Oh great and knowledgeable ones......
SWMBO and me have decided to buy our daughter a new Laptop for Xmas, but I'm having difficulty deciding which one to buy. We are looking to spend around the £300 mark, but obviously want the best laptop for this price.
In fact I seem to be completely out of the loop concerning specs for laptops these days, I have seen this one at Currys http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/acer-aspire-e1-570-15-6-laptop-21732510-pdt.html (http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/acer-aspire-e1-570-15-6-laptop-21732510-pdt.html) and this one at E-Buyer http://www.ebuyer.com/579021-hp-probook-4545s-laptop-h5k12ea-abu (http://www.ebuyer.com/579021-hp-probook-4545s-laptop-h5k12ea-abu)
But I seem to be getting confused by all the differences in Processor details these days, i.e. the differences between I3, I5 and AMD processors. I know the Celerons are, basically, rubbish, but which AMD ones are higher spec these days??
Any help would be appreciated, I'm fine when it comes to Memory and Hard Drive stuff and other specs, but it's just the Processor specs I'm confused about.
Regards
Neal.
First question I would ask, is what is she going to use it for?
If it is just for twitter or facebook then a tablet would be better as they are more portable.
cheers John.
Quote from: scotsoft on November 18, 2013, 09:37:08 PM
First question I would ask, is what is she going to use it for?
If it is just for twitter or facebook then a tablet would be better as they are more portable.
cheers John.
John,
Did ask her that, if she'd prefer a tablet, but she needs a laptop for 6th Form college work etc.
Cheers
Neal.
John's question is a very good one. Salespeople will convince you you need the biggest one they've got in the showroom!
Have a wonder around this site
http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/bct/laptops-and-netbooks/acer-laptops?&isort=price (http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/bct/laptops-and-netbooks/acer-laptops?&isort=price)
I've bought several Toshiba's from them over the years and I've found the service is good. My current one is over 5 years old. Even the refurbished one my daughter bought is still going strong after about four years. You just might get more for your money.
Usual statement - no connection to the firm, just had very good, quick service from them over the years.
Of the two you list ... while I'd prefer to say "the Intel one" it's both more expensive and the OS doesn't say if it's 64-bit or not. The AMD is cheaper and being 64-bit will use all the RAM.
So - I'd plump for AMD here.
Like Jack says Laptops Direct are a good company and you should get more bang for your bucks there, I have had 2 Laptops off them before and there returns were good when I received a dud and it was not Laptops Directs fault, I got a good service all round.
But before you buy always check reviews on the model you want to buy.
Dunno much about 'puters but the I.T. guy at our company said that Toshibas were best so that's what I am using (Satellite model) with AMD and Windows 7
Also take a look at morgancomputers.co.uk . You can pick up Windows 7 laptops for very decent prices for the specification. Right now in fact often less than "brand" tablets.
There are some very good deals on XP laptops as XP is Xterminated in April or so (no support, no security fixes) which is great for Linux users 8). Windows 7 bargains vary in number and choice according to what they have around.
The only other thing to know if buying for Windows with refurb laptops is that many come with Windows 7 Pro. Minesweeper is not missing, you just have to enable the games!
Alan
Quote from: EtchedPixels on November 18, 2013, 10:30:17 PM
Also take a look at morgancomputers.co.uk . You can pick up Windows 7 laptops for very decent prices for the specification. Right now in fact often less than "brand" tablets.
Alan
Oooohh Alan, you naughty boy :D :D :D
You've got me all of a quiver now with this one I saw on morgan computers http://www.morgancomputers.co.uk/product_detail/14520/Toshiba-Portege-R700-13-3-Ultrabook-i5-520M-2-4Ghz-4GB-RAM-320GB-HDD-Win7-Pro-DVD-RW/ (http://www.morgancomputers.co.uk/product_detail/14520/Toshiba-Portege-R700-13-3-Ultrabook-i5-520M-2-4Ghz-4GB-RAM-320GB-HDD-Win7-Pro-DVD-RW/) which I think looks to have a pretty good spec......
But should I buy my daughter another 2nd hand machine, as she already has one from Student Computers. Admittedly it has lasted her the best part of 3 years, before the keyboard finally started falling apart. She has set her heart on a new machine, but for the money I might just get her a refurbished one again. But on the other hand, is that a false economy?? I mean buying her a refurb'd one and then in 2 -3 years having to replace that one as well :hmmm: :hmmm:
Thanks for all the advice so far chaps & chapessess, keep it coming.
