Buying a Laptop

[Nolan]

Well, I also had it run near 24/7 for some time, and forking out for replacement right away isn't necessarily needed, they replaced it once and I didn't bother to contact for a second replacement which they may or may not have done for free. Besides, the first set of RAM lasted about 8 months before it died. Not good I know, but not immediate, although the second set only lasted a month or two... Also of note would be that both sticks didn't die at once menaing I just removed the dead one(well, after I figured out which it was) and went on with 1GB instead of 3GB.

 

Ahh well regardless.

 

I'll just list what I think of as good brands to keep in mind and a list of UK hardware sites which have varying degrees of laptop diversity.

 

Toshiba

Asus

Dell

Lenovo

Samsung

MSI(Micro Star International)

Sony

HP

 

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/*

http://www.ebuyer.com/*

http://www.scan.co.uk/*

http://www.candccentral.co.uk/

http://www.tekheads.co.uk/

http://www.thecoolingshop.com/

http://www.computerplanet.co.uk/

http://www.misco.co.uk/

http://www.yoyotech.co.uk/

http://www.aria.co.uk/*

http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/

http://www.cclonline.com/

 

I'm not URLing all of those, so c/p(nevermind, they automatically do it, yay). I put a star by the ones that I know are popular and oft used. All of them are user suggested though.

 

If you want to do any gaming, make sure not to pick something with intergrated graphics, or just abandon the idea. Also of note is Laptop GPUs rarely receive driver updates, so with the help of a simple little program it's very easy to just make desktop drivers work on mobile GPUs.

[Ten10]

http://www.laptopshop.co.uk

http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk

[Gizmo]

Cheers guys, a couple of those sites were pretty good

 

As a random example of one of the ones I've found, what do you guys reckon to this?

 

Seems the lowest price I've found for that kind of spec. Ideally I'd like a 17" screen, but prices obviously spike compared to 15", and it's not that big a deal I don't think. Doesn't make that much difference does it?

 

I've pretty much settled on a spec of something like:

 

2.x GHz CPU (Core 2 Duo is the best, yeah?)

4gb RAM

512mb dedicated graphics card

 

Also I've noticed that that one has a few cool extra's that might come in handy - a HDMI port on the back (does that mean I can use it as a monitor for a PS3 or 360?), a card reader, McAfee preinstalled. Dunno how widespread that kinda stuff is? The battery life says 3.5hrs, is that about average? I notice it says 6 cell, and there was an option of a 9 cell when I was building one on Dell, what kind of difference does that make?

[Ike]

Also I've noticed that that one has a few cool extra's that might come in handy - a HDMI port on the back (does that mean I can use it as a monitor for a PS3 or 360?), a card reader, McAfee preinstalled. Dunno how widespread that kinda stuff is? The battery life says 3.5hrs, is that about average? I notice it says 6 cell, and there was an option of a 9 cell when I was building one on Dell, what kind of difference does that make?

 

The HDMI on mine lets me use the TV as a monitor so probably not. 9 cells basically means you get more battery life than a 6 cell battery.

[Raining_again]

I have a 9-cell battery on my dell and it physically sticks out from the laptop unit.

 

The standard one doesn't, its flush.

 

like so:

 

[Nolan]

Cheers guys, a couple of those sites were pretty good

 

As a random example of one of the ones I've found, what do you guys reckon to this?

 

Seems the lowest price I've found for that kind of spec. Ideally I'd like a 17" screen, but prices obviously spike compared to 15", and it's not that big a deal I don't think. Doesn't make that much difference does it?

 

I've pretty much settled on a spec of something like:

 

2.x GHz CPU (Core 2 Duo is the best, yeah?)

4gb RAM

512mb dedicated graphics card

 

Also I've noticed that that one has a few cool extra's that might come in handy - a HDMI port on the back (does that mean I can use it as a monitor for a PS3 or 360?), a card reader, McAfee preinstalled. Dunno how widespread that kinda stuff is? The battery life says 3.5hrs, is that about average? I notice it says 6 cell, and there was an option of a 9 cell when I was building one on Dell, what kind of difference does that make?

 

Main difference between 15" and 17" is often the keypad and the resolution. Not really a large difference no.

 

Core 2 Duo is gonna be the best bang for your buck, anything that is Core i7 is better but likely out of price range. AMD hasn't yet brought their mobile parts upto Athlon/Phenom II standards.

 

You can probably get by with 3GB of RAM if you find something you really like at that spec.

 

512MB really isn't that important when it comes to a laptop, outside of a special expensive few the resolution won't get much higher than 720p, 1366x768, or 1440x900. At those resolution, you don't need a hugely large framebuffer, especially if you consider that the 4570 has a 64-bit memory bus. Basically, the memory bus isn't large enough to warrant that much RAM. That's the case for most Mobile GPUs.

