€1100 Budget

JM MARCONI

Hi, my family are getting me a laptop for my 21st. They are letting me pick it but im not sure what would be best for me. I will be mainly using 3D Studio Max, FPS Creator and photoshop. And everything else like web, vids and music.
Could someone recommend me something please.

silvine

I'd go with a Dell Vostro 1500 or a Dell Vostro 1700. They are well built, come with a good spec, and are relatively cheap.

Do you intend to move it about much?

JM MARCONI

Yes I will be bringing it to college with me. What about the xps m1330?

Alanstrainor

They're very good machines, i've a few friends that have them, really nice form and they're sturdy too, although my brother has had "issues" with his and had to get a replacement, i think this was more a case of getting a lemon than the machines being unreliable. Now, There is another Dell to consider, the vostro 1310, same 13" screen, not quite as snazzy looking but it's much much better value.
like this one:
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T8100 (2.1 GHz 3 MB L2 Cache, 800 MHz FSB)
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows Vista™ Business - English
SUPPORT SERVICES 1Yr Basic Warranty - Next Business Day Included -
LCD 13.3" Widescreen WXGA (1280 x 800) Display with Anti-Glare Coating
INTEGRATED WEBCAM Glossy Black with 1.3 MP Camera
MEMORY 2048MB (1x2048) 667MHz DDR2 Single Channel
HARD DRIVE 320GB (5400rpm) SATA Hard Drive
GRAPHICS CARD 128 MB NVIDIA® GeForce™ 8400M GS (64 bit) Graphic Card
POWER SUPPLY 65W AC Adaptor (3 Wire) edit
OPTICAL DRIVE Fixed Internal 8X DVD+/-RW Slot Load Drive
PRIMARY BATTERY Primary 6-cell 58 WHr Lithium Ion battery
that comes to 840 including vat, and delivery.

silvine

If you are bringing it to college you might be better with the XPS. The Vostros are supposed to be big and heavy.

Alanstrainor

silvine wrote: »

If you are bringing it to college you might be better with the XPS. The Vostros are supposed to be big and heavy.

there's 200grams of a difference between the m1330 and 1310, the m1330 weighing 1.8kg and the vostro 1310 weighing 2kg

JM MARCONI

Would one of you like to spec out a Xps for me please that comes close to my budget.

Alanstrainor

JM MARCONI wrote: »

Would one of you like to spec out a Xps for me please that comes close to my budget.

And what's stopping you from doing this??????
You know better than us exactly what you're looking for
www.dell.ie

Alanstrainor

Okay so i'm bored so i did it anyway:pac::pac:
this is what i came up with: €1164
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T5550 (1.83 GHz, 2 MB L2 cache, 667 MHz FSB) edit
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium - English
HARDWARE SUPPORT Base Warranty - 1 Year XPS Premium Hardware Support (incl. Gaming and On-Site Support)
COLOUR CHOICE Tuxedo Black & 0.3 mega pixel Camera for White-LED Display
LCD 13.3" UltraSharp™ WXGA (1280x800) White-LED Display (300 nits) with TrueLife
BIOMETRIC IDENTIFICATION Biometric Fingerprint Reader
MEMORY 2048MB 667MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM [2x1024]
HARD DRIVE 160GB (5400RPM) SATA Hard Drive
GRAPHICS CARD 128MB nVidia® GeForce® 8400M GS
OPTICAL DRIVE Fixed 8x DVD+/-RW Slim Slot Load Drive, including SW edit
PRIMARY BATTERY Primary 6-cell Lithium-Ion Battery (56 WHr)
MODEM External 56k V.90 Modem (USB) including Cable and Adapter( i just added this because it was free)

As you can see you get a lot less for a lot more cash unfortunately, I would recommend checking dell outlet, there are bargains to be had every day so better than others.

JM MARCONI

The thing is I dont. All I know is that i want it to be fast. I dont really know what the difference is with processers and the like.

JM MARCONI

Is this good?

