Best Cheap Laptops

Choosing a laptop is never easy. Which laptop is the best ? Which laptop breaks the most ?

We contacted james Davis the managing director of laptop repairs London. We inquired as to which laptops were repaired the most last year and we got some surprising answers. The laptops they repaired the most last year were HP. The laptops they repaired the least were Panasonic. While I researched this blog I found that a panasonic laptop will cost around the £2000 mark.  A standard HP laptop will set you back £500.00.

Things you should look out for when buying a laptop are how many USB ports the laptop has. How much RAM (random access memory the laptop has).  How long is the battery life ? When you are told the battery life last 6 hours, usually this means 5. When the guy in the shop tells you this laptop is great for games, dont believe it. No laptop is good for games. Laptops cannot handle the power and instructions sent to the graphics card GPU. Many times the graphics card on a laptop will die because of the graphics card overheating.

We took a look at some of the offers for this year.  Speaking to James was quite enlightening. It seems that the expensive Sony laptops break down more often than the cheap Sony variants. Also an expensive HP will be a great purchase as they hardly ever break whereas the cheap HP laptops that are good looking just seemed to break down all the time. Compaq laptop break a lot too. After a long conversation we recieved a list of laptops that from a laptop repair companies standpoint break down the least.

Here is the top 8 starting from The best to the worst :

1 Panasonic toughbook – Retail price £2000

2 Samung Laptop – Retail price £600

3  Dell laptop – Retail price £600

4  Sony laptop Retail price £500

5  Acer laptop retail price £ 500

6 Toshiba laptop Retail price £600

7  Packard Bell laptop Retail price £500

8  HP laptop retail price £500

The purchase of a laptop also requires testing. For example in the shop, type on the keyboard does it feel comfortable ? Do you require loads of hard disk space for photos ? Does the laptop have a webcam ? How loud are the speakers ?

We hope this helps you to decide what laptop to buy when the sales start.

Because we strive to keep you on the cutting edge of laptops and computing, we’re proud to tell you about a brand-new store that just opened on eBay. The name of the store is Laptop Universe, and they sell a wide range of laptop models as well as other consumer electronics.

The New Laptop Universe eBay Shop

We know, there are a ton of eBay stores that sell the same things all across the UK. And quite frankly, a lot of the stuff they sell is downright garbage. But we think you’ll have a different experience if you shop with Laptop Universe. What makes them so special, you ask? Their prices. Whether you’re looking for a new, second-hand, or refurbished computer Laptop Universe has prices that are tough to beat.

Laptop Universe intends to be around for a long time. They are not in business is simply to make a quick buck and then fade away like so many others. Therefore, they don’t mind making little less with every transaction while still providing excellent customer service. They intend to be profitable through volume rather than jacking the price for short-term gain.

Examples of what’s currently available at the store include a brand-new Dell Inspiron M5030 with Windows 7 at a starting bid of just £180. In the refurbished department you’ll find a Vista-based Sony VGN-N250E (Vaio) with a 15.6″display for just £145. On both of these laptops shipping is just £9.99 within the UK. Similar prices can be found on personal computers, printers, displays, mobile phones, and even tablets.

If you’re already set up with an eBay account and PayPal, shopping with Laptop Universe couldn’t be any easier. They are a PayPal Preferred vendor which allows you to pay from your own PayPal account or use any number of major credit cards. Once payment has been received and cleared, Laptop Universe will generally ship within two days.

What’s not to love about the new Laptop Universe eBay shop?

I bought a digital camera last year. I just walked into the store chose the cheapest one bought it and left. I didn’t even try it out until a party later that week. When I took it out of its case there was a collective gasp. Even though it was ‘new’ it looked pretty hefty, and not in a cool, professional way.

The camera itself only held 25 pictures and when I went back to buy a memory card I discovered that they didn’t make them for my particular model anymore. Needless to say, I made the wrong choice. And after that I kicked myself for not once consulting anyone and for not reading any reviews. When the internet is on everyone’s doorstep there really is no excuse for not reading reviews and with so much choice on the market these days it really is important to pay attention to digital camera reviews.

The most obvious reason for paying attention to digital camera reviews is to keep up to date with the latest models and features. The camera I bought was hopelessly old-fashioned- even though it was only about two years on the market. Also, you might see some great ‘deals’ being offered by some stores but before you succumb to the cheap price and flashy packaging, read some reviews. Deals like this more often than not (but not always!) can just be a ruse to get rid of less successful merchandise.

It makes sense to be cynical but we are often taken in by clever marketing whether we like it or not. So even if an advertisement for a camera promises the best photographs you’ve ever taken don’t be fooled! Do your research and read reviews, just to make sure it’s all true.