Regards
Neal.
Im no expert on laptops, however one thing I can say, avoid currys and PC world.
They may look good on price, but once your out the door aftersales service, help advice, support proper sucks..........
Pray you have no technical or warranty issues with the machine. You will find the door firmly closed regarding any help!
Just my own experience, but beware and think of a good warranty on any machine you buy.........
Good luck :thumbsup:
I work for Intel. I'd prefer not to express opinions on specific laptops, x86 processors or OEMs except machines I've specifically owned and used. Wouldn't want to be seen as biased.
Alan
If you are considering something different . . .
Mac Book Air may be loads more expensive but it looks so cool and is a tough as old boots. Plus it is much less hassle to install upgrades and there are significantly less viruses etc about than for the PC environment (I do not pay for a virus checker etc)
Lost track of the number of times I've dropped mine (once down stairs :ouch:) and there are virtually no scratches/dents on it (it is almost 4 years old). Mine gets a lot of use. They have a much higher resale value too. I get my Mac stuff from the Apple UK on-line refurbished shop where you can make some significant savings on stock that has hardly been used.
But appreciate it is not a PC and the majority of the world still revolves around Microsoft :( (and there are fewer games too)
Quote from: EtchedPixels on November 18, 2013, 10:30:17 PM
... as XP is Xterminated in April or so (no support, no security fixes)
Noooooooooooo!! :'(
Paul
Sometimes I wonder.. you are on a forum for advice but when inundated with suggestions, could end up more confused! :-\
Like NPN, I just go with what works when it comes to IT.
I do know that on my recent trip to UK and Europe, tablets seemed to be flavour of the (2) months. :thumbsup:
Quote from: Calnefoxile on November 18, 2013, 09:28:57 PM
Oh great and knowledgeable ones......
SWMBO and me have decided to buy our daughter a new Laptop for Xmas, but I'm having difficulty deciding which one to buy. We are looking to spend around the £300 mark, but obviously want the best laptop for this price.
In fact I seem to be completely out of the loop concerning specs for laptops these days, I have seen this one at Currys http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/acer-aspire-e1-570-15-6-laptop-21732510-pdt.html (http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/acer-aspire-e1-570-15-6-laptop-21732510-pdt.html) and this one at E-Buyer http://www.ebuyer.com/579021-hp-probook-4545s-laptop-h5k12ea-abu (http://www.ebuyer.com/579021-hp-probook-4545s-laptop-h5k12ea-abu)
But I seem to be getting confused by all the differences in Processor details these days, i.e. the differences between I3, I5 and AMD processors. I know the Celerons are, basically, rubbish, but which AMD ones are higher spec these days??
Any help would be appreciated, I'm fine when it comes to Memory and Hard Drive stuff and other specs, but it's just the Processor specs I'm confused about.
Regards
Neal.
Hi Neil,
We recently bought Mollie the following laptop for 6th Form and she loves it. Runs Windows 8.1 well and has a good screen/keyboard. For the price it is a steal. Although it says "refurbished" it comes like new.
http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/refurbished-laptops/acer-aspire-v5-171-refurbished-11-6-laptop-silver-21302079-pdt.html (http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/refurbished-laptops/acer-aspire-v5-171-refurbished-11-6-laptop-silver-21302079-pdt.html)
Hope this helps.
Paddy
Quote from: Paddy on November 19, 2013, 08:23:52 AM
Hi Neil,
We recently bought Mollie the following laptop for 6th Form and she loves it. Runs Windows 8.1 well and has a good screen/keyboard. For the price it is a steal. Although it says "refurbished" it comes like new.
http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/refurbished-laptops/acer-aspire-v5-171-refurbished-11-6-laptop-silver-21302079-pdt.html (http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/refurbished-laptops/acer-aspire-v5-171-refurbished-11-6-laptop-silver-21302079-pdt.html)
Hope this helps.
Paddy
Paddy,
Many thanks for that link, I did look at that but sort of dismissed it, due to the lack of an optical drive.
Does the lack of an optical drive cause any issues?? How do you install any software?? or even, dread the thought, rebuild it when Windows comes crashing to a halt :hmmm: :hmmm:
Cheers
Neal.
