Is it worth taking my US laptop?

I'm not super familiar with the way the power and all that stuff goes, but we have a laptop that is probably about 5 years old and didn't know if this would be worth taking or if we could even adapt the power to make it work?  Anyone have any ideas?  It's not a great laptop, it just is a basic one so I wouldn't be heartbroken not to take it.  Especially if you can get a computer (laptop or desktop) that is decent for a good price. 

Oh, sure. They're made to travel. You unplug the US-style plug from the transfomer and plug in one of those hefty UK ones and you're good to go.

Hi,

My girlfriend brought her US laptop over, and just had to change out the power cord so it would fit into a UK electrical socket.  The power adapter itself (the box-like thing that regulates power going to the computer) can work with US or UK power.

Take a look at the label on your power adapter.  If it says something like "INPUT: 100-240V 50-60Hz" it will work in both places.

good luck,
Carl

I'll give it a look and make sure.  That is good news!  Thanks!!

If it's old and you're thinking about getting a new one - I'd strongly advise you to buy one in the US, as computer prices are really high in the UK - the same PC that's $400 in the US can be £400 in the UK!  I bought my MacBook in San Francisco and just bought a special converter kit from the Apple store so I can plug it in here with no problems - it was about £27.

YES!!! They are so much cheaper in the US and you can get a power converter cable so the wattage is no problem.
 

Yeah, check your power adapter to see if it can handle 240 volts.

With my macbook, which I bought in the US, I can plug the two pronged power cord straight into a UK adaptor plug and it works great (no transformer required!). 

i too can use my laptop here, its a dell. i just had to have the adapoter but not the voltage converter.. the lady at currys told me that i was scared i would blow up my laptop lol but she was right... amy

With my macbook, which I bought in the US, I can plug the two pronged power cord straight into a UK adaptor plug and it works great (no transformer required!). 

We could technically do this as well (and have in other places) but our sockets are all at floor level, so without the UK plug (which is just that quarter of the brick that slides off so that you can put the extension cord on), the brick won't fit anywhere near the outlet!

I have a Dell and I just cut off my US plug and picked up a Uk one and just connected the wires.  No problems and it cost me about a quid.  Working fine for years.

I have a Dell too and just use a plug convertor with it. No problems...

Most of the newer laptop power units are designed for "universal" supplies, and will run without manual adjustment on anything from about 90 to 250 volts.   Just check the markings on the unit itself. 

Very good to know.  I can't see us buying a new one at the moment.  But that might be something we would do in the future if ours decides not to work anymore.  Thanks for all the responses!

YES!!! They are so much cheaper in the US and you can get a power converter cable so the wattage is no problem.
 

I agree.  It's sooooo much cheaper to get one in the US.  The only downside is that you don't have the £ key, but you can just switch the keyboard options within the computer to get it.  Better to have a laptop than to not have one.

I agree.  It's sooooo much cheaper to get one in the US. 

I'd run the number somewhere like Dell that sells similar products in both countries.

It used to be that things were nearly half price in the US but even with he exchange rate this isn't true any more.  Computers are still cheaper in the states but it's not quite the no-brainer it used to be.

Things I'd check:

- Exactly how much am I saving (bearing in mind that the sticker price in the US is before tax.)

- Will the warranty transfer to the UK?

- And with laptops do you mind having a US keyboard?