Deals of the day: Cheap laptops
These wallet-friendly PCs might not be suitable for cutting-edge 3D gaming, but for Web surfing, office work and photo editing on the go, they'll do you proud
After Christmas is always a terrific time to pick up a bargain laptop, and this year is no exception. These wallet-friendly PCs might not be suitable for cutting-edge 3D gaming, but for Web surfing, office work and photo editing on the go, they'll do you proud.
1. Asus Eee PC, £220 from Micro Anvika
The Eee PC isn't exactly your run-of-the-mill laptop. It uses a 4GB solid-state drive and ships with Linux installed rather than Windows. Its small size means you can take it anywhere, however, and the extremely low price means it's sure to become a firm favourite among bargain hunters.
2. Fujitsu Siemens Esprimo Mobile V5505, £430 from LambdaTek
If you're after a no-nonsense laptop with a very good specification for the price, you could do worse than check out this model from Fujitsu Siemens. It's got a 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo processor plus 2GB of memory and a 250GB hard drive, yet LambaTek is offering it for just a tad over £400.
3. HP Pavilion Notebook DV9385ea, £675 from Micro Direct
You can often pick up some real bargains by looking out for machines that are about to go out of production. This HP model is a good example. It's got a great 17-inch screen and comes with a digital TV tuner, but it's now available for under £700 despite the fact it was selling for around a grand a couple of months ago.
4. Asus X51RL-AP999, £440 from Ebuyer
Asus has a reputation for building machines that offer a good balance between price and performance and this attractive looking laptop continues the tradition. It's got a beefy 1.5GHz Core 2 Duo processor, a roomy 120GB hard drive and a decent 2GB helping of RAM, yet Ebuyer has it for just under £450.
5. Lenovo ThinkPad R61i, £370 from laptopsdirect
If you're after a laptop for work, it's hard to go wrong with one from the ThinkPad range. laptopsdirect has slashed over £90 off this model, but it still boasts an impressive spec for the price. Like most business laptops it has a matte screen, which is less prone to glare, and it's powered by a 1.4GHz Core 2 Duo processor with 1GB of RAM.