Laptops - brand recommendations

[DavePa]

When I started here some years ago the laptop purchasing policy was "Whatever is cheapest" and there were Acer, Toshiba, HP, Compaq, Dell, Samsung and various others floating around. I persuaded them that single manufacturer would be easier as, apart from anything else, there would be compatibility between power supplies! HP has been the way forward since then but the 455g2 (which we have occasionally purchased for as little as £290 - and then got £50 cashback!) is no more and has been replaced by the 455g3. Problem here is that the 455g3 incorporates a touchscreen which a) makes it about £100 more expensive and b) is not ideal for education.

 

What are people's thoughts on laptops? Some things I will buy locally, some from smaller companies but some - like laptops - are expected to be well known brands. Would you stick with HP or switch to another - and if switch, who to? Lenovo? Toshiba? Dell? I'm looking for low cost laptops, most of ours have 4gb RAM, an i3 or AMD processor, 15.6" screen and a rotational HDD. £300 each is a lot more achievable than £400 each!

[ICTDirect_Dave]

I'd personally say £235 for a refurb Dell, HP or Lenovo, something Second Gen i5 with a brand new SSD popped in there. Something like a HP 8560 Elitebook, Dell Latitude 6520 or Lenovo T520. All great robust machines form the top of the line. with a 2 year warranty you can't go wrong

[LeMarchand]

Generally go HP or Dell - but HP are generally more affordable! Not sure I agree with the power supply comment though - the last lot we had were yet another different design. Just had a bunch that match your spec apart from i5/128GB SSD with 3 yr NBD onsite for a tad over £300.

[DavePa]

I'd personally say £235 for a refurb Dell, HP or Lenovo, something Second Gen i5 with a brand new SSD popped in there. Something like a HP 8560 Elitebook, Dell Latitude 6520 or Lenovo T520. All great robust machines form the top of the line. with a 2 year warranty you can't go wrong

 

Problem with refurbs is consistency - I'm trying to get a budget approved where we will potentially be purchasing 100+ a year and I'd like them to all be a single brand and a broadly similar specification. For one-off laptops I have no such concerns but at that volume I'd like some commonality for the next few years

[DavePa]

Generally go HP or Dell - but HP are generally more affordable! Not sure I agree with the power supply comment though - the last lot we had were yet another different design. Just had a bunch that match your spec apart from i5/128GB SSD with 3 yr NBD onsite for a tad over £300.

 

The 455g1 power supply works with both the g1 and g2 variants although the g2 power supply only works with the g2 but even so, having 60 similar laptops at one site means we only need 3 or 4 spare PSUs for when people forgot theirs!

 

That's a good spec and better price for the ones you bought, can you share the source?

[VeryPC_Colin_M]

How about us UK system builders @DavePa? We may not be as cheap as the Tier 1s but we're definitely consistent and competitive. In fact, demand is growing.

[LeMarchand]

PM sent.

 

That said, I've dealt with both the lovely sponsors above and have been very impressed. In fact, Very were just "sniped" at the last moment for the laptops.

[ICTDirect_Dave]

Problem with refurbs is consistency - I'm trying to get a budget approved where we will potentially be purchasing 100+ a year and I'd like them to all be a single brand and a broadly similar specification. For one-off laptops I have no such concerns but at that volume I'd like some commonality for the next few years

 

We're very consisted with refurbs, it's our business to.

 

You want 100 identical Dell laptops, no problem, I've don'e that a dozen times this year already. We've sold over 3000 E6420's in the last year. Prices will only decrease also, 2nd gen i5 will drop next year into the £150 bracket and the £200 bracket will have the 3rd gen version in place of it. We can get all of the big three vendors top of the line laptops no problem. 3rd gen i5 is our current ceiling, but in 6-10 months we'll be offering a Haswell solution I'm sure

[ReBoot]

I've just bought a bunch of these (HP Pro Book 450 G2) from Birmingham Laptop Shop, Gaming PCs, Components & Accessories | Box.co.uk - now discontinued by HP but as far as I can tell very similar to the new Pro Book 450 G3. Good price at £287.49 ex VAT.

 

Intel Core i5-5200U Dual Core Processor

15.6" HD Screen

Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64-bit (Need to upgrade to whatever OS you prefer through EES)

4GB DDR3 RAM

500GB HDD

DVD Rewriter

Integrated Graphics

USB3 | HDMI | Bluetooth |

P5S40ES#ABU

 

HP ProBook 450 G2, P5S40ES#ABU

 

Very pleased with them - so is the HT as I saved him some cash !