OTish; Laptops
 

Time has come to replace the tower PC with a laptop, so I'm after some
advice from the learned people here, since I'm a computer numpty.

I'm looking for something around 16". I don't play games (only
solitaire) I don't watch films or download music. Don't want a
touchscreen, much prefer keyboard/mouse.

I use Word & Excel frequently, sometime quite big documents. I surf the
net often & use e-mail a lot. We have 4G WiFi at home, probably won't
ever take it out, but will use upstairs in the office, on the deck &
downstairs in the lounge.

Reluctant to change from MS Windows simply because I know how to use it.

Any advice on processor type, memory, make, supplier much appreciated.

--
Dave - The Medway Handyman www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

OTish; Laptops
 

On Sun, 26 Apr 2015 12:22:26 +0100
The Medway Handyman wrote:

Time has come to replace the tower PC with a laptop, so I'm after
some advice from the learned people here, since I'm a computer numpty.

I'm looking for something around 16". I don't play games (only
solitaire) I don't watch films or download music. Don't want a
touchscreen, much prefer keyboard/mouse.

I use Word & Excel frequently, sometime quite big documents. I surf
the net often & use e-mail a lot. We have 4G WiFi at home, probably
won't ever take it out, but will use upstairs in the office, on the
deck & downstairs in the lounge.

Reluctant to change from MS Windows simply because I know how to use
it.

Any advice on processor type, memory, make, supplier much appreciated.


I am not up to date, but nearly four years ago, I bought a Samsung 15.6"
i5 64-bit quad-core laptop, and the only thing I can find against it is
that it has no indicator to tell me that NumLock is engaged. Otherwise,
it's fine, and does WiFi if I ever need it, which is rarely. It also has
Bluetooth, although I will never need that, and a built-in NVIDIA
screen card. Unlike many laptops, it has a full number keypad built in,
making spreadsheet use easy.

--
Davey.

OTish; Laptops
 

"The Medway Handyman" wrote in message
...
Time has come to replace the tower PC with a laptop, so I'm after some
advice from the learned people here, since I'm a computer numpty.

I'm looking for something around 16". I don't play games (only solitaire)
I don't watch films or download music. Don't want a touchscreen, much
prefer keyboard/mouse.

I use Word & Excel frequently, sometime quite big documents. I surf the
net often & use e-mail a lot. We have 4G WiFi at home, probably won't
ever take it out, but will use upstairs in the office, on the deck &
downstairs in the lounge.

Reluctant to change from MS Windows simply because I know how to use it.

Any advice on processor type,

All the normal ones like the i3, i5 are fine for that sort of use.

memory,

Makes sense to run at least 8MB and the 64bit version
of Win for the large documents, but it isn't crucial.

make,

Doesnt matter much. I normally stick to those that have full
maintenance manuals available, but that won't matter to you.

supplier

Dont believe that matters at all except that
they do honour any warranty claims promptly.

much appreciated.

OTish; Laptops
 

On 26/04/2015 12:22, The Medway Handyman wrote:
Time has come to replace the tower PC with a laptop, so I'm after some
advice from the learned people here, since I'm a computer numpty.

I'm looking for something around 16". I don't play games (only
solitaire) I don't watch films or download music. Don't want a
touchscreen, much prefer keyboard/mouse.

I use Word & Excel frequently, sometime quite big documents. I surf the
net often & use e-mail a lot. We have 4G WiFi at home, probably won't
ever take it out, but will use upstairs in the office, on the deck &
downstairs in the lounge.

Reluctant to change from MS Windows simply because I know how to use it.

Any advice on processor type, memory, make, supplier much appreciated.

Sorry, should have said, budget around the £500 mark.


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

OTish; Laptops
 

On 26/04/2015 12:33, Davey wrote:
On Sun, 26 Apr 2015 12:22:26 +0100

screen card. Unlike many laptops, it has a full number keypad built in,
making spreadsheet use easy.

Ah! I hadn't thought of that. Good point.



--
Dave - The Medway Handyman www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

OTish; Laptops
 

In article ,
The Medway Handyman wrote:
On 26/04/2015 12:33, Davey wrote:
On Sun, 26 Apr 2015 12:22:26 +0100

screen card. Unlike many laptops, it has a full number keypad built in,
making spreadsheet use easy.

Ah! I hadn't thought of that. Good point.

usually you get a full keyboard with a larger screen. have a look at what
is available at: www.ebuyer.com

--
From KT24 in Surrey

Using a RISC OS computer running v5.18

OTish; Laptops
 

"The Medway Handyman" wrote in message
...

On 26/04/2015 12:22, The Medway Handyman wrote:
Time has come to replace the tower PC with a laptop, so I'm after some
advice from the learned people here, since I'm a computer numpty.

I'm looking for something around 16". I don't play games (only
solitaire) I don't watch films or download music. Don't want a
touchscreen, much prefer keyboard/mouse.

I use Word & Excel frequently, sometime quite big documents. I surf the
net often & use e-mail a lot. We have 4G WiFi at home, probably won't
ever take it out, but will use upstairs in the office, on the deck &
downstairs in the lounge.

Reluctant to change from MS Windows simply because I know how to use it.

