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HP Ultrabook 14 inch 299 GBP

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    #2
    christyden
    Registered Users Posts: 76 ✭✭christyden


    Jonny7 wrote: »
    http://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/HP_Pavilion_Ultrabook_14-b003SA_1299649.html

    Intel® Core™ i3-3217U Dual Core Processor
    14" HD Screen
    Microsoft Windows 8 64-bit
    4GB DDR3 RAM
    32GB SSD + 320GB HDD
    Integrated Graphics
    USB3
    HDMI


    Pretty damn good if you ask me, I believe it's a tenner to get them to deliver to Ireland



    Or how about

    http://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/ASUS_X401A-WX350H_1287185.html


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    #3
    godtabh
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 23,204 Mod ✭✭✭✭godtabh


    christyden wrote: »
    Or how about

    http://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/ASUS_X401A-WX350H_1287185.html

    older processor, heavier. no ssd.


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    #4
    Etnies
    Registered Users Posts: 1,151 ✭✭✭Etnies


    Damn you.. tempted


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    #5
    Jonny7
    Registered Users Posts: 6,696 ✭✭✭Jonny7


    Haven't checked specific reviews, but that spec for that price is very good

    Voted pretty high on Hot uk deals
    http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/hp-pavillion-ultrabook-i3-4gb-ram-32gb-ssd-hdd-299-99-saveonlaptops-1622059


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    #6
    Simi
    Registered Users Posts: 1,868 ✭✭✭Simi


    Ordered this for my brother. It's light weight/decent spec's, make it pretty much ideal for anyone heading to college in September. Works out at just over €360 delivered. Highly recommended.


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    #7
    Hank Moody
    Registered Users Posts: 13 ✭Hank Moody


    Did anyone get this yet? Did it take long for delivery? What do you make of it, would you recommend it? Thanks


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    #8
    billy few mates
    Registered Users Posts: 6,920 ✭✭✭billy few mates


    Its a HP, for that reason I'm out....!


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    #9
    hfallada
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,180 ✭✭✭hfallada


    billy few mates wrote: »
    Its a HP, for that reason I'm out....!

    TBH it doesnt make a difference what brand you buy. I asked a computer repair guy and he says all hard drives are Samsung, processors are Intel, screen are x company. Everything is pretty much the same


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    #10
    Lu Tze
    Registered Users Posts: 3,495 ✭✭✭Lu Tze


    hfallada wrote: »
    TBH it doesnt make a difference what brand you buy. I asked a computer repair guy and he says all hard drives are Samsung, processors are Intel, screen are x company. Everything is pretty much the same
    The components are the same, but the chassis, power supply, motherboard and cooling systems arent. Hp have much higher failure rates on their laptops than practically any other manufacturer


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    #11
    mikesp
    Registered Users Posts: 125 ✭✭mikesp


    Lu Tze wrote: »
    Hp have much higher failure rates on their laptops than practically any other manufacturer

    Do you have any link talking about that or it's just your personal experience?


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    #12
    drumswan
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,592 ✭✭✭drumswan


    Lu Tze wrote: »
    The components are the same, but the chassis, power supply, motherboard and cooling systems arent. Hp have much higher failure rates on their laptops than practically any other manufacturer
    Source?


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    #13
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    Probably referring to this.


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    #14
    hairypigeon
    Registered Users Posts: 238 ✭✭hairypigeon


    guys anyone manage to order one they seem to require a uk postcode


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    #15
    L5
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,951 ✭✭✭L5


    Use Parcelmotel


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    #16
    manu2009
    Registered Users Posts: 470 ✭✭manu2009


    hairypigeon wrote: »
    guys anyone manage to order one they seem to require a uk postcode

    Put Ireland in the postcode field, select Non UK Mainland as the delivery method, cost's £9.95 delivered by DPD, two day delivery.


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    #17
    billy few mates
    Registered Users Posts: 6,920 ✭✭✭billy few mates


    Just Google 'Class action law suit' 'appalling customer service' and 'reflow the motherboard' and see what you come up with....

    As a former HP 'victim', I certainly won't be giving them any more of my money....


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    #18
    paddyp
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,927 ✭✭✭paddyp


    billy few mates wrote: »
    Just Google 'Class action law suit' 'appalling customer service' and 'reflow the motherboard' and see what you come up with....

