frank Hovis]

I've got an 8Gb Toshiba Satellite with i3 & 15.6 and find it to be a good machine.
Made better by getting a decent big LCD for home use and run with two screens. Battery (so far) is very good but I know that will diminish eventually. I also have a 4Gb Lenovo which for me is now feeling the strain, it's three years old and it's battery life is only enough to hibernate when unplugged. I had an old HP 1Gb but that's not really comparable to todays machines, it was a large brick with very short battery life and overheated and shut down on a regular basis, however it was an OK machine for it's time. One downside to the Tosh is that I don't really like the Tosh keyboard - big flat keys are too easy to slip off of when typing at speed, the Lenovo keyboard is better. so give it a go in the shop if you can.

I would stay away from their warranty, It appears to cost about half as much as the laptop again. You should get a free 1 year warranty anyway, plus there is always the Sale Of Goods Act in the UK to give further protection but really, anytime I buy a laptop I have to assume that it's useful life will be two to three years max and after that I really wouldn't want it fixed, I'd rather spend on a newer model.

For personal use, forget the cloud - if you have a usb external drive use that. You've paid for your 500Gb or 1TB external drive, you don't need to pay every month to use it. I'm not sure what the cloud deal you are getting is but whatever it is your data is being hosted by a commercial company, who will eventually find reason to charge you for accessing it.

[Homer]

Non-apple laptops are 90%+ commodity hardware. Two things set laptop companies apart. First are features like keyboard layout and feel, weight, battery life, manufacturer specific software that makes it easier for noobs. Second is quality of the hardware which is all about reliability and expected length of service. Search for reliability info. Consumer groups, computer magazines and the folks that sell extended warranties (do.not.every.buy.one) all make their data public. Nonetheless, people continue to buy HP.

[GLCQuantum]

A friend spent around 70 grand a year ago on a top end HP. 'Never again' he says. He has had more bother with it than any other computer he has had in his lap top days.

I have an old Compaq V3000 which still runs well, never had a single problem, and a Toshiba Satellite L740 (cheap at 14,000 grand) which suits all my needs just fine. Again... no problems at all with this laptop as yet (touch wood).

[redzonerocker]

I've had a an older version Toshiba Satellite for the past 4 years, never had a single problem with it.

I would avoid the HP at all costs, as has been pointed out they are overloaded with crap.
Can't really comment on the Samsung as i've never worked on one, love their phones though

[Dannie Boy]

There appear to be almost as may recommendations for some brands as there are others, saying they would never buy one of those again. Before I bought my current laptop about 18 months ago,I asked our IT manager for his recommendation and he suggested HP or Toshiba. I ended up buying a Toshiba Qosimo with an i7 processor, blue-ray disc player, Harman Kardon speakers and have had no problems with it. Does it work/sound better than any other makes - I have no idea, what I do know is that sat on a desk it's a nice looking bit of hardware, but stick it in a laptop bag and it's a bit big and heavy for lugging around. Although i am sure some makes are more reliable than others, on the basis that computers are almost obsolete the moment you buy one, my only advice would be to try and get one where there is some local aftersales service available and buy the best spec that your budget allows - at least that way you are future-proofing it as much as possible.

[Big Boy]

Or buy all three laptops that you're considering for the same money:? IMHO it would be rather extravagant to spend all that money considering what you want to use it for.

[STEVE G]

Yes, I must admit a couple of years ago I was away from home without my laptop so I bought a 200 odd pound Acer netbook to use whilst I was away and I've never bothered using the laptop since. I can understand that if you're using a computer for some kinds of work you can justify the cost of this Apple stuff but not to send a few emails and to do a bit of web surfing.
One thing about the netbook is that is the most reliable computer I've ever owned and it never crashes.

[Terry]

Had a Toshiba Satellite for nearly 8 years - it just simply expired..............Paid around THB 70,000 for it

Then a company owned Fujitsu - nice and lightweight but with some heavyweight problems after a couple of years - ran so hot you could fry an egg on it. (cost THB 73,000 - without S/W )

Now use Acer Aspire 4750G, 4GB DDR 3 Memory, I5 processor, 14" screen
Best THB 30,000 I've spent

A little heavy but damn good value for money - if it goes wrong within the next 12 months or so , I wont feel too bad about ditching it!!!!!!!!!

A colleague here in Hanoi had a Macbook. It looked the dogs borrox - but was practically useless. Cost around THB 75,000
It wouldn't connect to the office printer
Did not have a USB port
Every connecting cable was 5 times the price of any other brand - and was a waste of space
He went out and bought an Acer!