Posted December 10, 2009 So basically, I have a job. I thought I'd invest in something sensible, like a laptop. My desktop is great for working on and gaming, but I think for when I'm at home, which I am quite often, it'd be nice to not have to put things on hold and not have anything to do. Apart from the fact my current laptop is old and even with the mass of RAM within it takes 20-30minutes to load up. I can't spend too much and I'm well aware christmas sales are around soon. Probably only looking at 300quid, maybe 400. I want to be able to play wow at probably the most difficult of the things I want, otherwise it's just things like internet browsing, spotify, that kinda thing. Any ideas? I'm willing to get it from anywhere, except play.com, I used to love play, but this year every time I've ordered from them they've ballsed my order up somehow. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 11, 2009 http://www.ebuyer.com/product/169125 Specs wise it's smack in the mid-range and great for the price. A friend of mine got an ASUS about a year back and his only complaints were bloatware(unavoidable) and that somehow his hands would manage to hit some magic combo on the touchpad to make firefox go back usually deleting his long ass posts. ASUS does also have a good reputation with motherboards and GPUs and I have an ASUS monitor that's quite nice. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 11, 2009 (edited) Screen size? Personally I would tough it out until January. But I would say keep looking at http://www.boffer.co.uk/. Yesterday they had a mac book pro for £399. Today they had a netbook for £139. Also probably check out Hotukdeals. Edited December 11, 2009 by Ten10 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 11, 2009 Well taking a second look I think I might have used the word pro out of context as I can't see it specifically referenced anywhere, but here is the tech spec sheet from google. I believe the model is MB881B so it would make it just a regular macbook? Although I wouldn't know what would make it qualify to be a pro. But would be able to upgrade to snow leopard. Also this was a refurb. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 11, 2009 Screen size, sorry I forgot to say. I definately want something about 15inch, the bigger the better (and before you say Rez minions - thats what she said!). I don't want a notebook. Too small! Something that could run games is basically all I really want, the better the spec the better. I'll say now that the price is something I'd like to keep to but if somebody finds something amazingly good for abit higher I'm willing to look! Oh and I'd prefer windows 7 to vista, I actually like vista but I'd only prefer it on higher spec systems. EDIT: oh and I'd prefer buying from websites people have bought from before! ^_^ Ten10 - pink? seriously..? -.- Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 11, 2009 I recommend looking at a Sony Vaio, although you'll need to pay £400 - £600 for one, but I think they're worth the extra money the one I have is the best laptop I've ever had. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 11, 2009 I was looking at sony vaios, my friend has one, he did pay a grand for his mind you. There were a few that were just under £400 on play (sure I could find them somewhere else). I'll have a mooch around . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 12, 2009 Well I still stand by Cnet's recommendation for the laptop to buy this Christmas. Only thing is its slightly out of your price range. But has and excellent price to performance ratio. MSI CX600 £486. If you can spare the cash I would give it a shot. Windows 7 4 gig of ram (3.03 gig effectively) 2.2Ghz processor 500GB HDD 16 inch screen. But I'll shop around my usual sources and see if there is anything decent within your price range. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 12, 2009 Well I still stand by Cnet's recommendation for the laptop to buy this Christmas. Only thing is its slightly out of your price range. But has and excellent price to performance ratio. MSI CX600 £486. If you can spare the cash I would give it a shot. Windows 7 4 gig of ram (3.03 gig effectively) 2.2Ghz processor 500GB HDD 16 inch screen. But I'll shop around my usual sources and see if there is anything decent within your price range. But it only has a ATI 4330 for the GPU. Hardly meant for more than watching videos. In contrast the ASUS I originally linked to is more than £100 cheaper and comparatively the same or better...well outside of HDD space, and the fact that it's Vista. Although ASUS offers a Win 7 upgrade at a reduced price (not sure how much) after purchase. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 12, 2009 Personally I felt that the only show stopper on that Asus was the GPU. Nothing else really stood out for me. Blah blah blah *** Stopped there. I'll concede on the fact that you've got a sweeter price point. And if you really wanted more room you could get and external HDD and probably still stay under £400. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 12, 2009 I have an external harddrive, so space isn't really an issue, its mostly everything else. I do like them both. Price wise, thats fine to pay, its alittle more than I'd hoped, but its a laptop, its not like I can these things dirt cheap like towers. Haha. I'll have another look round ebuyer. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 21, 2009 Baccck. Anyway, so I had a root around, still considering http://www.ebuyer.com/product/169125, but I've been warned against asus, which scares me alittle, I need this laptop to at least last me til next christmas, heh. Even still its a good price for what I want, even upgradeable to windows 7 (I tried looking for how to do this, not entirely sure how..). I was wondering if anybody knew how long it takes ebuyer to send items out, given I may buy it tomorrow instead of boxing day.. If anybody has any other laptop ideas they are also welcome. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 21, 2009 http://event.asus.com/2009/Windows7/ Also of note: Q: How do I qualify for the Windows® 7 Upgrade Program?A: In order to qualify for the Windows® 7 Upgrade Program, you must purchase eligible ASUS notebook, consumer and/or commercial desktops, Eee PC™ or EeeTop PCs from 26th of June 2009 to the 31st of January 2010. The purchased product should also have an eligible operating system license, such as Windows Vista® Home Premium, Windows Vista® Business or Windows Vista® Ultimate. A list of specific models can be found here. Dunno about the upgrade cost though, I think it's less than half the of the full version though. I just checked on the dates of when my friend got his ASUS, he got it August of 08 and hasn't had a single issue. In comparison my Toshiba's RAM has died twice in that time, although...it's being going great since I replaced it myself with something a bit more...name brand. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 21, 2009 (edited) Thats good to hear, I really quite like the idea of getting that particular laptop anyway and just wanted to know if anybody else had had similar problems. I'll see about getting it in a few days then ^_^ exciting. Hmm, I found a better one for just abit more..like £20, with windows 7 already installed, 4gb ram, 2.2gz processor. Gah decisions. Edited December 21, 2009 by nightwolf Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 21, 2009 http://www.ebuyer.com/product/172314 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 21, 2009 Well....The CPU is about the same really, but the GPU is Intel 4500 which is certainly worse than the ASUS. 4570 Intel GMA If you scroll on down you'll notice that the Intel solution can barely play WoW on low. If you want to play games of any sort, don't go with Integrated Graphics. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 21, 2009 Argh bugger I don't want vista and I don't want the faf of paying extra for windows 7. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 21, 2009 Windows 7 and gaming capable, this is the next closest on ebuyer. Mind you it's much more costly, just shy of 500. http://www.ebuyer.com/product/172298 I'd say give a peek to other sites like aria.co.uk or scan.co.uk and compare their graphics to notebookcheck to give an idea. Although, basically anything Intel is worth ignoring, actually anything integrated no matter the company. I've no time, or else I'd be looking around. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 23, 2009 Well....The CPU is about the same really, but the GPU is Intel 4500 which is certainly worse than the ASUS. 4570 Intel GMA If you scroll on down you'll notice that the Intel solution can barely play WoW on low. If you want to play games of any sort, don't go with Integrated Graphics. This, for the love of god this. ANY Intel graphics will be REALLY, REALLY bad if you even game casually. They're perfectly fine if you never game, which is why they are common Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 23, 2009 I think I've gotten so fed up of looking at laptops that I'll end up buying the first one I said about and then buy windows 7 to install. Yes? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 23, 2009 I swear one day this will be alot easier. Haha. Question, so this laptop has windows vista, do I have to remove vista to install 7, or can it just be installed sort of 'over the top'? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 23, 2009 Vista can be upgraded to 7, or as you say 'over the top'. You can also do a clean install and format Vista which 7 should be able to handle. Your choice and all that. A Clean Install might be the better idea as it should clear out the bloatware every laptop seems to come with. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
