Question:
Are these good laptops?
KooKoo Moolookoo
2007-09-05 07:29:43 UTC
I like the price of these - but are they any good? And which one is the best?

http://www.littlewoodsdirect.com/rf/lxd/navigation/product.do?Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&SNtt=laptop&Ns=prod_in_stock%7c1%7c%7cprod_new_in%7c1%7c%7cprod_min_base_price%7c0%7c%7cscu_id%7c1&Nao=15&groupId=417004748&Nu=this_product&SNtk=littlewoods_search&Np=1&SN=85+101&Ntt=417004748&D=417004748&Ntk=group_search&Dx=mode%2bmatchall&thisprod=417004748&N=85+101&Nty=1&Mis_item_id=15&Mis_item_loc_id=1&product=417004748


http://www.littlewoodsdirect.com/rf/lxd/navigation/product.do?Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&SNtt=laptop&Ns=prod_in_stock%7c1%7c%7cprod_new_in%7c1%7c%7cprod_min_base_price%7c0%7c%7cscu_id%7c1&Nao=15&groupId=412771947&Nu=this_product&SNtk=littlewoods_search&Np=1&SN=85+101&Ntt=412771947&D=412771947&Ntk=group_search&Dx=mode%2bmatchall&thisprod=412120298&N=85+101&Nty=1&Mis_item_id=15&Mis_item_loc_id=1&product=412120298
Ten answers:
randollers
2007-09-05 07:42:17 UTC
HP computer for $862.99.



Operating system FREE Upgrade from Genuine Windows Vista Home Basic to Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium (32-bit)!

Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo processor T5300 (1.73 GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, 533MHz FSB)

Display 15.4" WXGA High-Definition HP BrightView Widescreen Display (1280 x 800)

Memory FREE Upgrade from 512MB DDR2 System Memory (1 Dimm) to 1GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)

Graphics Card Intel(R) Graphics Media Accelerator 950

Personalization HP Imprint Finish + Microphone

Networking Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Connection and Bluetooth(TM)

Hard Drive FREE Upgrade to 160GB 5400RPM from 80GB 5400RPM!!

Primary CD/DVD Drive SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support

TV & Entertainment Experience No TV Tuner w/remote control

Primary Battery High Capacity 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery

OS and Recovery Media System Recovery DVD with Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium (32-bit)

Productivity Software Microsoft(R) Works 8.0
?
2007-09-05 15:20:09 UTC
hiya, well both of these are very basic, also they both have only Vista home basic, the memory (ram) is very small, you could never upgrade to Vista Premium without upgrading the memory. the harddrive is only 60 GB, if you store pictures and music it will soon become full and drastically slow a computer which i feel will already be quite slow. it just may be ok for you now but i fear that in the very near future you will need something a little faster and with a greater capacity, that is even without the internet. Tesco are doing a good range of Gateway laptops at the moment for much the same price, they have Vista premium, 1GB of ram and 160GB hard drive, i know you have the financial problem but this will give you a comparison of value for money. take care and good luck.
HyperDawn
2007-09-05 14:43:49 UTC
If you don't want to use the internet, you don't want to play games.. and all you want to do is play music and store pictures then even those are over-kill. You could get a second hand laptop for cheaper that would easily do all that. Hell my laptop can do that and it's worth about £100. Just make sure it has Windows XP, 512mb of ram and a hard drive big enough for all your picutures and music.
anonymous
2007-09-05 14:57:11 UTC
I definitely would NOT go with either of those computers for music or photos. It has a celeron processor which, although very cheap, has very little memory L2 cache. Although this is cheaper, it makes it hella slow. I'd find another offering that's not Toshiba. Maybe HP? Sometimes Dell has amazing deals on computers, check there.



Best of luck!
Big Dave
2007-09-05 14:41:33 UTC
Definitely go for the Toshiba.



