Decent cheap laptop for university
I have a laptop hp compaq that is now 7 years old (almost eight) and it's having some problems and I think that going to university is a good time to invest in a new one, the thing is: I don't want it to be expensive, but I don't want something that won't last either. I will be doing psychology so nothing related to video, image and gaming is necessary =)
I am not into chromebooks I need a proper laptop that I can use without access to the internet.
A laptop with good battery life would be very appreciated but not 100% needed =) It would be good if it wasn't heavy because I might have to carry it around sometimes
Thank you! ^^
I am not into chromebooks I need a proper laptop that I can use without access to the internet.
A laptop with good battery life would be very appreciated but not 100% needed =) It would be good if it wasn't heavy because I might have to carry it around sometimes
Thank you! ^^
Well, I don't think i can provide good links for you, but considering your circumstances, I can list a few things that you might want to exclude from your search for a laptop.
1. Laptops that are light in weight tend to be more expensive, so if I was you, I wouldn't worry about the weight of your laptop as you most likely will forget about how heavy it is after a few weeks of using it. Also, lighter laptops tend to be more flimsy and so if you want a laptop that is cheap and will last, don't think of the weight as a factor.
2. Even if you don't need it for gaming, an AMD processor would be good for your needs. I'm not that familiar with AMD processors, I'm more of an intel person, so I can tell you that based on your needs, you would not need an Intel i7, i5 pr even an i3 processor. That would just be an added expense and could easily add roughly £100 more to your laptop.
3. Secondly, you wouldn't need a laptop with more than 4GB RAM because of what you specified. You also wouldn't need over 500GB hard drive.
If you follow this all good laptops you'd look at will be under £300 and of good value.
4. Also, you may be tempted by the price, but don't get a laptop with a screen less than 13''. Although laptops with smaller screens tend to have a longer battery life and be cheaper, the screen size would be really annoying. You'll be squinting at the screen and it will be difficult to do simple things like splitting the screen as you won't be able to easily see the information etc.
I hope this helps. I'll be happy to answer more questions.
1. Laptops that are light in weight tend to be more expensive, so if I was you, I wouldn't worry about the weight of your laptop as you most likely will forget about how heavy it is after a few weeks of using it. Also, lighter laptops tend to be more flimsy and so if you want a laptop that is cheap and will last, don't think of the weight as a factor.
2. Even if you don't need it for gaming, an AMD processor would be good for your needs. I'm not that familiar with AMD processors, I'm more of an intel person, so I can tell you that based on your needs, you would not need an Intel i7, i5 pr even an i3 processor. That would just be an added expense and could easily add roughly £100 more to your laptop.
3. Secondly, you wouldn't need a laptop with more than 4GB RAM because of what you specified. You also wouldn't need over 500GB hard drive.
If you follow this all good laptops you'd look at will be under £300 and of good value.
4. Also, you may be tempted by the price, but don't get a laptop with a screen less than 13''. Although laptops with smaller screens tend to have a longer battery life and be cheaper, the screen size would be really annoying. You'll be squinting at the screen and it will be difficult to do simple things like splitting the screen as you won't be able to easily see the information etc.
I hope this helps. I'll be happy to answer more questions.
Original post by knightmaire
Well, I don't think i can provide good links for you, but considering your circumstances, I can list a few things that you might want to exclude from your search for a laptop.
1. Laptops that are light in weight tend to be more expensive, so if I was you, I wouldn't worry about the weight of your laptop as you most likely will forget about how heavy it is after a few weeks of using it. Also, lighter laptops tend to be more flimsy and so if you want a laptop that is cheap and will last, don't think of the weight as a factor.
2. Even if you don't need it for gaming, an AMD processor would be good for your needs. I'm not that familiar with AMD processors, I'm more of an intel person, so I can tell you that based on your needs, you would not need an Intel i7, i5 pr even an i3 processor. That would just be an added expense and could easily add roughly £100 more to your laptop.
3. Secondly, you wouldn't need a laptop with more than 4GB RAM because of what you specified. You also wouldn't need over 500GB hard drive.
If you follow this all good laptops you'd look at will be under £300 and of good value.
