Laptops

[smiley]

Hello all,

 

I'm looking for a laptop for the little man. I don't want to spend a fortune and it has to be 6 year old proof (although he is very gentle )

 

I don't need anything amazing - but it needs to have abit of ummmph to it!

 

Any ideas??

[lisann]

Smileymab try e-bay normally some good ones on there and you always find a bargain!!

 

Lisa x

[TuX]

smileymab,what is your maximum budget for the laptop?

 

 

What exactly are the main tasks it is required for?

(Eg,gaming...)

 

Is there any specific requirement for hard drive or system memory size?

 

Laptops aren't child proof as such,one of the tech guys at the pc repair shop I do work experience at broke a SONY VAIO laptop screen by accidentally hitting it,not hard apparently and the VAIOs are expensive,would expect a better screen from SONY products.

 

 

Smileymab try e-bay normally some good ones on there and you always find a bargain!!

 

Lisa x

Most laptops do not have buy it now options on ebay,I think that is a bad side to it as it means having to wait around for auctions to end or to be over bid,and then having to wait another 7(?) days again for another auction.

 

I was looking for one last week on ebay but all of them I bothered to look through were bid only.

Edited December 4, 2005 by TuX

[smiley]

Hi,

 

lisann - I have had a look on ebay, but because i'm not sure what memory size etc. im getting abit lost! I also will only buy if it's 'buy now' and there arn't many of them. Id prefere to go to a shop and get one.

 

Tux - That's half the problem! All these memory this, hard drive that are confusing me (doesn't take much! ). I want him to use it for school bits, games, internet, he's begun to write his own timetables , that kind of stuff.... Not too much really, but , i don't want him to outgrow it in a couple of years.

 

I've seen a couple at Woolies of all places!

 

http://www.woolworths.co.uk/ww_p2/search/s...equestid=222540

 

But again, don't know if it will be suitable.

 

Max budget �500. Again, ive seen some for around �250 - but i don't know if they'll be a bit naff!

[lynyona]

smilymab

 

My youngest ds who is 16 recently bought one from pc world its an advent but it s quite good and it was �399. lynn

[DAS999]

staples have ibm think pads at a reasonable price advertised as 33% stronger than any other laptop.

 

Also Ebay or a second hand PC shop

 

Good luck in your hunt

[TuX]

Hi,

 

lisann - I have had a look on ebay, but because i'm not sure what memory size etc. im getting abit lost! I also will only buy if it's 'buy now' and there arn't many of them. Id prefere to go to a shop and get one.

 

Tux - That's half the problem! All these memory this, hard drive that are confusing me (doesn't take much! ). I want him to use it for school bits, games, internet, he's begun to write his own timetables , that kind of stuff.... Not too much really, but , i don't want him to outgrow it in a couple of years.

 

I've seen a couple at Woolies of all places!

 

http://www.woolworths.co.uk/ww_p2/search/s...equestid=222540

 

But again, don't know if it will be suitable.

 

Max budget �500. Again, ive seen some for around �250 - but i don't know if they'll be a bit naff!

If you want a laptop that will run games well,it will need to be fairly high spec as a lot of the cheaper ones have onboard graphics.

But it depends on type of game-do you mean proper/purchasable games such as the Theme Park series(as an example)?

Or ones found online/free like runescape?

For that type of game,a laptop with onboard graphics would do,although some free games might have issues with it,such as Americas Army,but that won't apply because he's only 6.

 

The best future proof laptop maker for gaming,is Alienware: http://www.alienware.co.uk

They are well out of that price range,new but might possibly be found around your budget second hand,ebay does have a few,here's one:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Alienware-Area-51m-L...1QQcmdZViewItem

No bids on it,but not sure what his reserve is.

AW laptops are future proof,unlike others-because these ones can have their graphics cards upgraded,which is why they make good gaming laptops.

 

 

Dell has been recommended to me for laptops,I now get to use one at college in class,the one I used was sturdy and stable,and it was an old Pentium 2 Dell.

Go to:

http://www.dell.co.uk

On the left column,click on Home,and then near top right of page-click the notebooks image (unable to link directly to the laptop).

Scroll down a bit,and click on essentials,click on the one that says from �399.

Under the InspironTM 1300 column,click Customise and Buy.

 

It comes to �492.44 in total-which includes tax and delivery.

