Buying a Laptop: The current Generation

i124Q

Serephucus wrote: »

ASUS have a new one coming out, though I'm not sure if it's out at present. It's the Eee PC X101.

http://www.asus.com/Eee/Eee_PC/Eee_PC_X101/

It's running MeeGo, but it should still handle what you want it to do. The advantage of this over the one you posted is that this is supposed to get about four hours battery life.

Wow, are they trying to copy apple?
Looks really nice and slim. What will it cost? And can I only get it online?

Never used MeeGo, never even heard of it. Will put Win 7 Pro on it probably.
Thanks!

edit: whats it like upgrading RAM on a laptop? Do ya just buy it, unscrew laptop and pop it in? Is it expensive?

Serephucus

i124Q wrote: »

Wow, are they trying to copy apple?
Looks really nice and slim. What will it cost? And can I only get it online?

Never used MeeGo, never even heard of it. Will put Win 7 Pro on it probably.
Thanks!

edit: whats it like upgrading RAM on a laptop? Do ya just buy it, unscrew laptop and pop it in? Is it expensive?

Slated for $199, so hopefully about €160 or so. You'll probably be able to get it in stores, but as I said, I don't know when it's due for release.

It's a netbook-specific OS. You can see videos on Youtube and the like. Might not run Win7.

It's usually very easy, dunno what it's like on this.

Google is your friend.

Morbert

I've heard nVidia cards can be a bit of a pain on laptops due to the optimus software. Is this true? Should I go for ATI?

Jaafa

Morbert wrote: »

I've heard nVidia cards can be a bit of a pain on laptops due to the optimus software. Is this true? Should I go for ATI?

They can be, but they're still better than their ATI counterparts.

Hey guys,

Just wondering would anyone be able to tell me which processor will give better performance.There is two similarly priced laptops on the dell website one is a 2.2ghz laptop with turbo boost up to 3.1ghz and the other one is a 2.6ghz laptop with no turbo boost.I know there is a post on this thread about turbo boost already but I didn't quite grasp it .

Thanks in advance.

Serephucus

If you can give the exact model of processors (i3 2630M/i5 2760QM, etc.) then we'd be able to help. Straight speeds don't always mean as much as you might think.

Serephucus

Serephucus wrote: »

If you can give the exact model of processors (i3 2630M/i5 2760QM, etc.) then we'd be able to help. Straight speeds don't always mean as much as you might think.

Ah sorry about that,here is the specs of the two laptops.I'm not sure if the display is needed but included it anyway both are the same price.


Processor XPS L702x (UKI, FCG21UKI) – i7-2670QM (2.60Ghz, 8Threads, 6MB cache)

Operating System Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium (64 BIT)

Display 17.3" (44 cm) HD+ WLED True-Life (1600x900) with 2.0 Mega Pixel Integrated Camera

Memory2 8GB3 Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1333MHz

Hard Drive 1000GB2 SATA hard drive (7200RPM)

Video Card 3GB NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 555M Graphics Card

Laptop 2


Processor 2nd generation Intel® Core™ i7-2670QM processor (2.20 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 3.10 GHz)

Operating System English Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium (64 BIT)

Display 44 cm(17.3") FHD WLED AG (1920x1080) with 2.0 Mega Pixel Integrated Camera

Memory2 8GB3 Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1333MHz

Hard Drive 750GB2 SATA hard drive (7200RPM)

Video Card 3GB NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 555M Graphics Card

Serephucus

Well something's wrong there, because both are listed as the 2670QM, and they're at different speeds. The second one is the correct speed for the 2670, and it has a nicer display (19x10 matte vs. the 16x9 glossy).