4. Also, you may be tempted by the price, but don't get a laptop with a screen less than 13''. Although laptops with smaller screens tend to have a longer battery life and be cheaper, the screen size would be really annoying. You'll be squinting at the screen and it will be difficult to do simple things like splitting the screen as you won't be able to easily see the information etc.
I hope this helps. I'll be happy to answer more questions.
1. Laptops that are light in weight tend to be more expensive, so if I was you, I wouldn't worry about the weight of your laptop as you most likely will forget about how heavy it is after a few weeks of using it. Also, lighter laptops tend to be more flimsy and so if you want a laptop that is cheap and will last, don't think of the weight as a factor.
2. Even if you don't need it for gaming, an AMD processor would be good for your needs. I'm not that familiar with AMD processors, I'm more of an intel person, so I can tell you that based on your needs, you would not need an Intel i7, i5 pr even an i3 processor. That would just be an added expense and could easily add roughly £100 more to your laptop.
3. Secondly, you wouldn't need a laptop with more than 4GB RAM because of what you specified. You also wouldn't need over 500GB hard drive.
If you follow this all good laptops you'd look at will be under £300 and of good value.
4. Also, you may be tempted by the price, but don't get a laptop with a screen less than 13''. Although laptops with smaller screens tend to have a longer battery life and be cheaper, the screen size would be really annoying. You'll be squinting at the screen and it will be difficult to do simple things like splitting the screen as you won't be able to easily see the information etc.
I hope this helps. I'll be happy to answer more questions.
I'm also interested in buying a laptop.Lots of helpful info.So,above specs add upto less than 300pounds.What if I were to get a decent graphics card?How much would the price increase?
Original post by economist2
I'm also interested in buying a laptop.Lots of helpful info.So,above specs add upto less than 300pounds.What if I were to get a decent graphics card?How much would the price increase?
About £20-£50 I guess. You'd have to look at the processor. The better the processor, the better the better the graphics card would usually be. I'm an Intel user so I can tell you about Intel graphics more.
Intel processors have the graphics card integrated.
So, for example, don't get a laptop with an Intel Celeron processor and expect to have absolutely amazing graphics.
I know that Intel i3 processors have HD graphics and is one of Intels best standard processors. Luckily, Laptops with i3 processors, tend to be the ones on sale, so you may be able to get them for under £300 on sale depending on the brand.
The laptops with the specs I've just given tend to be under £300 providing they have no extra, unnecessary) thrills. E.g. a touchscreen or swivel screen.
Hope this helps.
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by knightmaire
About £20-£50 I guess. You'd have to look at the processor. The better the processor, the better the better the graphics card would usually be. I'm an Intel user so I can tell you about Intel graphics more.
Intel processors have the graphics card integrated.
So, for example, don't get a laptop with an Intel Celeron processor and expect to have absolutely amazing graphics.
I know that Intel i3 processors have HD graphics and is one of Intels best standard processors. Luckily, Laptops with i3 processors, tend to be the ones on sale, so you may be able to get them for under £300 on sale depending on the brand.
The laptops with the specs I've just given tend to be under £300 providing they have no extra, unnecessary) thrills. E.g. a touchscreen or swivel screen.
Hope this helps.
Intel processors have the graphics card integrated.
So, for example, don't get a laptop with an Intel Celeron processor and expect to have absolutely amazing graphics.
I know that Intel i3 processors have HD graphics and is one of Intels best standard processors. Luckily, Laptops with i3 processors, tend to be the ones on sale, so you may be able to get them for under £300 on sale depending on the brand.
The laptops with the specs I've just given tend to be under £300 providing they have no extra, unnecessary) thrills. E.g. a touchscreen or swivel screen.
Hope this helps.
I want something simple.I rarely play games.Just FIFA.My current desktop is 2gb ram and 32mb graphics card.
I know,sad.Anyways,I want a laptop with speed,hard disk space and one that'll last long.Can I get one for around 200 pounds?Original post by economist2
I want something simple.I rarely play games.Just FIFA.My current desktop is 2gb ram and 32mb graphics card. I know,sad.Anyways,I want a laptop with speed,hard disk space and one that'll last long.Can I get one for around 200 pounds?
