Laptop Advice Please

Socrates · 27-08-2008 3:16pm #1

Been lokoing around for the last week or so and its quite clear that there are far too many laptops available! so im looking for some advice on which one to buy.

Budget: ~€700

Intended use: college work - mainly office, internet, e-mail, music, some gaming eg football manager

Mobility: i dont mind the size, I can put up with a bigger one if it means a better laptop.

Warranty: whatever people think is the best.

also, is there much difference between vista or xp?
ive been advised to get xp but most laptops seem to come with vista..

Thanks guys

20 Times 20 Times · 27-08-2008 6:05pm

Guys , last couple of days i have been looking online , looking in stores and i have yet to impulse buy , which im quite proud of given my recent history

So heres the deal , I really need people to point me in the right direction here ,

I'm after a laptop (obviously)

My budget is about 800euro not much more at all !!!!

I will be using it for college , photos , music , and some gaming (hopefully) e.g football manager etc.

I would like something that doesn't weigh the same as a concrete block and can fit into my rucksack and away i go ,

If i can spend cheaper and get a good deal go me , Its just im at that point where i dont know what im buying and need help

thanks a million

sarge

Soundman · 27-08-2008 8:34pm

Something like this Dell Vostro 1510 for €749?

Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor T5870 (2.0 GHz, 2 MB L2 Cache, 800 MHz FSB)
Genuine Windows Vista® Business with Service Pack 1 - English
Microsoft® Works 9.0 - English
15.4" Widescreen WXGA (1280 x 800) Display with Anti-Glare Coating
Glossy Black without Camera
2048MB (2x1024) 667MHz DDR2 Dual Channel
250GB (5400rpm) SATA Hard Drive
256 MB NVIDIA® GeForce™ 8400M GS (64 bit) Graphic Card
Fixed Internal 8X DVD+/-RW Slot Load Drive including Software
Primary 6-cell 56 WHr Lithium Ion battery
Services & Software
1Yr Basic Warranty - Next Business Day Onsite - No Upgrade Selected
Declined CompleteCare
No Security/Anti-Virus Protection
Accessories
No Carrying Case
Dell™ Wireless 360 Bluetooth® Module
Dell™ Wireless 1505 Wireless-N MiniPCI Card
90W Power Adapter (3 Wire)
Also Includes
N0815107A
Vostro Laptop 1510 Order - Ireland
Biometric Fingerprint Reader
English - Documentation Vostro Laptop
V1510 Resource DVD (Diagnostic & Drivers)
1 Meter Power Cord (3 Wire) - UK
Internal Keyboard - English (QWERTY)
1Yr Basic Warranty - Next Business Day

20 Times 20 Times · 27-08-2008 10:05pm

Soundman wrote: »

Something like this Dell Vostro 1510 for €749?

Thanks ,

thats the thing I'm looking at that laptop and thinking should i have more ram ? Would it be suitable to run a few applications at one time ? Will it play some games ? These are all questions i need help with basically someone hands you 800squdos to buy a laptop , what do you buy ? You dont have to spend all of it

AlmightyCushion · 27-08-2008 10:41pm

2GBs ram is plenty. Gaming wise the 8400 isn't great, but it would be more than enough for football manager. If you plan on playing newer games then an 8600 would be better.

BazMcG · 27-08-2008 10:47pm

Just purchased a Acer Aspire 7720G Gemstone Laptop - LX.ALN0X.248 i really liked the specs and got it for £499.99 sterling. check it out

http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/Acer_Aspire_7720G-302G32Hi_Laptop_LX.ALN0X.248/version.asp

20 Times 20 Times · 27-08-2008 10:47pm

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

2GBs ram is plenty. Gaming wise the 8400 isn't great, but it would be more than enough for football manager. If you plan on playing newer games then an 8600 would be better.

So A.C what would you do then ? For the money how would you spend it mate ?

AlmightyCushion · 27-08-2008 10:53pm

Well what would be the games you are playing? If it's just football manager then the above will be grand for that.

20 Times 20 Times · 27-08-2008 10:58pm

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

Well what would be the games you are playing? If it's just football manager then the above will be grand for that.

I suppose football manager would be all i would be playing as I'm up to my eyeballs with consoles....What im really looking for is guidance to maybe a bargain , if you could throw you eye over a few laptops for me i would be ever so grateful , Its just that i don't want to post here the next couple of days just to be told that i could of got more for my money. Again thanks for your help.

so laptop for college work , photos , music , football manager , browsing.

AlmightyCushion · 27-08-2008 11:13pm

http://configure.euro.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?b=&c=ie&cs=iebsdt1&kc=N4X15103&l=en&m_30=143259&oc=N0815107A&rbc=N0815107A&s=bsd

That should do you fine. €470 excluding delivery and vat.

20 Times 20 Times · 27-08-2008 11:18pm

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

http://configure.euro.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?b=&c=ie&cs=iebsdt1&kc=N4X15103&l=en&m_30=143259&oc=N0815107A&rbc=N0815107A&s=bsd

That should do you fine. €470 excluding delivery and vat.

Quick question or two :P ,

The epp program doesn't cater for vostro ?

also the first poster in his config has 256mb graphics card , but there is no option to upgrade ! any reason why ?

