I need some help, my daughter need's a laptop is it better to buy from Dell or go to place's like Migros-Interdiscount to buy? any advice would be grateful

thanks

Well, it's hard to say... it really depends on what your daughter will do with the thing.

Given your question (which hints that you're probably not that much of an expert) I'd go with a big reseller such as Dell and invest some money on extended warranties and such. It will make your life easier if something goes wrong, plus it will be easier to get things like an UK/US keyboard.

You try these people...

http://www.pcdesigns.ch/401.html

I got a Dell some years back, battery now playing up- and the replacement is very expensive- like 400 CHF.

Assuming it's for school work I'd either get a Dell Latitude or Lenovo Thinkpad, you can get the Thinkpad from Digitec.

I think you'll pay above the odds in Interdiscount or Migros.

Sorry,

Interupted and didn't finish. MediaMarket Silhciti in Zurich have a large selection of laptops and desktops that you can go and look @. Sony although not the cheapest have brighter screens then your average laptop, cause they put two backlights in them (normally you get one). Makes a big difference if your going to using the thing in daylight.

Go for something with @ least 2m of memory, consider a blueray DVD- again Sony & Acer models come to mind. Consider HD screen resolution, your daughter will not need a TV too, the laptop will double, for years to come. Consider the weight and size. Seen an Acer ldaptop with hugh screen, but hey be careful- why do you want a laptop- if its cause you want portability big screens- no. Consider the weight too, how far has she got to carry the thing- I have a collegue who has just got an apple laptop for his wife and thinks its the fantasic, most of their models are light- this has downsides too, major compolent of laptop weight- battery... very light, very small battery, very limited time without direct power. Apple of course also run their version of UNIX, called Mac OS X. Will work perfectly with her Apple iPod, will be less prone to viruses then good ode Windows, but ultimately will have less software available on it, with available pool of software costing more money.

Hope that helps.

We bought a Dell last year, and our battery is getting low already as anyone got any suggestions how to keep the battery longer please.

Other than the battery problem i would recommend Dell.

Site seems to be down at the moment but interdiscount has a special on an acer dual core laptop with some decent specs at 800 CHF until the 25th of the month.

Certain this will suffice for more than your daughters needs.

http://www.interdiscount.ch/interdis...lim/detail.jsf

has the decision Mac vs. PC already been made? I'd strongly advice buying a mac if you have that choice. The hardware's better than the general Migros ultra-cheap stuff and the software just works. Your daughter might also be eligible for a student-discount. You'll find the macbook model lineup here: http://store.apple.com/ch-de/browse/...ok?mco=MTE3MjE
Also, you can use both Mac OS and Windows on Apple hardware (the Windows OEM license will set you back another 120 Fr., though). Most schools use Macs again - so do most Universities. I work for a Uni and see about 85% Macs and only 15% Windows on student computers.

As for Dell vs. Migros: Dell allows you to configure your computer the way you want it. In Migros, you buy standard setups. That said: Dell's shipping times are a nightmare and getting support can be terrible.

If it has to be a PC, go for an HP Compaq business model (not the Pavillion things) or a Lenovo Thinkpad. ARP Datacon (www.arp.ch) sells both. Don't buy Acer, Sony or Toshiba retail models.

Oh, and if you're on a budget and need a Windows PC: try www.notebox.ch - they have decent used notebook computers (incl. warranty)

peter

Sound advice IMO

I'm going to voice my opinion as a non techie here.

I agree with the above. Nothing but horror stories.

I'm also going to put my 2 cents in. I have had Dells for 6 years. I always THOUGHT I loved them. Well, that was until mine broke here. And I began to use the Mac of the people I live with.

Have to say. I LOVE it! Completely user friendly. None of that Windows crap that constantly fails on me. Plus, I'm sure your daughter would love the things you can do with the media. Photos, movies, games, etc.

I need a new laptop now. I WILL be purchasing a Mac laptop for sure.

What is wrong with Acer, Sony or Toshiba? Please expand on this statement?

Notebox have some very nice priced Thinkpads. Thinkpads generally are built like tanks and last a lot of daily ware. They can be expensive, but last a long time, with the advantage that second batteries are easy to come by. (Also, If you are considering a new Thinkpad I can pass on information of the Internal discount offers that Lenovo/IBM offer via PM)

Pat

I've both owned and supported notebook computers by these companies and had very bad experiences with hardware quality and customer support. They all have minimalistic support, use 3rd party companies to get their repairs done for them and have turn-around times of up to 6 weeks for minor problems.

I never liked any of their computers because cheap components led to bad battery life and excessive noise

peter

On Saturday 21 June 2008 for one day only, you can buy an Acer laptop from Interdiscount for Fr 599.

Brief specification:

• Intel Celeron 550SR 2.0 GHz processor
• 2048 MB DDR2 RAM
• DVD-Supermulti DL
• 120 GB harddisk

Consider a used one with Windows XP.
All new ones seem to have Vista only.

you have two options.

One - cheap and cheerful. That 599 deal looks good.
Two - more expensive and durable.

You must also consider what the sprog will use it for and of course there is the iPod generation side of things - if it is not cool enough, it won't be used.

You'll find Vista is actually ok. I would not pay for it separately but have it on two machines and it's fine. There is also a MacBook in the house - that's maybe what fashion will tell the little 'un to ask for.

I would go cheap & cheerful and make sure my insurance will cover it if it gets lost, stolen or dropped.

A note on Vista. When you buy a new PC and first turn it on you have a choice of languages it will configure itself in. You can ask for English. Beware however it only asks you once- so dont make the wrong selection..

not all do this.
but the ones that do this would have done it with XP too.

A celeron... brrrrrrrrr.....

As Lob said, either go dirt cheap (if it breaks down, whatever) or go close to the top of the range (they'll last longer).

Another point to discuss: in general you have two lines, consumer vs. business (macbook <--> macbook pro, lenovo <--> thinkpad). Consumer are in general cheaper, but they are built cheaply. Business models are more expensive but built to last: you should make sure that the premium price is worth for you. For example, the premium on a macbook pro is hardly justifiable for a normal use.

Last but not least, mac vs. pc: I am not impressed with the macbook's build quality. I had an iBook for 4 years and I loved it (installed linux right away though), build quality was excellent. Now that Apple switched to "stock" components, I have the impression that build quality slipped a bit.

Noone has suggested something like the eeePC: if your daughter only needs it to surf the internet, chat and email, the new 901 might be the winning choice.

You need to remember this won't run Vista.

As much as I love to advocate Linux if all her friends have Vista that's what she'll want too.