I know,sad.Anyways,I want a laptop with speed,hard disk space and one that'll last long.Can I get one for around 200 pounds?Absolutely!
http://www.ebuyer.com/579589-asus-x102ba-touch-laptop-x102ba-df027h
This is slightly above the 200 mark being at 250 but the reason why this is decent is the 4gb RAM and the a4 12002 which is compliments by the built in Radeon HD 8180. Gaming will be a bit of a hassle because of the low 1ghz clock speed and the 128 shaders in the apu.(graphics chipset)
Original post by economist2
I want something simple.I rarely play games.Just FIFA.My current desktop is 2gb ram and 32mb graphics card. I know,sad.Anyways,I want a laptop with speed,hard disk space and one that'll last long.Can I get one for around 200 pounds?
I know,sad.Anyways,I want a laptop with speed,hard disk space and one that'll last long.Can I get one for around 200 pounds?That's possible. You can get them for £200-250 on sale.
To make sure you'll get a laptop with good speed, when looking at the processors,make sure its speed is at least 1.5GHz.
Also, if possible try and find out if the laptops you are looking at are 64bit if getting windows 7. I think all Windows 8's are 64bit, so you might not have to check on windows 8 laptops.
The faster the speed, usually means more disk space.
Also, laptops will just last long it they are look after correctly. E.g. shutting it down the proper way or de-fragmenting.
Original post by Jamie76
Absolutely!
http://www.ebuyer.com/579589-asus-x102ba-touch-laptop-x102ba-df027h
This is slightly above the 200 mark being at 250 but the reason why this is decent is the 4gb RAM and the a4 12002 which is compliments by the built in Radeon HD 8180. Gaming will be a bit of a hassle because of the low 1ghz clock speed and the 128 shaders in the apu.(graphics chipset)
http://www.ebuyer.com/579589-asus-x102ba-touch-laptop-x102ba-df027h
This is slightly above the 200 mark being at 250 but the reason why this is decent is the 4gb RAM and the a4 12002 which is compliments by the built in Radeon HD 8180. Gaming will be a bit of a hassle because of the low 1ghz clock speed and the 128 shaders in the apu.(graphics chipset)
Are you an expert?I really dont knowanything about laptops.how bout this one?I can do without touchscreen and a bigger screen...
http://www.ebuyer.com/620311-hp-255-g1-laptop-with-ubuntu-h6q17ea-abu
Original post by knightmaire
That's possible. You can get them for £200-250 on sale.
To make sure you'll get a laptop with good speed, when looking at the processors,make sure its speed is at least 1.5GHz.
Also, if possible try and find out if the laptops you are looking at are 64bit if getting windows 7. I think all Windows 8's are 64bit, so you might not have to check on windows 8 laptops.
The faster the speed, usually means more disk space.
Also, laptops will just last long it they are look after correctly. E.g. shutting it down the proper way or de-fragmenting.
To make sure you'll get a laptop with good speed, when looking at the processors,make sure its speed is at least 1.5GHz.
Also, if possible try and find out if the laptops you are looking at are 64bit if getting windows 7. I think all Windows 8's are 64bit, so you might not have to check on windows 8 laptops.
The faster the speed, usually means more disk space.
Also, laptops will just last long it they are look after correctly. E.g. shutting it down the proper way or de-fragmenting.
this one? http://www.ebuyer.com/620311-hp-255-g1-laptop-with-ubuntu-h6q17ea-abu
Nice find.
I'm not that familiar with the OS ( never used it before), but it looks good for simple use.
However, if you use specific software, just make sure that it is compatible with that OS.
I'm not that familiar with the OS ( never used it before), but it looks good for simple use.
However, if you use specific software, just make sure that it is compatible with that OS.
Original post by knightmaire
Nice find.
I'm not that familiar with the OS ( never used it before), but it looks good for simple use.
However, if you use specific software, just make sure that it is compatible with that OS.
I'm not that familiar with the OS ( never used it before), but it looks good for simple use.
However, if you use specific software, just make sure that it is compatible with that OS.
thanks for all the advice.
Anything with an ASUS sticker on.
Lots of good laptops to use. Though for my work I much prefer to use a desktop with a large screen and with more reliability; I have a netbook too to drag around with me to use when needs be.
Original post by knightmaire
Well, I don't think i can provide good links for you, but considering your circumstances, I can list a few things that you might want to exclude from your search for a laptop.