 

Card Readers are nice but pretty standard, as well as HDMI is getting fairly widespread as a feature. The HDMI is an output though, so no PS360 on the laptop screen. You could look into a gamebridge type adapter, but they're expensive and idk about reliability, but they're designed to take a console signal and send it through a PC and allow for video capture. McAfee is likely a limited trail unless it says otherwise, most Laptops do that with the different brands, but I find Avast or AVG to be better and free.

 

Battery life is tricky, some manufacturers will test it by doing something like turning off everything that isn't necessary and waiting for the battery to die rather than running a program designed to keep it in use until the battery dies. Usually reviews will test this in a more accurate fashion.

 

As for the Acer...I've actually heard good things about them, but most of the people here have said nothing but bad. Search the model number in google you'll likely find user and professional reviews that will have a more accurate idea of it than us.

 

EDIT: Most of the software that comes pre-installed is bloatware and usually just slows down whatever it's installed on. Most users with some know how promptly get rid of it. Some things hardly come with any Bloatware though.

Edited October 25, 2009 by Nolan

[Ten10]

I think calling it bloatware is too kind. Its all essentially crapware. I haven't had much fun with acer. Their support for when your laptop is screwed sucks. I had to send my aspire back twice before I got the problem sorted and I knew it would be down hill from there.

 

I would say keep the Mcafee trial, and then bin it once it is over. That is of course if its not protecting all that crapware from being removed.

[Gizmo]

So you guys reckon I could do better than the one I posted above then? Couldn't really find any reviews via Google.

[Nolan]

For the price, you can't really do better, sorry about the google luck, it happens. Really it comes down to if you want to risk Acer's support and quality. If not you can go higher or lower in price, but the GPU and CPU will suffer.

[McPhee]

It's ringing alarm bells in my head, really can't see it being well built at that spec/price. Seems a lot like my first laptop and I've already posted the horrors I went through with that abomination.

[Gizmo]

Mmm. I'll keep looking I think.

 

Using Dell to get a rough approximation of price with the spec I'm after. £665 for this:

 

PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor P7450 (2.13GHz, 1066MHz, 3MB)

OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English

MEMORY 4096MB 1333MHz Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM [2x2048]

HARD DRIVE 500GB (7,200rpm) Serial ATA Hard Drive

LCD 17.3†High Definition+ (1600x900) LED with TL

GRAPHICS CARD 512MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570

OPTICAL DRIVE Fixed Internal DVD+/-RW Slot Load Drive including Software

PRIMARY BATTERY Primary 9-cell 85 WHr Lithium Ion battery

WIRELESS CONNECTIVITY Dell Wireless 1397 Mini Card (802.11 b/g)

 

Whats the current wisdom with WiFI cards? Is it wise to pay a little extra to get one thats N-compatible, or will that only be useful if I have an N router? Infact, usign a discount code, I can get one that is 802.11n for an extra £5, or 802.11 a/b/g/n for an extra £10. Which is the best value, given that I expect to have this laptop for a few years?

 

Strangely the 17" is cheaper with that graphics card than the 15".

Edited October 27, 2009 by Gizmo
Automerged Doublepost

[Nolan]

N will only work with a router sending out an N signal afaik. The more Wireless compatibility the better, it never hurts to be prepared. That's a pretty nice sounding Laptop though, DDR3 and a decent GPU and CPU. LED screens are apparently really nice as any review of handheld with them will attest to. A 9 Cell battery is nice as well.

 

I'd say if you can swing the cash, go for that Dell, I know two people with very similar Dells (I know they both have the 4570 at least) and they're very happy with them.

[Ten10]

Argos had some seriously sweet lappys going for a giveaway price not too long ago. Shame I can't find the right catalogue anymore. I'll see if I can dig them up from within their online system.

[McPhee]

Which Dell is that? They're doing a good offer on the new Studio 17 at the moment, £599 for the same spec you posted but with a slightly lower spec processor (T6600, 2.2GHz, 800MHz FSB, 2MB Cache). You get free delivery, 15 months of McAfee security centre plus 60 free song downloads and a year's streaming subscription to Napster. There's the option of the 9-Cell battery for an extra £50. I'd seriously consider it, maybe shop around and see how much a spare battery would be first though. With the 6-Cell battery life probably won't be very good, the components you're looking at are fairly power hungry. An hour and a half? Can't see it lasting much longer than that.

Edited October 27, 2009 by McPhee

[Gizmo]

Which Dell is that? They're doing a good offer on the new Studio 17 at the moment, £599 for the same spec you posted but with a slightly lower spec processor (T6600, 2.2GHz, 800MHz FSB, 2MB Cache). You get free delivery, 15 months of McAfee security centre plus 60 free song downloads and a year's streaming subscription to Napster. There's the option of the 9-Cell battery for an extra £50. I'd seriously consider it, maybe shop around and see how much a spare battery would be first though. With the 6-Cell battery life probably won't be very good, the components you're looking at are fairly power hungry. An hour and a half? Can't see it lasting much longer than that.

 

Thats the one I quoted above The processor I posted is only a tenner more, I added the 9 cell, and theres a 5% off code for orders over £700, so I bumped up the HDD and the WiFi Card. That takes it to £674. Fairly sure a spare battery would be more money, plus the hassle of swapping, and neither would be as good as one 9 cell.