Another good reason to pay attention to digital camera reviews is to learn more of the jargon and the lingo, and to understand what it all actually means. At first you may not have a clue what on earth these ‘megapixel’ things are or what exactly is the function of this ‘zoom’ contraption (okay, you probably do know that one already) but it really is a good idea to pick up on the language and names of features, especially if you are keen to get serious about photography.

Remember not to rely on just one review, though. Plenty of reviews of one camera are just a click away and it makes sense to read a few and figure out the common denominator.

Don’t always rely on professional reviews. Sometimes critics have preconceived notions of what they want or like personally so it’s always worth checking our user reviews. People who actually buy the camera are more likely to be honest about its faults or its strengths. Message boards are not exactly reviews but take a look, you may find some valuable information about the product you wish to buy.

Overall make sure you read digital camera reviews carefully and use your own judgement. Check reviews from trustworthy sources and see other review websites for the best advice.

Everyone wants a laptop because it’s portable, but there are some important aspects of travelling with your laptop that you need to remember.  The last thing you want is to damage your laptop or have it stolen, so keep some of these things in mind when you’re on the go with your computer.

•    Invest in a good laptop bag.  No matter how careful you are, chances are at some point your laptop bag, with your laptop in it, will get dropped or will swing out and hit something.  While you don’t need to invest in the most expensive bag out there (and there are some very expensive bags), you should get one that protects your laptop and has enough room in it for all your cables and accessories.

•    Never leave your laptop unattended.  While it may be tempting to run to the restroom or to go order something while working at a restaurant or café with wireless, don’t do it.  If you aren’t with someone who can watch your laptop, take the time to pack it up and take it with you.  Even if you’re only stepping away for a few minutes, that’s all it takes for someone to steal your laptop.

•    Be sure to take your power cord with you if you’re going to be working for several hours.  You never know when your battery is going to run down.

•    Keep your virus scanner and other security programs up to date.  Since you’ll be logging on to a variety of networks, you should never trust that they will be secured or have any sort of firewalls active.  Protect your own computer; don’t rely on others to do so.

No matter what type of laptop you buy, you’re going to want it to last for several hours or more when it’s running on battery power.  If it doesn’t, you may find that you can’t use your laptop on the go or that you lose information if you don’t keep an eye on the battery level.  However, there are some things you can do to increase your laptop’s battery life.  Here are a few of them.

•    Turn down your screen’s brightness.  Most newer laptops automatically dim the screen when on battery power.
•    Turn off your Wi-Fi and/or Bluetooth connections if you aren’t using the internet.
•    Look at your laptop’s power options to be sure they’re set appropriately.  For example, you may want to set your laptop to turn off the hard drive and screen after several minutes of inactivity.  Put your laptop in stand-by mode if you won’t be using it for an hour or so, but have it hibernate if you will be away from it for a longer period of time.
•    Disconnect USB devices and other external hardware.  Using your laptop’s touchpad instead of using a USB mouse will also save power.
•    Turn down or mute your speakers.
•    Install programs to your hard drive instead of running them off of CD/DVD.
•    Shut down scheduled tasks such as virus scans.  You can also save on power by turning off Auto-save.

If you need to make hard copies of anything you do on your laptop, you’re going to need a printer.  This is especially true if you’re a college student or if you use your laptop for business.  When it comes to buying a printer for your cheap laptop, there are a few things to keep in mind.

•    Do you need to print in colour?  You can often buy black and white printers for much less, especially if you’re looking at a laser printer.  If you won’t need to ever do anything in colour, you may be able to get a good deal on a simpler printer.

•    Do you need a portable printer?  Some companies make very small printers designed to work specifically with laptops.  You can pack up these printers and take them with you.  If you’ll need to print while on the go, you might want one of these.  They work very well for people who set up their laptops at trade expos or other types of conferences and need to print things for potential customers.

•    Do you need a laser printer or an inkjet printer?  Laser printers are more expensive, but the toner lasts longer.  If you’re a small business owner, it may be an investment worth making.  Most standard users, however, won’t need an expensive laser printer.

•    Will the printer work with your laptop?  Check to make certain the printer works with the operating system, and make certain it will connect to your laptop.  Most new laptops and new printers use USB cables, but older printers use the larger serial cable.  Newer laptops generally don’t have a connection for this.

When purchasing a cheap laptop, you may be asked if you want to look at docking stations or port replicators.  If you don’t know that much about laptops, you may have no idea what the sales representative is talking about.

A docking station is a device that you actually plug your laptop into.  It features extra ports, connections, slots, and even some drive bays.  Some are about the size of a laptop (and are often called a media slice), while others are a little larger.  More or less, a docking station is meant to give your laptop all of the connections that a full PC has.  You simply set it up on your desk and plug your laptop into it when you’re working at home.  You can attach a larger monitor, a full-sized keyboard, an external hard drive, and other devices, including printers and scanners, to the docking station.  This way, you don’t have to unplug any of these things when you want to take your laptop on the road.  A docking station isn’t really a necessity, but it is nice if you use your laptop as your primary computer since you don’t have to plug and unplug cables all the time.

A port replicator is basically a scaled down, smaller version of a docking station.  It only features additional ports, including USB, video, and memory card slots.  One form of port replicator that is very popular is often called a USB hub.  You plug one end of the hub into a USB port, and the other end features four (or even more) USB ports, allowing you to effectively turn one port into many.  Port replicators are useful because laptops usually don’t have room for a large amount of ports.  Some port replicators, like the USB hubs, are very small, while other port replicators may be about the same size as a docking station.

One reason many people purchase a laptop is so they can access the internet anywhere.  To that end, they need to have some way of connecting to the internet.  When it comes to cheap laptops, you may have one of several different ways of getting online, depending on how new the laptop is.

The first and most common way of connecting to the internet is via a wireless card.  Many of the newer laptops have these cards built in, and all you have to do is make certain they’re turned on (there’s usually a small switch to press to enable or disable the wireless card).  Older laptops, though, may have an actual card that you have to insert into one of the slots on the laptop.  These cards do the exact same thing as a built-in wireless card does.  In fact, some people never remove them from their laptop.

Another way of using your laptop without an actual cable is to purchase a USB wireless card.  The only real difference between these and the type of card discussed above is that they plug into a USB port instead of a specific slot.  In fact, many of the newest computers no longer feature a slot large enough for one of the older type wireless cards, so you may have to get a USB wireless card if you need one.

Finally, the last option for getting online with your laptop is the least fun.  Laptops do feature an Ethernet port, so you can plug your laptop directly into your modem or router.  While this takes away the portability of the laptop and ties you down, it does work.  This limits your ability to access the internet in some places, though, because you may not always find a port to plug in to.

When it comes to laptops (or any type of computer, really), many companies lump users into one of several categories.  You can use these categories to get an idea of what type of laptop is best for you.  Just pick the one that seems to match you best.

The Home User is the user who plans on using their laptop as their main PC, mainly because they can move it from room to room as they desire.  These users want a fast processor, at least a gigabyte of memory (more if they’re running Vista), and a good sized display.  A wireless network card is also necessary.

Students, on the other hand, generally want a lightweight, small laptop that they can carry anywhere.  They also need a good processor and memory, although since they will be using their laptop mainly for typing and doing online research, they may not need a high-end graphics card.

The Traveller will also need a lightweight laptop, plus they may want a laptop that has a good amount of hard drive space since they might need to take a lot of data with them.  A laptop with a very long battery life is also a good idea for frequent travellers.

If you’ll be using your laptop mainly for business, you’re going to want many of the same features.  However, you may also want to make certain your laptop comes with a DVD burner so you can back up all of your data. 

Finally, there’s the gamer and the artist.  Both need great graphics cards, a large amount of RAM (possibly even 4 GB), a large hard drive, and a top of the line processor.  A large screen size is also helpful, as is a full-sized keyboard for some gamers.  While other laptop users can get away without the newest and best, those looking to use their laptops for graphic arts or games need the best.

When you head into a store to look at a cheap laptop or search online, you may read some comments and reviews that just don’t sound right to you.  These laptop myths are often believed, but a smart laptop buyer (i.e., you) will know better.

1.    Laptops are always more expensive than the desktops.  While this is often the case, it’s not always true.  Many laptops are inexpensive these days, and while buying a top of the range laptop is going to be expensive, buying one that has been on the market for a year or so should be well within your budget.

2.    Laptops have very short battery lives.  With older models (ten years older or more), this is probably true—those laptops often needed to be charged every few hours.  However, some modern laptops can last as long as six hours or more.  Most of them now include power-saver settings.  If you dim your screen, for example, your laptop will be able to run longer.

3.    Laptops cannot be upgraded.  This one is somewhat true.  It is more difficult to upgrade your laptop’s processor and graphics card, but it’s not that hard to add more RAM.  Many laptops’ CD/DVD drives can be easily removed and swapped out for a new drive, too.

4.    Laptops don’t feature everything a desktop does.  On the contrary—some laptops actually feature more.  Laptops today are as fast as desktops and feature large hard drives.  You can get DVD burners and Blue Ray drives for laptops, plus most now include built-in microphones and web cams, two things many desktops don’t come with.