1. Laptops that are light in weight tend to be more expensive, so if I was you, I wouldn't worry about the weight of your laptop as you most likely will forget about how heavy it is after a few weeks of using it. Also, lighter laptops tend to be more flimsy and so if you want a laptop that is cheap and will last, don't think of the weight as a factor.
2. Even if you don't need it for gaming, an AMD processor would be good for your needs. I'm not that familiar with AMD processors, I'm more of an intel person, so I can tell you that based on your needs, you would not need an Intel i7, i5 pr even an i3 processor. That would just be an added expense and could easily add roughly £100 more to your laptop.
3. Secondly, you wouldn't need a laptop with more than 4GB RAM because of what you specified. You also wouldn't need over 500GB hard drive.
If you follow this all good laptops you'd look at will be under £300 and of good value.
4. Also, you may be tempted by the price, but don't get a laptop with a screen less than 13''. Although laptops with smaller screens tend to have a longer battery life and be cheaper, the screen size would be really annoying. You'll be squinting at the screen and it will be difficult to do simple things like splitting the screen as you won't be able to easily see the information etc.
I hope this helps. I'll be happy to answer more questions.
1. Laptops that are light in weight tend to be more expensive, so if I was you, I wouldn't worry about the weight of your laptop as you most likely will forget about how heavy it is after a few weeks of using it. Also, lighter laptops tend to be more flimsy and so if you want a laptop that is cheap and will last, don't think of the weight as a factor.
2. Even if you don't need it for gaming, an AMD processor would be good for your needs. I'm not that familiar with AMD processors, I'm more of an intel person, so I can tell you that based on your needs, you would not need an Intel i7, i5 pr even an i3 processor. That would just be an added expense and could easily add roughly £100 more to your laptop.
3. Secondly, you wouldn't need a laptop with more than 4GB RAM because of what you specified. You also wouldn't need over 500GB hard drive.
If you follow this all good laptops you'd look at will be under £300 and of good value.
4. Also, you may be tempted by the price, but don't get a laptop with a screen less than 13''. Although laptops with smaller screens tend to have a longer battery life and be cheaper, the screen size would be really annoying. You'll be squinting at the screen and it will be difficult to do simple things like splitting the screen as you won't be able to easily see the information etc.
I hope this helps. I'll be happy to answer more questions.
Thank you SOOOO much! This was great help!! =D I will think about all these things you told me when I go look for one!! this was perfect =)
Original post by economist2
Are you an expert?I really dont knowanything about laptops.how bout this one?I can do without touchscreen and a bigger screen...
http://www.ebuyer.com/620311-hp-255-g1-laptop-with-ubuntu-h6q17ea-abu
http://www.ebuyer.com/620311-hp-255-g1-laptop-with-ubuntu-h6q17ea-abu
Not at all. If anything, I'm less of an expert than most of the above replies. The laptop you linked is okay but it will fall quite short when you want to try gaming with it. The processor has a tiny clock speed and even with the dual cores; the processor will only be able to handle so much before it bottlenecks out.
I don't think FIFA will run on it because of the tiny amount of shaders and the fact that it requires shared memory will eat away at the memory you already have. The small 7310 graphics chipset has a tiny 500mhz clock speed so you really cannot expect much in terms of gaming - even on low you will struggle.
the laptop also comes with Ubuntu which don't get me wrong, if you understand Linux, you will love Ubuntu but for most people seasoned to windows, it will be a kick in the teeth. Ubuntu is much heavier os because of the new unity desktop environment and you will see how quickly the os will eat away at what you have.
Im I sure you will need programs like ms office and for games like FIFA, you will have to find a way to make them work and even with wine, you can only expect so much. You will most likely want to do away with Ubuntu but you will need to remove the grub boot loader or else windows will not be able to install because the file system for the operating system is ext and windows uses ntfs.
Refurbished laptops can also go wrong fairly quickly because the previous owners could have used them on beds so the heat isn't dissipated properly, or they might have been dropped several times in their life. I tend to avoid them unless you're like me and you will reapply thermal compound, check the connections, replace the fans and start from the beginning again.
most laptops with 4gb ram and a dual core processor are the norm for most laptops and this one cannot be upgraded to include more ram at a later point.
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