Any advice on processor type, memory, make, supplier much appreciated.

Sorry, should have said, budget around the £500 mark.



I've always used 'refurbished' ex corporate laptops as you get solid
machines for not much money. My current one is a HP Elitebook 8440p which
cost me well under £200 complete with a legal copy of Windows 7 and a 12
month guarantee. Perfectly adequate for my needs. I use it mainly as a
portal to my desktop machine which is in my office on the other side of the
farmyard, so can use it without going outside. Mind you it has a higher spec
than the desktop !!!

Andrew

OTish; Laptops
 

On 26/04/15 12:22, The Medway Handyman wrote:
Time has come to replace the tower PC with a laptop, so I'm after some
advice from the learned people here, since I'm a computer numpty.

I'm looking for something around 16". I don't play games (only
solitaire) I don't watch films or download music. Don't want a
touchscreen, much prefer keyboard/mouse.

I use Word & Excel frequently, sometime quite big documents. I surf the
net often & use e-mail a lot. We have 4G WiFi at home, probably won't
ever take it out, but will use upstairs in the office, on the deck &
downstairs in the lounge.

Reluctant to change from MS Windows simply because I know how to use it.

Any advice on processor type, memory, make, supplier much appreciated.


I like my Dell.

In any case, choose the SSD option and = 6GB RAM and it will fly.

Would also recommend looking for 802.11n + ac support if possible for WiFi

OTish; Laptops
 

Dell do those as well, though of course the machine tends to be wider, or
the keys smaller depending on your prefs. I'd probably suggest you try some
of the keyboards, as if you are used to a normal keyboard, laptop ones do
seem flimsy and or lacking in travel or positive feedback.
Brian

--
From the Sofa of Brian Gaff Reply address is active
"The Medway Handyman" wrote in message
...
On 26/04/2015 12:33, Davey wrote:
On Sun, 26 Apr 2015 12:22:26 +0100

screen card. Unlike many laptops, it has a full number keypad built in,
making spreadsheet use easy.

Ah! I hadn't thought of that. Good point.



--
Dave - The Medway Handyman www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

OTish; Laptops
 

On 26/04/2015 12:50, charles wrote:
In article ,
The Medway Handyman wrote:
On 26/04/2015 12:33, Davey wrote:
On Sun, 26 Apr 2015 12:22:26 +0100

screen card. Unlike many laptops, it has a full number keypad built in,
making spreadsheet use easy.

Ah! I hadn't thought of that. Good point.

usually you get a full keyboard with a larger screen. have a look at what
is available at: www.ebuyer.com


Thanks. Bit confused now. These three for example. Whats the
difference between AMD Dual Core, Intel Core i3-4005U 1.7GHz and AMD
A8-7100 Quad Core?

I know they are the processors but what does that mean?


AMD Dual Core E1-6010 1.35GHz
4GB RAM + 320GB HDD

Intel Core i3-4005U 1.7GHz
8GB RAM + 1TB HDD


AMD A8-7100 Quad Core
4GB RAM + 500GB HDD


Also, I assume the one with 8GB is better and that 1TB is better than 320GB?



--
Dave - The Medway Handyman www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

OTish; Laptops
 

On 26/04/2015 12:43, The Medway Handyman wrote:
On 26/04/2015 12:22, The Medway Handyman wrote:
Time has come to replace the tower PC with a laptop, so I'm after some
advice from the learned people here, since I'm a computer numpty.

I'm looking for something around 16". I don't play games (only
solitaire) I don't watch films or download music. Don't want a
touchscreen, much prefer keyboard/mouse.

I use Word & Excel frequently, sometime quite big documents. I surf the
net often & use e-mail a lot. We have 4G WiFi at home, probably won't
ever take it out, but will use upstairs in the office, on the deck &
downstairs in the lounge.

Reluctant to change from MS Windows simply because I know how to use it.

Any advice on processor type, memory, make, supplier much appreciated.

Sorry, should have said, budget around the £500 mark.


This laptop is a beast for the price. I've used this firm for years,
they are very good.
Have a peek, this one is very good value for money and within your budget.

http://www.cclonline.com/product/155...400-/NOT00530/

OTish; Laptops
 

On 26/04/2015 13:12, Tim Watts wrote:
On 26/04/15 12:22, The Medway Handyman wrote:
Time has come to replace the tower PC with a laptop, so I'm after some
advice from the learned people here, since I'm a computer numpty.

I'm looking for something around 16". I don't play games (only
solitaire) I don't watch films or download music. Don't want a
touchscreen, much prefer keyboard/mouse.

I use Word & Excel frequently, sometime quite big documents. I surf the
net often & use e-mail a lot. We have 4G WiFi at home, probably won't
ever take it out, but will use upstairs in the office, on the deck &
downstairs in the lounge.

Reluctant to change from MS Windows simply because I know how to use it.

Any advice on processor type, memory, make, supplier much appreciated.


I like my Dell.

In any case, choose the SSD option and = 6GB RAM and it will fly.

Would also recommend looking for 802.11n + ac support if possible for WiFi

Sorry, don't understand :-)

Could you repeat in English please?

