Buying a Laptop: The current Generation

5rtytry56

tvercetti wrote: »

.....I would like to avoid the Celerons if possible and would prefer a 13 or 14 inch.

Manufacturers will want to shift all celerons remaining in their stocks this year.

Lord TSC

Looking for advice on what I need to spend to get a decent laptop for gaming.

It doesn't nessecarily need to be utter top of the line; mostly, it's Overwatch, WoW, FF14, games that I've been running on an 8 year old laptop without too much hassle.

Is it doable for under 1k? I'm not exactly flush with cash right now, unfortunately...

TerrorFirmer

Depends on how much of it you want to spend.

This would run all those games mentioned at 1080p high settings 60fps perfectly.

This would run the games you've mentioned at ultra effortlessly and far more demanding games at ultra also.

There are a few choices in between obviously but they're the best examples of the best value at either end of your budget.

Anything lower than €600 is going to be significantly compromised in some area, most likely graphics power.

Black_Knight

Looking for advice on a laptop for my mother in law. Tech illiterate so windows is likely a must. Only request has been that she'll be typing up word documents and printing them out... and that it be cheap.

I've not looked at laptops in a long time, but if I were to put my own spec on it, i'd hope for a small sized SSD and 4GB ram. Not sure what price range those bounce between and what to avoid within that range.

Any pointers would be greatly appreciated :cool:

podgey1992

I'm looking for a laptop with good performance that can handle multiple excel files open at a time, run some python code using a fair bit of RAM, maybe running SPSS and ArcGIS (all simultaneously...) ideally for under €500 - if this is unrealistic I can increase the budget slightly!

From looking around it appears I need 8GB of RAM, 1-2 TB of memory (or 226GB SSD) and ideally an intel i5 processor or equivalent. I've come across this (https://www3.lenovo.com/ie/en/laptops/lenovo/v-series/V330-15/p/81AX00CBUK) which seems a good option but I'm wondering if there are similar laptops out there for cheaper? Or if this is not a good brand/model, or it's available cheaper elsewhere? There's also this model for cheaper: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lenovo-Ideapad-80TV00RYUK-i5-7200U-Processor/dp/B072Q19CV9/ref=pd_vtph_tr_t_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=9515D81BCEFNX9SB151B

really appreciate any advice/recommendations!

Thanks

Bawnmore

Appears to be decently specced deal on a HP laptop from the UK that I've been keeping on eye on. Saw it listed in HUKD here with a good few people there biting the bullet.

wheresmahbombs

Bawnmore wrote: »

Appears to be decently specced deal on a HP laptop from the UK that I've been keeping on eye on. Saw it listed in HUKD here with a good few people there biting the bullet.

What do you plan on using the laptop for? Would the workload be taxing on the CPU, RAM, storage, etc.?

Bawnmore

wheresmahbombs wrote: »

What do you plan on using the laptop for? Would the workload be taxing on the CPU, RAM, storage, etc.?

Sorry - never saw this. It'd be perfect for my use I think - mainly browser based, some excel and working on 2 or 3 browsers at the same time.

wheresmahbombs

Bawnmore wrote: »

It'd be perfect for my use I think - mainly browser based, some excel and working on 2 or 3 browsers at the same time.

8GB of RAM might do you some good.

Bawnmore

wheresmahbombs wrote: »

8GB of RAM might do you some good.

Looks to be upgrade-able, so that'd be the 1st port of call alright. All look OK otherwise? Spec looks decent for the price to me, but I haven't been keeping up with hardware for years so could be totally wrong!

wheresmahbombs

Think it's got the latest quad-core i5.

54and56

Hi all,

I've a 6 year old Lenovo X1 Carbon (i7-3667U CPU @ 2.00GHz, 2501 Mhz, 2 Core(s), 4 Logical Processor(s) + 8GB Ram + 156GB SSD + 14" screen) who's battery has seen better days (max 2 hours out of it now) but other than that is still tipping along grand on Win 10 and hasn't batted an eyelid at anything I've thrown at it including apps like Kodi, Plex, MS Office, VLC etc.

My young lad is looking for a college laptop so I've decided it's time for me to get a new laptop and he can have the old X1 which I'll put a replacement battery into - already ordered and on the way, €40 or so delivered.

When I purchased the X1 I was doing a lot of business travel so small footprint and low weight was important but it's no longer as important. As a result I think I'd prefer to go for a T580 this time as it has a bigger (optional touch) 15.6" screen and has a number pad built into the keyboard.