That one is a good laptop for non gaming (as in using purchasable type games,not the mostly basic online and/or free ones,which will work on this laptop),Celerons are not decent processors but they are okay for general purpose laptops,it is possible to choose the Pentium M processor instead of the celeron with several speeds available,and they can add a max of 1024mb system memory if required,but there really is no point for a general purpose laptop,I think it would be a waste to add all of those on but still be stuck with Intels' onboard graphics.

 

 

MESH Computers----> http://www.meshcomputers.com have nearly exactly the same,a NEC laptop,only difference I can spot is their memory is a lower speed plus the price is �511.32,I know MESH are highly rated for their desktops but not sure on their laptops/notebooks,I think DELL have a better deal with aftercare.

 

 

lynyonas' post made me look at PC worlds' site and they have a decent laptop going for �499.99.

I usually always recommend against them as they're overpriced and tell people certain hardware and parts are great when they aren't.

But this laptop,it might be the one lynyona has mentioned-is actually decent,and would like to get it for myself

Here's the link:

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/product/seo/935200

 

AMD Sempron processors were once known as Athlon XPs,these are more effective than Celerons plus it's giving 512 Mb of system memory to,whilst DELL is only giving 256mb of memory.

 

Definately one to consider.

Is there a PC world nearby Smileymab?

[call me jaded]

On Dell you can take off the 3 years on site warranty on the select and buy option and that will bring the price down substantially. I bought an Inspiron 6300 on Wednesday and it came on Saturday.

[littlenemo]

the best kid friendly one we've found is the mac ibook - ours has literally been thrown across the room and used as a weapon (Com was in a really bad way that day - his laptop is his most precious possession)

 

the mac is small, light and easy to use and comes with excellent basic software (their word processing and art packages are much better than PC) - the only problem being if you have all PC only software but to be honest a lot comes in dual format these days and we download free and shareware so we've never had a problem with most stuff (specific games may be a problem)

 

Com has had his ibook 4 years with no problems, it cost �750 and has only had a new external transformer - it goes everywhere with us, literally

 

He also has �2000 worth of sony laptop, only 2 years old, a hand me down from grandad. It is heavy and unreliable, the battery is on its last legs so it has to be kept plugged in full time or it loses charge within about an hour and then takes 8 hours of recharging to get it running properly again. It's too heavy for a child to manage comfortably and it gets upset if it gets knocked or trodden on. The ibook isn't half as powerful and still, crammed to the gills with no maintenance to speak of, runs faster.

 

laptops vary enormously in value for money - ask around before you buy, possibly invest in a good computer magazine running a comparison - they don't often say if they are child-friendly though

 

Zemanski

[mossgrove]

Smileymab

 

Unless you want to run the latest 3D games, almost any new laptop should have enough oomph for any day to day tasks.

 

If you don't mind buying online Dell laptops are very good.

 

If you would rather go to a shop, pop into Staples and have a look at their �399 Thinkpad offer, it includes a DVD writer for *ahem* backing up any DVD's that you might have in your possesion.

 

Simon

[smiley]

Wow - thanks for all the advice

 

Games - At the moment he's only into a couple of online games. But he likes the look of some of the shop brought games - so i wanted to have enough power to cover all bases

 

Oh and also a CD RW - he's into making his own cd's

 

And mossgrove.. .... DVD RW would come in handy too

 

Thank you all for your help <'>

[Canopus]

When I was at secondary school I had to make do with a Tandy TRS 80 Model 102.

http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?st=1&c=233

 

It was quite a neat little word processor for text only documents. A monochrome LCD display restricted its graphical capabilities but you could make bar charts if you pushed yourself. An inbuilt BASIC interpreter came in handy for writing programs to solve maths and physics problems. You had no problem with batteries because you could buy them from anywhere.

 

Laptops have never been designed with kids in mind. Many are too heavy for a kid to lug around comfortably and too fragile to take the hammering of a school environment. If your kids laptop will reside at home then focus on specification in the same way as for a desktop. If your kid will take their laptop to school, the park, on trips out etc. then the best tip of advice I can give you is to find a laptop that isn't too heavy and of a robust construction, especially the screen which should survive being hit with a point of a biro. I also wouldn't recommend spending an excessive amount on a laptop if there is a good chance of it being nicked, smashed, covered in acid, or thrown in a river.

