Laptops > 512 MB Laptops > From 800 GBP to 1200 GBP

Advantages: Screen is brilliant quality.
Disadvantages: RAM is low.

This was bought for me as a company laptop in October 2006. Considering it was at the cheaper end of business laptops at the time it is not bad. Graphics are reasonable, although unsurprisingly no good for gaming. The 512mb of ram isn\'t really enough when trying to manipulate large documents. The effective ram is lower as the inbuilt graphics use some of the memory. The dual core make light work of most simple office task. For anyone looking at ...
...1gb of ram. The screen is crisp and clear, and the brightness levels are easily adjusted via the keyboard. It is very simple to use, and the mousepad is a comfortable distance from the keyboard. The build quality of the laptop is reasonable, although I have found the rubberised mouse buttons are starting to wear down after only a year of use. The casing has stood up to the odd bump into seats on the bus, or being dropped rather heavily in a bag. ... Read review

Advantages: Style, choice of finishes, weight, Dell brand
Disadvantages: Power socket on side,

...1525 to replace my current Dell desktop, an USFF Optiplex SX280. This is partly due to wanting to rid my life of clutter on a desk, and ultimately a desk, so this really will be used on my lap. As a result I have also specced it with the internal mobile broadband 3G/HDSPA card for Vodafone, so that I can access the internet, in theory, from anywhere. Since I am already a Vodafone customer I intend to add 3G use to the account and get rid of my BT ...
...I'm interested to see how well this will work in the real world. Initial impressions of the Inspiron are very good. I have chosen a gloss white finish on the lid, and it looks really smart. Nobody will actually be fooled into thinking it's an MacBook, but I like the simplicity of the colour and also the fact that, unlike the other colour choices available, it was free. Additionally there is no clip on the lid, just a hinge that snaps it shut, not ... Read review

Advantages: Complete package with good screen
Disadvantages: Powerhousing heating

I recuperated one of these here in France as "broken", after carefull inspection it seems the 512MB RAM module has had it and prevents the laptop of working properly. Considering the previous review, I would assume the overheating is a serious problem for the internal components and mainly for the memory modules which are located centraly, right next to a heat exhaust pipe. The laptop seems to be OK in all other respects but considering the heat ...
...some monitoring software to keep a tab on its overall heat dissipation. The screen seems to be of good quality, general good loook and finish, dual layer DVD reader/writer and all the built-in gimmicks you might wish for. Considering it was given to me as broken, only needing to buy a new RAM chip (and the machine can take up to 2GB of RAM) and a charger I would say it is a good deal. ... Read review

Advantages: Quality build
Disadvantages: Heavier than most

I have owned this one for 2 years and find it a pretty solid machine. The DVD/CD burner works good with the suplied program. Keyboard is full size keys which is a bonus. The screen does reflect the light but you can still see whats on it. Battery power I feel is poor, lasting only 1 3/4 hours. When on mains it does not get to hot even on your lap after a couple hours surfing. The hard drive being only 60gig can be filled up easily but regular backups ...
...and general computer work it fits a lot of holes but not fast enough for video rendering. Though it will cope with it. No problems with it though. This part is an add on to my main review. It is coming up to Three years that I have owned this laptop. I have had no problems other than the hard drive size. Although now I am using a external hard drive to store things. The drive is not full. It is almost three quarters full and does tend to run a bit ... Read review

Advantages: Price and simplicity.
Disadvantages: Speed, capacity, weight, and power.

...market. Having used the Acer series, especially this one, for a wide range of applications, I can safely say that unless all you ever want to do is word process, it is worth getting a better machine. I found that this computer is at its best when used as a networked machine, typing out word documents and then saving remotely at the end of the session - bear in mind that you will need to set aside a good few minutes to do so. Its wireless capabilities ...
...Anecdotal evidence suggests that the Acer Travelmate works well with Linux, either as a full install or on a partition. This will not, sadly, help any wireless matters, as getting wireless to work on any Linux system can prove to be a tearful experience for those unwilling to learn to code. In essence, this is a good, cheap word processor and wired internet browser. Don't expect anything more advanced from it. I bought an HP laptop around the same ... Read review