Buying a new Dell Laptop help

Hi Guys,

as you can probably guess from the title, i am a newbie and a complete amateur when it comes to laptops. I have no idea on the differences with all the cpr, ram, intel core duo etc stuff. basically, i am looking to buy a new laptop. i am currently using one thats 10 yrs old and its on its last legs but its lasted me a very long time so i am very happy with that.

anyway, to cut the long story short, my friend went out and bought this lovely looking acer laptop. it had everything on it and a lovely screen too. i was amazed she got it for £299 brand new! trouble was that it lasted only 5 and a half months before her hard drive melted and so lost everything which she was told now cant be saved! so we researched the laptop and found out most acers are poorly made and its a common problem. now we looked at a lot of forums and asked in some shops and most seem to agree that Dell make the best all round laptops. so i thought, ok, great, ive narrowed it down only to realise there are hundreds to chose from!

what im looking for is a very durable laptop, well made and will last me a long time. it must be powerful, super quick and easily load programs without waiting years like i currently do! i watch a lot of films on my laptop and my daughter uses it for youtube and gaming so im guessing it will have to be really well made if its to last a few years. i have a budget of £500 and was wondering what you guys would recommend with your expertise. i myself have been reading reviews and the dell studio 17 does seem to be a very good laptop although it is a bit over my budget but i could get it cheaper on ebay.

anyone who can give any advice, i would appreciate it very much so!

many thanks

 

Hey I'm new as well and in the same position as you, just that I'm looking into the studio xps 16. Only problem is the common issues, but it's a 16 incher and looks heaps better than the normal studio IMO. I'm not sure but I think it'd be cheaper than the 17 but still think you should check it out.

 

Hedgehogman - hey mate. i checked out the studio 16. the spec of the studio 17 seems to be bigger in everything, including battery life which is quite important to me, but the studio 16 looks wise looks amazing. the main difference i can see is the chipset. i have no idea what that is but they both have different completely different chipsets. other then that, the specs look the same except he 17 seems to be bigger in its spec.

both are of very similar reviews with the studio 17 having a fraction better but saying that, surprisingly the studio 17 starts at £629 and the studio 16, which i thought had less of a spec, starts from £699! these kind of things do my head in as after reading it all and making a conclusion, the price comes and throws another trick question at you!