Quote from: Calnefoxile on November 19, 2013, 08:44:13 AM
Quote from: Paddy on November 19, 2013, 08:23:52 AM
Hi Neil,
We recently bought Mollie the following laptop for 6th Form and she loves it. Runs Windows 8.1 well and has a good screen/keyboard. For the price it is a steal. Although it says "refurbished" it comes like new.
http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/refurbished-laptops/acer-aspire-v5-171-refurbished-11-6-laptop-silver-21302079-pdt.html (http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/refurbished-laptops/acer-aspire-v5-171-refurbished-11-6-laptop-silver-21302079-pdt.html)
Hope this helps.
Paddy
Paddy,
Many thanks for that link, I did look at that but sort of dismissed it, due to the lack of an optical drive.
Does the lack of an optical drive cause any issues?? How do you install any software?? or even, dread the thought, rebuild it when Windows comes crashing to a halt :hmmm: :hmmm:
Cheers
Neal.
Hi Neal,
There is a rebuild image on the hard disk if required. As for the optical drive, 95%+ of the software Mollie needs is downloadable. The only thing I had to install was Microsoft Office and I accessed the CD from my wife's laptop over the network. If you don't have that capability then an external USB drive can be bought.
Mollie wanted the portability as she has so much to carry at 6th Form. As for Curry's I have only used their after sales service once on a TV stand we bought and they were excellent. In terms of PC support I have worked in that field all my life so do this myself. Mind you Mollie is studying ICT so she is my iPadiwyn! :-)
Paddy
Quote from: newportnobby on November 18, 2013, 10:14:27 PM
Dunno much about 'puters but the I.T. guy at our company said that Toshibas were best so that's what I am using (Satellite model) with AMD and Windows 7
I used to swear by Tosh's ... got one from work, and these days I swear
at it ... keeps locking up for no reason; colleagues have the same issue, some not as much, some a lot worse.
Never had this level of aggro with <gasp> Dell ... !!!
Quote from: Calnefoxile on November 18, 2013, 11:27:11 PM
But on the other hand, is that a false economy?? I mean buying her a refurb'd one and then in 2 -3 years having to replace that one as well :hmmm: :hmmm:
Frankly - if it's lasted 3 years it's due to be replaced ...
Quote from: Calnefoxile on November 19, 2013, 08:44:13 AM
I did look at that but sort of dismissed it, due to the lack of an optical drive.
It has USB ports - what's the problem ??? If she needs a CD/DVD drive, get a USB 3 one ...
Its about £15 for a USB DVD writer these days.
They are not really that relevant - they only store 4GB, they take ages to write, they are slow and USB sticks are cheaper. I very very rarely use mine nowdays.
What you do want to invest in is some kind of backup arrangement, especially if the laptop has an SSD (solid state drive), the SSD drives tend to die without warning unlike hard disks where you often get some clue of impending failure. Cloud based, USB sticks, USB hard drive - whatever.
And check the backups work!
Steer clear of Sony Viaos, I had one a few years ago, absolute rubbish. I should have spotted the warning signs when I opened the box, all the enclosed bumph referred to "your new computer", the Sony name wasn't mentioned anywhere. I have had Sony shortwave radios which were pretty good, but the Sony branded laptop was junk. :(
Quote from: EtchedPixels on November 19, 2013, 11:49:42 AM
Its about £15 for a USB DVD writer these days.
They are not really that relevant
I know where you're coming from, and agree USB memory drives are better for storage - but I was thinking
reading from CD/DVD ... installing stuff.
Mike
Quote from: MikeDunn on November 19, 2013, 12:13:15 PM
Quote from: EtchedPixels on November 19, 2013, 11:49:42 AM
Its about £15 for a USB DVD writer these days.
They are not really that relevant
I know where you're coming from, and agree USB memory drives are better for storage - but I was thinking reading from CD/DVD ... installing stuff.
Mike
How quaint 8)
The windows model has gone strongly download based of late. Steam for games, Windows 8 store etc (which is mandatory for some types of app install), downloads for a lot of other software. Last time I was unfortunate enough to have to help with a Windows box it even knew how to make recovery media on USB sticks.
But really
- OS comes on the box
- Libreoffice is a download
- Chromium is a download
- Firefox is a download
- Skype is a download
- Adblockers are downloads
- Anti-virus is a download
and everything else is web based.
You might I suppose get a CD with a printer, but you'd normally ignore that and plug it in so that it gets the latest drivers off the internet.
Alan
Don't trust Steam (or other providers) for being able to re-install things; if it doesn't come with a CD/DVD or I can't archive the installer - I don't particularly want it ...
I'm not a fan of Win 8; if I am unfortunate enough to get a PC with that in the future, I'll blatt it back to Win 7 ... And not everything in life is web-based ...
But hey, none of this is helping the OP.