Rowanvella199

I7 is the only future proof processor!

harrywilsoken

Would have been better if mentioned the connectivity.

nujeebaby

Anyone else think this is a big year for laptops and computing in general, i'm holding off til the end of the year to upgrade since we'll have windows 8 and ivy bridge as well as having a better selection of laptops with usb3 and thunderbolt, bluetooth 4, hybrid HDDs and the next generation of graphics cards

_AVALANCHE_

nujeebaby wrote: »

Anyone else think this is a big year for laptops and computing in general, i'm holding off til the end of the year to upgrade since we'll have windows 8 and ivy bridge as well as having a better selection of laptops with usb3 and thunderbolt, bluetooth 4, hybrid HDDs and the next generation of graphics cards

Haswell will be out 2nd quarter next year (successor to ivy bridge) so I think you should wait until Sep 2013 and you'll get a nice up to date machine then, if you buy at xmas your computer will be outta date by march.:eek:

Saying that Skylark will be along not long after and then you'll have skymont hot on it's heels.....feck, where's me blackboard.:pac::pac::p

Their will always be something "coming".

nujeebaby

_AVALANCHE_ wrote: »

Haswell will be out 2nd quarter next year (successor to ivy bridge) so I think you should wait until Sep 2013 and you'll get a nice up to date machine then, if you buy at xmas your computer will be outta date by march.:eek:

Saying that Skylark will be along not long after and then you'll have skymont hot on it's heels.....feck, where's me blackboard.:pac::pac::p

Their will always be something "coming".

Well in all fairness ya there is always something new and coming soon(especially when it comes to processors and graphics cards) but in terms of getting a decent laptop that will last. I think there will be a much better selection towards the end of the year compared to the start of this and whats out now.

DominicKid

Anyone any ideas what laptop should I get in any safe online stores or retails.

Willing to spend €600 max
Intel core i5
6GB of RAM
Not too worried about graphics
4Hours or more on battery (without plugged in)
2.00 Ghz or MORE

Serephucus

A little over budget, but looks decent:

http://www.komplett.ie/Komplett/product/15_16_inch/80006666/hp_compaq_17_3_g7_1390sd_i5_2450m_6gb_500gb/details.aspx

Jarren

Lenny

www.amazon.co.uk/Lenovo-G570-15-6-inch-Laptop/dp/B007IZU8UC/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1339341881&sr=1-1

DominicKid

Any laptop made by retails eg argos
Or
Online shops

Spending 400 - 600 euros max
Want 5+ hours
i5
4 or 6 GB RAM

Eoin247

Anybody know of a decent gaming laptop between 500-900 euro? Want to be able to play games like swtor and guild wars two decently. Thanks!

Jarren

Swtor and Guild wars are not classified demanding from GPU point of view



How about screen size,CPU,storage etc ?

Eoin247

Jarren wrote: »

Swtor and Guild wars are not classified demanding from GPU point of view



How about screen size,CPU,storage etc ?

Thanks for answering! I'm not too picky about the screen size, something over/around 17". I'm not too sure about the CPU, probably an intel i5 is the best for my needs and price range? I have a large external hard drive already, so the storage space can be kept to a minimum.

Jarren

For the games in question the i5 would do great

Specifications
Product Description Toshiba C870-12L
Screens 17.3" Widescreen LED 1600 x 900
Processor Intel Core i5 2450M - 2,5GHz
Memory 6GB DDR3 SODIMM
Hard Drive 500GB - 5400rpm
Graphics Card AMD Radeon HD7610M - 1GB
Optical Drive Dual Layer DVD±ReWriter
Card Reader Yes
Network Gigabit LAN
Wireless Network Wireless-N
Webcam Yes
Operating System Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit
Other Software Office Starter 2010
Connections HDMI, VGA, 1 x USB3.0, 2 x USB2.0, 2 x miniJack
Battery 6 cells
Colour Black
Dimensions (wxdxh) 38 x 24.2 x 3.3cm
Weight 2.7Kg

http://www.komplett.ie/Komplett/product/17_18_inch/80007091/toshiba_17_3_c870_12l_i5_2450m_6gb_500gb/details.aspx

Acer Aspire V3-771G-53218G50Makk 43.9 cm (17.3 in) Laptop (Intel Core i5-3210m, 2.5 GHz, 8GB RAM, 500GB HDD, NV GT650M, DVD, Windows 7 Home Premium) Black

http://www.amazon.de/Acer-V3-771G-53218G50Makk-Notebook-i5-3210M-schwarz/dp/B00857W7UQ/ref=sr_1_17?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1341042555&sr=1-17


