What's the best spec laptop for no more than £500?
22 January 2008, 11:53 PM
#61
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it seems a really quick turn around on their website, 2 weeks at in productiont and then within the same day, being built, completed buiding, ready for dispatch & dispached, shouldnt be long now 
23 January 2008, 03:43 PM
#66
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seems good so far apart from all the bundled crap that was installed, but now thats gone its much better & very quiet. Just need to find out how to get all my emails & addresses from my old xp outlook into the new vista outlook, but cant seem to get it right yet, outlook puts files everywhere
24 January 2008, 09:55 AM
#69
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seems good so far apart from all the bundled crap that was installed, but now thats gone its much better & very quiet. Just need to find out how to get all my emails & addresses from my old xp outlook into the new vista outlook, but cant seem to get it right yet, outlook puts files everywhere
In fact just found this:
How to dual boot Vista and XP (with Vista installed first) -- the step-by-step guide | APC Magazine
Oh and mine was built this morning and being packed now
Do they deliver on Saturdays or will it be Monday now?
Last edited by Bravo2zero_sps; 24 January 2008 at 11:37 AM.
24 January 2008, 12:42 PM
#70
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vista runs fine. I deleted all the crappy partitions that dell put on, then formatted them & split the disc into just 2 partitions. The only problem I had was getting it to see my XP network, but that was quickly fixed with the help of google & a small update from microsoft.
Everything is running sweet now
Everything is running sweet now
25 January 2008, 02:38 PM
#75
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Wonder if mine will turn up early then 
Hope so as I've just booked two weeks holiday in the Dominican Republic starting before the estimated delivery date for the laptop. Oh well, sure I can sort something if not
Hope so as I've just booked two weeks holiday in the Dominican Republic starting before the estimated delivery date for the laptop. Oh well, sure I can sort something if not
28 January 2008, 04:38 PM
#76
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vista runs fine. I deleted all the crappy partitions that dell put on, then formatted them & split the disc into just 2 partitions. The only problem I had was getting it to see my XP network, but that was quickly fixed with the help of google & a small update from microsoft.
Everything is running sweet now
Everything is running sweet now
Bloody lovely piece of kit though and very pleased with it.
Last edited by Bravo2zero_sps; 28 January 2008 at 04:41 PM.
28 January 2008, 09:52 PM
#79
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I just my new Laptop today
HP 6715b
AMD Turion 64 X2 Mobile™ Technology Processor TL-58 / TL-60 / TL-62 / TL-64 (1.9 to 2.2 GHz, 1MB L2 cache)
15.4" WSXGA+ (1680 x 1050 resolution) wide-viewing angle
DVD/RW
160GB Hard Drive
DDR II, 2048 MB
Wireless
Bluetooth
Modem
Slots available for additional devices: 1 Type I/II PC Card slot supports both 32-bit CardBus and 16-bit cards, 1 6-in-1 media reader
4 USB 2.0 ports, VGA, stereo microphone in, stereo headphone/line out, Firewire (1394a), power connector, RJ-11, RJ-45, S-video TV out
ATI Radeon X1250 128Mb
Windows Vista Ultimate running on it now, all for 520 quid
HP 6715b
AMD Turion 64 X2 Mobile™ Technology Processor TL-58 / TL-60 / TL-62 / TL-64 (1.9 to 2.2 GHz, 1MB L2 cache)
15.4" WSXGA+ (1680 x 1050 resolution) wide-viewing angle
DVD/RW
160GB Hard Drive
DDR II, 2048 MB
Wireless
Bluetooth
Modem
Slots available for additional devices: 1 Type I/II PC Card slot supports both 32-bit CardBus and 16-bit cards, 1 6-in-1 media reader
4 USB 2.0 ports, VGA, stereo microphone in, stereo headphone/line out, Firewire (1394a), power connector, RJ-11, RJ-45, S-video TV out
ATI Radeon X1250 128Mb
Windows Vista Ultimate running on it now, all for 520 quid
Last edited by Sonic'; 28 January 2008 at 09:59 PM.
