What to take into account when purchasing a cheap laptop.
June 14, 2011 2:48 AM Subscribe
I am tasked with choosing a low-price laptop for my sister and her son, but everything I know about Windows computers is ten years or more out of date. Do we still need to avoid Celeron chips? What brands are more reliable? Bonus questions inside.
The laptop needs to be cheap - I wanted her to get a MacBook but the budget won't stretch anywhere near that far. It will not be used for anything demanding - web browsing, digital photo management, and educational/entertainment stuff for a child; this is currently all Flash stuff that runs in the browser, I think. Moshi Monsters, Club Penguin, that kind of thing. We're not worrying about proper gaming, the kid can have a console for that. We're not looking for a netbook - it's going to be the family's main/only computer.
The machine will likely be bought from a supermarket in the UK, which stocks Compaq, Toshiba, Dell, HP, Acer and Packard Bell brands. Do these brands differ in terms of build quality? What about crapware infestation?
I'm assuming pretty much anything on the market will handle this. The advice I remember from last century was "avoid Celeron processors like the plague". Is this still true? Similarly, is there a particular AMD chipset to avoid? I am looking at brand-names including Sempron, Athlon, Celeron (single or dual core), Pentium (single or dual) and i3, and while I know i3 is likely the best, that's all I know. Should any of these be rejected out of hand?
2GB RAM should be enough, right?
I couldn't find a clear explanation of the differences between different Windows versions on the MS website. Am I right in thinking Starter Edition is a bad joke and she wants Home Premium?
Is Microsoft's built-in firewall and antivirus stuff for Windows 7 adequate?
Bonus question: Technophobic granny is interested in putting some podcasts on her Kindle (I realise that might be an odd sentence to read). What's the absolute simplest podcast client for Windows? Is the windows version of iTunes as bad as I'm told?
The laptop needs to be cheap - I wanted her to get a MacBook but the budget won't stretch anywhere near that far. It will not be used for anything demanding - web browsing, digital photo management, and educational/entertainment stuff for a child; this is currently all Flash stuff that runs in the browser, I think. Moshi Monsters, Club Penguin, that kind of thing. We're not worrying about proper gaming, the kid can have a console for that. We're not looking for a netbook - it's going to be the family's main/only computer.
The machine will likely be bought from a supermarket in the UK, which stocks Compaq, Toshiba, Dell, HP, Acer and Packard Bell brands. Do these brands differ in terms of build quality? What about crapware infestation?
I'm assuming pretty much anything on the market will handle this. The advice I remember from last century was "avoid Celeron processors like the plague". Is this still true? Similarly, is there a particular AMD chipset to avoid? I am looking at brand-names including Sempron, Athlon, Celeron (single or dual core), Pentium (single or dual) and i3, and while I know i3 is likely the best, that's all I know. Should any of these be rejected out of hand?
2GB RAM should be enough, right?
I couldn't find a clear explanation of the differences between different Windows versions on the MS website. Am I right in thinking Starter Edition is a bad joke and she wants Home Premium?
Is Microsoft's built-in firewall and antivirus stuff for Windows 7 adequate?
Bonus question: Technophobic granny is interested in putting some podcasts on her Kindle (I realise that might be an odd sentence to read). What's the absolute simplest podcast client for Windows? Is the windows version of iTunes as bad as I'm told?
(I wish I had more to say ... btw - Check out sites like tomshardware.com arstechnica.com and see if they have budget laptop recommendations. These are the go-to sites regarding desktop machine builds.)
posted by krilli at 3:04 AM on June 14, 2011
posted by krilli at 3:04 AM on June 14, 2011
This is what Win 7 Starter is lacking:
Windows 7 Starter does not include:
* Aero Glass, meaning you can only use the Windows Basic or other opaque themes. It also means you do not get Taskbar Previews or Aero Peek.
* Personalization features for changing desktop backgrounds, window colors, or sound schemes.
* The ability to switch between users without having to log off.
* 64 bit version
* Multi-monitor support.
* DVD playback.
