Help! Laptop Desperation

[Dramaqueen]

My aunty is to buy her daughter a laptop for Christmas (short notice, i know) and has asked me (the technophobe) what to get. So i thought i'd ask you guys (as i haven't a clue!)

She passed me some PC world advertisements but i seem to remember warnings about not to buy from them

Anyway... her daughter is doing media studies and television studies so needs something suitable for this
she doesn't want a shared graphic memory
wants 512 mb
built in modem
dvd/cd writer
windows xp based
and a largish screen

cost between £600 - £700
any help greatly appreciated
dramaqueen

 

[KGB-911]

I dont know of many good ones between that price range, but i dont think you will manage to get it before christmas.

 

[Shorty]

http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/products/compare.aspx?c=uk&cs=ukdhs1&id=inspn&l=en&s=dhs

Order from DELL now to get before xmas. The prices on the middle of the range Inspiron series are in under the £700 bracket. They also chucking in memory upgrades for free and better cover if something goes wrong

14-15" screens on Inspirons as well.

I never recommend DELL desktops but their servers & notebooks, can't fault 'em.

 

[psd99]

v v short notice. if ur getting the laptop from the net decide on it today and order it tomorow by latest so that itll arrive before xmas day!

At this much short notice id be tempted to go out visit the local shops that sell laptops and post back your findings and the speicific model numbers so everyone here can have a little butchers at your selections!

good luck

 

[Dramaqueen]

just found out the deadline is not as imminent as Christmas Day - 29th (which provides a little more time)

many thanks for the responses so far

 

[Dramaqueen]

At this much short notice id be tempted to go out visit the local shops that sell laptops and post back your findings and the speicific model numbers so everyone here can have a little butchers at your selections!

http://www.dabs.com/uk/productView.htm?quicklinx=3jj0

http://www.dabs.com/uk/channels/hardware/notebooksandtablets/productView.htm?quicklinx=3h1y

http://www.dabs.com/uk/channels/hardware/notebooksandtablets/productView.htm?quicklinx=3J15

http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/asp/product.asp?product=187&cat=77&ph=&strShowBackLink=n
(IBM ThinkPad R50e 715 Home Model

Are any of these any good?

 

[muckshifter]

1. - Don't buy a Celeron anything.

2. - Cant go wrong with a ThinkPad, IBM make good laptop/notebooks

3. - see 1

4. - see 1




By tradition laptop/notebooks are under-powered and sticking in a 250cc engine into a Roller just don't make sense, even for IBM.

 

[floppybootstomp]

No 2 has a Celeron processor and shared graphics memory.

I'd go for a Dell Inspiron at that price, I don't actually know much about laptops but several friends have an Inspiron and they're happy with them.

The (IBM ThinkPad R50e 715 Home Model) looks OK to me though.

 

[Dramaqueen]

How does the Dell ordering work. I looked at a couple of laptops which said from £700 whatever, but when you go to buy/customise it jumps up to over £1000

 

[floppybootstomp]

I just edited my post, and mentioned that the IBM model with the Pentium processor for £690.00 looks OK to me.

But, really, I honestly don't know much about laptops.

 

[Dramaqueen]

Many thanks for all your help. Turns out they have bought a power mac! - above budget as well!

Thanks again
Dramaqueen