29 January 2008, 05:38 PM
#80
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Shame they'll only deliver to the cardholders address, means I'll have to work at home which is a bit of a pain. Guess Saturday delivery is extra or not possible? Oh well better than it turning up whilst I was on my hols
31 January 2008, 04:15 AM
#81
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A couple of quick questions about the Dell packages.
1. I tried to register with Dell but it looks like you have to be a business user, hae any of you registered and just made up a business name ?
2. A few years back Dell had a bad reputation for things going wrong and poor build quality, has this changed ?
3. Ideally i wanted a dual layer recording optical drive, i cannot find an option for this on the Dell site, do they do a dual layer optical drive ?
4. I just built a Vostro 1700 laptop on their site and the spec was amazing for the price, whats the catch as i get all this for £586.33 fully inclusive ?
BASE Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor T7500 (2.20 GHz, 800 MHz FSB, 4 MB L2-cache) edit
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows Vista® Business - English edit
SUPPORT SERVICES Base Warranty - 1 Year Business Hardware Support edit
LCD 17.0" Widescreen WXGA+ (1440x900) TFT Display edit
INTEGRATED WEBCAM Matte Jet Black with 2.0 mega pixel camera edit
MEMORY 3072MB 667MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM (1x1024 + 1x2048 MB) edit
HARD DRIVE 320 GB (5400rpm) SATA Dual Hard Drive (2x 160GB) edit
GRAPHICS CARD 256MB nVidia® GeForce® 8600M GT edit
OPTICAL DRIVE Fixed Internal 8X DVD+/-RW Drive including Software edit
PRIMARY BATTERY Primary 6-cell Lithium-Ion Battery (56 WHr) edit
Services & Software
ACCIDENTAL DAMAGE SUPPORT No Accidental Damage Support edit
SECURITY SOFTWARE No Security/Anti-Virus Protection - English edit
Accessories
MICROSOFT SOFTWARE Microsoft® Works 8.0 - English edit
CARRY CASES No Carry Case edit
BLUETOOTH No Bluetooth Upgrade edit
WIRELESS CONNECTIVITY Intel® Pro Wireless 3945 802.11a/b/g Mini-Card - Europe edit
Also included with your system
Gedis Bundle Reference N0117012
Order Information Vostro Laptop Order - UK
Shipping Documents English Documentation with English/Irish Power Cord
Dell System Media Kit Resource CD - contains Diagnostics and Drivers
Power Supply 90W AC Adapter
Modem 56.6k V.92 Capable Internal Modem & Adapter - UK
Keyboard Internal Keyboard - UK/Irish (QWERTY)
Standard Warranty Base Warranty - 1 Year Business Hardware Support
Online Promotion Option for GEDIS Configs
1. I tried to register with Dell but it looks like you have to be a business user, hae any of you registered and just made up a business name ?
2. A few years back Dell had a bad reputation for things going wrong and poor build quality, has this changed ?
3. Ideally i wanted a dual layer recording optical drive, i cannot find an option for this on the Dell site, do they do a dual layer optical drive ?
4. I just built a Vostro 1700 laptop on their site and the spec was amazing for the price, whats the catch as i get all this for £586.33 fully inclusive ?
