Laptop Buying for the Girlfriend

[Million]

Hi all,
My girlfriend needs a laptop for the usual stuff. She's very impatient, so wants something fast. I'm quite good on spec-ing PCs, however my knowledge of laptop brands, shops and CPUs is limited.
So Hexites, one and all, your opinions please on:

Where to buy a laptop from

What brand of laptop to go for

What laptop CPUs are worth looking at (Core2Duo, Core duo, centrino, AMD, I just don't know)

Thanks in anticipation!

[transylvanic]

C2D = the best.

The laptops I've owned have been with Intel CPUs: one Pentium M, one Core 2 Duo. They have been rock solid for me.

The centrino gimmicks are irrelevant to most people, as all laptops come with wireless capabilities these days. Thus, I advise ignoring that bit of branding.

I would recommend Toshiba and ThinkPads (not all Lenovo stuff, just the ex-IBM division). I would advise against HP and Samsung. This is all based on personal experience, so it might not agree with everyone's perspective.

My samsung notebook was very thin, but the hinges were weak to begin with and both broke within a couple of years. Taking into account my experience with samsung phones as well, I can say that they make cheap sh!t. And battery life is some esoteric concept they've never cared for. I haven't owned a HP laptop myself, but a (female, relevant in this discussion) friend of mine has and within a year she has knocked out a couple of buttons from the keyboard and the machine creaks. Maybe she's smashed it against a wall couple of times, or maybe HP just don't construct their notebooks quite like they should.

Internal components don't mean much when the physical stability of a laptop is under question. Thus, I advise spending your money on a Toshiba machine. Their laptops all tend to look the same, there's nothing particularly flashy, but the things they do well are: (a) excellent speakers, and (b) construction is second only to ThinkPads.

I was able to buy a 15" Toshi for £300 and upgraded the memory for another £25 from ebuyer. I was going to downgrade to XP, which was too much of a pain, so I left it Vista, which it runs perfectly fine. Bought it for my mother, who's had no complaints. Ebuyer do free delivery on more expensive items too, and are a reliable retailer.

Edit: Here's something cheap and cheerful, if she doesn't mind 10 inches:

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/146027...oduct_overview

[Million]

We paid PC world a visit today (don't worry, not to buy from there, just to have a play with some different models), and she's rather taken with Sony's Vaio range. Can't say I blame her - they're very pretty

[adam1701]

give dell a call, you can usually get a bargain over the phone.

[strike-down]

I have to agree with the above. The current dell studio range are pretty sexy (as far as computers go )
Just have a look on their site.
I disagree about the samsung laptops though. I had one for a couple of years, and in the time I had it, it was pretty robust. And their current range seem fairly well built (one of my friends as had one now for just over a year, and its been in a motorbike accident and survived) and they also look pretty good in the flesh.
Still recommend dell though

[Million]

The thing that has always bugged me about dell is that they're all online or phone, no shops.

[Carlm]

Tesco's sell dell laptops cheaper than dell sometimes, Think PC world & staples also sell dell laptops if you want some where to go and look at one

[MaddAussie]

Viaos are nasty nasty things (I know we use them @ work) I'd go with a Dell or a HP TBH things are always breaking on the Viaos, Hinges, wireless switches etc)

[Dr Cool]

Another for dell, great performance at <£400 and + they look good for her

[Jay]

I had a Sony at work and it was pretty poor.

[Pyr0]

i just bought a 17" dell with a C2D from microdirect last week for just under &#163;400
it's ex demo, but there's nothing wrong with it at all, and it came with full warranty

[Million]

So can all those Dell fanboys say that they're well built laptops? One thing that bothers my girlfriend is when a keyboard feels flimsy, like you press in one key and all those around it sink a little.

She likes the fact that the Dells come in pink!

[Pyr0]

wouldn't rly call myself a dell fanboy lol
this is my first dell laptop and only other thing i have from dell is a monitor...
but the laptop does feel pretty solid and the keyboard doesn't feel spongey (tho i've only had it for just over a week now)

[Million]

Well, thanks for all your advice everyone, but in the end, did she listen? Did she hell...

She bought a Vaio!

[TheGeneral]

www.laptopsdirect.co.uk or com i think

they have good prices.. not order from them though

[TheGeneral]

Well, thanks for all your advice everyone, but in the end, did she listen? Did she hell...

She bought a Vaio!

DOH to late!