AlmightyCushion · 27-08-2008 11:36pm

Don't know about the epp program. You can upgrade to the 256MB 8400, it's €70. For championship manager it would be wasted though.

20 Times 20 Times · 28-08-2008 1:03pm

Got one !!!!! Very happy with it here is the details cost me 623.94 DELIVERED

 	SYSTEM SPECIFICATION  	spacer
  	  	INSPIRON XPS M1330 	 
  	  	XPS M1330 CORE 2 DUO T8100 2.10GHz
English Genuine Windows Vista SP1 Home Premium

Dell recommends Microsoft&#174; Windows&#174; XP Professional
spacer
  	 Operating System: 	English Genuine Windows Vista SP1 Home Premium
  	 Memory: 	3.0GB MB (1X2GB + 1X1GB) 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM
  	 Hard Disk Drive: 	200GB HD Free Fall Sensor (7200RPM)
  	 NoteBook Screen: 	LCD, 13.3WX Screen
  	 Modem: 	Modem not included
  	 CD Read-Write Drive: 	DVD+ -RW (8X)
  	 MISC: 	Vista OnLine Getting Started Guide (WW
  	  	Image Restore - Vista
  	  	Uk/Irish Internal Keyboard (QWERTY)
  	  	Tuxedo Black & 2.0 mega pixel Camera for CCFL Display
  	  	Battery 6 Cell
  	  	Wireless 1505 Wireless-N Mini-PCI Card EUR
  	  	European Dell TrueMobile 355 internal Bluetooth Module
  	  	Assembley Mod 128 MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS
  	  	MS Vista Premium Logo Label NB (small )

Alanstrainor · 28-08-2008 2:59pm

That's a very good buy right there!

ellie77 · 28-08-2008 3:31pm

basically what that dude said... ^^

and ive been strongly advised to STAY AWAY from vista at all costs!! and stick with xp..

anyone have any opinions..?!

J_Dublin15 · 28-08-2008 3:42pm

Well go for what you like at the end of the day, whether that's XP or Vista, but at the end of the day, on decent hardware Vista outperforms XP by quite a distance.

Most of the people who are being negative about Vista are running it on cheap PC's, or the cheapest Dell offer, or, have never used it and are relying on word of mouth.

But what I will say is this, if you are spending a lot of money on a laptop that has duel core and good ram and graphics, by putting XP on it you are not getting the most out of your hardware and may as well buy something cheaper.

Alanstrainor · 28-08-2008 3:47pm

No need to stay away from vista really, the initial negativety towards vista was largely due to combatibility issues and it being a bit heavy on resources compared to xp. For a budget of 700 your machine should more than run it. Core 2 duo with 2gb of RAM is pretty standard in that price range and the latest intel X3100 graphics would suffice, but dedicated would be better in the end.

yeshi · 28-08-2008 3:53pm

Socrates wrote: »

ive been advised to get xp but most laptops seem to come with vista..

Personally I don't see any advantages of going with Vista and I have no problems with XP at all (but thats just me). Just to note I work with both XP & Vista but J_Dublin15 is right that most negative comments about Vista are from people who have installed it on a cheap PC.

Go into a shop and play around with a demo version of Vista and see what you think of it. It may take a few days to get used to its features though.

20 Times 20 Times · 28-08-2008 3:59pm

Thats great news that my buy was a good on , Im very very happy with the offer i got as well with free delivery and free laptop bag

yay go me didnt get ripped off

An Citeog · 02-09-2008 8:05pm

I was going to start a new thread but my requirements are basically the same as the op's. I have about €800-900 to spend but don't mind going lower, if anyone can point me in the direction of a nice bargain.

I would've gone for Sarge's machine but I tend to watch a lot of movies etc on my laptop and would prefer a 15.4" screen. I'd also like it to run fairly smoothly/quietly (my current laptop sounds like it's running off a diesel engine!:D) Wifi is essential and decent speaker sound would be a bonus aswell.

I'm not sure about the Vostro 1510 after reading some of the online reviews but haven't completely ruled it out. I was originally going to go with this Toshiba Satellite A300D-15B but I've decided to stay clear of laptopsdirect. I was also considering this Thinkpad R61 but it looks slightly blocky.

If anyone could offer me any advice on what would be best to buy, I'd be extremely grateful!:)

20 Times 20 Times · 02-09-2008 9:38pm

hey ,

www.dell.ie/outlet have some great deals on at the moment , the warranty and rights available to you are the exact same as if buying direct from dell.ie . You seem to get more value for your money there. Also it might be worth noting that the laptops and machines are updated daily between 1.00 and 2.30.

ironderek · 03-09-2008 5:18am

Did you get your laptop from dell outlet?

An Citeog · 04-09-2008 8:02pm

Is it just me or have the prices on the Dell site all shot up since the start of September? The Vostro 1510 mentioned on the first page by Soundman is now retailing at €829 excl. delivery & vat (compared to €749). Is that a usual occurrence?

An Citeog · 05-09-2008 6:26pm

So I bit the bullet and went for the Vostro 1510 from the first page, so thanks Soundman!:)

250gb harddrive was €110 dearer than the 160gb, so I went with the 160. I've already got a 500gb external harddrive, so that should be alright. I just can't wait to get my hands on it now!:D

Soundman · 05-09-2008 6:33pm

Good stuff. Hope it treats you well, and you, it.

Laptop Advice Please

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