:-)


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

OTish; Laptops
 

On 26/04/2015 13:21, Ronnie wrote:
On 26/04/2015 12:43, The Medway Handyman wrote:
On 26/04/2015 12:22, The Medway Handyman wrote:
Time has come to replace the tower PC with a laptop, so I'm after some
advice from the learned people here, since I'm a computer numpty.

I'm looking for something around 16". I don't play games (only
solitaire) I don't watch films or download music. Don't want a
touchscreen, much prefer keyboard/mouse.

I use Word & Excel frequently, sometime quite big documents. I surf the
net often & use e-mail a lot. We have 4G WiFi at home, probably won't
ever take it out, but will use upstairs in the office, on the deck &
downstairs in the lounge.

Reluctant to change from MS Windows simply because I know how to use it.

Any advice on processor type, memory, make, supplier much appreciated.

Sorry, should have said, budget around the £500 mark.


This laptop is a beast for the price. I've used this firm for years,
they are very good.
Have a peek, this one is very good value for money and within your budget.

http://www.cclonline.com/product/155...400-/NOT00530/

Thanks, I'll add to the list.



--
Dave - The Medway Handyman www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

OTish; Laptops
 

The Medway Handyman wrote :
Time has come to replace the tower PC with a laptop, so I'm after some advice
from the learned people here, since I'm a computer numpty.

I'm looking for something around 16". I don't play games (only solitaire) I
don't watch films or download music. Don't want a touchscreen, much prefer
keyboard/mouse.

I use Word & Excel frequently, sometime quite big documents. I surf the net
often & use e-mail a lot. We have 4G WiFi at home, probably won't ever take
it out, but will use upstairs in the office, on the deck & downstairs in the
lounge.

Reluctant to change from MS Windows simply because I know how to use it.

Any advice on processor type, memory, make, supplier much appreciated.

Not really much to help you except to say that Lenovo are a
well-respected brand. Also, I'm sure that you've heard many people say
over the years, "Pull the plug out, wait a minute or two and then plug
it back in and boot it up" when troubleshooting.

For that reason, I'd make sure you get one where the battery can easily
be removed. Some laptops (some Sony models I believe and maybe others)
have to be stripped down to remove the battery - if you can't
*completely* remove the power you can't completely reset it when
needed.



---
This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
http://www.avast.com

OTish; Laptops
 

On 26/04/2015 12:22, The Medway Handyman wrote:
Time has come to replace the tower PC with a laptop, so I'm after some
advice from the learned people here, since I'm a computer numpty.

I'm looking for something around 16". I don't play games (only
solitaire) I don't watch films or download music. Don't want a
touchscreen, much prefer keyboard/mouse.

I use Word & Excel frequently, sometime quite big documents. I surf the
net often & use e-mail a lot. We have 4G WiFi at home, probably won't
ever take it out, but will use upstairs in the office, on the deck &
downstairs in the lounge.

Reluctant to change from MS Windows simply because I know how to use it.

You have left it a bit late to get a new portable with Windows 7 on it
and I reckon you should look long and very hard at Windows 8 before
contemplating using it without a touch screen (or using it at all).

You might find things in the refurbed corporate kit to suit.

Do you really mean 4G Wifi? That is wifi directly connected to the 4G
mobile network via a dongle rather than via wired ADSL?

Any advice on processor type, memory, make, supplier much appreciated.

Samsung kit is quite good on the price performance scale I have their
beefy 17" as my portable and a tiny ASUS T-100 as a go anywhere device.

If you are going to use it as a desktop replacement consider a docking
station to go with it and if it isn't likely to spend too much time
being hand carried then I reckon the extra inch of screen real estate is
worth having for working large spreadsheets. YMMV

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

OTish; Laptops
 

On 26/04/2015 13:49, Martin Brown wrote:
On 26/04/2015 12:22, The Medway Handyman wrote:
Time has come to replace the tower PC with a laptop, so I'm after some
advice from the learned people here, since I'm a computer numpty.

I'm looking for something around 16". I don't play games (only
solitaire) I don't watch films or download music. Don't want a
touchscreen, much prefer keyboard/mouse.

I use Word & Excel frequently, sometime quite big documents. I surf the
net often & use e-mail a lot. We have 4G WiFi at home, probably won't
ever take it out, but will use upstairs in the office, on the deck &
downstairs in the lounge.

Reluctant to change from MS Windows simply because I know how to use it.

You have left it a bit late to get a new portable with Windows 7 on it
and I reckon you should look long and very hard at Windows 8 before
contemplating using it without a touch screen (or using it at all).

You might find things in the refurbed corporate kit to suit.

Do you really mean 4G Wifi? That is wifi directly connected to the 4G
mobile network via a dongle rather than via wired ADSL?

It's Virgin Media broadband via a cable to a hub.

Any advice on processor type, memory, make, supplier much appreciated.

Samsung kit is quite good on the price performance scale I have their
beefy 17" as my portable and a tiny ASUS T-100 as a go anywhere device.

If you are going to use it as a desktop replacement consider a docking
station to go with it and if it isn't likely to spend too much time
being hand carried then I reckon the extra inch of screen real estate is
worth having for working large spreadsheets. YMMV


Never heard of a docking station, thanks, off to have a look.

