The Captain's hunt for a laptop

[CaptainCabinet]

I wonder if you can help me lads,

I'm looking for a laptop, but it has to be white. Don't ask why, it just does.

Other than that, I'm not looking for anything too groundbraking, my budget is just under £1000.

Unfortunately the only one I've found so far that isn't a Mac, is the Dell Inspiron 1525, which after a few/lots of bad comments about Dell I'm a tad loathed to go for.

Phattman has yielded this; http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.202-8787.aspx

And I've come across this; http://vaio.sony.co.uk/view/ShowProduct.action?product=VGN-CR21S%2FW&site=voe_en_GB_cons&pageType=Overview&category=VN+CR+Series

Any ideas/recommendations ladies and gents?

[Don Sweey]

What do you want the laptop for? Gaming will mean you want 2GB RAM, just going on the internet and doing school/college/uni work will mean 1GB doesn't limit you much.

Any specifications on the size of the laptop?

[CaptainCabinet]

Not at all really, anything will do. I basically will need it for mainly my music and generally home use so interwebz and the odd game (Football Manager mainly, sometimes The Sims etc, but nothing too taxing)

[PEM]

good thread CC, im also looking for a laptop, i saw this on play

click (http://www.play.com/PC/PCs/4-/3479654/Sony-Vaio-AR51E-Core-2-Duo-T7250-2-0GHz-2GB-200GB-17-WXGA+-DVD-SM-Vista-Home-Premium-Laptop-Notebook/Product.html)

May not be white but its very good value. I may get that but the warranty seems a bit expensive to me.

im still looking so if anyone can find a good laptop which has

1gb ram (minimum)
2.0 ghz(preferable)
60GB HDD (minimum)

this is what im looking for at the least. ive got around £600 that can stretch to £700 if its too good. any ideas?

[Don Sweey]

That laptop from Play would suit both of you absolutely perfectly. Might be able to get it or a similar one cheaper from Scan (http://www.scan.co.uk) or Dabs (http://www.dabs.co.uk) though. Worth looking on both.

[martin_cranie]

You're a bastard, PEM. My finances were looking good until you made me order that Vaio from Play. :(

[Jesus]

I'd go for the Play.com laptop, though it being rather pricey, if I were you.

Or is that the normal price in England?

[PEM]

You're a bastard, PEM. My finances were looking good until you made me order that Vaio from Play. :(
Haha, you should be happy i got you a superb deal. :ninja: you wont regret it, i may get that or the i book, not too sure yet.

[CaptainCabinet]

Whilst that Play.com laptop is a good one, and would suit me, it actually does have to be white. I know this sounds stupid, but that's me.

The Viao I posted is top of the list at the moment, should be more than enough for a what I need for a while. I've found it for £800 on Dabs.

Though any others that are discovered I would not shake a fist at. Cheers lads.

Edit:
After a bit of looking today I've found these;

http://www.play.com/PC/PCs/4-/3360557/Sony-Vaio-VGN-N31Z-W-Core-2-Duo-1-66GHz-T5500-2GB-120-GB-DVD+-RW-DL-RAM-15-4-Vista-Home-Premium-Laptop-Notebook/Product.html

http://www.comet.co.uk/cometbrowse/product.do?sku=419621#

Is it me, or is the N31Z from Play.com, cheaper..and better?

[Nifty1Pound50]

Clearly, before we assist you further, you have to reveal the reason it has to be white.

My guess is so that the stains don't show up?

[Don Sweey]

Whilst that Play.com laptop is a good one, and would suit me, it actually does have to be white. I know this sounds stupid, but that's me.

The Viao I posted is top of the list at the moment, should be more than enough for a what I need for a while. I've found it for £800 on Dabs.

Though any others that are discovered I would not shake a fist at. Cheers lads.

Edit:
After a bit of looking today I've found these;

http://www.play.com/PC/PCs/4-/3360557/Sony-Vaio-VGN-N31Z-W-Core-2-Duo-1-66GHz-T5500-2GB-120-GB-DVD+-RW-DL-RAM-15-4-Vista-Home-Premium-Laptop-Notebook/Product.html

http://www.comet.co.uk/cometbrowse/product.do?sku=419621#

Is it me, or is the N31Z from Play.com, cheaper..and better?

The CR21S has a faster processor (2Ghz v 1.66Ghz), bigger hard drive (160GB v 120GB), more graphics memory (358MB v 224MB), faster Front Size Bus (800Mhz v 667Mhz though the difference you'll notice will be minimal), one more USB port and probably a couple of other little things.

[CaptainCabinet]

The CR21S has a faster processor (2Ghz v 1.66Ghz), bigger hard drive (160GB v 120GB), more graphics memory (358MB v 224MB), faster Front Size Bus (800Mhz v 667Mhz though the difference you'll notice will be minimal), one more USB port and probably a couple of other little things.

Clearly I'm incredibly blind then! I think I'm going to go with the VGN-N31Z it seems more than enough for what I'll need.

[martin_cranie]

Stupid question time: I've noticed that the optical drive on the Vaio PEM linked is a 'DVD-SM Super Multi'. I've never heard of this. Where does it stand compared to the usual range of DVD+/-RW et al?

[Don Sweey]

A super multi is able to read and write dual layer DVDs (8.5GB) and has support for DVD-RAM which writes data in a fashion more similar to hard drives and floppy discs and, I believe, has a dual layer capacity of 9.5GB. This can eliminate the need for DVD writing software - Windows XP had some DVD-RAM support allowing you to read, write and delete files as if you were using a hard drive instead of a DVD). A DVD +/- RW can only read and write single layer DVDs (4.7GB) on DVD+R and DVD-R media. I'm pretty sure there's no difference between a "super multi" and a "DVD +/- RW DL" (the DL stands for Dual Layer)

Definition of DVD-RAM:

DVD-RAM is a DVD (optical disc) technology for high-capacity data storage for computers. Like ordinary random access memory (RAM), it can be repeatedly read, written to, and erased. Intended mostly for removeable computer storage, DVD-RAM provides the capabilities of Rewriteable CD (CD-RW) - users can run programs from the discs, copy files to them and rewrite or delete them. However, with a storage capacity of up to 9.4 gigabytes (GB) per double-sided disc, DVD-RAM has many times the capacity of CD-RW.

DVD-RAM discs can be rewritten 100,000 times, 100 times more than either DVD-RW or DVD+RW, the other two rewritable DVD formats. DVD-RAM drives can usually read both DVD Video discs and DVD-ROM discs, as well as any type of CD. Like other rewriteable DVD formats, DVD-RAM uses phase change recording, in which varying laser intensities cause targeted areas in the phase change recording layer to alternate between an amorphous and a crystalline state.

There's a possibility I'm ever so slight inaccurate in this post about there being no difference between a super multi and DVD +/- RW DL but all the DVD +/- RW DL drives I've found state that they have DVD-RAM support.