BASE Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor T7500 (2.20 GHz, 800 MHz FSB, 4 MB L2-cache) edit
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows Vista® Business - English edit
SUPPORT SERVICES Base Warranty - 1 Year Business Hardware Support edit
LCD 17.0" Widescreen WXGA+ (1440x900) TFT Display edit
INTEGRATED WEBCAM Matte Jet Black with 2.0 mega pixel camera edit
MEMORY 3072MB 667MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM (1x1024 + 1x2048 MB) edit
HARD DRIVE 320 GB (5400rpm) SATA Dual Hard Drive (2x 160GB) edit
GRAPHICS CARD 256MB nVidia® GeForce® 8600M GT edit
OPTICAL DRIVE Fixed Internal 8X DVD+/-RW Drive including Software edit
PRIMARY BATTERY Primary 6-cell Lithium-Ion Battery (56 WHr) edit
Services & Software
ACCIDENTAL DAMAGE SUPPORT No Accidental Damage Support edit
SECURITY SOFTWARE No Security/Anti-Virus Protection - English edit
Accessories
MICROSOFT SOFTWARE Microsoft® Works 8.0 - English edit
CARRY CASES No Carry Case edit
BLUETOOTH No Bluetooth Upgrade edit
WIRELESS CONNECTIVITY Intel® Pro Wireless 3945 802.11a/b/g Mini-Card - Europe edit
Also included with your system
Gedis Bundle Reference N0117012
Order Information Vostro Laptop Order - UK
Shipping Documents English Documentation with English/Irish Power Cord
Dell System Media Kit Resource CD - contains Diagnostics and Drivers
Power Supply 90W AC Adapter
Modem 56.6k V.92 Capable Internal Modem & Adapter - UK
Keyboard Internal Keyboard - UK/Irish (QWERTY)
Standard Warranty Base Warranty - 1 Year Business Hardware Support
Online Promotion Option for GEDIS Configs
31 January 2008, 08:27 AM
#82
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That being a Vostro will be plus VAT until its at the checkout and ready to pay when it will give you the full price.
My Mrs got a Vostro and put down the name of a website she did as the company name and it was never queried. As a sole trader there wont have to be any company name registered so yes in theory you can make up what you want and say its something you are just starting up.
As for quality mine seems fantastic and the screen is simply stunning but its too early to tell how it will last. The Mrs Vostro turned up yesterday and it looks good all in black and a very nice piece of kit.
I will also say the the support seems fine even if it is an Indian call centre. I screwed about with my laptop straight away and then went to restore it with the cds and it couldn't rebuild. Used the support line and although it took a while he got there in the end and called back at various times during the day to make sure all was ok. (a driver seems to be missing from the restore cd that is required for the os to see the sata hdd and I could only build the system if the hdd was set to ata in the BIOS. Once he realised this was the issue and provided me with the driver I added it while installing the OS and it worked fine. I have asked for an updated restore cd when this issue is resolved which he has said he will get sorted out for me. Certainly wasn't the nightmare support experience I was expecting and his English was perfect so no reason to complain at all about him being from an Indian call centre.
My Mrs got a Vostro and put down the name of a website she did as the company name and it was never queried. As a sole trader there wont have to be any company name registered so yes in theory you can make up what you want and say its something you are just starting up.
As for quality mine seems fantastic and the screen is simply stunning but its too early to tell how it will last. The Mrs Vostro turned up yesterday and it looks good all in black and a very nice piece of kit.
I will also say the the support seems fine even if it is an Indian call centre. I screwed about with my laptop straight away and then went to restore it with the cds and it couldn't rebuild. Used the support line and although it took a while he got there in the end and called back at various times during the day to make sure all was ok. (a driver seems to be missing from the restore cd that is required for the os to see the sata hdd and I could only build the system if the hdd was set to ata in the BIOS. Once he realised this was the issue and provided me with the driver I added it while installing the OS and it worked fine. I have asked for an updated restore cd when this issue is resolved which he has said he will get sorted out for me. Certainly wasn't the nightmare support experience I was expecting and his English was perfect so no reason to complain at all about him being from an Indian call centre.
31 January 2008, 08:44 AM
#83
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Total excl. VAT VAT Rate Total incl. VAT
Sub-total £499.00 17.50 % £586.33
Total Delivery Charge £51.06 17.50 % £60.00
Delivery Charge Discount -£51.06 17.50 % -£60.00 View Details
Total Price Excl VAT £499.00 Total incl VAT £586.33
Last edited by Borat_Drives_A_Scooby; 31 January 2008 at 09:00 AM.