--
Dave - The Medway Handyman www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

OTish; Laptops
 

On 26/04/2015 13:51, The Medway Handyman wrote:
On 26/04/2015 13:49, Martin Brown wrote:


If you are going to use it as a desktop replacement consider a docking
station to go with it and if it isn't likely to spend too much time
being hand carried then I reckon the extra inch of screen real estate is
worth having for working large spreadsheets. YMMV


Never heard of a docking station, thanks, off to have a look.

Even more confused now. What exactly is a docking station?


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

OTish; Laptops
 

On Sun, 26 Apr 2015 13:28:49 +0100, John wrote:

Not really much to help you except to say that Lenovo are a
well-respected brand.

They used to be IBM's personal computer brand, of course, before all that
business was sold off to Lenovo (Chinese, 12% owned by a wing of the
Chinese government), who'd been actually building the machines for IBM
for a while.

I'd generally lean towards Dell as a first choice.

OTish; Laptops
 

On 26/04/15 13:21, The Medway Handyman wrote:

Sorry, don't understand :-)

Could you repeat in English please?

Fast...

I'm afraid that there's no other way to say it - 802.11n and 802.11ac
are standards - and you'll see them on the specification (or not).

802.11n is a decent standard, for anything bought now it would be wise
to get 802.11ac as if your WIFI base station can do it (or you upgrade)
you will get far greater wifi speeds which can match BT Infinity or
VirginMedia internet speeds (whereas 802.11n will manage perhaps half
and 802.11b or 802.11g will be woeful.

OTish; Laptops
 

On 26/04/15 13:55, The Medway Handyman wrote:
On 26/04/2015 13:51, The Medway Handyman wrote:
On 26/04/2015 13:49, Martin Brown wrote:


If you are going to use it as a desktop replacement consider a docking
station to go with it and if it isn't likely to spend too much time
being hand carried then I reckon the extra inch of screen real estate is
worth having for working large spreadsheets. YMMV


Never heard of a docking station, thanks, off to have a look.

Even more confused now. What exactly is a docking station?



Something like:

http://www.notebookcheck.net/fileadm...ckSlice_06.jpg

It generally adds convenience rather that functionality - though
sometimes it gives you more ports (eg USB) than might be available on
the laptop.

I could use one, using my laptop for work - but they are ofter very
expensive to save me plugging 4 wires...

OTish; Laptops
 

On Sun, 26 Apr 2015 13:55:00 +0100
The Medway Handyman wrote:

On 26/04/2015 13:51, The Medway Handyman wrote:
On 26/04/2015 13:49, Martin Brown wrote:


If you are going to use it as a desktop replacement consider a
docking station to go with it and if it isn't likely to spend too
much time being hand carried then I reckon the extra inch of
screen real estate is worth having for working large spreadsheets.
YMMV


Never heard of a docking station, thanks, off to have a look.

Even more confused now. What exactly is a docking station?



A docking station is a device that sits on the desk and provides all
connections for the laptop, which slides into it. Most (all?) of my
laptop's connections are on the sides, which would make it tricky to
design one, though.

--
Davey.

OTish; Laptops
 

On 26/04/15 13:59, Adrian wrote:
On Sun, 26 Apr 2015 13:28:49 +0100, John wrote:

Not really much to help you except to say that Lenovo are a
well-respected brand.

They used to be IBM's personal computer brand, of course, before all that
business was sold off to Lenovo (Chinese, 12% owned by a wing of the
Chinese government), who'd been actually building the machines for IBM
for a while.

I'd generally lean towards Dell as a first choice.


I had a Lenovo last time and liked it. But this time there were a lot of
complaints on the forums about certain features, especially the
touchpad. And the "build it anyway you want" option was extremely
diminished.

Dell let me do a good customisation but it did help that I got a quite
decent academic discount on mine.

I'd always keep an eye on HP, Asus and Samsung - not every time do they
make great stuff, but overall they tend to produce on average pretty
decent kit. Narrow the model down with a bit of forum research - some
models of almost any make can turn out to be lemony.

OTish; Laptops
 

In message , The Medway Handyman
writes
Even more confused now. What exactly is a docking station?

In the case of the little old Lenovo/IBM's that I use, it's a thing that
sits on the desk and you plonk the laptop onto it. The laptop works as a
laptop when off it, but on it it has fixed connections to external
printers, mice, speakers, monitors, serial connections, audio, more usb
etc. etc.
My X201, for example, is absolutely superb. On its own it is light,
robust, fast and extremely handy. In the dock it picks up DVD and
connections to outboard devices (in my case audio interfaces).

I'd query the need for screen size. In this house we have laptops with
19" (for the family downstairs), 15.4 that I'm typing on as a general
purpose machine, and a bunch ot 12.1" machines that I have been doing up
for family and friends. As the 15.4 machine ages, I'm moving everything
to the 12.1" Lenovo X201. It's so much lighter and more handy.

