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Cheap Laptop

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    #152
    beauf
    Closed Accounts Posts: 22,651 ✭✭✭✭beauf


    Be aware that Pentium isn't a cut down i3. Its a fast atom that you get in netbooks and tablets. so theres a bigger difference than the name might suggest. Its find for web and office stuff. The Pentium and the i3 here are very different chips.

    I've tried a i3 with HD4000 for minecraft and the kids complained it was a little laggy compared to another machine we have. The other machine has worse CPU but a better graphics card/chipset. So I would avoid that pentium for that reason as it would be worse than the I3. But I didn't test it that much so maybe it can be tweaked. I haven't tested but I suspect that a AMD A8 or A10 cpu which have better graphic might be a better minecraft machine.

    http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/answers/id-2215308/pentium-n3530-quad-core-4012y.html


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    #153
    The_Conductor
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 32,278 Mod ✭✭✭✭The_Conductor


    RosieJoe wrote: »
    Quick question for you. Argos are doing the following 2 Toshiba laptops:
    Intel Pentium with 2.16GHz processor, reduced from €524 to €330
    Intel Core i3 with 1.7GHz Processor, reduced from €570 to €385.

    The first has a 1TB Hard drive as opposed to a 750GB hard drive and the rest of the spec look the same. For a young lad to browse the web, play minecraft/terraria/Sims which would be the better one?

    I know the i3 would be a better chip than the Pentium but would the bigger processor be better?

    The i3, despite being a slower chip- is significantly better than the Pentium- and all things else considered (including the larger hard-drive)- for the sake of the 60 quid- I'd really say you should get the i3. Even doing basic tasks- if you have a few widgets etc running in the background- the Pentium will slow right down. Also- even booting- the i3 takes less than half as long as the Pentium does..........


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    #154
    BoJack Horseman
    Registered Users Posts: 12,248 ✭✭✭✭BoJack Horseman


    Forgive the ignorance, but is clock speed not the key metric you are looking for regarding processor performance?


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    #155
    branners69
    Registered Users Posts: 2,695 ✭✭✭branners69


    You can compare the two here, the i3 wins!


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    #156
    sector_000
    Registered Users Posts: 419 ✭✭sector_000


    BoJack Horseman wrote: »
    Forgive the ignorance, but is clock speed not the key metric you are looking for regarding processor performance?

    Hmmm... unfortunately not.
    It is so difficult even for novice techie people to compare laptop performance.

    Factors include: processor clock speed, number of processor cores, size (& speed) of Level1, Level2 & Level 3 cache, speed of external memory interface. Actually processor architecture too.

    Think of clock speed as just rpm of a car engine.
    It says nothing about the number of cylinders, valve & engine timing technology, gearing, suspension, tyres...

    Good luck!


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    #157
    beauf
    Closed Accounts Posts: 22,651 ✭✭✭✭beauf


    sector_000 wrote: »
    Hmmm... unfortunately not.
    It is so difficult even for novice techie people to compare laptop performance....

    I don't think even experienced people can tell anymore.

    You'd really have to look at benchmark sites to compare them. Also a good benchmark site. As some give out wrong information.

    http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/ is useful

    http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/charts/processors,6.html

    or https://www.cpubenchmark.net/mid_range_cpus.html

    Intel Pentium N3530 @ 2.16GHz Pass Mark 1,968
    Intel Core i3-4005U @ 1.70GHz Pass mark 2,501

    The N3530 is a good cheap CPU. Its quite close to the older pentium.

    Intel Pentium B980 @ 2.40GHz 2,049


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    #158
    normanbond
    Registered Users Posts: 334 ✭✭normanbond


    The ASUS 15" laptop is a great deal at Argos. Any ideas of where to go looking for a good deal on an ASUS 13.5" laptop or other 13.5" laptop?


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    #159
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    normanbond wrote: »
    The ASUS 15" laptop is a great deal at Argos. Any ideas of where to go looking for a good deal on an ASUS 13.5" laptop or other 13.5" laptop?

