Laptop

I think you might struggle to find a laptop with a decent spec graphics card in that price range. All the ones I've seen tend to just have the Intel graphics capability (although the latest version of that isn't too bad).

I bought a Toshiba for the office recently that had Nvidia 6200 graphics but it was over £800.

I've got this small machine which works quite well.
Low price but no compromise.
Machine works pefectly.
Sometimes i do play games like "Stronghold", "Simcity" and other role like games with no problems.
Take a look here: http://www.gericom.com
You can buy the machine direct from them and they also have an OUTLET section where you can get affordable prices.

Have a look at the Dell web site, they were offering several models with free double memory (RAM) upgrades though as mentioned here, you may struggle to find one with a high end graphics card for that money. Then again, I dont think things like the sims need high end graphics so you may be in luck.

Again check out Dell maybe there is an upgrade availble for higher spec graphics card.
Do you have anyone that can recommend a local computer firm that could make a custom spec LT for you? They can often get in good reconditioned /S-Hand systems from big firms upgrades.

Howard

I’ve tried most of them over the years and it’s no coincidence that my company only uses Think Pads. The R50e can be had for good money at the moment. Sturdy though their desktops are, I’ve had and known of more Dell laptops fail than any other make – although it should be said that because they’re so popular the numbers of failures are bound to be higher. White sheep eat more grass than black sheep and all that.

Cheers

Harry

I'd tend to suggest a cheap laptop and leave the gaming to a dedicated games consoles.

Problem is a cheap laptop won't be up to much in terms of 3D graphics, and to get good 3D graphics on a laptop you'll be paying for other features that you don't need.

In terms of brand, I'd suggest stick with IBM or Toshiba.

cheers,
Paul

quote:

Originally posted by HTK:
I’ve tried most of them over the years and it’s no coincidence that my company only uses Think Pads.

Harry

I've heard that the Think Pads are the serious choice. What is it about them that is so good?

Deane

quote:

What is it about them that is so good?

Robustly biult and fitted with robust and reliable components.

Mine is a Thinkpad R51, but my youngest took it to university last year and I only get to see it during the holidays, when it seems to be my job to de-bug it and load new programmes that I don't need but have to buy.....

Cheers

Don

quote:

Originally posted by Deane F:

Harry

I've heard that the Think Pads are the serious choice. What is it about them that is so good?

Deane

Like anything else it's personal Deane.

They are rugged and provided you don’t seriously abuse them, they tend to keep their looks and integrity. The keyboards feel good and are easy to use – the closest you can get to a good, full sized one IMO. Even the small thin models seem to have something approximating to ‘proper’ keyboards. Screens are clear and bright. Not necessarily the best you can get but fit for purpose, easy to read in a variety of lighting conditions, and I’ve yet to see one with dead pixels. Some of them have touch pads but AFAIK they all still retain a joy stick – which after years of grappling with temperamental touch pads is a prerequisite for me, both for computer work and training from the front.

Upgrading hardware is not only child’s play but is very well supported. I can’t fault the technical back up – although we’ve never tested the support for disaster recovery, because they just seem to go on and on. I know that Dell support is good also, but unfortunately I’ve found this out for the wrong reasons. Because of the nature of my work, I’m frequently using a variety of equipment supplied by clients in parallel. This has given me some opportunity to compare makes side by side over extended periods.

Over 6 years:
5 Think Pads.
6 Dells.
2 HPs.
4 Toshibas.
1 Vaio.
Longest life before significant failure (approx) and types of problems encountered with various devices:
Vio 0 seconds! (Video/motherboard problems)
Dell 19 months. (HDD, screen and motherboard)
HP 2.5 years. (motherboard and screen)
Toshiba 3.5 years. (keyboard and unresolved total system failure – dead device)
Think Pad 6 years. (fingers still crossed, although one key has worn lettering )

This is not a big enough sample to hang anything on in the big world. But as personal experience goes it’s good enough for me.

I suppose that in the big scheme of things you won’t go far wrong whatever you do providing you don’t get something that’s obviously a dog from day one. It’s largely down to what you like and what you feel comfortable with. I like Think Pads, they don’t get in the way of my workflow, and it’s a happy coincidence that in my experience they have a long life expectancy. A nice touch is the Think Light which bathes the keyboard in an orange pool of light (like a BMW interior). Good for low light conditions. Hardly something to base a buying decision on (I didn’t even know they had them) but one of those little things that allows you to work easier.

Battery life of around 4-5 hours (for the R50e) which I guess is about average. It will probably vary a lot from model to model and depend on what you are using on the laptop. Some models now come with shock protection – I have no experience of this and wouldn’t like to test it if I did. I also like the looks a lot, although others are downright put off – so each to our own.

FWIW.

Cheers

Harry

Oddly enought I've had exactly the opposite experience with Thinkpads. Our company did a deal to buy Thinkpads so we equipped all the consultants with them, however the experience was so bad that we eventually ditched them and went back to Dell.

Strangely, we've just started to go the other way - all of our consultants had Dells but they just kept falling apart - nice when new but a little bit on the flimsy side. I'd like to think I'm 'mechanically sympathetic' and careful with kit - even mine flexes when you pick it up and can send the touchpad into convulsions, with the mouse flying around all over the place and randomly clicking on stuff - it's so bad now I have to place it on a flat surface and plug an external keyboard in to avoid touching it in use.

So now we're going to IBMs, pretty much for all the reasons Harry stated above (I didn't know about the light either, but I do now!).

Regards,

Richard.

Just goes to show doesn't it? Take the average and the result is zero! It's a case of go with what you like and think you can trust.

One thing I can say (again from personal experience) is that if the worst comes to the worst, Dell, HP and IMB (althought it's not exactly IBM any more) should offer you similarly good levels of support.

Cheers

Harry

Im with HTK, look at the support available, not just the features. Laptops are generally prone to much more physical abuse than a desktop so think about how easy it will be to resolve a problem......There is probably a 50% chance that something will go wrong within 2 to 3 years anyway, whatever brand it is.

When I bought the laptop I have (an NEC) I spent extra cash on an extended warranty. When a relative worked in tech support for a major retailer he said they were worth their weight in gold for laptops because if the laptop crapped out in three years time it was generally just replaced with the closest model to it on the market at the time. Given how quickly things move with computer performance this was usually a pretty sweet deal.

quote:

Originally posted by Big Ears:
Hi all i wondered if any one has advice on laptops. I need to buy one for a christmas present (godchild) and wondered if any one could recomend anything for around £600 that would also be able to play games such as the sims 2 etc. Ideally one with a dedicated graphics card.

Regards Gary

Hi Gary

Only one model comes to mind:

iBook G4

It has the ATI Radeon 9550 graphics card.

Should be between £600 - £700.

Main advantage is that has a decent operating system that is robust, powerful and easy to use - exactly like Windoze isn't.

Rotf

Gary - who asked the question

Is your Godchild about to or attending a University in the UK - if so check out if there any specific deals for the University students that include suppport etc for the laptop - I know of one University that does have such a deal that includes 3 years support and warranty.

'Cos I have just contributed to such a purchase.

Gary - Derek has a good point

Check out the Apple Store for Education and you may find what you're after.

Rotf

Check out what type of games are being played as well. The Sims 2 is definitely available for the Mac, but others might not be.