* Windows Media Center for watching recorded TV or other media.
* Remote Media Streaming for streaming your music, videos, and recorded TV from your home computer.
* Domain support for business customers.
* XP Mode for those that want the ability to run older Windows XP programs on Windows 7.
It will probably be fine for them, only thing I could see them needing is DVD playback. I have no idea if that can be added with a third-party solution though.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 3:05 AM on June 14, 2011
Windows 7 Starter does not include:
* Aero Glass, meaning you can only use the Windows Basic or other opaque themes. It also means you do not get Taskbar Previews or Aero Peek.
* Personalization features for changing desktop backgrounds, window colors, or sound schemes.
* The ability to switch between users without having to log off.
* 64 bit version
* Multi-monitor support.
* DVD playback.
* Windows Media Center for watching recorded TV or other media.
* Remote Media Streaming for streaming your music, videos, and recorded TV from your home computer.
* Domain support for business customers.
* XP Mode for those that want the ability to run older Windows XP programs on Windows 7.
It will probably be fine for them, only thing I could see them needing is DVD playback. I have no idea if that can be added with a third-party solution though.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 3:05 AM on June 14, 2011
Consider going to 4GB. I'd rather take a cheaper processor and a bit smaller HD and go to 4GB.
IIRC you will need a 64-bit version of Win 7 to go above 3GB of RAM (which rules out Win 7 Starter).
posted by EndsOfInvention at 3:08 AM on June 14, 2011
IIRC you will need a 64-bit version of Win 7 to go above 3GB of RAM (which rules out Win 7 Starter).
posted by EndsOfInvention at 3:08 AM on June 14, 2011
Windows 7 Starter is just fine but it's really only used on netbooks which you say you don't want. A business class laptop from HP will give you a lot more computing power and far more options than a Macbook at much lower cost but, as krilli points out, a Toshiba or Acer or something similar will also be just fine and 4 GB of RAM will be adequate for everything. Virtually all software you need for such a computer can be obtained freely - commodo firewall, Microsoft Security Essentials for anti-virus, VLC for media play back, Picasa and Irfanview for photos etc and is very good and any 'crapware' which comes with it can simply be deleted - though you need to download the norton deletion tool from their website to get rid of it properly.
posted by joannemullen at 3:11 AM on June 14, 2011
posted by joannemullen at 3:11 AM on June 14, 2011
Best answer: A MacBook may move into the realm of affordability if you can find a friendly student/academic to take advantage of the ~15% discount.
If their price limit is lower than that then, in this bracket, I usually recommend Dells for the build quality/price ratio and (relative) lack of crapware. Tesco Direct have one with 4GB, 500GB, 15" and Windows 7 Home Premium for £399.
Bonus question: iTunes on Windows is pretty much identical to iTunes on Mac. If you think it's bad on Mac you're not going to like it on Windows.
posted by caek at 3:23 AM on June 14, 2011
If their price limit is lower than that then, in this bracket, I usually recommend Dells for the build quality/price ratio and (relative) lack of crapware. Tesco Direct have one with 4GB, 500GB, 15" and Windows 7 Home Premium for £399.
Bonus question: iTunes on Windows is pretty much identical to iTunes on Mac. If you think it's bad on Mac you're not going to like it on Windows.
posted by caek at 3:23 AM on June 14, 2011
You say it needs to be cheap but don't give an actual number. What is the range that they are looking in? Given more specifics I am sure people here can find a decent deal.
posted by koolkat at 3:50 AM on June 14, 2011
posted by koolkat at 3:50 AM on June 14, 2011
I can't vouch for its veracity, but there's word on the street that Acer have messed up inventory control and have 3 million laptops that they will be selling off cheaply over the next few weeks.