 

Don't buy a laptop from PC World and don't take out extended warranties. A 3 year warranty is more than enough. I have been verbally informed not to buy a laptop from e-bay because they are often dodgy but have no real proof of this. There are companies around that specialise in selling used laptops and they are often well worth it if you don't need cutting edge performance. I personally wouldn't buy a brand new computer and under no circumstances buy one on credit at 27% APR.

 

If you want to run the latest resource intensive commercial games then the graphics chipsets are what matters the most so buy a laptop with a replaceable graphics card.

[TuX]

the best kid friendly one we've found is the mac ibook - ours has literally been thrown across the room and used as a weapon (Com was in a really bad way that day - his laptop is his most precious possession)

 

the mac is small, light and easy to use and comes with excellent basic software (their word processing and art packages are much better than PC) - the only problem being if you have all PC only software but to be honest a lot comes in dual format these days and we download free and shareware so we've never had a problem with most stuff (specific games may be a problem)

 

Com has had his ibook 4 years with no problems, it cost �750 and has only had a new external transformer - it goes everywhere with us, literally

 

He also has �2000 worth of sony laptop, only 2 years old, a hand me down from grandad. It is heavy and unreliable, the battery is on its last legs so it has to be kept plugged in full time or it loses charge within about an hour and then takes 8 hours of recharging to get it running properly again. It's too heavy for a child to manage comfortably and it gets upset if it gets knocked or trodden on. The ibook isn't half as powerful and still, crammed to the gills with no maintenance to speak of, runs faster.

 

laptops vary enormously in value for money - ask around before you buy, possibly invest in a good computer magazine running a comparison - they don't often say if they are child-friendly though

 

Zemanski

Yeah,UNIX is the superior here..

How much was the ibook found for? i've not been able to find one of those at a reasonable price,and would like one for myself as well as opposed to an x86 laptop,my sisters eMac has the mac version of my graphics card (radeon 9200,with 256mb dedicated memory) but with only 64mb of memory (I think) and I still cannot believe how well it runs her Tony Hawks' 4 copy(came free with her mac),better lighting,textures and less FR drop.

 

 

smileymab,are the purchasable games he want older,or newer games?

Providing there are no bad reactions with the chipset type (I had a lot of issues with this on my old desktop),onboard graphics can work okay with the older ones like Superbikes 2000 or Halflife,but more recent games like GTA3 or FarCry would stall on it.

I shouldn't have used teen/adult games to make a point but they were the only ones I could think of as they're in my collection.

 

 

 

Canopus,what is your view of PCworld/why don't you like them?

They aren't good for knowledge,but I've never had a problem with computers(very first tower was from there) or software I've got from PC world,I think as long as the person knows the basics of what to look for then they can't be tricked into thinking "256mb is a massive amount of memory" to quote a leaflet of theirs from last year/year before.

 

If you want to run the latest resource intensive commercial games then the graphics chipsets are what matters the most so buy a laptop with a replaceable graphics card.

Nearly all laptops cannot have their graphics cards upgraded as they are built into the motherboard,the only company I know who's laptops have upgradeable graphics is Alienware,and the cheapest gaming laptop from them is �1,214.95.

Edited December 5, 2005 by TuX

[smiley]

Littlenemo - mac ibook?? is that the apple ibook?

[Canopus]

Yeah,UNIX is the superior here.

 

I forgot to mention Linux. The most crucial issue with laptops is hardware incompatibility so check the technicalities carefully before buying. There are a few companies that sell laptops preloaded with Linux so they are probably the best route to take.

 

Nearly all laptops cannot have their graphics cards upgraded as they are built into the motherboard,the only company I know who's laptops have upgradeable graphics is Alienware,and the cheapest gaming laptop from them is �1,214.95.

 

I know. Most laptops are designed for obsolescence rather than games. The trouble with miniaturisation and everything on one chip approach is that machines are no longer upgradable via the hardware route. This applies to machines other than computers as well.

 

Canopus,what is your view of PCworld/why don't you like them?

 

I sometimes use them for bits and pieces but wouldn't buy a computer from them because I think you can get better computers for less money elsewhere. I consider PC world to be geared towards the mass market consumer and not those who take a serious interest in computers and their tech specs.

[mossgrove]

I do not like PC world because of the way they do business.

 

This bit was edited out to avoid Kris getting Sued.

 

Apart from that they are OK!

 

Simon

Edited December 6, 2005 by mossgrove

[littlenemo]

mac= apple