    13.3 inch laptops are usually a lot more expensive as they are usually ultrabooks and smaller, lighter laptops are more expensive to design and manufacture. for a portable size that is reasonably priced look for 14 inch size - usually better priced.
    there are a couple of cheap laptops with 13.3 on this site, which i've used a few times - very reliable and quick delivery. the cheaper ones are chromebooks though - not windows.

    http://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/products/finder/FFF00000-00000000-60000000-00000000

    although this one is windows.
    http://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/NX.MRTEK.013-Acer-Aspire-ES1-311_1662057.html
    have actually never seen a 13.3 so cheap. celeron chip but fine for browsing, video playback (720p fine), ms office. not for 3d games though. if you want a 13.3 laptop to play full-spec games you're talking 800-900 euro minimum. this laptop seems pretty nice I have to say for the money as 13.3 is a great size for a portable yet usuable laptop. 11.6 inch screens are too small to work on for stuff like excel.


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    #160
    bajer101
    Registered Users Posts: 2,178 ✭✭✭bajer101


    normanbond wrote: »
    The ASUS 15" laptop is a great deal at Argos. Any ideas of where to go looking for a good deal on an ASUS 13.5" laptop or other 13.5" laptop?

    If you don't mind refurbished, this is very good value. i7, 8GB RAM £340

    http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TOSHIBA-PORTEGE-R830-13-3-LAPTOP-CORE-i7-2-7GHz-8GB-128GB-SDD-3G-WINDOWS-7-PRO-/400757461746?pt=UK_Computing_Laptops_EH&hash=item5d4f0192f2


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    #161
    littlevillage
    Registered Users Posts: 2,835 ✭✭✭littlevillage


    Bought this recently.

    €279.99

    http://www.currys.ie/Product/toshiba-satellite-c50b14d-156-laptop-black/322563/7.36


    TOSHIBA Satellite C50-B-14D 15.6"
    Intel® Celeron® Processor N2830 ((2.16 GHz, 2.42 GHz with TurboBoost, 1 MB cache)
    Windows 8.1
    Memory: 4 GB
    Hard drive: 500 GB


    Its grand.

    I also have a work Dell laptop with 8Gb RAM with Intel icore 5 Processor. There's a good difference in horsepower between them both (I tested doing same tasks side by side, Dell is substantially quicker)... but the Toshiba is still great value at that price.

    and yes .. one of the main reasons I bought it was because it said "Turbo Boost" :-)


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    #162
    richardw001
    Registered Users Posts: 575 ✭✭✭richardw001


    littlevillage wrote: »
    Bought this recently.

    €279.99

    http://www.currys.ie/Product/toshiba-satellite-c50b14d-156-laptop-black/322563/7.36


    TOSHIBA Satellite C50-B-14D 15.6"
    Intel® Celeron® Processor N2830 ((2.16 GHz, 2.42 GHz with TurboBoost, 1 MB cache)
    Windows 8.1
    Memory: 4 GB
    Hard drive: 500 GB


    Its grand.

    I also have a work Dell laptop with 8Gb RAM with Intel icore 5 Processor. There's a good difference in horsepower between them both (I tested doing same tasks side by side, Dell is substantially quicker)... but the Toshiba is still great value at that price.

    and yes .. one of the main reasons I bought it was because it said "Turbo Boost" :-)

    +1 to this - I have a couple of machines including an i6 ultrabook. I bought this 279 one for someone as a gift in the last week or so - If I was looking for a machine for browsing and playing movies etc this is one that I would recommend - its a decent machine that should last a couple of years. Its very easy for people to get sucked into spending a little more and then a little more on a machine that will do stuff that they will never use it for.
    Just one comment on this - for gaming etc. for kids for modern games it will be too slow - however then someone would be better off looking for a desktop or a gaming console.


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    #163
    SONIC2008
    Registered Users Posts: 306 ✭✭SONIC2008


    Can someone please recommend a laptop for me. Ideally from littlewoods because I need one soon but will need a bit of extra time to pay it off. My last laptop was a toshiba satellite pro L500 and I loved it, it served me well.