In passing, I ought to say that I hate numeric keypads on laptops. On
all the ones I've tried, the touchpad always seems to be in the wrong
place in relation to the keyboard/screen etc.
--
Bill

OTish; Laptops
 

Davey wrote:
A docking station is a device that sits on the desk and provides all
connections for the laptop, which slides into it. Most (all?) of my
laptop's connections are on the sides, which would make it tricky to
design one, though.

?
All the docking stations I've used worked with a separate, dedicated
socket on the back of the laptop rather than the connections you would
use with the freestanding laptop. Otherwise they don't offer much (if
any) advantage over plugging in keyboard, monitor, power supply and
mouse separately. And crucially you lose the benefit of saving on time
which matters to business users who want to just unplug and go.

But I query if the saving of time would justify the cost for TMH.
--
Robin
reply to address is (meant to be) valid

OTish; Laptops
 

On 26/04/2015 13:59, Tim Watts wrote:
On 26/04/15 13:21, The Medway Handyman wrote:

Sorry, don't understand :-)

Could you repeat in English please?

Fast...

I'm afraid that there's no other way to say it - 802.11n and 802.11ac
are standards - and you'll see them on the specification (or not).

802.11n is a decent standard, for anything bought now it would be wise
to get 802.11ac as if your WIFI base station can do it (or you upgrade)
you will get far greater wifi speeds which can match BT Infinity or
VirginMedia internet speeds (whereas 802.11n will manage perhaps half
and 802.11b or 802.11g will be woeful.

Thanks Tim!


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

OTish; Laptops
 

On 26/04/2015 13:59, Adrian wrote:
On Sun, 26 Apr 2015 13:28:49 +0100, John wrote:

Not really much to help you except to say that Lenovo are a
well-respected brand.

They used to be IBM's personal computer brand, of course, before all that
business was sold off to Lenovo (Chinese, 12% owned by a wing of the
Chinese government),

Or a Wong of the.....


I'd generally lean towards Dell as a first choice.

Thanks.


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

OTish; Laptops
 

On 26/04/2015 12:22, The Medway Handyman wrote:
Time has come to replace the tower PC with a laptop, so I'm after some
advice from the learned people here, since I'm a computer numpty.

I'm looking for something around 16". I don't play games (only
solitaire) I don't watch films or download music. Don't want a
touchscreen, much prefer keyboard/mouse.

I use Word & Excel frequently, sometime quite big documents. I surf the
net often & use e-mail a lot. We have 4G WiFi at home, probably won't
ever take it out, but will use upstairs in the office, on the deck &
downstairs in the lounge.

Reluctant to change from MS Windows simply because I know how to use it.

Any advice on processor type, memory, make, supplier much appreciated.


Buy an ex-corporate refurb Lenovo from tier1
http://www.tier1online.com/refurbished-laptops

I have no connection but have bought several laptops from them over the
years and have always been very pleased with the service and quality.
Lenovo bought the IBM Thinkpad brand, which is generally thought to be
the best all-round business machines (probably the cue for "angry" of
somewhere-or-other to start an arguement, but check for yourself).

OTish; Laptops
 

On 26/04/2015 13:21, Ronnie wrote:
On 26/04/2015 12:43, The Medway Handyman wrote:
On 26/04/2015 12:22, The Medway Handyman wrote:
Time has come to replace the tower PC with a laptop, so I'm after some
advice from the learned people here, since I'm a computer numpty.

I'm looking for something around 16". I don't play games (only
solitaire) I don't watch films or download music. Don't want a
touchscreen, much prefer keyboard/mouse.

I use Word & Excel frequently, sometime quite big documents. I surf the
net often & use e-mail a lot. We have 4G WiFi at home, probably won't
ever take it out, but will use upstairs in the office, on the deck &
downstairs in the lounge.

Reluctant to change from MS Windows simply because I know how to use it.

Any advice on processor type, memory, make, supplier much appreciated.

Sorry, should have said, budget around the £500 mark.


This laptop is a beast for the price. I've used this firm for years,
they are very good.
Have a peek, this one is very good value for money and within your budget.

http://www.cclonline.com/product/155...400-/NOT00530/


One question is whether it's going to be basically a desktop
replacement, except that you can take it into the lounge, kitchen,
bedroom or whatever. If you are taking it "on the road" and potentially
rattling around in your van then as others have suggested it might be
worth considering something like a Dell business model. A bit more
robust and "modular" with more replaceable bits.

That said I have a couple of Acer "consumer" models which I use for
consultancy in retirement, and one or other of them has been travelling
with me to sites and client offices for the past year without mechanical
problems. These have 15.6 inch screens: small enough to fit in a
briefcase, big enough for visibility, separate numeric pad, and DVD
drive. If I were shopping for a "home" laptop I might get the next
screen size up. Although you can always hook it up to a bigger monitor.

OTish; Laptops
 

On 26/04/2015 15:16, wrote:
On 26/04/2015 12:22, The Medway Handyman wrote:
Time has come to replace the tower PC with a laptop, so I'm after some
advice from the learned people here, since I'm a computer numpty.

I'm looking for something around 16". I don't play games (only
solitaire) I don't watch films or download music. Don't want a
touchscreen, much prefer keyboard/mouse.

I use Word & Excel frequently, sometime quite big documents. I surf the
net often & use e-mail a lot. We have 4G WiFi at home, probably won't
ever take it out, but will use upstairs in the office, on the deck &
downstairs in the lounge.

