Charlie Posted August 8, 2007 Posted August 8, 2007 Are they any good? I need a laptop for uni and Dell really do seem like a good deal, but are the prices too good to be true? What's the battery life like? Anyone got one and can talk from experience?
gj15987 Posted August 8, 2007 Posted August 8, 2007 I bought myself a Toshiba cus I didn't wana risk getting a Dell and it then being shit. But my Uncle bought one and it is really nice, so yeah, you should be ok with a Dell.
ThePigMarcher Posted August 8, 2007 Posted August 8, 2007 Personally I would steer clear. I had an Inspiron 5150 a couple of years back , and the thing only lasted 14 months before the motherboard died. After doing a google search I found a load of forums/sites that indicated that my experience was a common problem and one that Dell failed to acknowledge and were unwilling to rectify. After being told that the only solution would be repair costs of anything up to £550 , I told them to get lost and vowed never to buy a Dell again. I ended up going down the mac route (not trying to restart the old and boring PC/mac debate) so I wouldn't be able to recommend a suitable alternative , I will leave that to others.
Charlie Posted August 8, 2007 Author Posted August 8, 2007 For the record. I've got a Mac at the moment. I used to use it for webdesign and stuff like that, but recently I've gone off that and I'm just casually using it. So I don't want a MacBook/Pro.
Pit-Jr Posted August 8, 2007 Posted August 8, 2007 Im using a bottom of the line Dell B130 right now. Ive had it well over a year and it hasnt had the slightest hiccup. Depends on what your using it for though i guess.
Marshmellow Posted August 9, 2007 Posted August 9, 2007 I've had a Dell laptop in the past and the only thing that I can complain about is all the trial software they put in the computer...
Caris Posted August 9, 2007 Posted August 9, 2007 *cough*macbook*cough* But yeah, my sis has one and tbh i think there the best Windows laptops you can buy, so sexy.
Charlie Posted August 10, 2007 Author Posted August 10, 2007 http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/Acer_Aspire_5613AWLMi_with_Carry_Case_and_Optical_Mouse_BUN-LX.AY50X.062-286/version.asp What do you think of that one? It seems like a very good deal to me...
Caris Posted August 12, 2007 Posted August 12, 2007 Yeah it is mate, in all honesty that's preety top end specs for a laptop. 160gb HDD, Core 2 Duo CPU, 2gb Memory and a Nvidea GPU. The only thing is i know Mcphee had a load of problems with his Acer...
Charlie Posted August 12, 2007 Author Posted August 12, 2007 Woo, just ordered it! Should be here on Tuesday.
Sanchez Posted August 12, 2007 Posted August 12, 2007 I have a friend who's happily owned an Acer for a few years, but the brand definitely has a nasty stigma around it.
McPhee Posted August 13, 2007 Posted August 13, 2007 Yeah it is mate, in all honesty that's preety top end specs for a laptop. 160gb HDD, Core 2 Duo CPU, 2gb Memory and a Nvidea GPU. The only thing is i know Mcphee had a load of problems with his Acer... I've still got it :cry:Less than 2 weeks to go now though! Moria, i really hope you don't have the same problems i did. Laptop repairs are bloody expensive! Only advise i'll give you is not to close the lid as little as possible and when you are closing it hold it near the hinges (reduces stress on the joints). Its £120 a time if the lid breaks
Charlie Posted August 13, 2007 Author Posted August 13, 2007 I've still got it :cry:Less than 2 weeks to go now though! Moria, i really hope you don't have the same problems i did. Laptop repairs are bloody expensive! Only advise i'll give you is not to close the lid as little as possible and when you are closing it hold it near the hinges (reduces stress on the joints). Its £120 a time if the lid breaks If it breaks within a year they're bloody well going to fix it for free. You know all electronics bought in the EU have a standard one-year warranty, yeah?
conzer16 Posted August 13, 2007 Posted August 13, 2007 I didn't see this thread when you first posted it but anyways: I have a Dell Latitude D620 and I get about 4 hours battery life out of it. It is the most reliable computer I have ever had. I love it
Chuck Posted August 13, 2007 Posted August 13, 2007 Im pretty sure Imgoing to be getting a laptop tonight or maybe tommorow from Dell as Im coming into large amounts of money (for free) ever week. In a couple of years Thisll be for Uni aswell and Cyrsis is coming so it must have Nvidia 7800GTX / ATI X1800XT or Direct X 10 equivilant. If a guys could pick some combos for me to browse that would be great. Dont go £750+ on the base, but a little extra doesnt matter cheers EDIT Ive just seen Dell have 6 weeks delivery on their laptops:( How about this Alienware for £600
Caris Posted August 13, 2007 Posted August 13, 2007 Rob, you wont find a laptop that will run Crysis on anywhere near high specs... Like i've said before, laptops arnt really ment for gaming.
McPhee Posted August 14, 2007 Posted August 14, 2007 You'd need an x1950 to run Crysis on any decent settings (unfortunately) TBH you might be cheaper with 2 systems if you really want PC games. You can build a cheap AMD system with a x1950 XT or 8800GTS for under £400 (base unit). Just buy a cheap AM2 mobo (£35), AMD Athlon X2 4400+ CPU (£55), 2GB PC2-5400 RAM (£55), 250GB Samsung Spinpoint (£38), DVD-RW (£18), 500W Antec Smartpower (£30), Case (£30) Total: £261. With an XT = £381. With an 8800GTS = £431 It'll perform smooth as silk in games. You no longer need a good processor, just a good GPU because most games run off the GPU now. Then buy a cheap business laptop for doing work on. If it breaks within a year they're bloody well going to fix it for free. You know all electronics bought in the EU have a standard one-year warranty, yeah? Yup, but that warranty can be voided TBH i actually have a good case to claim a refund under the Sale of Goods Act. Im currently looking into this, its a recurring fault caused by bad design and therefore the laptop isn't fit for purpose Just got to hope it works out now...
Jackster Posted August 15, 2007 Posted August 15, 2007 I've got a Macbook and it's a good laptop, not all that sure about the build quality though, the paint on the 'wrist-rest' has gone a bit shiny and the trackpad's button feels uneven. The right side of the button feels kind of firm and 'squishy' almost and the left side feels a tad too loose, making an annoying clicking noise every now and then as if I'm pushing it back into place or something. I've got a friend who has an Acer laptop and you should have heard him when he got started on it. According to him you can get lucky and buy a really good, cheap Acer laptop but if anything goes wrong with it and you have to contact Acer support you're on your own apparently. I've used a Dell laptop at school for the drama dept. a few times to run the projector during performances (Stage Crew woo!) and to be honest they do seem pretty good. Dunno the model, it was a nice silver colour though, maybe a tad bulky for my liking though. And in case anyone's interested in theatre tech, remember not to walk infront of the projector while the show's running >_<
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