Advice needed for new laptop

[Ruggerbugger]

I'll be starting a PGCE in September and am considering using a student loan to replace my ageing Presario 1234 (with a K6-2 266MHz CPU ). My priorities are portability and battery life, but I don't want a really tiny screen if possible. I'm not after desktop-replacment graphics, but the system should be able to cope with graphics-heavy presentations that I'm likely to use in teaching.

I've been attracted to the following system thanks to price, but having owned a Compaq I'm wary of the junk manufacturers will put on there. I also want to avoid restoration CDs like the plague. I'll consider Linux, but I will probably need to connect to a wireless network at schools or university, so I need a distro that is easy to set up.

http://laptops.tiny.com/computers/ba...omputers/14830

[sawyen]

intel centrino based systems should be your cuppa tea if you need long long battery life. Low end centrinos with nvidia integrated graphic solution should provide more than enough horsepower for any office based presentation.. unless you're talking about stuff that involves engineering softwares like solidworks or HYSYS simulations calculations...

[Ruggerbugger]

Thanks sawyen. Office based stuff is what I'm looking at as a main activity. Do you have any suggestions for a system? I'm looking for prices nearer to £500 than £1000.

[herulach]

Acer make some good stuff, but if youre looking for portability then you arent gonna find a new properly portable one for less than a grand i dont think. GF has a Travelmate that weighs ~ 3.5Kg, and although its not heavy per se, i wouldnt want to have to carry it everywhere with me.

[sawyen]

acer makes pretty reliable and affordable centrino M-rigs... personally dell is far too heavy... lighter versions will cost u a bomb. Toshiba and HP makes nice long battery laptops... priced pretty average.. so is the weight...

[Mike Fishcake]

Not tiny! Not tiny! Not tiny! Not tiny! Not tiny! Not tiny! Not tiny! Not tiny! Not tiny! Not tiny! Not tiny! Not tiny! Not tiny! Not tiny! Not tiny! Not tiny! Not tiny! Not tiny! Not tiny! Not tiny! Not tiny! Not tiny!

Promise me that, whatever you do, do *not* buy a Tiny laptop. Although I've not seen any of the models less than a year old, we've had loads of problems with cases appearing to be slightly flimsy... had a fair few issues with their "tech support" over the years. I know that no matter what brand you suggest, someone will say they've had bad experiences with them, but we've had a fair amount of problems with the general condition and repair of several Tiny laptops in the past.

What I usually say when people ask about buying laptops is that I'd rather get a lower spec PC from a manufacturer such as dell, toshiba, hp, than go with some of these cheaper "supermarket" brands. My opinion might be tainted though by the fact I come from a maintenance perspective, and know that I can get outof warranty spares from those companies easily, and most of the others, i can't.

[bujinkan-ka]

A few guys from my university bought their Laptops from Tiny and have had nothing but trouble with them. Customer service, stability of the laptop and all that. Seems as though it's the exact opposite for the folk who use Toshiba and HP laptops though. They've had no trouble to speak of, so those two brands may be good to keep in mind.

[Ruggerbugger]

So, Mike, you wouldn't recommend Tiny then?

I think I could go up to £700-£800, but it'd be a risk financially to spend most of the loan on one thing. The caveat to this is that I haven;t had the loan settlement yet, so I may get more than I'm budgeting for. I have the same general impression of Tiny, what grabbed me was the price.

[Mike Fishcake]

If you're not in a rush for it, nosey around to see what student deals some companies do. Dell are seriously trying to crack into the higher education sector and are doing deals for students (well they are here at the uni of manchester anyway)

[tiggerai]

my nec versa is blinding... stable as a rock, battery lasts for hours, very portable, and a nice size screen (widescreen).

not had any problems at all, look out for 2nd hand ones.

[Marcos]

Portability, Power, Graphics competent (runs BF2), nice screen for it's size (13.3")



Sony S-Series

Cons: High price, but worth the premium for its almost desktop-replacement performance in a tiny 1.95kg chassis. Also Sony support is...well, crap, from what i have heard, luckily i havent had to use them.

[Butcher]

My tosh E15 is cool - it's coped with the abuse I've delivered it without dying.
Not the cheapest by any means, but it's solidly built and pleasingly responsive.

[nichomach]

How about a 2kg Tosh? http://www.dabs.com/uk/channels/hard...quicklinx=3KT1