Small-ish laptop for work

sergiup

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Hello folks, I'm looking to get a "new" laptop, ideally something around 13" with full HD screen or at least a reasonably high res one. Doesn't need to be powerful, but it needs to be relatively light (thinking Portege or ThinkPad kind of build).

It'll be used for VPN into work when I'm not at home (hence the higher resolution, I need the screen space), fiddling with my car via the ODBC interface, running calibration software for the AVR etc - so absolutely nothing taxing really.

I reckon I should be able to find something that suits second hand for around 200 - 250 and swap the HDD for an SSD later on, is that realistic? If so, can anyone recommend a better second hand seller and some models I should look for?

Thanks!
 
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I can thoroughly recommend the HP Stream 13! I have the 11, but guessing its the same but with a bigger screen.
HP Stream 13 Laptop (Horizon Blue) - HP Store UK

Currently £199 in PC World/Currys.

Comes with windows 8.1 and a 32GB EMMC drive, 2.16Ghz Celeron (Dual core), 2GB RAM, Bluetooth, wifi, 1 x USB 3.0 port and 1x USB 2.0 port, SD card slot for additional storage (card fits pretty much flush when inserted) and an HDMI output.

I use mine for web, office 365 etc, also streaming music & movies and it zips along! And it doesn't feel at all cheap! I love it.

Would be perfect for what you want it for I recon.
Battery also lasts around 6 - 7 hours.
Bargain :)
 
HP Envy X2 11-G030EA 11.6 Inch 64GB Windows 8.1 Laptop | Tablet with Keyboard Dock, take a look at this stunning Laptop worth a review can be found online for a little as £200 .. worth a look I've found one on the Clearance site from Argos for all places

Product Description
CPU, Memory and Operating System:
  • Intel Atom Z2760 processor.
  • 1.8GHz processor speed.
  • 2GB DDR3 RAM memory.
  • 64GB hard drive
  • Windows 8
Display features:
  • 11.6 inch display.
  • High definition display.
  • Resolution 1336 x 768 pixels.
Graphics:
  • Dedicated graphics.
  • Shared graphics.
  • Intel HD Graphics.
Interfaces and connectivity:
  • Secure Digital (SD) compatible.
  • 2 x USB 2.0 ports.
  • 1 HDMI port.
  • Bluetooth.
  • Wi-Fi enabled.
  • Multi-media features:
  • 1080MP built-in webcam.
  • Built-in mic.
  • Beats Audio sound system.
General features:
  • Up to 5-7 hours battery life.
  • Size H1.9, W30.3, D20.6cm.
  • Weight 1.41kg.
 

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@Alphamails I'm not sure what you are trying to put across here because you don't indicate a place to obtain from.
 
what ever you do DONT GET A HP STREAM, they are the cheaper laptops in hps (who are not a very good laptop manufacture take it from a tech) laptop choice, if you want a good laptop what will be reliable and you want it to last a long time check out Lenovos thinkpad choice
 
Thanks - I tend to avoid really cheap laptops precisely because they're obviously built to a low budget, and will generally have more faults because of that. I'll probably stick to a ThinkPad or a Portege, just need to find a reasonably priced second hand one that ticks the boxes.
 
Thanks - I tend to avoid really cheap laptops precisely because they're obviously built to a low budget, and will generally have more faults because of that. I'll probably stick to a ThinkPad or a Portege, just need to find a reasonably priced second hand one that ticks the boxes.
i hope you find a good one ;) anything with an i3 or above with 4gb of ram or more i would advise since they will be the ones that last, Pentiums, celerons, atoms all avoid since they are the ones found in budget systems, dont consider amd cpus for laptops since they run hotter which can often shorted the life of other components around it. if you are not doing anything like gaming or serious graphic demanding applications stick to Intel HD graphics since dedicated gpus shorten battery life and run hotter.
hope this helps!
 

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