My use is 80% business which means MS office Apps (lot's of MS Excel + PowerPoint + Outlook etc) + PDF viewer + a ton of open Browser tabs (at least a dozen open at a time) + Spotify playing + WhatsApp app etc and the 20% personal use is mostly Chrome browsing + Plex or Kodi or VLC.

I'm pretty sure I'll go for the touch screen option, the 512GB SSD and the backlit keyboard but I really don't know what mix of processor + graphics card + RAM would be optimum for my needs.

Given the above would anyone like to recommend what T580 configuration would work best and be the best value for money for me?

I'm hoping this is the right place to look for this sort of help and thanks to anyone who does.

Cheers.

thehamo

Can anyone reccomend a decent laptop for a very low (circa 150-200) budget?

I bought a Chuwi lapbook 15.6 and it's the biggest pile of poop emoji I've ever witnessed. I'm currently in buyer dispute on Amazon over it hoping for a refund.

Anyway. I'm cash strapped and in need of a laptop. Mostly for internet based stuff, but small projects like video editing as well.

Any ideas?

Thanks

AlmightyCushion

thehamo wrote: »

Can anyone reccomend a decent laptop for a very low (circa 150-200) budget?

I bought a Chuwi lapbook 15.6 and it's the biggest pile of poop emoji I've ever witnessed. I'm currently in buyer dispute on Amazon over it hoping for a refund.

Anyway. I'm cash strapped and in need of a laptop. Mostly for internet based stuff, but small projects like video editing as well.

Any ideas?

Thanks

Everything at that price is going to be a steaming pile of junk. Best you could do at that prices is a cheap chromebook which would handle web browsing but they have a lot of limitations so you need to check that out before buying.

Mars Bar

Hello all!

I've been a MacBook user for 10 years as I was originally training to be a sound engineer and so Mac fitted my needs. I stuck with what I knew so I went from a MacBook to a 2012 MacBook Pro. I think it might be time to switch back to windows although I love Mac.

I'm looking to upgrade as my needs have changed. I spend more time playing games on steam now (I want Civ VI to run like a dream on my new laptop) and I use Microsoft Office more often. I do the odd bit of video editing for work, although nothing too hard hitting. I'm used to 13 inch screens so I don't really want to go bigger than 15 inches. I'm also a stickler for how a laptop looks (a by product of having a MacBook I guess) so I want it to look slick and thin. No clunkiness!

This is an overview of what I have so I would like to upgrade on the majority of aspects, obviously.



Maximum budget would be €1,200.

Any opinions?

Alanstrainor

I think a Dell XPS15 is worth a look:

http://www.dell.com/en-ie/shop/laptops/xps-15/spd/xps-15-9560-laptop

It is over budget, but not hugely so. It should fit the bill, slick slim design, 15" screen and powerful. The GPU is quite decent too, and I would expect it to handle CIV okay (although you might research this a bit yourself).

Mars Bar

Alanstrainor wrote: »

I think a Dell XPS15 is worth a look:

http://www.dell.com/en-ie/shop/laptops/xps-15/spd/xps-15-9560-laptop

It is over budget, but not hugely so. It should fit the bill, slick slim design, 15" screen and powerful. The GPU is quite decent too, and I would expect it to handle CIV okay (although you might research this a bit yourself).

Thanks Alan! €1,200 is literally me maxing out my budget I'm afraid.

AlmightyCushion

Mars Bar wrote: »

Thanks Alan! €1,200 is literally me maxing out my budget I'm afraid.

The Inspiron range would be within budget. Not as nice as the XPS though.

http://www.dell.com/en-ie/shop/laptops/inspiron-15-7000-gaming-laptop/spd/inspiron-15-7577-laptop

Phantasos

Mars Bar wrote: »

Thanks Alan! €1,200 is literally me maxing out my budget I'm afraid.

There's an XPS 13 on sale for £999 right now on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dell-13-3-inch-Full-Laptop/dp/B07679C652/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1525184950&sr=8-3&keywords=xps+13

AlmightyCushion

Phantasos wrote: »

There's an XPS 13 on sale for £999 right now on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dell-13-3-inch-Full-Laptop/dp/B07679C652/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1525184950&sr=8-3&keywords=xps+13

Only Intel graphics though which would probably struggle with Civ.