Reluctant to change from MS Windows simply because I know how to use it.

Any advice on processor type, memory, make, supplier much appreciated.


Buy an ex-corporate refurb Lenovo from tier1
http://www.tier1online.com/refurbished-laptops

I have no connection but have bought several laptops from them over the
years and have always been very pleased with the service and quality.
Lenovo bought the IBM Thinkpad brand, which is generally thought to be
the best all-round business machines (probably the cue for "angry" of
somewhere-or-other to start an arguement, but check for yourself).

I used Dells at work, with docking stations at home and in the offices.
I'd be equally happy with a Lenovo. I've never bought a factory refurb
laptop, but I have had three ex-office laser printers and two refurbed
desktops, all have proved to be reliable and excellent value for money.
All came from eBay, but the adverts/feedback suggested they were
reputable firms.

I'd endorse the point about Windows 7 rather than 8. I quite like 8.1
with touchscreen personally, but it's a bit more change and W7 just
works. You will probably hate the new versions of Word and Excel though,
assuming you are used to something like 2003.

OTish; Laptops
 

On 26/04/2015 16:08, newshound wrote:
On 26/04/2015 13:21, Ronnie wrote:
On 26/04/2015 12:43, The Medway Handyman wrote:
On 26/04/2015 12:22, The Medway Handyman wrote:
Time has come to replace the tower PC with a laptop, so I'm after some
advice from the learned people here, since I'm a computer numpty.

I'm looking for something around 16". I don't play games (only
solitaire) I don't watch films or download music. Don't want a
touchscreen, much prefer keyboard/mouse.

I use Word & Excel frequently, sometime quite big documents. I surf the
net often & use e-mail a lot. We have 4G WiFi at home, probably won't
ever take it out, but will use upstairs in the office, on the deck &
downstairs in the lounge.

Reluctant to change from MS Windows simply because I know how to use
it.

Any advice on processor type, memory, make, supplier much appreciated.

Sorry, should have said, budget around the £500 mark.


This laptop is a beast for the price. I've used this firm for years,
they are very good.
Have a peek, this one is very good value for money and within your
budget.

http://www.cclonline.com/product/155...400-/NOT00530/



One question is whether it's going to be basically a desktop
replacement, except that you can take it into the lounge, kitchen,
bedroom or whatever.

That's exactly what it is.

If you are taking it "on the road" and potentially
rattling around in your van then as others have suggested it might be
worth considering something like a Dell business model. A bit more
robust and "modular" with more replaceable bits.

That said I have a couple of Acer "consumer" models which I use for
consultancy in retirement, and one or other of them has been travelling
with me to sites and client offices for the past year without mechanical
problems. These have 15.6 inch screens: small enough to fit in a
briefcase, big enough for visibility, separate numeric pad, and DVD
drive. If I were shopping for a "home" laptop I might get the next
screen size up. Although you can always hook it up to a bigger monitor.

Good idea, I have a bigger monitor. Ta.



--
Dave - The Medway Handyman www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

OTish; Laptops
 

On 26/04/2015 13:21, Ronnie wrote:
On 26/04/2015 12:43, The Medway Handyman wrote:
On 26/04/2015 12:22, The Medway Handyman wrote:
Time has come to replace the tower PC with a laptop, so I'm after some
advice from the learned people here, since I'm a computer numpty.

I'm looking for something around 16". I don't play games (only
solitaire) I don't watch films or download music. Don't want a
touchscreen, much prefer keyboard/mouse.

I use Word & Excel frequently, sometime quite big documents. I surf the
net often & use e-mail a lot. We have 4G WiFi at home, probably won't
ever take it out, but will use upstairs in the office, on the deck &
downstairs in the lounge.

Reluctant to change from MS Windows simply because I know how to use it.

Any advice on processor type, memory, make, supplier much appreciated.

Sorry, should have said, budget around the £500 mark.


This laptop is a beast for the price. I've used this firm for years,
they are very good.
Have a peek, this one is very good value for money and within your budget.

http://www.cclonline.com/product/155...400-/NOT00530/

I have supplied quite a few of the i5 version of those to customers
recently. (£415 inc VAT if you want one Dave). They are nicely made and
seem well liked.

The only downside I have found is that I can't get spare keyboards for
them at the moment. (they are the type of design where the machine is
built onto the underside of the top plastic and the kb is an integral
part of it).

Performance and ergonomics are good. 4 USBs (2x 2.0 + 2x 3.0). Comes
with win 7 pre loaded, and the option of win 8 if you want. They really
perform well if you replace the supplied HDD with a solid state one.



--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

OTish; Laptops
 

On 26/04/2015 12:22, The Medway Handyman wrote:
Time has come to replace the tower PC with a laptop, so I'm after some
advice from the learned people here, since I'm a computer numpty.

I'm looking for something around 16". I don't play games (only
solitaire) I don't watch films or download music. Don't want a
touchscreen, much prefer keyboard/mouse.

I use Word & Excel frequently, sometime quite big documents. I surf the
net often & use e-mail a lot. We have 4G WiFi at home, probably won't
ever take it out, but will use upstairs in the office, on the deck &
downstairs in the lounge.

