Looking for a decent laptop for £500.

Damien. · 26 Feb 2009 at 11:18

My mate is after a new laptop and has asked me for some advice. I could help him all day long with desktops but haven't a clue when it comes to laptops.

He doesnt want to play games but it has to be fairly powerful and have good storage capacity for lots of pictures.

His budget is £500 all in.

Thanks.

Mackeral_Fillet · 26 Feb 2009 at 20:19

Hiya,

I have just ordered the following from online:

HP Pavillion DV5-1010 for £519

Spec:
Core 2 Duo P7250
4GB Ram
Nvidia 9600 512mb
250gb HD
Blu Ray

It is a refurbished model, but, my mate has just bought one and it was immaculate, it looked brand new, so I though I'd get one too as for the money the spec is fantastic!

AFK_Matrix · 26 Feb 2009 at 22:53

Hi Mackeral,

Where did you get the refurbished HP from? Can you email me if its a competitor?

Thanks.

jp_bl_68 · 8 Mar 2009 at 11:10

Mackeral_Fillet said:
Hiya,

I have just ordered the following from online:

HP Pavillion DV5-1010 for £519

Spec:
Core 2 Duo P7250
4GB Ram
Nvidia 9600 512mb
250gb HD
Blu Ray

It is a refurbished model, but, my mate has just bought one and it was immaculate, it looked brand new, so I though I'd get one too as for the money the spec is fantastic!

I'm looking at the same laptop right now, except it has the P7350. I can't find any reviews of it, not even product details on the HP website.

What do you think of it so far?

I heard that it comes with Vista 64 bit, is this true and if so have you had many compatibility issues?

What's the screen like? I've mostly been looking at 17" but I think a decent 15.4" would suffice.

Have you tried running any games on it? I'm not really looking for a gaming laptop but it'd be nice to have the option of playing some games (older ones, obviously, on low to medium settings).

My main concern with HPs is overheating, have you experienced any problems with this?

MarkDavis · 9 Mar 2009 at 21:58

Mackeral_Fillet said:
Hiya,

I have just ordered the following from online:

HP Pavillion DV5-1010 for £519

Spec:
Core 2 Duo P7250
4GB Ram
Nvidia 9600 512mb
250gb HD
Blu Ray

It is a refurbished model, but, my mate has just bought one and it was immaculate, it looked brand new, so I though I'd get one too as for the money the spec is fantastic!

No built in wireless though it seems (if you're linking to the same page I'm linking too....) Right pain the backside to retrofit....

jp_bl_68 · 10 Mar 2009 at 06:23

That's the only thing wrong with it, as far as I can see. I didn't think you could still buy new/recent laptops without wireless connectivity.

Mackeral_Fillet · 10 Mar 2009 at 08:37

Hello,

My last post was a typo, it does have a P7350. And it definately has wireless, but no bluetooth. The model number is the same as many of the other DV5's and the exact number is DV5-1010EA - I think they make some model numbers specifically for retailers.

The only downside to this laptop is the screen. The clarity is not great and the resolution quite low. But spec wise, it's fantastic. For the money, I couldn't find anything that comes close.

The one I got was immaculate, as new. You could not tell it had ever been used!

GaryWolf · 10 Mar 2009 at 08:53

I got the same deal and the same DV5-1010EA laptop, reconditioned but when arrived found not a scratch on it.
Really impressed, have played COD 4 over wi-fi multiplayer and found no problems, graphics looked good enough. The P7350 processor and the 9600GT 512mb do a wonderful job of keeping things flowing nicely.
How are you getting on with yours?

Only problem I had was when I first turned it on, the thing didnt go through the install properly and messed up, but I recovered it from the F11 recovery partition and it has worked like a treat ever since.

jp_bl_68 · 11 Mar 2009 at 06:22

Thank you both for replying. It sounds like a great laptop, considering the price. Think I'll order one tonight. Cheers.

jp_bl_68 · 11 Mar 2009 at 06:58

I've heard that some other people have had similar problems with this computer and the installed OS. Was it easy to fix? Do you know if it would be possible to install XP Home Ed. rather than Vista 64bit?

vladvek · 11 Mar 2009 at 20:31

Where exactly are you getting these refurbished models from?
I'm thinking of buying a laptop that can also be used for a bit of gaming...
thanks

jp_bl_68 · 12 Mar 2009 at 06:11

I'm not sure if I can tell you on this forum as the site that has this particular computer is one of Over Clocker's competitors. But if you look at some of the websites for the UK's major electrical retailers you should find it. Sorry I can't be more helpful.