SYSTEM COMPONENTS
Dell XPSTM M1330 (N04X3310) Qty 1
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T8300 (2.40 GHz, 800 MHz FSB, 3 MB L2 cache), Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium - English Unit Price Incl. VAT € 1,399.00
Save €160 (Inc Vat)
Expires 30 April 2008 View Details
- € 160.00

Get 10% off!
Expires 30 April 2008 View Details
- € 123.90

Catalog Number: 5102 N04X3310
Module Description Show Details
Base Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T8300 (2.40 GHz, 800 MHz FSB, 3 MB L2 cache)
Microsoft Operating System Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium - English
Memory 3072MB 667MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM [1x2048+1x1024]
Keyboard Internal Lightweight Keyboard - UK/Irish (QWERTY)
Video Card 128MB nVidia® GeForce® 8400M GS
Hard Drive 320GB (5.400rpm) SATA Hard Drive
Modem No Modem
Optical Devices Fixed 8x DVD+/-RW Slim Slot Load Drive, including SW
Wireless Networking Intel® Next-Gen Wireless-N Mini-Card - Europe - Core 2 Duo Processors
Shipping Documents English Documentation with English/Irish Power Cord - 90W
Gedis Bundle Reference N04X3310
Microsoft Application Software Microsoft® Works 9.0 - English
Standard Warranty Base Warranty - 1 Year XPS Premium Hardware Support (incl. Gaming and On-Site Support)
Enhanced Service Packs Base Warranty - 1 Year XPS Premium Hardware Support (incl. Gaming and On-Site Support)
Protect your new PC No Security/Anti-Virus Protection - English
Power Supply AC Adapter 90W - 3 Pin
Bluetooth Dell™ TrueMobile 355 internal Bluetooth Module - European
Order Information Inspiron Order - Ireland
Primary Battery Primary 6-cell Lithium-Ion Battery (56 WHr)
Carrying Cases No Carry Case
Biometric Identification Biometric Fingerprint Reader
Dell System Media Kit Resource DVD - (Diagnostics & Drivers)
Colour Choice Tuxedo Black & 2.0 mega pixel Camera for CCFL Display
Accidental Damage Support No Accidental Damage Support
Online Promotion Option for GEDIS Configs Dell Internet Order
LCD 13.3" UltraSharp™ WXGA (1280x800) CCFL Display (220nits) with TrueLife™

Alanstrainor

Oh right, well the T8100 2.1Ghz would be far superior to the T5550 1.87Ghz, the vostro also has over double the hard drive space. Both machines would probably suit you just fine though, it's really down to you, The xps has a nicer keyboard, (i haven't actually used the 1310 keyboard, but it looks like the standard dell keyboard,) The m1330 has better speakers if that makes a difference. But as far as spec the vostro would win, not by a huge margain but when you consider the price difference i wouldn't dismiss it.

JM MARCONI

Forgot to say. That system comes to €1115

Raekwon

SONY VAIO (VGN-CR31Z/R)

- Intel® Core™2 Duo processor T8300 (2.40 GHz and 800 MHz FSB) with Intel® PRO/Wireless 802.11a/b/g/n

- Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium

- 250 GB Serial ATA 5400 rpm hard disk drive

- 2 GB DDR2-667 SDRAM (2*1024 MB - no free slots available), maximum 4 GB DDR2-667 SDRAM

- 14.1" WXGA (1280 x 800) Widescreen X-black LCD screen

- ATI® Mobility RADEON™ X2300 graphics processing unit with Total Available Graphics Memory of 831 MB

- DVD±RW/±R DL/RAM drive

- Built-in 'Motion Eye' Digital Camera (max. 30 frames per second, 1.3 Mega Pixels) with Motion Picture Function (max. resolution (pixels) WXGA/1280*800)

- Wireless LAN IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n; Bluetooth®

- 3 Hi-Speed USB 2.0 ports

€ 1,137 (Inc. VAT) on Pixmania.ie
€ 1,187 (inc. VAT) on Dabs.ie

(or €1,559 in the Sony Centre :rolleyes:)

Alanstrainor

Alright i just found this machine on dell outlet,
Amazing spec m1330
here's another, that's still amazing but cheaperm1330 2
thise prices exclude VAT

Voodu Child

For photoshop and 3D Studio Max type useage, I would probably go for a 15" rather than either of the M1330 or Vostro 1310.