I'd be tempted to keep an eye out on hotukdeals since they'll be on top of any sell-off. It's a good place to find cheap laptops anyway - here's one from three days ago (now expired) for a Dell 15.6" / 3GB RAM / T4500 2.30 GHz / Windows 7 Home Premium for £230. Here's another (still valid) for a Asus UL30A 13.3" / 3GBRAM / SU7300 for £299.
posted by Busy Old Fool at 4:11 AM on June 14, 2011
I'd be tempted to keep an eye out on hotukdeals since they'll be on top of any sell-off. It's a good place to find cheap laptops anyway - here's one from three days ago (now expired) for a Dell 15.6" / 3GB RAM / T4500 2.30 GHz / Windows 7 Home Premium for £230. Here's another (still valid) for a Asus UL30A 13.3" / 3GBRAM / SU7300 for £299.
posted by Busy Old Fool at 4:11 AM on June 14, 2011
Response by poster: Thanks for the answers so far. Trust me, koolkat, I would love to have a number attached to "cheap" too, but my family just doesn't work like that. Let's say £400 tops, but every penny over £200 will have to be justified. I'm sure the one caek linked to would be perfect, but I'm expected to know why they should purchase that rather than one half the price.
posted by nowonmai at 4:16 AM on June 14, 2011
posted by nowonmai at 4:16 AM on June 14, 2011
Everything that far down the food chain will have little quirks you'll need to decide to live with. Toshiba laptops have the inexpensive-but-reliable quality rep right now. HP is probably a brand to avoid at the moment.
posted by Slap*Happy at 4:30 AM on June 14, 2011
posted by Slap*Happy at 4:30 AM on June 14, 2011
I found Windows 7 Starter to be painfully slow. I installed Home Premium and it runs well.
posted by neushoorn at 4:53 AM on June 14, 2011
posted by neushoorn at 4:53 AM on June 14, 2011
Perhaps a refurbished Macbook would fit the budget. I got my refurbished Macbook Pro in August 2006, and I'm still using it.
posted by jgirl at 5:26 AM on June 14, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by jgirl at 5:26 AM on June 14, 2011 [1 favorite]
i spent a thousand years reading old askme "what laptop should i get" threads, as well as looking at reviews on newegg and amazon. i finally decided on a toshiba satellite (this one, specifically.) so far i completely love it, and people always seem impressed by it- the battery lasts forever, and it's really light so i can just haul it around in my backpack all day taking it in and out as i need it without hassling with the cord or compressing my spine under its weight.
of course i realize your needs are different than mine so i recommend the same approach- decide on the specs you want and go crazy reading reviews. but to save you some time, i'll tell you that in doing all my research that Toshiba came up consistently as good and long-lived laptops. (so did asus, but i figured that for my budget i didn't really need all the features it had. still pretty though.) oh, and they have versions of the satellite laptop that are not 'ultra light' like mine and therefore cheaper.
anyway, once i settled on that toshiba i shopped around for the best price and ended up going through toshiba direct. (in fact, they still frequently send me coupon codes and discounts in my email, so if you choose to go with that brand please me and i'll forward you some of that.)
posted by GastrocNemesis at 6:03 AM on June 14, 2011
of course i realize your needs are different than mine so i recommend the same approach- decide on the specs you want and go crazy reading reviews. but to save you some time, i'll tell you that in doing all my research that Toshiba came up consistently as good and long-lived laptops. (so did asus, but i figured that for my budget i didn't really need all the features it had. still pretty though.) oh, and they have versions of the satellite laptop that are not 'ultra light' like mine and therefore cheaper.
anyway, once i settled on that toshiba i shopped around for the best price and ended up going through toshiba direct. (in fact, they still frequently send me coupon codes and discounts in my email, so if you choose to go with that brand please me and i'll forward you some of that.)
posted by GastrocNemesis at 6:03 AM on June 14, 2011
Does it have to be a laptop because I recently got an eeebox and it does all that you are asking it to do. It outputs HDMI so they can connect it to their TV until they can get a "real" monitor.
posted by koolkat at 6:45 AM on June 14, 2011
posted by koolkat at 6:45 AM on June 14, 2011
Please avoid Windows 7 Starter. Just the fact that you can't change your background is enough to bum most people out. It's slow as molasses, too. Also please get at least 4GB RAM. I have 3GB in my work laptop and it's just not quite enough. 4GB in my laptop at home, and it's fine.