Quote from: MikeDunn on November 19, 2013, 12:44:13 PM
Don't trust Steam (or other providers) for being able to re-install things; if it doesn't come with a CD/DVD or I can't archive the installer - I don't particularly want it ...
I'm not a fan of Win 8; if I am unfortunate enough to get a PC with that in the future, I'll blatt it back to Win 7 ... And not everything in life is web-based ...
But hey, none of this is helping the OP.
Not a fan of Windows 8 either although 8.1 is an improvement - it needs a touch screen though which feels so awkward on a laptop. Plus metro is so boring - bring back 3D and textures! :-)
Paddy
I'm with Alan on the general lack of need for an optical drive for most things day to day, where they can still be useful is for media (either playing or ripping to a HDD), but that tends to be a once-only/infrequent task.
Cheers, Mike
Quote from: MikeDunn on November 19, 2013, 12:44:13 PM
I'm not a fan of Win 8; if I am unfortunate enough to get a PC with that in the future, I'll blatt it back to Win 7 ...
Don't expect to be able to for much longer (or indeed right now for some devices). Quite a bit of the legacy support has exited this generation of hardware at the laptop/tablet end of things.
Alan
Quote from: EtchedPixels on November 19, 2013, 09:27:15 PM
Quote from: MikeDunn on November 19, 2013, 12:44:13 PM
I'm not a fan of Win 8; if I am unfortunate enough to get a PC with that in the future, I'll blatt it back to Win 7 ...
Don't expect to be able to for much longer (or indeed right now for some devices). Quite a bit of the legacy support has exited this generation of hardware at the laptop/tablet end of things.
Alan
I agree Alan, love for loath Windows 8 it is the future of that OS.
Paddy
Quote from: EtchedPixels on November 19, 2013, 09:27:15 PM
Don't expect to be able to for much longer (or indeed right now for some devices). Quite a bit of the legacy support has exited this generation of hardware at the laptop/tablet end of things.
I work in the IT field so am aware of what MS (and various hardware companies) are doing.
Regarding future support - the problem is a number of items I have and will want to continue using are
not supported past Windows 7 - indeed,
some never went past XP ... So for specific tasks and computers, I'll be sticking to hardware that can roll back; it's just far too expensive to get new items.
Right thanks for all the advice chaps & chapessess.
I did ask my daughter whether she wanted an optical drive or not and she said yes, she also wanted the larger screen size, so in the end we've plumped for this one http://www.ebuyer.com/543489-asus-x550ca-laptop-x550ca-xo266h (http://www.ebuyer.com/543489-asus-x550ca-laptop-x550ca-xo266h)
If it was for me I'd have gone for this one from morgan computers that Alan pointed out http://www.morgancomputers.co.uk/product_detail/14520/Toshiba-Portege-R700-13-3-Ultrabook-i5-520M-2-4Ghz-4GB-RAM-320GB-HDD-Win7-Pro-DVD-RW/ (http://www.morgancomputers.co.uk/product_detail/14520/Toshiba-Portege-R700-13-3-Ultrabook-i5-520M-2-4Ghz-4GB-RAM-320GB-HDD-Win7-Pro-DVD-RW/) but she didn't want a 2nd hand one and didn't like the look of it :hmmm: :hmmm:
Oh well teenage girls is all I can say :smackedface: :smackedface:
Once again thanks for all the great advice anyway.
Cheers
Neal.
Hi Neal,
I am sure she will be very pleased with it. If you need to expand the RAM then I can recommend Crucial as a supplier.
Have a lovely Christmas.
Paddy
Quote from: Paddy on November 20, 2013, 07:44:53 AM
If you need to expand the RAM
Hmmm - many laptops can't go beyond the 4GB mark, basically because you get limited expansion capability in them ... the mfrs just don't provide spare slots :( Don't know if this one has that, but best be aware.
Quote from: MikeDunn on November 20, 2013, 09:41:26 AM
Quote from: Paddy on November 20, 2013, 07:44:53 AM
If you need to expand the RAM
Hmmm - many laptops can't go beyond the 4GB mark, basically because you get limited expansion capability in them ... the mfrs just don't provide spare slots :( Don't know if this one has that, but best be aware.
Hi Mike,
You can check the maximum amount of memory a machine can take on the Crucial web site. Indeed, it may require you to "throw away" the existing DDRs and replace with new ones.
Here is their web site:
http://www.crucial.com/uk/ (http://www.crucial.com/uk/)
Best regards
Paddy