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€500 to spend on a laptop up north

  • 23-11-2009 10:17AM
    #1
    romperstomper
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,830 ✭✭✭


    hi guys,

    mate of mine is planning to head north soon to buy a laptop. budget is around 500 and it needs to be able to do a bit of everything (it'll be the only computer in the house). any suggestions on make and model and what store to get it from? he's a bricks and mortar sort of guy, won't buy online

    thanks, RS


Comments

  • #2
    leninbenjamin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,983 ✭✭✭leninbenjamin


    this would be better served in the laptops forum.

    There are no real strong brands out there any more. All laptops these days have fairly generic components, the major differing factor is the exterior build quality. The best would probably be Apple or Sony, but in this case they would be way over budget.

    Two things: look for Nvidia or ATI graphics (Ignore Intel integrated at all costs). €500 should get you a 512MB card.

    The other is to look for a Core2Duo, with an emphasis on the cache size. i.e. the Celeron/Pentium Dual Cores tend to only have 1MB cache. Look for a Core2Duo with the code Pxxxx in front of it, i.e. P7450, P8600. They tend to be slightly better processors and i think less power-hungry too. They might be just a bit outside your budget though, so look for a T6xxx next and go no lower than a Core2Duo T4xxx imo.

    The main thing is to just walk around from store to store and compare what that €500 will get you. Write down the top specs for each and work out the best value that way.


  • #3
    Venom
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,984 ✭✭✭Venom


    leninbenjamin wrote: »
    this would be better served in the laptops forum.

    There are no real strong brands out there any more. All laptops these days have fairly generic components, the major differing factor is the exterior build quality. The best would probably be Apple or Sony, but in this case they would be way over budget.

    Sony laptops and the words "the best" should never be used in the same sentence unless you add "paying for the name". The OP wont get very much for €500 from the Apple or Sony brands.

    Check out Acer,Tosibha and Samsung for much better value.


  • #4
    leninbenjamin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,983 ✭✭✭leninbenjamin


    Venom wrote: »
    Sony laptops and the words "the best" should never be used in the same sentence unless you add "paying for the name". The OP wont get very much for €500 from the Apple or Sony brands.

    I agree (and i did say they were over budget), but their build quality is much better than the likes of Dell, Acer, HP imo. Brushed aluminium is much better than plastic tbh, (amn't i right Anti? :p). If i had the money I'd buy them everytime, but I don't so I buy a Dell Vostro (best price performance ratio of any laptop range imo, unfortunately they can only be bought directly off Dell so not suitable for the OP).


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