It won't be as portable, but there are still some slim & light 15"ers available. Have a look at the Vostro 1510 instead, you should be able to spec that very high for your budget. Its not going to be a featherweight, but should still be plenty comfortable for carrying to college.

JM MARCONI

Does this seem good?

SYSTEM COMPONENTS
InspironTM XPS M1530(N04X5307) Qty 1
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T8300 (2.40 GHz, 800 MHz FSB, 3 MB L2 cache), Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium - English Unit Price Incl. VAT € 1,428.99
Save €160 (Inc Vat)
Expires 30 April 2008 View Details
- € 160.00

Get 10% off!
Expires 30 April 2008 View Details
- € 126.90

Catalog Number: 5102 N04X5307
Module Description Show Details
Base Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T8300 (2.40 GHz, 800 MHz FSB, 3 MB L2 cache)
Microsoft Operating System Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium - English
Memory 4096MB 667MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM [2x2048]
Keyboard Uk/Irish Internal Keyboard (QWERTY)
Video Card NVIDIA® GeForce™ Go 8600M GT with 256MB dedicated graphic memory
Hard Drive 320GB (5.400rpm) SATA Hard Drive
Modem No Modem
Optical Devices Fixed 8x DVD+/-RW Slim Slot Load drive, including SW
Wireless Networking Intel® Next-Gen Wireless-N Mini-Card - Europe - Core 2 Duo Processors
Shipping Documents English Documentation with English/Irish Power Cord - 3 PIN
Gedis Bundle Reference N04X5307
Microsoft Application Software Microsoft® Works 9.0 - English
Standard Warranty Base Warranty - 1 Year XPS Premium Hardware Support (incl. Gaming and On-Site Support)
Enhanced Service Packs Base Warranty - 1 Year XPS Premium Hardware Support (incl. Gaming and On-Site Support)
Protect your new PC No Security/Anti-Virus Protection - English
Power Supply AC Adapter 90W - 3 Pin
Bluetooth Dell™ Wireless 355 Bluetooth 2.0 Module (up to 3Mbps) with Enhanced Data rate - Eur
Order Information Inspiron Order - Ireland
Primary Battery Primary 6-cell Lithium-Ion Battery (56 WHr)
Carrying Cases No Carry Case
Biometric Identification Biometric Fingerprint Reader with BLACK accent
Dell System Media Kit Resource DVD - (Diagnostics & Drivers)
Colour Choice 2.0 mega pixel Camera & Tuxedo Black for CCFL Display
Accidental Damage Support No Accidental Damage Support
TV Tuner and Remote Control Dell™ Travel Remote Control
Online Promotion Option for GEDIS Configs Dell Internet Order
LCD 15.4" Widescreen WXGA+ (1440x900) TFT Display with TrueLife™

TOTAL Incl. VAT:€ 1,142.09

AlmightyCushion

Very nice laptop and quite a high spec.

JM MARCONI

Is that a good price for what im getting? Is there anything that you can see that i should change?

AlmightyCushion

Price looks good. Maybe upgrade to the 9 cell battery, if you want extra battery life. It would add to the weight and could stick out a bit though.

JM MARCONI

Sorry for asking another question but does anyone know anything about the new "acer aspire blue". They look the business.
http://www.laptopsdirect.ie/Acer_Aspire_6920G-834G32Bn_LX.AP40X.079/version.asp

TerrorFirmer

Looks like a solid laptop to me. Blu ray with a HD capable screen at only 16"....It actually annoys me how many laptops have blu-ray but a low resolution screen. 4Gb of ram, Blu-Ray, high res screen, 2.4Ghz Core 2, 9500GS, amongst the other extras ....not to mention it looks the business. I'd definitely consider it a worthwhile purchase.

EKRIUQ

Sorry to bring this up,

But in a puzzle, with dell the Vostro or the XPS,

I would be using some memory hungry programs like all the adobe range and it looks like I'd get more bang for my buck with the Vostro. Is that because it's an older model and the XPS is the new kid on the block and has 2 colours and finger print recognition?

Are all the mod things like wireless and ethernet on the vostro?

AlmightyCushion

The vostro would have the same standard features as the xps (wireless card, ethernet port etc.). The main differences are in the design. If the specs are the same then there will be little difference between the two.