Laptop advice

Posted: Sat Feb 28, 2026 5:07pm

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Flyingduck81

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I am looking for advice on buying a new laptop. I currently have a Medion which has run over-hot since new despite "being repaired". I'm a tech dinosaur, I just want emails, to read The Mail (no sarcastic replies needed please), CBF, google, facebook, check weather forecasts, Word, link to my printer, just the usual things a lady of a certain age is likely to need or want.
It needs to be a laptop which doesn't have to sit on a cooling tray or leave scorch marks on my legs, with a Spanish keyboard. I don't need it to do any tricks or to expect me to do any either! Anything around the €500 mark considered.
Any help offered will be very much appreciated.

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Posted: Sat Feb 28, 2026 5:29pm

George55

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Posted: Sat Feb 28, 2026 5:29pm

Based on your requirements - do you actually need a laptop (with the additional cost that that entails)?

Could you not do with a netbook - I only have the MS suite on my old (work related) laptop - on the one I'm writing this I have LibreOffice (free). It's an Lenovo Ideapad 1 which will set you back a lot less than 500 Euros as it's now version 3 or something like that.

For all intents and purposes, it looks like a laptop with the keyboard etc. If buying online you'd need to be careful about it having the Spanish keyboard if that is a key factor.

I'm also a member of Jonathan Pye ES which will likely see you get something for less than half price if you are happy to go down that route (be aware of hammer premium etc). But as an example they have a laptop auction ongoing currently:

John Pye Auctions - LAPTOP DELL INSPIRON 14 PLUS 128GB (ORIGINAL RRP - €1145,76) IN SILVER. (WITH BOX + CHARGER. SEE IN PICTURES). I7-13620H, 16 GB RAM, 14.0" SCREEN, NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3050 [JPTZ25045]

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Posted: Sat Feb 28, 2026 5:51pm

Flyingduck81

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Posted: Sat Feb 28, 2026 5:51pm

George55 wrote on Sat Feb 28, 2026 5:29pm:
Based on your requirements - do you actually need a laptop (with the additional cost that that entails)?
Could you not do with a netbook - I only have the MS suite on my old (work related) laptop - on the one I'm writing this I have LibreOffice (free). It's an Lenovo Ideapad 1 which will set you back a lot less than 500 Euros as it's now version 3 or something like that....

Read more...

...
For all intents and purposes, it looks like a laptop with the keyboard etc. If buying online you'd need to be careful about it having the Spanish keyboard if that is a key factor.
I'm also a member of Jonathan Pye ES which will likely see you get something for less than half price if you are happy to go down that route (be aware of hammer premium etc). But as an example they have a laptop auction ongoing currently:
John Pye Auctions - LAPTOP DELL INSPIRON 14 PLUS 128GB (ORIGINAL RRP - €1145,76) IN SILVER. (WITH BOX + CHARGER. SEE IN PICTURES). I7-13620H, 16 GB RAM, 14.0" SCREEN, NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3050 [JPTZ25045]

Thanks George but I like a larger screen. I also need to use a mouse as my husband's i phone doesn't like me, everything is too small and touch screens just ignore me! I'm used to a lap top and the size of screen suits me. I spend a lot of time on it as my mobility is limited so I'm prepared to pay up to about €500 for something that will get heavy use almost daily.

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Posted: Sat Feb 28, 2026 7:43pm

Herefordjack

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Posted: Sat Feb 28, 2026 7:43pm

Get yourself down to your nearest Media Markt electronics store, which I believe is in Elche. They have a wide range of laptops on offer, and I've always found their sales assistants informative, helpful and not pushy. Usually one or more speaks English. Explain what you want and your budget, and I'm sure they will be able to help you.

Posted: Sat Feb 28, 2026 7:53pm

marcliff

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Posted: Sat Feb 28, 2026 7:53pm

Plenty of places with PCs at under that price range. Carrefour has a lot, Media Markt, AlCampo as well as loads of online.

If you have an Amazon account, you can order one from Amazon.co.uk and they will send it to you, complete all necessary customs forms, take off UK VAT and add Spanish IVA. The advantage of that is that it will work out cheaper, will have a UK keyboard instead of a Spanish one. The downside is that it could take up to 5 weeks for delivery.

Media Markt has an excellent Lenovo laptop going for €374 at the moment which will meet all your requirements (and more) plus you can order on line or pick up in store. Downside is the Spanish keyboard which is a bit fiddly. Although you can set it for a UK keyboard, some of the keys will be marked differently but keys will be in the same place as a UK one.

Posted: Sat Feb 28, 2026 7:58pm

Flyingduck81

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Posted: Sat Feb 28, 2026 7:58pm

Thanks all, we've just ordered one from Media Markt. It's an Acer down from €699 to €549. Fingers crossed.
Edit: Order got cancelled as out of stock and they still have our money!

Posted: Sun Mar 1, 2026 8:28am

RonTT

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Posted: Sun Mar 1, 2026 8:28am

Flyingduck81 wrote on Sat Feb 28, 2026 5:07pm:
I am looking for advice on buying a new laptop. I currently have a Medion which has run over-hot since new despite "being repaired". I'm a tech dinosaur, I just want emails, to read The Mail (no sarcastic replies needed please), CBF, google, facebook, check weather forecasts, Word, link to my pri...

Read more...

...nter, just the usual things a lady of a certain age is likely to need or want.
It needs to be a laptop which doesn't have to sit on a cooling tray or leave scorch marks on my legs, with a Spanish keyboard. I don't need it to do any tricks or to expect me to do any either! Anything around the €500 mark considered.
Any help offered will be very much appreciated.

Hi, you mentioned the laptop leaving "scorch marks on my knees", if you often sit with it on your knees beware you may well be covering the cooling fan and that results in the laptop overheating, if used on your knees/legs as a minimum set it on a tray/ hard table mat or something to allow free air flow and once in a while get a soft paint brush and clear the cooling vents of dust.

Also, never set it on a carpet or any other surface it will sink into as this restricts the air flow.

Posted: Sun Mar 1, 2026 8:31am

tebo53

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Posted: Sun Mar 1, 2026 8:31am

Flyingduck81 wrote on Sat Feb 28, 2026 7:58pm:
Thanks all, we've just ordered one from Media Markt. It's an Acer down from €699 to €549. Fingers crossed.
Edit: Order got cancelled as out of stock and they still have our money!

Good choice 👌

I had an Acer laptop for years!

Steve

Posted: Sun Mar 1, 2026 1:15pm

Cheryl

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Posted: Sun Mar 1, 2026 1:15pm

RonTT wrote on Sun Mar 1, 2026 8:28am:
Hi, you mentioned the laptop leaving "scorch marks on my knees", if you often sit with it on your knees beware you may well be covering the cooling fan and that results in the laptop overheating, if used on your knees/legs as a minimum set it on a tray/ hard table mat or something to allow free a...

Read more...

...ir flow and once in a while get a soft paint brush and clear the cooling vents of dust.
Also, never set it on a carpet or any other surface it will sink into as this restricts the air flow.

Thanks Ron, so laptop should read tray top! I realised from early on that my old pc got hot within minutes. It was sent back for repair and came back just the same. I sit in the most uncomfortable positions to keep the vents clear and using a tray makes no difference. Having belatedly checked reviews I was sold a dud. Today I opened it up and it has crashed! Now using husband's iPad so will have to take old pc in to computer shop when new one arrives and spend even more money getting old one back up and running and to transfer everything over.