They have made an error in the advert for the Toshiba.....it states 512 Gb of RAM!!! they mean 512 Mb. I bought ione of these for my brother and once you disable all the unrequired bells and whistles of Winodws Vista it's actually quite a nice machine for the money...get a price from PC world too....I paid 349 for my bro's and got a free case thrown in
Chris D7
2007-09-05 15:32:31 UTC
Hi there. =)



To answer your question most directly, *of those two laptops*, you may go with the Hi-Grade if only because you ALSO have the option of creating your own music CDs with the CD-writer drive. Otherwise Toshiba's "better".

Both have 512Mb RAM, which is fair for music & pics. (1Gb RAM is better.)



As "Hi-Grade" isn't a major manufacturer brand, I can't speak for it being "any good". TOSHIBA and FUJITSU (yes, seriously!) generally produce great value laptops, with excellent "bang for your buck", so take a wider look at those two brands.



As for "which one is the best?" -- it comes down to what you want it for; you just have to match what you need to what's out there. :)



HERE'S A FUJITSU for the SAME PRICE at Littlewoods:

[ http://www.littlewoodsdirect.com/rf/lxd/navigation/product.do?categoryId=6674248&productPos=23&catno=PH2191L&groupId=409534007 ]

(Just means you're getting better value = same price, but better / more respected brand)



THE COMPREHENSIVE ANSWER:



MOST newer laptops have WiFi built-in, so if WiFi/internet is absolutely not necessary, look for "refurbished" or even second-hand laptops (but only through decent stores, as it's hard to trust previous owners off eBay etc), *IF* you want to try and save more money.



As "music & pictures" appears to be your main requirement, I'd recommend you actually go "window-shopping" e.g. at PC World, Dixons, Currys etc, and BRING A MUSIC CD WITH YOU to "test drive" the speakers - get a rep to help you, tell them you want to hear the speakers; it should be OK. Even if you prefer mail-order, or buying online, you can still do that AFTER you've heard the sound quality with your own ears, from the same model you found online.



I recently saw a COMPAQ laptop for around the same price, at PC World Tottenham Hale. It's beautiful, and had ALTEC LANSING speakers built-in. For music, THAT's some exceptional value!



Write this down and take it with you:

+ 512Mb RAM *minimum* (1Gb optimal)

+ 60Gb Hard drive *minimum* (80Gb - 100Gb is v. good)

+ CD-R *minimum* (CD-R/W / DVD combo better!)

+ (whatever your budget is, if you've set a price point)



An optional CD-R (recordable) or -R/W (re-writeable) will let you burn your own music CDs if you like.



For music, allow approx 6Mb per (longer &/or better quality) MP3 song file X approx 20 songs from each CD = approx 120Mb/CD album. So 1Gb is roughly 8-10 CDs, and 50Gb is upwards of 400 CDs! (Allowing some HD space for Windows & some pictures...)



Take that short list to the shops, tell 'em you want a laptop for "music and pictures", look out for your "minimum requirements", and ask to listen to your music through the laptop speakers. Turn it up as far as you're allowed, and listen for distortion.



LASTLY, if you ONLY want something for "music & pictures", you MIGHT consider getting an iPod instead! They've got newer 80Gb models, or again look for "refurbished" 60Gb models.



GOOD LUCK! =)
Robert W
2007-09-05 15:27:58 UTC
Yes - this is a good middle of the road specification at a good price. Ask how much to upgrade the RAM to 1Gb - It will improve the performance considerably.
captain3249
2007-09-05 14:48:06 UTC
I would not recommend either of these laptops, both have Vista with only 512mb RAM, a definate NO on that alone.For £399 I would advise you to look at ACER laptops with 1Gig of RAM.visit: http://www.comet.co.uk. ., good luck!!
Sabrina Devareoux
2007-09-05 14:34:42 UTC
buy a refurbished dell latitude d620 or d630, they run around 600. anything else isnt worth the price.
Mike10613
2007-09-05 14:46:44 UTC
This one is better and cheaper: http://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecials/Laptops/ASUS+X51R-AP076C+Intel+Celeron+M-520+1.86GHz+?productId=27804





2 year warranty too.


This content was originally posted on Y! Answers, a Q&A website that shut down in 2021.
Loading...