Laptop Buying Advice Help Please?

DiggerNo1

DiggerNo1

DiggerNo1

Associate
Joined
9 May 2012
Posts
11
Hi all, thanks for taking the trouble to read through this thread.

I have just moved my Uncle into his sheltered housing complex.
He used to have a desktop computer but its too big for him in his new flat.
He wants me to look for him a laptop and be honest i really have very very little knowledge of what to buy.

He uses his computer for basic browsing E-Mails, Fantasy Football etc.
He never downloads anything or saves files.

The main thing he uses it for is Streaming, infact thats basically all he really uses it for.

So a decent size screen and picture would really be useful for him.

He is knocking on a bit and panics when his computer goes slow or freezes.

I have ordered him the 60mb broadband through Virgin Media so that should be plenty fast enough for him.

I dont understand what spec or anything he would need. And hate going into the likes of PC World as they just baffle me with science and i am sure they end up making you spend more than you after.

His budget is obviously as cheap as possible for the right machine but his cap limit would be around £500 at the very topside.

Could anyone please help me to pick him a laptop out that would suit his needs and last him a few years.

Links would be really sppreciated too.

Thanks in advance
 
Quick question, does your Uncle intend using the laptop for sound? Or does he have some stereo to plug it into?

Reason I ask is that pretty much any entry level new laptop for around £400 will do what your uncle wants, but there are some dedicated multimedia laptops out there with upgraded sound and larger screen sizes (I assume he is streaming TV shows and so on).

The dedicated multimedia laptops do tend to cost into the £550 - £750 range though, so there is that to consider.

Ive got experience with 2 multimedia Laptops, the Sony Vaio F Series and the Asus N55.

Both have decent size screens and the Asus in particular has a Bang & Olufsen sound system which is very good (even comes bundled with a subwoofer), and they both have nice clear large screens. Both have HDMI outputs if your uncle ever wanted to stream to a TV.

HP also offer a number of entertainment models with or without "beats audio" which is supposed to be very good.

You could go up to a 17" laptop. These are a bit bulkier, but could be a good option if your uncle has the space, and the laptop wont be moved about much.


I havent owned Acer or Dell laptops so I cant comment on those Im afraid.

Id provide links to the above, but we arent allowed to provide links to competitors websites on here.

Hope that helps in some way.



Edit: Damn sorry, just noticed the cap budget. thats what I get for skim reading!

Id look for a "15 or "17 HP or Dell laptop in that price range, with around 4GB RAM (you dont really need more but it wont hurt) and an intel CPU i3 or above.

Thats if you want to go new, there are some cheap 2nd hand models on ebay as well.
 
Last edited:
Crimefighter said:
Quick question, does your Uncle intend using the laptop for sound? Or does he have some stereo to plug it into?

Reason I ask is that pretty much any entry level new laptop for around £400 will do what your uncle wants, but there are some dedicated multimedia laptops out there with upgraded sound and larger screen sizes (I assume he is streaming TV shows and so on).

The dedicated multimedia laptops do tend to cost into the £550 - £750 range though, so there is that to consider.

Ive got experience with 2 multimedia Laptops, the Sony Vaio F Series and the Asus N55.

Both have decent size screens and the Asus in particular has a Bang & Olufsen sound system which is very good (even comes bundled with a subwoofer), and they both have nice clear large screens. Both have HDMI outputs if your uncle ever wanted to stream to a TV.

HP also offer a number of entertainment models with or without "beats audio" which is supposed to be very good.

You could go up to a 17" laptop. These are a bit bulkier, but could be a good option if your uncle has the space, and the laptop wont be moved about much.


I havent owned Acer or Dell laptops so I cant comment on those Im afraid.

Id provide links to the above, but we arent allowed to provide links to competitors websites on here.

Hope that helps in some way.



Edit: Damn sorry, just noticed the cap budget. thats what I get for skim reading!

Id look for a "15 or "17 HP or Dell laptop in that price range, with around 4GB RAM (you dont really need more but it wont hurt) and an intel CPU i3 or above.