Module Description Show Details
Base Inspiron 7720 Basee
Operating System Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English
Memory 4096MB (1x4096) 1600MHz DDR3
Keyboard Internal UK/Irish Qwerty Keyboard
Video Card 2GB Nvidia GeForce GT 650M 90W
Driver Driver : 2230 Wireless Card
Hard Drive 1TB Serial ATA (5400RPM)
CD ROM/DVD ROM Optical Drive : 8x DVD+/-RW Optical Drive
Wireless Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 2230 Card (802.11n + BT 4.0)
Cables 1 Meter Power Cord - UK
Documentation/Disks Ship Accessory : EMEA3 MUI Docs - West/Swiss/MEA (Eng, Ger, Fre, Dut, Ita, Ara, Tur)
Bundle N0517S30
2nd Hard Drive 2nd Hard Drive Not included
Extended Service 1 yr Next Day In-Home Hardware Support
Widi Wireless Display Application
Documentation Documentation Not included
Digital Photography Retail&Hard Bndl Only Adobe Photo+Prem Elements 9 Bundle MUI (EN,FR,GER,ES,IT,SE,NL,CZ,RU,TU,PL)
Order Information Inspiron 7720 Order
Primary Battery Primary 6-cell 48W/HR LI-ION
Processor 3rd Generation Intel® Core™ i5-3210M processor (3M Cache, up to 3.10 GHz)
Color Choice Switch by Design Studio - Aluminium
Accidental Damage Support No Accidental Damage Protecton
Packaging Packaging : Brown Box
Online Backup DataSafe Online Backup 2GB - 1 year licence
Theft Protection Solution No Lojack Selected
FGA Module A7TRBO1303_001/BTS/UK
Theft Protection Solution Software Theft Protection Not Included
Online Backup Software Software: DataSafe Online Backup 2GB - 1 year trial
Optical Software Optical Software Not included
Additional Hard Drive Additional Hard Drive Not included
CFI Included (Smart Selection) CFI Not Included
Retail Marker Retail Marker Not included
Retail Financial Marker Retail Financial Marker Not included
Retail Drop In the Box Leaflet Retail Drop In the Box Leaflet Not included
Retail Registration Retail Registration Not included
Retail Information Retail Information Not included
Retail Tech Sheets Retail Tech Sheets Not included
LCD 17.3in High Definition+ (900p) LED Display with TrueLife
Microsoft Application Software Microsoft® Office Starter: reduced-functionality Word & Excel w/ads. No PowerPoint or Outlook
Non-Microsoft Application Software Resource DVD : Inspiron 7720Diagnostics and Drivers
Protect your new PC McAfee® SecurityCenter 15 Month Subscription
Biometric Identification Biometric Identification Not included
Operating System Recovery Options OS Windows® Recovery Media Not included

Apply the 10% OFF code TG9BVMKJ1M1715

http://ecomm.euro.dell.com/dellstore/basket.aspx?itemtype=CFG&s=dhs&l=en&cs=iedhs1&c=ie&&details=undefined


46.7 cm (18.4 "), 1920 x 1080, glossy LED
Core i5-2430m 2x 2.40 GHz (3.00 GHz Turbo), 4 GB RAM, 750 GB HDD
NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M 1.0 GB DVD burner
Wi-Fi b / g / n, 1x USB 3.0, 3x USB 2.0, HDMI / VGA
0.3 MP Webcam, Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit

http://www.computeruniverse.net/products/90449254/asus-x93sv-yz224v-w7hp64.asp


In my opinion that ASUS from CU would be the most suitable lappy for your needs.

The rest of your budget spend on :

Extra RAM - http://www.crucial.com/uk/
SSD - http://www.dabs.com/products/samsung-128gb-830-series-sata-6gb-s-2-5--ssd-laptop-kit---free-norton-ghost-15-7SR9.html?ReferrerID=tb&utm_source=td&utm_medium=affiliates&utm_content=TB00

and you are ready to roll

Eoin247

Jarren wrote: »

