Hi,
Now because my brother is doing his GCSEs, and I'm doing my A Levels, we both need the computer a lot more (as well as homework, for things like MSN!) and it is getting really frustrating because there is only one PC in the house.

My brother is thinking of buying himself a computer and I am thinking of doing the same. I can get some discounts by using my NUS card.

Anyway basically, would it be better if I got a computer or a laptop? I'd be going to uni in 2 years time, so would it be better to get a laptop which I could take there? Or is it not worth buying it just yet, as it won't be that good by the time I go to uni.

Has anyone got any info/advice on any of these:
* HP Pavilion dv1365EA Notebook PC
* HP Pavilion w5151 Desktop PC
* Alienware Area-51â„¢ 3500
* Alienware Sentia
I can also get discounts on Mac computers but I don't think I want one.

Any advice on prices/what a good laptop/PC is?

Thanks,

Nicki

Hi Nicki,

I have it on good authority that HP are generally ok, alienware maybe less suitable unless you want to play a lot of fancy games.

Dell might be good for your purpose - have a look at their website. Prices of laptops (just had a quick look in their current catalogue) range from about £450 to £1500 - including vat and delivery. They come direct to you so cut out the retailer.

Sony are also usually good (we have 3) and slightly more expensive than Dell. I have a Sony laptop and like it.

I would stray away from Alienware build quality etc isnt all it could be in my opinion and they are targeted to a certain sector of the PC using community.

HP are quality in terms of build and reliability however they do cost just that little bit more than they should and the like for like cost to other suppliers sometime means their performance is lacking.

A good comprimise is DELL who finally appear to be getting their ship in order. My adice look carefully at what you going to be doing and ensure you get a box to match your requirements. Finally get as much memory in the box as you can afford. This is probably the single most important factor affecting PC performance and most memory hungry application these day are just going to get bigger not smaller i.e. anything in the office suite. (Sorry just had to take a little swipe at Mr Gates).

If you get a laptop dont forget to get a good carry bag, there are excellent back packs on the market these days but ensure it is pad on all side and bottom and has a restraining strap to hold it in!

Hope this helps I am sure YAP will be along too to add!

Nicki - I'd buy a laptop, for university reasons. It's a lot smaller to fit in the car for a start.

I wouldn't worry about it becoming obsolete in two years - a laptop bought two years ago is still plenty good enough now; similarly, a laptop bought now should last you through university. To be honest, computer hardware generally doesn't become obsolete as quickly as it used to: there are only so many new and exciting ways that software can find to use more memory, disk space and run more slowly .

As for which one to get - personally, I rather like Sony laptops with the shiny black screens, and I'd go for a lighter, thinner one that is a bit less powerful, with a good battery life and built-in wireless network access than one which is bulkier and faster.


Am I really that predictable .

I would say dell, the one I've just got (the lowest in the range) is fantastic, I can't fault it at all.

Sorry I didnt mean it the way it may have sounded.

You are just very able where computers are concerned.

I have a HP pavilion laptop which is great. You probably will anyway, but buy an XP one coz it's far easier to dial into the uni webserver if you need to. Plus a laptop is easier to drag to the computer centre if it won't dial up! I've seen lots of people on the bus with computers....not good!

I've just built a computer for my sister who started uni in September, as the laptop she had stopped working, and it wasn't worth the effort/money to try and fix it as it was very outdated anyway.

With 1GB memory, 120GB hard disk, 64-bit Sempron 2800 CPU, DVD writer, fairly good graphics card AND a 17" TFT montitor all for under £500, desktop PCs certainly seem a lot cheaper than laptops. Having a TFT monitor, it doesn't take up a great deal of space either.

Still, I don't really know enough about laptops to comment much on them...so...umm...yeah

PCs generally are less expensive I think, because they aren't so convenient.

PCs are generally still cheaper, but the gap is closing. One can get very nice laptops for £500 - £600 now, not much more than the price of building a whole PC; for example:

http://www.dabs.com/productview.aspx?Quick...gationKey=11105

We rely on you, YAP

The thing is, I would need a "cheaper" laptop because I will probably be funding it myself. Would I need to buy a printer as well?

You could always buy a portable USB keyring storage device, and then go and print out any documents you need in Uni somewhere, save a bit of cash.
I have a Time laptop which I find very good.

You might have to, or you could buy a memory stick and transfer anything that needs printing onto another computer.. (e.g. school's- well that was ok until they gave us printing credits)

I suppose though that pc's still have the advantage of being easily upgradable. I assembled my own machine back in January. Since then, I have istalled a second removable hard drive, doubled the memory and installed a dvd burner.