Thats if you want to go new, there are some cheap 2nd hand models on ebay as well.
Click to expand...

Thanks mate for taking the time and trouble to help me m8, I shall get on it and have a look for something for him.

Thanks again Crimefighter
 
Being as it is a desktop replacement and he wants it for streaming, I'd recommend a 17 inch too.

Because pretty much any laptop out there will do what he wants, I would recommend venturing to a PC shop and having a look at some, that way you can see how the screen looks and what the build quality is like (or if you really object to going in, read plenty of reviews). Then buy online ;)

My recommendation for what do buy would be to get something from the DELL outlet, they are outstanding value.
 
I have seen a HP Pavillion Laptop g6 brand new for£419

15'6 screen :(
6gb
intel core i5
2.5ghz
500GB

Would this be o.k? So confused did really want a bigger screen for him.
Is there anything i can sacrifice on the build to get him a bigger screen around the same price?

Thanks again
 
Hp Pavilion G7

amd-a6 3400m quad core processor(1.4ghz, 4 MB L2 cache)
17.3 HD+Screen
6gb Ram
750gb hard drive
This ones £442

Could anyone advise me on the best one please?
 
DiggerNo1 said:
Hp Pavilion G7

amd-a6 3400m quad core processor(1.4ghz, 4 MB L2 cache)
17.3 HD+Screen
6gb Ram
750gb hard drive
This ones £442

Could anyone advise me on the best one please?
Click to expand...

Looks like a decent deal to me, although Im not familiar with AMD CPU chips. The other specs look good though.

I just had a quick look at the Dell UK website and they are doing a deal on the Inspiron 17R - £489. Its 17" and has an intel i3 chip. Take a look.

Have a google for reviews of both the model above and the Dell, and get an impression on which would be best for your uncle.


Edit: just googled the G7 and there is a version - the "HP Pavilion G7-1255sa" that comes with an Intel i5 processor, and is available online for £469. Id check out some reviews of that one. Intel processors are normally worth the extra £ imo, especially if your uncle is concsious of the speed of the computer.
 
Last edited:
Cheers Crimefighter you are really doing me a massive favour,

found that pavilion one thankyou. Now i am stuck between that one and your other suggestion the inspirion 17r. lol

You choose mate and ill buy the one you say.

Thanks again buddy
 
Last edited:
DiggerNo1 said:
Cheers Crimefighter you are really doing me a massive favour,

found that pavilion one thankyou. Now i am stuck between that one and your other suggestion the inspirion 17r. lol

You choose mate and ill buy the one you say.

Thanks again buddy
Click to expand...

Wow no pressure!!! ;-)

After reading some reviews, this is definitely the one I would buy if it were my money:

HP Pavilion G7-1255sa
Intel Core i5-2430M Processor,
4GB RAM
500GB HDD
Windows 7 Home Premium

As mentioned earlier its available for less than £500 from a few retailers.

:cool:
 
Thats the one it is then bud.

Thanks for all your help mate.

I will give you the heads up, when it arrives and let you no how its all going.

Thanks again
 
The laptop arrived on Tuesday. I set it all up for him and obviously had a good mess around on it and i was very impressed. Everything he needed.

Took it down to him Wednesday and got him set up and running. Just got off the phone with him and he his delighted with his new toy. So job done :)

Cheers Crimefighter for all your help and advice i certainly couldn't have done it without your input.

I was suprised at the price £450 + £5 delivery = Bargain :)

All the best buddy in your fight with crime ;)
 
DiggerNo1 said:
The laptop arrived on Tuesday. I set it all up for him and obviously had a good mess around on it and i was very impressed. Everything he needed.

Took it down to him Wednesday and got him set up and running. Just got off the phone with him and he his delighted with his new toy. So job done :)

Cheers Crimefighter for all your help and advice i certainly couldn't have done it without your input.

I was suprised at the price £450 + £5 delivery = Bargain :)

All the best buddy in your fight with crime ;)
Click to expand...

Thanks :)

Great news, glad your uncle is pleased.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom