Buying a laptop

[Noddy]

I'm trying to buy a laptop, I know exactly what I want (12 inch screen toshiba sat pro), but actually getting the thing is proving difficult.

For a start, the transformer and power lead seem to be classed as extras! (€100+ extras!)

It's a bit like getting a new car delivered and it arriving without wheels ("oh yes, they're another 2 grand mate...")

Ringing Toshiba's Dublin contact number gets me a call centre in England (which makes a change from India or the Phillipines), but they Can't sell to Ireland. No Export licence for that (now, how English is that?).

A couple of places that I've actual addresses for have not returned my call, and though I've got some web addresses, I'm a little shy about trusting them.

Has anyone used laptops direct? any experiences? or any other suggestions?

Thanks
Keith

[hat]

A good company I have dealt with is "Dabs" excellant service and good prices

[the_viffer]

I've used Morgan Computer a couple of times over the years. Good value if you don't need the latest model. I've no connection with them. They often have Toshibas.

[Lurkio]

Hi Noddy,

I'm surprised you can't get your laptop as a package, with PSU included.
It's not something I've come across before - I've bought a couple of Toshibas in the past, and while researching them have never seen them sold without PSU.
Maybe others know different.
Are you after an obscure model, perhaps?
I've had good experiences with Misco, who are a big presence in IT on the web.
I'm writing this on a Toshiba Sat - 5 years old and in use for hours almost every day.
When I bought it I knew exactly which model I was after (it was a hard to find model), and was lucky enough to track it down in my local Comet - then I hung on till they cut the price.

Lurkio

[John Lee]

It's common practice in many places Lurkio. On a visit to New York I saw a cheap laptop in a big shop, very snazzy, $899... but that was it.. you need to buy the battery never mind the charger.

In the UK they do not seem to pull this particular stunt.

However (not a problem to me) I am a bit surprised to see this query on an ME site ;D . Unless its for connection to a cnc mill of course. In which case do not use a laptop

Regards,

John

[Noddy]

Hi John,
Lots of uses for a laptop in model eng, from cad and photogrammetry, through storing and viewing the photos of the prototype, to mundane things like a spreadsheet for the materials needed.

I know it can all be done in other ways, but having it in that one portable piece is handy.

as for the shark like practices I'm finding, I think the local backstreet shop might be getting my money.
Keith

[chris vine]

Hi Noddy,

I have used Dell for years and find them to be good. You pick your basic model on their website and then spec it up or down and recalculate the price as you go.

I have found that if you work out what you want that way and then place the order by phone you can get a few extra goodies thrown in for nothing!!

One thing Dell seem good at is the extra warranty (probably worth it on a laptop for the screen alone as you have to replace the part rather than just buying another display cheaply). The extra two years is not a lot of money, even the on site version. I hate the sort of charge pc world etc do for guarantees, it is where they make all their money.

Chris.

[havoc]

An export license for shipping from the UK to Ireland? Both inside the EU... I do not get it.

[SteveW]

Noddy,

I notice you're from all over the place. If the laptop is to follow it needs to be either very robust (i.e. expensive) or very cheap (you can walk away from it if dropped/ nicked).

The thing I've found most important is battery life. If you go for a real powerful model that competes with a hot desktop it'll burn through battery life in nothing flat. Loads of RAM is really essential.

If your buying now you'll be up against Microsoft's Vista operating system. The good news here is it'll have to come with 1 Gig of RAM the bad news is that it'll need most of it and maybe your camera/scanner driver won't be there yet. MS XP needs at least 256Mbyte so watch out for cheap laptops that only have this amount of RAM and also use it for the video memory. It'll run like a dead dog. XP needs at least 512Mbytes. XP laptops are likely getting flushed in favour of the new Vista.

Get a good carrying bag for it and all the bits and if you are going portable get a second battery and an all-world power supply.

Cards on table: I've got a Dell 510m it cost over a grand by the time I specified what I wanted. Trouble is no two Dell of the same type are the same spec. This is daft. Maybe better to go for a standard mass produced spec from one of the big high street/out-of-towners particularly when there's a give away offer.

Also go for a wireless LAN. I'm sat here, wires free, typing and watching not much on TV.

[Noddy]

Thanks for all the help that's coming.

I do travel a lot. Africa in particular. i also have the hazard of (when it comes back from scotland) an incontinent cat. Threats to skin the bugger haven't worked yet, and the good lady is very forgiving towards it. Any names of enzyme cleaning products that digest the stinking substances present in cat piss gladly received.

The laptop I'm wanting is a 12 in screen one with shock protected hard drive and spill resistant keypad. battery life is between 4 and 5 hours, ram expandable to 4G. the choice was down to a fujitsu and a sony, the sony won out on physical protection. I have so much windows software that i can't practically go to a mac, much as I prefer them.

I'm going for XP to start, it is vista capable, but get the impression that every new MS release is so full of bugs that I'm going to hang on a while before I change(ok, I know mr Gates has very nasty lawyers, but i think that was fair comment)

I have a big dell laptop, about 4 years old now, and while it has beautiful display (16 something by about 1200 res), I've always thought its plastic bits were a bit delicate and the screen was poorly protected, I've also heard that the Dells intended for home use have hard drives with much lower life expectancies than you might have expected (Can't confirm that though).

Just on the power supply side, I got a small 12v DC to 240v AC inverter for €25 at (I can never tell the difference) Aldi or lidl the other week.

thanks for the help so far
Keith

[Smifffy]

Hi Keith,
Before you decide who to buy from, find out their Customer Support number and give it a ring. If it's continually engaged or they use a premium tel number, then look elsewhere!
Good luck.
Regards
Mark

[Noddy]

That sounds like a really good idea
Keith

[Noddy]

Quick update, I've done the dirty deed. Ordered it from a company based in Waterford. power supply is supposed to be included.

Looking around for this computer has been a bit like buying tickets for the "sleazy jet" (not to be confused with Stellios' easy jet) you don't know what it's going to cost until you've paid, and you count your fingers to make sure they haven't taken them as well.

They hadn't started taking payment in Kidneys last time I looked.

anyway, end of rant and thanks again for the help
Keith