Next, when I get around to it, is installing the wireless networking card you recommended.

Not sure if this helps Nikki, though.

Steve

Yes that's true, upgrading laptop components can be a right pain in the proverbial. (Not that it can't be done, mind. Just normal PCs are cheaper and easier to upgrade)

Nicki

You need to do some homework on this.

Start here: http://www.pricerunner.co.uk/ Avoid the review on Numatic Henry...still there after 6 months and my fab review on MacAfee got taken off...6 months...expected,but is still there on Amazon.

Then try a google search uk only.

Avoid Ebay for computers,but as for memory sticks,Ebay is the place. Check feedback,do a completed item search etc.

You need to weigh up your needs and then start going into computer shops.Sometimes you can still do better on the high street than the net. The down point with buying over the net is that you can't feel it.

I've just purchased a new mobile via a shop.Avoid PC World unless you know what you want so you can avoid speaking with the staff.Not a nice experience.

A laptop is a lot of money.Dell are brill,but by the time,you have added on the extras they can work out expensive.

I found this company very good. http://www.aria.co.uk but I ended up just purchasing a monitor from them in the end.More fool me,cos they are excellent. have a chat with them.

My school has this deal with memory sticks, I got a 256MB one for £16.99!

I got my 512mb one for £15

I think a laptop would have more long-term use and assuming you don't want to play the latest games the specs don't have to be that high and it should last a while. My family has 2 Dell laptops which work great but Dell normally comes out considerably more expensive than a comparable laptop of a different make (because you're paying for a custom-build). Alienware would obviously be fantabulous but again it's more expensive. Don't ever consider getting a Mac. I'd imagine the HP would be the best although I don't have first-hand experience.

<feels hurt at all of the anti-Mac comments>

I use a PC for paid employment and a Mac at home, and in all honesty there doesn't seem to be alot of difference. If you go down the Mac route, you will need to ensure that your applications are Mac-compatible, but I've never had any problems e-mailing documents between Mac and PC users.

There is some fancy DTP software that I think is only available for Mac, but I don't need any of that. Macs definitely have the advantage over PCs in aesthetics, i.e. they're prettier to look at.

The only other advantage I can think of at present for Macs is that because most people are on PCs, anyone wanting to create a virus aims it at PCs rather than Macs because they can create far more havoc that way!

Don't worry too much about the age of your computer. Aforementioned Mac is about six years old, but I can still send e-mails, surf the internet and do anything else I need to (assuming I can prise Husband off the computer )

Ask around. Does your school offer special deals through certain suppliers, or can you get it VAT-free if purchasing through school? Does anyone you know work for a company which offers cheap computers for staff to purchase?

I prefer laptop because I can carry it round and use it wherever I want to sit. I have Dell.

I have a laptop, because my parents brought it for me for my 18th with university in mind. Before I got my laptop I was using my sisters pc! i have an evesham laptop, it's a fantasatic value, very helpful Birmingham based company.

Nicki: If you are intending to go away to university (I know that the beginning of lower 6th is looking a bit too far forward!), and get a laptop, make sure you get a laptop bag that doesn't scream "Hello, I am carrying a laptop, please mug me".

Ahh, excellent experience. I've assembled a number of machines now for various family members and myself. My computer is nearly three years old now, which gave me a shock when I realised; it was good at the time I made it (I needed a fast computer for my end-of-degree computer science project) and it's aged amazingly well - a pair of 2400 processors is still fast . I started with a DVD-ROM drive and CD-writer, and 120Gb hard drive. 1 year in, I got a DVD writer for it. 2 years in, I bought a pair of 200Gb hard drives and a faster DVD writer for it for it, selling my 120Gb hard drive and DVD writer to my dad (when building him a machine). I'm stuck for upgrades for the time being though, maybe another stick of RAM if I get some software which needs it.

But, I digress. AP and I are looking at getting a laptop for Christmas . We've decided to get a centrino one as they have really good battery life (just shy of 4 hours), are lightweight (2.9Kg), have built-in wireless networking etc. etc. The one we've got our eye on at the moment is by Sony, with a 15.4" widesceen shiny display, 80Gb HDD, 512Mb RAM, DVD writer; we were quite surprised that the Sony is the cheapest for the specifications we wanted - just over £750. It's here if anyone wants a look. We're not finalised - this is the result of an evening's research, but it looks promising and we'll have a look round laptops in shops to see what they look like, what the screens are like etc. Obviously it would be uneconomical to buy said laptop from a mainstream high-street retailer though....

That said, there are some very nice laptops in the just-short-of-£600 mark, but being computer scientists we like to have above-average specifications so we can run the software we write on them (solving NP-hard combinatorial search problems ).