31 January 2008, 09:06 AM
#84
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The above price i gave was including VAT for that set up, i went to the checkout with it to get the full price. Apparently you get £100 off from the true price which expires on the 6th Feb and free shipping.
Total excl. VAT VAT Rate Total incl. VAT
Sub-total £499.00 17.50 % £586.33
Total Delivery Charge £51.06 17.50 % £60.00
Delivery Charge Discount -£51.06 17.50 % -£60.00 View Details
Total Price Excl VAT £499.00 Total incl VAT £586.33
Total excl. VAT VAT Rate Total incl. VAT
Sub-total £499.00 17.50 % £586.33
Total Delivery Charge £51.06 17.50 % £60.00
Delivery Charge Discount -£51.06 17.50 % -£60.00 View Details
Total Price Excl VAT £499.00 Total incl VAT £586.33
Mine came out at just under £600 with only 2gb of RAM and 2ghz processor. Can I send mine back and get that one?!
31 January 2008, 09:16 AM
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Seeing as its an indian call centre that Dell have got, i wonder if they could throw in free currys for a year to promote their new call centre, i love my currys especially a nice korma or massala
Whats the main differences between the Insipron and the Vostro, i noticed the Inspiron is a 15 inch screen and the Vostro 1700 is a 17 inch screen ?
Last edited by Borat_Drives_A_Scooby; 31 January 2008 at 09:20 AM.
31 January 2008, 09:25 AM
#86
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From what I can see, physically its just the casing. The Inspirons are silver with customisable colours for the back of the screen where as the Vostros are all black.
The Inspirons come with trial software pre loaded where as the Vostro is free from all the cr4p. Also as the Vostros are 'business' laptops the OS selections don't allow for Vista Home Premium.
I really like the the Mrs Vostro and in 15" its more user friendly in terms of moving it about and sitting with it on your lap than the 17" monster i've got. If I was ordering again now having seen both i'd definately go with the Vostro over the Inspiron just because I prefer it in black to silver.
The Inspirons come with trial software pre loaded where as the Vostro is free from all the cr4p. Also as the Vostros are 'business' laptops the OS selections don't allow for Vista Home Premium.
I really like the the Mrs Vostro and in 15" its more user friendly in terms of moving it about and sitting with it on your lap than the 17" monster i've got. If I was ordering again now having seen both i'd definately go with the Vostro over the Inspiron just because I prefer it in black to silver.
31 January 2008, 09:43 AM
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Return it if your not 100% happy as it will be always niggling in your mind that you prefer black over silver, i`m sure under the trading act customers get 7 days to return goods and you don`t have to give a reason other than your not happy with your purchase.
31 January 2008, 11:25 AM
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This is the above package i listed for anyone else thats looking for a very high spec laptop for a low amount of money. You can change it to your own preference but personally i think thats a huge spec for under £600.
The Dell Online Store: Build Your System
The Dell Online Store: Build Your System
31 January 2008, 01:17 PM
#90
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I have just received a very similar spec Vostro 1700, for £592 all in, and I am not a business either.
Basically:
Core 2 Duo 2GHz
3 GB Ram
256Mb 8600 GT
160Gb SATA 5400
Vista Home Premium
etc.
Well chuffed with it. Ordered it last Wednesday, arrived this Tuesday.
Love the widescreen 1440x900 screen. Only played a couple of older games, and they obviously run maxed out everything with no problems.
Highly recommended
Basically:
Core 2 Duo 2GHz
3 GB Ram
256Mb 8600 GT
160Gb SATA 5400
Vista Home Premium
etc.
Well chuffed with it. Ordered it last Wednesday, arrived this Tuesday.
Love the widescreen 1440x900 screen. Only played a couple of older games, and they obviously run maxed out everything with no problems.
Highly recommended