    I only need something capable of online browsing and a bit of word processing. I will need to buy microsoft office. I won't be gaming or watching movies, but I want something with a decent size screen.

    Thanks.


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    #164
    CrookedJack
    Registered Users Posts: 576 ✭✭✭CrookedJack


    SONIC2008 wrote: »
    Can someone please recommend a laptop for me. Ideally from littlewoods because I need one soon but will need a bit of extra time to pay it off. My last laptop was a toshiba satellite pro L500 and I loved it, it served me well.

    I only need something capable of online browsing and a bit of word processing. I will need to buy microsoft office. I won't be gaming or watching movies, but I want something with a decent size screen.

    Thanks.

    Hmmm... be aware that Littlewoods will be a bit more expensive than most other places

    You don't mention budget at all, but just looking through Littlewoods website, the ASUS F551CA is there for €409 - which is not bad value for a decent sized i3. Can be found about €20- 30 cheaper in other places though.


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    #165
    SONIC2008
    Registered Users Posts: 306 ✭✭SONIC2008


    Thank you, it looks like a decent laptop, not that I know much about them! Ya I didnt really have a budget as such. I know littlewoods charge more, suppose I could look else where for that one and pop it on the credit card. Thanks.


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    #166
    RickyBobby1
    Registered Users Posts: 511 ✭✭✭RickyBobby1


    What do people think of the chrome books? My friends coming home from America so he could pick up for me for around 100euro. Just need one for web surfing, watching tv, movies online


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    #167
    vicwatson
    Registered Users Posts: 28,403 ✭✭✭✭vicwatson


    Maybe post in the tech forum too. Where's it 100 yo's in the US?


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    #168
    Do-more
    Registered Users Posts: 4,748 ✭✭✭Do-more


    RickyBobby1 wrote: »
    What do people think of the chrome books? My friends coming home from America so he could pick up for me for around 100euro. Just need one for web surfing, watching tv, movies online
    Sounds like that use is ideally suited to a Chromebook. If you take a look at some of the user reviews of Chromebooks on amazon.co.uk there are some very good ones which detail what a Chromebook is all about and compare and contrast them with full laptops.

    invest4deepvalue.com



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    #169
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    Do-more wrote: »
    Sounds like that use is ideally suited to a Chromebook. If you take a look at some of the user reviews of Chromebooks on amazon.co.uk there are some very good ones which detail what a Chromebook is all about and compare and contrast them with full laptops.

    only problem with chromebooks is that they have pretty much no internal storage so not good for storage video media on it.


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    #170
    iPink
    Registered Users Posts: 461 ✭✭iPink


    I'm still looking for a decent alternative to the Toshiba I got in Argos... not 100% happy with it.. mostly due to touchpad issues, cursor freeze at awkward moments & using the bluetooth just freezes the whole thing up straight away!

    I won't bring it back until I find something decent to swap with though...
    What do all you experts think of this one plse... looks OK to me- 8gb of ram but have no experience whatsoever with HP laptops!

    http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/3239414/Trail/searchtext%3ELAPTOP.htm


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    #171
    iPink
    Registered Users Posts: 461 ✭✭iPink


    iPink wrote: »
    I'm still looking for a decent alternative to the Toshiba I got in Argos... not 100% happy with it.. mostly due to touchpad issues, cursor freeze at awkward moments & using the bluetooth just freezes the whole thing up straight away!