    As a former HP 'victim', I certainly won't be giving them any more of my money....

    I can vouch for that having repaired them, I even have a couple of hp laptops that clients simply decided they didn't want back after repair, they'd rather spend 700 quid on a new one. Very shoddy thermal design, heatsinks are skimped to the bone and made out of rubbish alloys, another couple of grammes of copper is all thats needed in some cases, poor design and layout of air inlets and exhausts mening they are easily blocked in normal use, rubbish heatsink pads etc. same mistakes repeated accross models year on year - they're definitely not the toyota or honda of the car world.


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    #19
    billy few mates
    Registered Users Posts: 6,920 ✭✭✭billy few mates


    Mine lasted just over a year before it started playing up, I took it back to the shop where I bought it and they wouldn't do anything because it was out of warranty (by a matter of weeks), they told me there was no point in sending it back to HP as they would tell me it was a faulty motherboard which would cost more than the cost of a new laptop to replace. I then discovered there was a major problem caused by a faulty Nvidia component design and that HP were repairing them free of charge, but you had to trawl through the website to see if your particular model number/serial number was liable for the free repair, and mine wasn't...!
    I knew two other people with different model HP Pavillions who also had the same problem and they weren't covered either, HP didn't want to know and couldn't explain why our laptops weren't covered by the recall even though they were clearly faulty.
    In the end I left it in to a repair shop to have the job done (they reflow the motherboard), they charged me about €100 for the job and warned that it came with no guarantees, it lasted about another six weeks before it died again.
    I used to be quite a fan of HP products, now they're top of my 'no fly' list....


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    #20
    christyden
    Registered Users Posts: 76 ✭✭christyden


    billy few mates wrote: »
    Mine lasted just over a year before it started playing up, I took it back to the shop where I bought it and they wouldn't do anything because it was out of warranty (by a matter of weeks), they told me there was no point in sending it back to HP as they would tell me it was a faulty motherboard which would cost more than the cost of a new laptop to replace. I then discovered there was a major problem caused by a faulty Nvidia component design and that HP were repairing them free of charge, but you had to trawl through the website to see if your particular model number/serial number was liable for the free repair, and mine wasn't...!
    I knew two other people with different model HP Pavillions who also had the same problem and they weren't covered either, HP didn't want to know and couldn't explain why our laptops weren't covered by the recall even though they were clearly faulty.
    In the end I left it in to a repair shop to have the job done (they reflow the motherboard), they charged me about €100 for the job and warned that it came with no guarantees, it lasted about another six weeks before it died again.
    I used to be quite a fan of HP products, now they're top of my 'no fly' list....

    Thanks for this info was just about to purchase, also the price had gone up.


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    #21
    channelsurfer2
    Registered Users Posts: 2,596 ✭✭✭channelsurfer2


    add toshiba to the list as I had the same experience with overheating and fautlyt heatsink. Is there really any decent laptop manufacturers out there sub 500euro these days?


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    #22
    beauf
    Closed Accounts Posts: 22,651 ✭✭✭✭beauf


    In fairness the Nvidia issue effected all manufacturers from HP, Apple, Dell etc.

    The temporary fix is re-flowing the Nvidia graphics card, be it a separate board or on the motherboard. Its only temporary as its a design flaw in the Nvidia chip, so will eventually fail. A permanent fix is to swap the motherboard, or gfx card for one without the Nvidia chip. But thats only an option for some laptops where a alternative was an option. If you can keep the Nvidia cooler it will last longer. The one in my Dell lasted about 5yrs before it failed. I did the reflow myself and its back working again.

    Most manufacturers extended their warranties to the expected lifespan of their laptops with this problem, which is 3 to 4 yrs (open to correction).

    All manufacturers have design flaws and failures from time to time. Its really about how they treat their customer when it does happen. Which is reflected in reliability and satisfaction surveys.

    I think if you took a laptop that failed just after a year to the small claims court you'd win you're case. Theres been a few threads of people with Dells doing this. No idea if they won or not.


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    #23
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    channelsurfer2 wrote: »
    add toshiba to the list as I had the same experience with overheating and fautlyt heatsink. Is there really any decent laptop manufacturers out there sub 500euro these days?