I have no opinions on brands. Work is a ThinkPad, home is a Gateway. I also have a desktop, which I prefer over all of them.
posted by clone boulevard at 9:06 AM on June 14, 2011
I have no opinions on brands. Work is a ThinkPad, home is a Gateway. I also have a desktop, which I prefer over all of them.
posted by clone boulevard at 9:06 AM on June 14, 2011
(posted too soon, sorry)...and we built from parts through NewEgg, so it's brand-free!
posted by clone boulevard at 9:07 AM on June 14, 2011
posted by clone boulevard at 9:07 AM on June 14, 2011
Mac Authority is a Nashville based Mac reseller and has some killer deals on MacBooks both new and used if you are *really* wanting a mac!
posted by bach at 12:35 PM on June 14, 2011
posted by bach at 12:35 PM on June 14, 2011
Unsurprisingly, Nashville-based MacAuthority do not deliver to the UK and are thus of no use to nowonmai.
posted by Busy Old Fool at 1:20 PM on June 14, 2011
posted by Busy Old Fool at 1:20 PM on June 14, 2011
Former IT sales guy here. If you need a quick and dirty brand recommendations, go for these:
Netbooks: Asus
Medium sized laptop: Dell (try and go for the business lines)
High end/pro/buy it once, keep it for years: Macbooks
posted by felspar at 3:18 PM on June 14, 2011 [2 favorites]
Netbooks: Asus
Medium sized laptop: Dell (try and go for the business lines)
High end/pro/buy it once, keep it for years: Macbooks
posted by felspar at 3:18 PM on June 14, 2011 [2 favorites]
2 gig is plenty for standard use, 4 is overkill IMO.
We have a cheap Dell Inspiron that's been pretty good, but has some annoying quirks, including weird driver problems that seem to have persisted for multiple years and different models (going on internet searches).
I'd buy a Toshiba if I were getting a replacement, with as big a hard drive as I can afford.
posted by Sebmojo at 7:13 PM on June 14, 2011
We have a cheap Dell Inspiron that's been pretty good, but has some annoying quirks, including weird driver problems that seem to have persisted for multiple years and different models (going on internet searches).
I'd buy a Toshiba if I were getting a replacement, with as big a hard drive as I can afford.
posted by Sebmojo at 7:13 PM on June 14, 2011
Please avoid Windows 7 Starter. Just the fact that you can't change your background is enough to bum most people out. It's slow as molasses, too. Also please get at least 4GB RAM. I have 3GB in my work laptop and it's just not quite enough. 4GB in my laptop at home, and it's fine.
...
Well, let's just disagree about that then.
posted by Sebmojo at 7:14 PM on June 14, 2011
...
Well, let's just disagree about that then.
posted by Sebmojo at 7:14 PM on June 14, 2011
I don't know if it would deliver to the UK but Woot is showing http://www.woot.com/ a ncie deal now.
posted by koolkat at 2:58 AM on June 16, 2011
posted by koolkat at 2:58 AM on June 16, 2011
It's in the Woot FAQ:
No, we do not ship outside of the continental United States at this time
posted by Busy Old Fool at 4:54 AM on June 16, 2011
No, we do not ship outside of the continental United States at this time
posted by Busy Old Fool at 4:54 AM on June 16, 2011
Response by poster: Thanks for the advice, everyone. She got the Dell caek mentioned and it was delightfully free of crapware.
iTunes is indeed just as excellent on Windows as it is on a Mac, so Granny is doing fine with her podcasts.
posted by nowonmai at 10:24 AM on October 5, 2011
iTunes is indeed just as excellent on Windows as it is on a Mac, so Granny is doing fine with her podcasts.
posted by nowonmai at 10:24 AM on October 5, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
Consider going to 4GB. I'd rather take a cheaper processor and a bit smaller HD and go to 4GB.
And remember to buy a backup drive or service and set it up for automatic backup :)
posted by krilli at 3:03 AM on June 14, 2011