    I won't bring it back until I find something decent to swap with though...
    What do all you experts think of this one plse... looks OK to me- 8gb of ram but have no experience whatsoever with HP laptops!

    http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/3239414/Trail/searchtext%3ELAPTOP.htm

    Details
    Box (25 GB of free storage).
    HP Utility Center.
    CPU, Memory and Operating System:
    Intel Celeron N2840 dual core processor.
    2.16GHz processor speed.
    8GB RAM.
    SATA hard drive.
    Microsoft Windows 8.1.
    Display features:
    15.6 inch screen.
    High definition display.
    Resolution 1366 x 768 pixels.
    Graphics:
    Intel HD Graphics.
    Shared graphics card.
    Interfaces and connectivity:
    Multi-Media Card (MMC) compatible.
    2 USB 2.0 ports.
    1 USB 3.0 port.
    1 Ethernet port.
    1 HDMI port.
    Wi-Fi enabled.
    Multimedia features:
    HD webcam.
    Built-in mic.
    2 channel sound system.
    General features:
    Size H2.53, W37.8, D30.5cm.
    Weight 2.23kg.
    EAN: 888793820476.

    No bluetooth & only dual processor... not sure what 25gb free storage means!!


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    #172
    Do-more
    Registered Users Posts: 4,748 ✭✭✭Do-more


    glasso wrote: »
    only problem with chromebooks is that they have pretty much no internal storage so not good for storage video media on it.

    Yeah but Ricky did specifically state that it was for watching movies online not from local media.

    invest4deepvalue.com



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    #173
    alltacht
    Registered Users Posts: 109 ✭✭alltacht


    iPink wrote: »
    No bluetooth & only dual processor... not sure what 25gb free storage means!!

    I think it means there is 25 gigs of storage available on a cloud storage service


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    #174
    degsie
    Registered Users Posts: 8,729 ✭✭✭degsie


    iPink wrote: »
    Box (25 GB of free storage).
    not sure what 25gb free storage means!!

    Presumably 25GB cloud storage @ box.com


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    #175
    eoin1539
    Registered Users Posts: 130 ✭✭eoin1539


    Seems like a pretty good laptop, ASUS seem to be a good brand. Although the processor speed seems to be a little slow.


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    #176
    dubmick
    Registered Users Posts: 3,910 ✭✭✭dubmick


    thoughts on this Acer lads?

    http://www.dabs.ie/products/acer-extensa-ex2509-celeron-dual-core-n2830-8gb-1tb-15-6-windows-8-1-9P9T.html?src=2


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    #177
    The_Conductor
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 32,278 Mod ✭✭✭✭The_Conductor


    dubmick wrote: »
    thoughts on this Acer lads?

    http://www.dabs.ie/products/acer-extensa-ex2509-celeron-dual-core-n2830-8gb-1tb-15-6-windows-8-1-9P9T.html?src=2

    Decent laptop- but the processor in it is going to be a major bottleneck.
    Is it upgradeable?


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    #178
    branners69
    Registered Users Posts: 2,695 ✭✭✭branners69


    The_Conductor wrote: »
    Decent laptop- but the processor in it is going to be a major bottleneck.

    I agree the processor will be a bottleneck but it is pretty much the same as the one in the Asus F511 which this thread was originally started about. Even cpuboss cant pick a winner between the processors.

    When you bring in that you are doubling your storage (1tb) and memory (8gb) I think this is a better buy, especially as the F511 is for sale in Argos for €390!


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    #179
    dubmick
    Registered Users Posts: 3,910 ✭✭✭dubmick


    it's a gift for my father so I think it might do the job. He won't be doing any gaming or video processing.


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    #180
    CathalRyano
    Registered Users Posts: 351 ✭✭CathalRyano


    dubmick wrote: »
    thoughts on this Acer lads?

    http://www.dabs.ie/products/acer-extensa-ex2509-celeron-dual-core-n2830-8gb-1tb-15-6-windows-8-1-9P9T.html?src=2

    Processor is poor, even for that price. This laptop has the same processor for 130 euro less, albeit with 4gb less ram, though ram is easily upgradable if he ever needs to upgrade it. 4gb of ram is enough for most people imo.


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    #181
    DaraDali
    Registered Users Posts: 410 ✭✭DaraDali


    CathalRyano wrote: »
    Processor is poor, even for that price. This laptop has the same processor for 130 euro less, albeit with 4gb less ram, though ram is easily upgradable if he ever needs to upgrade it. 4gb of ram is enough for most people imo.

    Bought one 2 hrs ago got the got it delivered for 206eur


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