Spec me a laptop

jellyellie · 30 Mar 2006 at 12:43

Hi guys, your help is needed!

I have £300-£400 to spend on a basic laptop. It will be used for word processing, internet browsing, MSN, the occasional iTunes and Excel sorta thing.

Things I'd like:
• Built-in WiFi
• At least 40Gb HDD
• At least 256Mb (I'd upgrade it to 512)
• 1 Firewire port & minimum of 2 USB ports
• At least 14" screen, res. of 1280x768
• Easily obtainable replacement parts
• Contrary to the sig, I want to run XP on it.
• Any processor - 1.2Ghz minimum, Celery, Athlon, P-m, whatever
• Not bothered about graphics

So if you have any suggestions, let's see 'em!

Cheers

jellyellie · 30 Mar 2006 at 13:14

Thanks for your reply wesley.

There are a few around at that spec for that price, quite a few on eBay, I just don't have any personal experience or recommendations so that's what I'm after here.

Also, I'm happy to buy a second hand one, if people have a particular model they recommend.

jellyellie · 30 Mar 2006 at 17:42

Thanks for your replies guys.

jellybeard, I have been considering that one. You can get it for about £320 new on eBay from reputable sellers. Only thing that put me off is the fact it looks a bit like a brick, but I can't really be that picky at that price!

Guru, that's really interesting thanks. I was considering the 630m too but the size of it and 14" (not 15") screen put me off. What's the screen like? Is it bright, nice and sharp picture, etc? Also, how big is the laptop? It seemed to me like it was more of a desktop replacement than a notebook?

This whole looking process is starting to really annoy me now, I just want to buy one. Companies, I want to give you money!! Give me something worth buying

jellyellie · 30 Mar 2006 at 19:40

Thanks again guru, some useful information and great links.

I've narrowed it down to three options now:

• Go for dirt cheap basic option - Dell Inspiron 1300 brand new for £325 on auction site
• Go for nice Toshiba Satellite L20 which I like the look of and is a nice brand name - special deal at £385 inc. free bag and laptop mouse
• Pay a bit more and get something like the Dell 630m for about £550, and look at other laptops in this price range.

At the moment I'm seriously swaying for the Tosh L20. I love the look of this laptop, I've found it for an excellent price, has all the features I'm after except FireWire which I can live without, and a pretty poor battery (1.5hours) which I'm not too bothered about. I'll need to spend £30 on some more RAM.

Does anybody have any experience with the L20, or any advice as to which option I should go for?