    HP, Dell etc are brands, not manufacturers. They don't manufacture anything.

    95% of laptops on the market are designed and manufactured by a handful of ODMs - Quanta, Compal, Foxconn etc. And a brand like HP will switch ODM from year to year, model to model.

    That's why I don't like to make sweeping generalisations about the build quality of a brand. There are low quality HP branded laptops and high quality ones.

    Generally, cheap laptops are built cheap, regardless of which brand they are.


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    #24
    Atomic Pineapple
    Registered Users Posts: 18,272 ✭✭✭✭Atomic Pineapple


    Deleted User wrote: »
    Probably referring to this.

    In that time I've had a Sony laptop that fell to pieces and a HP one that's still going strong! :D


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    #25
    Ardennes1944
    Registered Users Posts: 9,238 ✭✭✭Ardennes1944


    My Asus x54c is doing great a year later anyway, as is my bros


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    #26
    Batesy
    Registered Users Posts: 1,450 ✭✭✭Batesy


    I've a Toshiba Equim a200 running almost every day since 2008. Never a problem.

    I'd definetly buy Toshiba again.


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    #27
    Sappy404
    Registered Users Posts: 4,168 ✭✭✭Sappy404


    Deleted User wrote: »
    HP, Dell etc are brands, not manufacturers. They don't manufacture anything.

    95% of laptops on the market are designed and manufactured by a handful of ODMs - Quanta, Compal, Foxconn etc. And a brand like HP will switch ODM from year to year, model to model.

    That's why I don't like to make sweeping generalisations about the build quality of a brand. There are low quality HP branded laptops and high quality ones.

    Generally, cheap laptops are built cheap, regardless of which brand they are.

    This is less true of Ultrabooks though, no? It's not simply a case of a company buying components from Foxconn and assembling them with their badge on the chassis. They're designed by the company in conjunction with Intel from start to finish.


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    #28
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    Sappy404 wrote: »
    This is less true of Ultrabooks though, no? It's not simply a case of a company buying components from Foxconn and assembling them with their badge on the chassis. They're designed by the company in conjunction with Intel from start to finish.

    No. Its still the ODMs who design and manufacture the laptops.

    Think of it like a client who wants a building, he knows roughly what he wants but it's the architect who designs it and the contractor who builds it.

    HP is the client and the ODM are the architect & contractor.

    The key point is that if you buy a HP laptop, you could be getting a Compal one year, Wistron the next, etc. The idea that there is a "HP build quality" is a fallacy. Some of their stuff is crap, some of it is great. It usually corresponds to the price.

    Cheap laptops tend to be built cheap, that's just the way it goes.


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    #29
    christyden
    Registered Users Posts: 76 ✭✭christyden


    The price of this laptop has gone up! Is it worth it? Looking for decent laptop for around 400 euro mark


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    #30
    billy few mates
    Registered Users Posts: 6,920 ✭✭✭billy few mates


    The design and build quality was only part of the problem, the way HP dealt with it (or rather failed to deal with) was the other part.

    Fool me once etc etc....


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    #31
    beno619
    Registered Users Posts: 5,006 ✭✭✭beno619


    Deleted User wrote: »
    No. Its still the ODMs who design and manufacture the laptops.

    Think of it like a client who wants a building, he knows roughly what he wants but it's the architect who designs it and the contractor who builds it.

    HP is the client and the ODM are the architect & contractor.

    The key point is that if you buy a HP laptop, you could be getting a Compal one year, Wistron the next, etc. The idea that there is a "HP build quality" is a fallacy. Some of their stuff is crap, some of it is great. It usually corresponds to the price.

    Cheap laptops tend to be built cheap, that's just the way it goes.


    Im fairly sure this is wrong a company might leave manufacturing to a company like Foxconn, but designs are usually in house, motherboards and the like would be designed by HP,Dell and most manufacture as well.

    Thinkpads are not quite what they used to be because IBM sold the hardware business off to Lenovo who while have kept standards high are still building slightly cheaper machines.

    The way I see it is if you buy a cheap laptop always expect the worst, you will get cheap support and a crap warranty, spend more money and you will get better support and a better warranty whether your dealing with Dell,HP or Lenovo.


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