Mars Bar

Alanstrainor wrote: »

I think a Dell XPS15 is worth a look:

http://www.dell.com/en-ie/shop/laptops/xps-15/spd/xps-15-9560-laptop

It is over budget, but not hugely so. It should fit the bill, slick slim design, 15" screen and powerful. The GPU is quite decent too, and I would expect it to handle CIV okay (although you might research this a bit yourself).

Phantasos wrote: »

There's an XPS 13 on sale for £999 right now on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dell-13-3-inch-Full-Laptop/dp/B07679C652/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1525184950&sr=8-3&keywords=xps+13

I've been watching reviews and the XPS 15 looks like it might be worth holding out for another while and finding the funds!

Also, there appears to be a 2018 refresh of the XPS 15 coming out this year so do you think we will see a price drop on the older XPS 15?

Alanstrainor

Mars Bar wrote: »

I've been watching reviews and the XPS 15 looks like it might be worth holding out for another while and finding the funds!

Also, there appears to be a 2018 refresh of the XPS 15 coming out this year so do you think we will see a price drop on the older XPS 15?

Not so sure. Generally you would just see the new processors coming in and the old no longer being sold. If you can wait the 8th gen Intel processors are worth it.

Mike Litoris

How about this



Chassis & Display
Recoil Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD 72 % NTSC LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Six Core Processor 8750H (2.2GHz, 4.1GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
8GB Corsair 2400MHz SODIMM DDR4 (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1050 Ti - 4.0GB GDDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1st Hard Disk
1TB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 2.5" SSHD - UP TO 5X FASTER THAN HDD!
1st M.2 SSD Drive
128GB M.2 2280, SATA 6Gb/s (560MB/R, 467MB/W)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 2 in 1 Memory Card Reader (SD, MMC)
AC Adaptor
1 x 150W AC Adaptor
Battery
Recoil II Series 46WH Lithium Ion Battery
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre Cloverleaf UK Power Cable
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
2 Channel High Def. Audio + SoundBlaster™ Cinema 3
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-9560 M.2 (1.73Gbps, 802.11AC) +BT 5.0
USB Options
1 x USB 3.1 PORT (Type C) + 2 x USB 3.1 PORTS + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Keyboard Language
PER-KEY RGB BACKLIT UK MECHANICAL KEYBOARD
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]


Price €1,234.00 including VAT and delivery

Unique URL to re-configure : https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/recoil-ii-15/buK6cRk5Ms/

Alanstrainor

That's some beast for the cash.

Mike Litoris

Alanstrainor wrote: »

That's some beast for the cash.

Thinking of getting a variation of it myself with a 1060gtx. Bought a beast from them 4 years. Never had an issue except its a big 17" monster at well over 4kg and the fans are a bit noisy during gaming. The above Recoil looks a waif compared to it.

Mars Bar

Mike Litoris wrote: »

How about this

Jesus! I'll definitely have a look at that!

thegeezer

Worked in IT all my life. Two tears ago stuck with decision what to buy after realized my baby could no longer cut the mustard (still have her btw). Massive angst and research - bought medion P7643 erazer 16GB RAM, i7, SSD + 1TB SATA, seprate graphics card etc.
Short story short, you call support, they actually understand what you are talking about, and WANT to help.
I wont go outside this company now unless they get sold on. THE best compu I have ever invested in.

Just saying

AlmightyCushion

Seen this on HUKD and it looks like a good deal.

https://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/asus-156-inch-gaming-intel-i5-7300hq-processor-nvidia-gtx-1060-8gb-ram-1tb-hdd-128gb-ssd-windows-10-78999-amazon-2934448

Intel i5-7300HQ
Dedicated NVidia GTX 1060 Graphics card
8GB Memory
1TB Hard drive and 128GB SSD Storage
Single Backlit Keyboard

£790 from Amazon.

Alanstrainor

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

Seen this on HUKD and it looks like a good deal.

https://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/asus-156-inch-gaming-intel-i5-7300hq-processor-nvidia-gtx-1060-8gb-ram-1tb-hdd-128gb-ssd-windows-10-78999-amazon-2934448

Intel i5-7300HQ
Dedicated NVidia GTX 1060 Graphics card
8GB Memory
1TB Hard drive and 128GB SSD Storage
Single Backlit Keyboard

£790 from Amazon.

That wins. Incredible value.

Mars Bar

Alanstrainor wrote: »

That wins. Incredible value.

This is where my shallowness kicks in and I say that's an ugly as fudge laptop! It's also heavier than my current Mac.