Options
laptop help
sirog
Posts: 315 Forum Member
✭
Could anyone recommended a decent laptop that has Microsoft office included. My budget is at the lower end. The laptop would be used my daughter for web surfing and doing her homework.
0
Comments
That might save a few pennies to put towards the cost of the laptop.
Probably cheaper just buying the laptop you want and then buying a copy of office. You might even be able to get a copy of office discounted from your daughters school. And a lot of businesses are part of the Microsoft Home Program. I got a copy of Office 2014 for about 8 quid
I just thought things would be easier if office came installed. My budget is £250 tops. Screen size would be anything between 11 and 15'6. A touchscreen would be nice. There are loads to look at but I don't know what would be the best value. Would a Chromebook be OK and the new HP stream looks good. Any advise would be gratefully appreciated
https://office.com/start/default.aspx?WT.mc_id=Office_Products_site
You could also use Office Online on a Windows laptop.
A full copy of Office could cost more than you are budgeting to spend on the laptop! There is Office 365 which is a subscription service.
http://office.microsoft.com/en-gb/products/buy-office-365-personal-FX104160403.aspx
But as I posted something like LibreOffice would give you pretty much the same functionality as Microsoft Office for just a bit of investment in time downloading the installer and clicking on the downloaded file to install it.
Up your budget for touchscreen, or look at her phone and decide if you think it's a good idea.
This is bang on budget
http://www.ebuyer.com/638622-lenovo-b50-70-laptop-mcc27uk
cashback is only valid today, must be redeemed direct between 30 & 60 days. Use Libre Office as suggested or go the Academic licence route for a few quid extra.
That's an exceptional spec for the price. I've had a Lenovo for a couple of months now, and, apart from a couple of minor peculiarities, it's a very good machine. I've also found, after doing a fair bit of reading, that Windows 8.1 is a nice OS, it just takes a bit of getting used to.
If you want a Chrome machine then either one of these two would be a good buy - the HP 14-q011sa for £227: http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/Hewlett_Packard_CHROMEBOOK_CEL_2955U_F8R69EA/version.asp or the Acer Aspire One C720P £250: http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/Acer_AO_C720P_Touch_11.6_INCH_Intel_2955U_2GB_16GB_SSD_Shared_No_Opt_4_cell_NX.MJAEK.002/version.asp
Windows laptops now and I've narrowed it down to four, all with 4GB RAM. First up is the 15.6 inch HP 255 G2 £225 and this machine has a DVD drive (although it says the processor (CPU) is quad core, it's a slow AMD and not be confused with a fast Intel i7 quad core which is a different CPU entirely): http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/HP_255_G2_Quad_Core_4GB_500GB_15.6_inch_Windows_8.1_Laptop_in_Black__F7X81EA/version.asp
Next is the very cheap Toshiba Satellite Pro C50-A-1MM. This is another 15.6 inch machine but without a DVD drive and 2 x USB 2.0 slots £174: http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/Toshiba_Satellite_Pro_C50-A-1MM_4GB_500GB_Windows_8.1_Laptop_in_Black__PSCG7E-038041EN/version.asp
Thirdly is the Advent Tacto and this particular one is a PC World refurb (with a full 12 month g'tee) 11.6 inch touchscreen with 2 x USB 3.0 slots £230: http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/laptops-netbooks/laptops/refurbished-laptops/advent-tacto-refurbished-11-6-touchscreen-laptop-silver-21932128-pdt.html
Last up is the Asus K55A 15.6 inch and this is another refurb with a 12 month g'tee from the Asus shop with 2 x USB 3.0 slots. This is being sold very cheaply by Asus for £237.15 and note stock is limited: http://eshop.asus.com/en-GB/refurbished/refurbished-laptops/refurbished-asus-k55a-notebook-15-6-intel-celeron-b820-4gb-ram-320gb-hdd-gbp-en-gb-90n89a315e68125d138y.html
It's very hard to choose between all these 6 models because at this price point performance is sadly lacking. I have chosen models where the performance is good for the price but none of the machines are capable of any heavy multi-tasking although all will be fine for light use as detailed in the OP.
Both the Chrome machines are excellent for what they do and either one would suit if this is what your daughter would like, although as you know there is very limited storage in these type of lightweight laptops and everything is cloud based.
Of the Windows laptops, well if you want a DVD drive there is only the HP. I included the Toshiba because for the price of £174 it is good value. The Advent refurb touchscreen is quite nice and if you want a touchscreen but don't fancy a Chrome machine this would be a good buy. The Asus refurb is a classy bit of kit, and the price is excellent.