Reluctant to change from MS Windows simply because I know how to use it.

Any advice on processor type, memory, make, supplier much appreciated.


In my experience*, laptops can be less reliable than desktops - if only
because they get moved around more, so they can get knocked etc. This
means that the risk of losing your data might be higher than with a
desktop.

You might want to consider getting a NAS Drive (Network Attached
Storage). This is a hard drive that attaches to your router, and gives
you folders that you can access equally from your existing desktop or
from your new laptop. This gives you the benefit of being able to use
either machine, depending on where you are.

If you do this, you may have to change the way you handle your email -
as some mail programs aren't designed to be used with Network storage,
but if you use a web based service like Gmail or Hotmail you should be
able to have mail synchronised across both machines.

I wouldn't worry too much about changing to Windows 8 - at least since
Win 8.1 it's not too dissimilar to Win 7 even without a touchscreen, and
the next version Win 10 will probably make it better still.

* well, my brother's experience - through theft, accident and clumsiness
he and his family seem to get through roughly one every couple of years.

OTish; Laptops
 

On 26/04/2015 13:21, Ronnie wrote:
On 26/04/2015 12:43, The Medway Handyman wrote:
On 26/04/2015 12:22, The Medway Handyman wrote:
Time has come to replace the tower PC with a laptop, so I'm after some
advice from the learned people here, since I'm a computer numpty.

I'm looking for something around 16". I don't play games (only
solitaire) I don't watch films or download music. Don't want a
touchscreen, much prefer keyboard/mouse.

I use Word & Excel frequently, sometime quite big documents. I surf the
net often & use e-mail a lot. We have 4G WiFi at home, probably won't
ever take it out, but will use upstairs in the office, on the deck &
downstairs in the lounge.

Reluctant to change from MS Windows simply because I know how to use it.

Any advice on processor type, memory, make, supplier much appreciated.

Sorry, should have said, budget around the £500 mark.


This laptop is a beast for the price. I've used this firm for years,
they are very good.
Have a peek, this one is very good value for money and within your budget.

http://www.cclonline.com/product/155...400-/NOT00530/

How would that compare to this?

http://www.ebuyer.com/662400-toshiba...ssg0e-008001en

--
Dave - The Medway Handyman www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

OTish; Laptops
 

On 26/04/2015 19:33, The Medway Handyman wrote:
On 26/04/2015 13:21, Ronnie wrote:
On 26/04/2015 12:43, The Medway Handyman wrote:
On 26/04/2015 12:22, The Medway Handyman wrote:
Time has come to replace the tower PC with a laptop, so I'm after some
advice from the learned people here, since I'm a computer numpty.

I'm looking for something around 16". I don't play games (only
solitaire) I don't watch films or download music. Don't want a
touchscreen, much prefer keyboard/mouse.

I use Word & Excel frequently, sometime quite big documents. I surf the
net often & use e-mail a lot. We have 4G WiFi at home, probably won't
ever take it out, but will use upstairs in the office, on the deck &
downstairs in the lounge.

Reluctant to change from MS Windows simply because I know how to use
it.

Any advice on processor type, memory, make, supplier much appreciated.

Sorry, should have said, budget around the £500 mark.


This laptop is a beast for the price. I've used this firm for years,
they are very good.
Have a peek, this one is very good value for money and within your
budget.

http://www.cclonline.com/product/155...400-/NOT00530/


How would that compare to this?

http://www.ebuyer.com/662400-toshiba...ssg0e-008001en


A very usable computer, but if it was me, I'd install a 120GB SSD for
about £80 for system and programs and use the 1TB Hard drive supplied
and used as a backup drive.
The SSD will make it fly along in comparison to the internal drive supplied.

OTish; Laptops
 

"The Medway Handyman" wrote in message
...
Time has come to replace the tower PC with a laptop, so I'm after some
advice from the learned people here, since I'm a computer numpty.

I'm looking for something around 16". I don't play games (only solitaire)
I don't watch films or download music. Don't want a touchscreen, much
prefer keyboard/mouse.

I use Word & Excel frequently, sometime quite big documents. I surf the
net often & use e-mail a lot. We have 4G WiFi at home, probably won't
ever take it out, but will use upstairs in the office, on the deck &
downstairs in the lounge.

Reluctant to change from MS Windows simply because I know how to use it.

Any advice on processor type, memory, make, supplier much appreciated.

Why are you bothering?
I've got a laptop and a desktop and much prefer the desktop.
I've got big hands and the keys on the laptops are far too small for me.
I use the laptop with a mouse, the mouse thing on a laptop is ****.
I've a 22" monitor which I love, the smaller laptop screen is ****.
Just buy a cheap laptop and keep the desktop.
FFS don't blow 500 quid on one!
I got the laptop free btw. I would not buy one.

OTish; Laptops
 

On 26/04/2015 16:22, The Medway Handyman wrote:
On 26/04/2015 16:08, newshound wrote:
On 26/04/2015 13:21, Ronnie wrote:
On 26/04/2015 12:43, The Medway Handyman wrote:
On 26/04/2015 12:22, The Medway Handyman wrote:
Time has come to replace the tower PC with a laptop, so I'm after some
advice from the learned people here, since I'm a computer numpty.