For the games in question the i5 would do great

Specifications
Product Description Toshiba C870-12L
Screens 17.3" Widescreen LED 1600 x 900
Processor Intel Core i5 2450M - 2,5GHz
Memory 6GB DDR3 SODIMM
Hard Drive 500GB - 5400rpm
Graphics Card AMD Radeon HD7610M - 1GB
Optical Drive Dual Layer DVD±ReWriter
Card Reader Yes
Network Gigabit LAN
Wireless Network Wireless-N
Webcam Yes
Operating System Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit
Other Software Office Starter 2010
Connections HDMI, VGA, 1 x USB3.0, 2 x USB2.0, 2 x miniJack
Battery 6 cells
Colour Black
Dimensions (wxdxh) 38 x 24.2 x 3.3cm
Weight 2.7Kg

http://www.komplett.ie/Komplett/product/17_18_inch/80007091/toshiba_17_3_c870_12l_i5_2450m_6gb_500gb/details.aspx

Acer Aspire V3-771G-53218G50Makk 43.9 cm (17.3 in) Laptop (Intel Core i5-3210m, 2.5 GHz, 8GB RAM, 500GB HDD, NV GT650M, DVD, Windows 7 Home Premium) Black

http://www.amazon.de/Acer-V3-771G-53218G50Makk-Notebook-i5-3210M-schwarz/dp/B00857W7UQ/ref=sr_1_17?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1341042555&sr=1-17


Module Description Show Details
Base Inspiron 7720 Basee
Operating System Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English
Memory 4096MB (1x4096) 1600MHz DDR3
Keyboard Internal UK/Irish Qwerty Keyboard
Video Card 2GB Nvidia GeForce GT 650M 90W
Driver Driver : 2230 Wireless Card
Hard Drive 1TB Serial ATA (5400RPM)
CD ROM/DVD ROM Optical Drive : 8x DVD+/-RW Optical Drive
Wireless Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 2230 Card (802.11n + BT 4.0)
Cables 1 Meter Power Cord - UK
Documentation/Disks Ship Accessory : EMEA3 MUI Docs - West/Swiss/MEA (Eng, Ger, Fre, Dut, Ita, Ara, Tur)
Bundle N0517S30
2nd Hard Drive 2nd Hard Drive Not included
Extended Service 1 yr Next Day In-Home Hardware Support
Widi Wireless Display Application
Documentation Documentation Not included
Digital Photography Retail&Hard Bndl Only Adobe Photo+Prem Elements 9 Bundle MUI (EN,FR,GER,ES,IT,SE,NL,CZ,RU,TU,PL)
Order Information Inspiron 7720 Order
Primary Battery Primary 6-cell 48W/HR LI-ION
Processor 3rd Generation Intel® Core™ i5-3210M processor (3M Cache, up to 3.10 GHz)
Color Choice Switch by Design Studio - Aluminium
Accidental Damage Support No Accidental Damage Protecton
Packaging Packaging : Brown Box
Online Backup DataSafe Online Backup 2GB - 1 year licence
Theft Protection Solution No Lojack Selected
FGA Module A7TRBO1303_001/BTS/UK
Theft Protection Solution Software Theft Protection Not Included
Online Backup Software Software: DataSafe Online Backup 2GB - 1 year trial
Optical Software Optical Software Not included
Additional Hard Drive Additional Hard Drive Not included
CFI Included (Smart Selection) CFI Not Included
Retail Marker Retail Marker Not included
Retail Financial Marker Retail Financial Marker Not included
Retail Drop In the Box Leaflet Retail Drop In the Box Leaflet Not included
Retail Registration Retail Registration Not included
Retail Information Retail Information Not included
Retail Tech Sheets Retail Tech Sheets Not included
LCD 17.3in High Definition+ (900p) LED Display with TrueLife
Microsoft Application Software Microsoft® Office Starter: reduced-functionality Word & Excel w/ads. No PowerPoint or Outlook
Non-Microsoft Application Software Resource DVD : Inspiron 7720Diagnostics and Drivers
Protect your new PC McAfee® SecurityCenter 15 Month Subscription
Biometric Identification Biometric Identification Not included
Operating System Recovery Options OS Windows® Recovery Media Not included

Apply the 10% OFF code TG9BVMKJ1M1715

http://ecomm.euro.dell.com/dellstore/basket.aspx?itemtype=CFG&s=dhs&l=en&cs=iedhs1&c=ie&&details=undefined


46.7 cm (18.4 "), 1920 x 1080, glossy LED
Core i5-2430m 2x 2.40 GHz (3.00 GHz Turbo), 4 GB RAM, 750 GB HDD
NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M 1.0 GB DVD burner
Wi-Fi b / g / n, 1x USB 3.0, 3x USB 2.0, HDMI / VGA
0.3 MP Webcam, Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit

http://www.computeruniverse.net/products/90449254/asus-x93sv-yz224v-w7hp64.asp


In my opinion that ASUS from CU would be the most suitable lappy for your needs.