 

When you say "good offer" though, does that mean I should be buying it asap, or will it last a while? Or will there be more as we get closer to Christmas?

[McPhee]

Ahh, now it makes sense. I didn't see that CPU upgrade at the bottom there, was really struggling to figure out which machine you spec'd!

 

Offers-wise the free shipping, free AV software, £90 discount and 5% off finish tomorrow. If you're happy with the current price then you should order now. In a months time it could be cheaper, but then again you might be kicking yourself because the price has gone up.

[Mr_Odwin]

You can buy laptops from Dell Business too, that's where I got my Vostro 1400 from. Just make up a business name. The only thing you have to do is to make sure you don't declare yourself as VAT exempt. Sometimes the business side is significantly cheaper.

 

Use quidco too (a reputable cashback site), you'll get a few percent of the price back in a month or so.

[Gizmo]

Ah, cool, thanks for the tip. My parents own their own business, so I could probably put it through that as a business expense, since I'm technically an employee. And I already checked Quidco, Dell isn't on it. Unless you just mean the business site?

 

Edit: Going through the business side I've built this for £600 (excluding Qudico):

 

PROCESSOR Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor P8700 (2.53 GHz, 1066 MHz FSB, 3 MB L2 cache)

OPERATING SYSTEM English Genuine Windows® 7 Professional (32 BIT)

INTEGRATED WEBCAM Integrated 1.3 Mega Pixel Camera

LCD 17.0 inch WXGA+ CCFL Anti-Glare Display

MEMORY 4096MB 800 MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM (2x2GB)

HARD DRIVE 320GB (7,200rpm) Serial ATA Hard Drive with Free Fall Sensor

GRAPHICS CARD 512 MB NVIDIA® GeForce™ 9600M GS Graphic Card Black

OPTICAL DRIVE 8X DVD+/-RW Drive including software for WIN7

PRIMARY BATTERY Primary 8-cell 75 WHr Lithium-Ion Battery

 

Better, worse? Processor looks better, RAM is the same amount but DDR2, hard drive is smaller (but not that important), graphics card could be either way, battery very slightly smaller.

Edited October 27, 2009 by Gizmo

[Mr_Odwin]

Dell and Dell Business are both on quidco.

http://www.quidco.com/?search=dell

[Gizmo]

Hmm. I didn't find it when I searched the other day. Weird. Regardless, theres no cashback from there for the Studio 17 so far as I can tell. 5% for the business, so tahts £30. So basically, the business laptop is £100 cheaper. Googling hasn't given me much in the way of comparisons between the graphics cards. A slightly weaker battery, DDR2 RAM and a smaller hard drive in exchange for a faster processor and £100 in my pocket. I think my parents were thinking of a budget around £600 anyway, so the £675 would have taken a bit of convincing. Unless anybody knows of any reason not to, I'll probably be going for that Business one.

 

Edit: Just noticed, the business laptop uses Windows 7 32bit, as opposed to 64bit on the other one. Does that make a significant difference?

[Nolan]

32 bit just means 3.25GB of RAM rather than 4GB. It also uses the same everything you're use to, 64 bit would allow for more RAM and 64 bit programs, something running in 64bit should be faster than it's 32 bit counter part, but that only matters if the software you are using even has 64 bit.

 

The 9600GS is a good GPU, iirc the desktop version is basically a renamed 8800GS

[Gizmo]

Actually, going through it again, you can change to 64-bit for no extra cost. So no problem there. Looks to me like the business one is the way to go. leetpants, you were the one who mentioned the DDR3 RAM - how much difference does that make? That's the only downside I'm seeing.

 

Edit: Either I'm going crazy or some offer or other has managed to end in the last hour, because going through building it again I'm getting a price of £668, not the £599 I had before.

Edited October 27, 2009 by Gizmo

[Nolan]

I don't think it will make a very large difference. It runs slightly faster, but has a higher latency. I've read a few things about hte current AM3 CPUs which can use DDR2 or DRR3 and there is minimal performance difference. It's there but nothing to be fussed about. I'd certainly say go with the business model.

[Ike]

Actually, going through it again, you can change to 64-bit for no extra cost. So no problem there. Looks to me like the business one is the way to go. leetpants, you were the one who mentioned the DDR3 RAM - how much difference does that make? That's the only downside I'm seeing.

 

Edit: Either I'm going crazy or some offer or other has managed to end in the last hour, because going through building it again I'm getting a price of £668, not the £599 I had before.

 

You might be getting charged for 64bit then. Dell's ordering system is confusing sometimes so check again with 32bit to see if you get the old price.

[Gizmo]

You might be getting charged for 64bit then. Dell's ordering system is confusing sometimes so check again with 32bit to see if you get the old price.

 

Yep, it's this. It says "Add £0.00" next to it, but when I do, it jumps from £519 to £608.

 

Ah; it's adding in Microsoft Office with 64bit, which I can't remove. How idiotic.