I'm looking for something around 16". I don't play games (only
solitaire) I don't watch films or download music. Don't want a
touchscreen, much prefer keyboard/mouse.

I use Word & Excel frequently, sometime quite big documents. I surf
the
net often & use e-mail a lot. We have 4G WiFi at home, probably won't
ever take it out, but will use upstairs in the office, on the deck &
downstairs in the lounge.

Reluctant to change from MS Windows simply because I know how to use
it.

Any advice on processor type, memory, make, supplier much appreciated.

Sorry, should have said, budget around the £500 mark.


This laptop is a beast for the price. I've used this firm for years,
they are very good.
Have a peek, this one is very good value for money and within your
budget.

http://www.cclonline.com/product/155...400-/NOT00530/




One question is whether it's going to be basically a desktop
replacement, except that you can take it into the lounge, kitchen,
bedroom or whatever.

That's exactly what it is.

If you are taking it "on the road" and potentially
rattling around in your van then as others have suggested it might be
worth considering something like a Dell business model. A bit more
robust and "modular" with more replaceable bits.

That said I have a couple of Acer "consumer" models which I use for
consultancy in retirement, and one or other of them has been travelling
with me to sites and client offices for the past year without mechanical
problems. These have 15.6 inch screens: small enough to fit in a
briefcase, big enough for visibility, separate numeric pad, and DVD
drive. If I were shopping for a "home" laptop I might get the next
screen size up. Although you can always hook it up to a bigger monitor.

Good idea, I have a bigger monitor. Ta.



Of course (just to stick an oar in), an alternative strategy is to have
a smaller laptop (which is more portable) and a larger monitor with full
size keyboard on a desk, for when you need to do something more serious
than you might in front of the telly.

About 6 months ago, I got my external monitor at the same time as I
bought a tablet and the laptop now hardly leaves the desk, unless I'm
travelling for work and want to write in transit etc. The tablet is
just fine for all the web-based, email, etc (ie non-work) things. Apart
from coming here, as there's no decent news reader app.

Plugging it all up takes about 10 seconds (I just tried), so it's hardly
complex to remove or replace the laptop.

OTish; Laptops
 

"The Medway Handyman" wrote in message
...
On 26/04/2015 13:21, Ronnie wrote:
On 26/04/2015 12:43, The Medway Handyman wrote:
On 26/04/2015 12:22, The Medway Handyman wrote:
Time has come to replace the tower PC with a laptop, so I'm after some
advice from the learned people here, since I'm a computer numpty.

I'm looking for something around 16". I don't play games (only
solitaire) I don't watch films or download music. Don't want a
touchscreen, much prefer keyboard/mouse.

I use Word & Excel frequently, sometime quite big documents. I surf the
net often & use e-mail a lot. We have 4G WiFi at home, probably won't
ever take it out, but will use upstairs in the office, on the deck &
downstairs in the lounge.

Reluctant to change from MS Windows simply because I know how to use
it.

Any advice on processor type, memory, make, supplier much appreciated.

Sorry, should have said, budget around the £500 mark.


This laptop is a beast for the price. I've used this firm for years,
they are very good.
Have a peek, this one is very good value for money and within your
budget.

http://www.cclonline.com/product/155...400-/NOT00530/

How would that compare to this?

http://www.ebuyer.com/662400-toshiba...ssg0e-008001en

The first one has a significantly better cpu but half the ram.

The second one should be fine for you.

OTish; Laptops
 

On Sun, 26 Apr 2015 14:42:55 +0100
"Robin" wrote:

Davey wrote:
A docking station is a device that sits on the desk and provides all
connections for the laptop, which slides into it. Most (all?) of my
laptop's connections are on the sides, which would make it tricky to
design one, though.

?
All the docking stations I've used worked with a separate, dedicated
socket on the back of the laptop rather than the connections you
would use with the freestanding laptop. Otherwise they don't offer
much (if any) advantage over plugging in keyboard, monitor, power
supply and mouse separately. And crucially you lose the benefit of
saving on time which matters to business users who want to just
unplug and go.

But I query if the saving of time would justify the cost for TMH.

A company Dell I had once had such a port, but I see nothing like that
on my Samsung. But I would not bother with it anyway, I don't move the
PC around that much.

--
Davey.

OTish; Laptops
 

On Sun, 26 Apr 2015 14:20:44 +0100
Bill wrote:

In passing, I ought to say that I hate numeric keypads on laptops. On
all the ones I've tried, the touchpad always seems to be in the wrong
place in relation to the keyboard/screen etc.

Are you saying that the touchpad interferes with the keypad? I have had
no such problems with this Samsung, but I have had touchpad problems
with other laptops I have used.
Or do you mean something different?

--
Davey.

OTish; Laptops
 

http://www.cclonline.com/product/155...400-/NOT00530/





http://www.ebuyer.com/662400-toshiba...ssg0e-008001en


Probably a daft question, but do all modern laptops have WiFi built in?



--
Dave - The Medway Handyman www.medwayhandyman.co.uk