The rest of your budget spend on :

Extra RAM - http://www.crucial.com/uk/
SSD - http://www.dabs.com/products/samsung-128gb-830-series-sata-6gb-s-2-5--ssd-laptop-kit---free-norton-ghost-15-7SR9.html?ReferrerID=tb&utm_source=td&utm_medium=affiliates&utm_content=TB00

and you are ready to roll

Nice! Thanks mate.

Amouar

Hi guys,
I'm looking for an I3 laptop with a decent RAM. Budget 300-399EUR.
Any suggestions guys please?
Thanks!

Jarren

This is the best you can get for your budget I'm afraid.

Asus X54C-SO407D 39.6 cm (15.5 in) Laptop (Intel Core i3 2350m, 2.3 GHz, 4GB RAM, 320GB HDD, ATI 3000, DVD
http://www.amazon.de/X54C-SO407D-Notebook-Intel-2350M-320GB/dp/B007RL8P70/ref=sr_1_3?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1341078969&sr=1-3

Second generation intel processor on that Asus.

Amouar

Jarren wrote: »

This is the best you can get for your budget I'm afraid.

Asus X54C-SO407D 39.6 cm (15.5 in) Laptop (Intel Core i3 2350m, 2.3 GHz, 4GB RAM, 320GB HDD, ATI 3000, DVD
http://www.amazon.de/X54C-SO407D-Notebook-Intel-2350M-320GB/dp/B007RL8P70/ref=sr_1_3?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1341078969&sr=1-3

Second generation intel processor on that Asus.

Thanks! How much is the delivery to ireland and how to change the language from German to English in the laptop?

Thanks!

Jarren

Google chrome browser
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/aapbdbdomjkkjkaonfhkkikfgjllcleb

403.99 Euros delivered in 2/3 days max

Just to keep something in mind,that model will come with German keyboard layout.

It will take you a few days tops to get use to it.:)

Monotype

The original post here badly needs an updating.
You could do with a mention of AMD's APUs which offer reasonable budget gaming - i.e., better than standard integrated graphics but poorer processing power.
We also have a whole new generation of Intel mobile CPUs.
Maybe a mention of SSDs too?

Amouar wrote: »

Thanks! How much is the delivery to ireland and how to change the language from German to English in the laptop?

Thanks!

What you would probably be best off doing would be to completely reinstall windows. You can backup your existing license and put a clean install in English. You could set the keyboard to Irish and all the keys would be in the usual places, assuming that you know where they all are. PM me if you need more details on this.
It seems like a bit of work and it depends on how much a keyboard like that would annoy you. It is a fair bit cheaper than anywhere else, although I haven't looked at the competition.

Dartz

To cut a long story short, I'm looking for something like an Alienware M14X

But without all the shiny pzazz like backlights and styling. If that makes sense. It would look out of place where I want to use it.

Basically, something with 8GB of RAM, an equivelant to an Nvidia GT 650M, an Ivy Bridge, for 1250 Euro, or thereabouts.

Is there such a thing out there, where might I buy one, and how fast might it arrive?


Also, on a related note, does anyone know anything about the magnetic lid-switch on an XPSM1530.... mine started glitching off a while back on random cold-boots. And even after removing the magnet from the lid it still does it. The screen doesn't turn on. Is there a way to bypass the switch?

Jarren

Size wise , would you rather go for (11.6 ") or (15.6 ") ?

Dartz

Jarren wrote: »

Size wise , would you rather go for (11.6 ") or (15.6 ") ?

Either is good, tbh, though I'd prefer at least a 13 inch screen.

I've a habit of buying a laptop that can do EVERYTHING, rather than having a work one, and a home PC, and the like. After 4 years of being lugged around in a backpack, it's paid back what I wanted it to do (And had the palmrest panel knocked off).