New cheap laptop - advice

Computer Forum New Build / Upgrade Advice
1

Small warning - probably a very rambly post. Will try to edit it down but I suck at getting straight to the point.
Hi there,
My old laptop just died and it’s so old that really there’s no point replacing it D: so I’m buying a new one (why not a secondhand one? My grandmother is putting in a few hundred dollars on the condition it’s brand new.)
I currently have about $600 and I will be getting money for Christmas from one grandmother and my parents, other grandmother is putting in money when I decide to get it. I’ll probably be looking in the $1000-$1100 NZD price range.
I’m using it for the normal stuff: sync my iPod, surf the net, do my homework, play games etc. The normal teenage slightly geeky person stuff. I won’t be getting a new model for quite a few years after this one, so I need it to last long (both in specs, I don’t want it to get too outdated and the whole able to use thing, what use will a doorstep be if it fails suddenly?)

What I quite like the look of is a Dell. I’d probably get the Inspiron 15 laptop.
What I want to know is the difference between the processors on the Inspiron page between the $899 and the $999 (Inspiron 15 Laptop Details | Dell New Zealand)
I understand the whole faster-processor-faster-computer but do I really need that?
If I built my Dell, which I probably would if I got it online, I have the option of
[ul]
[li]Intel® Celeron® Processor 900 (2.2GHz / 8007Mhz FSB / 1MB Cache) [Included in Price]
[/li][li] Intel® Celeron® Processor T1700 (1.83GHz/ 667Mhz FSB/ 1MB Cache) [add $63.00]
[/li][li] Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor T6600 (2.20GHz/ 800 FSB/ 2MB Cache) [add $401.62]
[/li][li] Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor P8600 (2.40GHz/ 1066 FSB/ 3MB Cache) [add $552.37]
[/li][li] Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor P8700 (2.53GHz/ 1066 FSB/ 3MB Cache) [add $627.75]
[/li][/ul]
Which would you recommend (this is on the build page for the $899) remembering I’m on a budget but don’t want to get too outdated.

How easy would it be to update the memory later? How cheap, too? Would I be better going for the upgrade from 3GB to 4GB for $140NZD or to later buy another memory chip and upgrade it myself?

Any other laptop that you would recommend? (I am quite shallow.. so looks matter -.-)

2

Hi and welcome to the forums.

I would favour the highest spec possible. Simply because it is more likely to serve you for longer. Not reliability wise but performance wise. One point I think you should consider is Dell’s after sale care. Personally I would factor in their three (or even four perhaps?) year cover which will protect you from all sorts and will mean that whatever happen to the laptop, short of you trying to use it to unblock your toilet, Dell will come out to repair it. Then you can see what you can get for your money.

As for 3GB to 4GB. It sounds to me like for what you are doing, it will be an overkill. Still, if you have some money to burn, go for it… you never know what the future holds and as we know, IT moves very quickly and what was very powerful a year ago is entry level now.

To summarise, see how much the three year mult-super-duper after sale cover is and use the rest of the money to buy the highest spec machine possible -
Highest Core2Duo (not Celeron) CPU and as much RAM as possible. The biggest HDD and the highest spec graphics chip. You get the drift…

All right for some… :wink:

Merry Xmas!

[COLOR=“Blue”]Update: after having a look at Dell and HP NZ, I doubt you will be able to stay within the budget, unless you are going for a very basic system with very basic support.