Is this lapotp any good?

buyer95

http://www.harveynorman.ie/psk4ye-00200hen.html

My price range is about 400 euro. If not, please give suggestions!

x in the city

buy a second hand one with a proper core 2 duo processor

that would be as slow as a hyundai accent driven by a 80 year old nun

buyer95

x in the city wrote: »

buy a second hand one with a proper core 2 duo processor

that would be as slow as a hyundai accent driven by a 80 year old nun

any links?

dimitry datus

Second that - single core processors not a great idea.

My oh is selling this one : http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/computers/2404547 Says 350 on the ad but I know she'll go way lower than that - (think 280 is her absoloute lowest of the low)

Other than that if your determined to go for a new one well worth a look at ankermann in germany

http://www.ankermann-edv.de/Notebooks/Not-ASUS-P50IJ-SO192D-T3500-2048MB-320GB-39-6cm-15-6-Free-DO::5572.html

The one above is a good spec for the cost, only thing is it doesn't come with windows so you'd be limited to linux, or you'd have to buy a windows license, but I don't think that's huge money.

paddy145

http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/computers/2383234

Fairly decent spec, nice lookin laptop, probably at least 2 years old but well minded by the looks of it.

buyer95

dimitry datus wrote: »

Second that - single core processors not a great idea.

My oh is selling this one : http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/computers/2404547 Says 350 on the ad but I know she'll go way lower than that - (think 280 is her absoloute lowest of the low)

Other than that if your determined to go for a new one well worth a look at ankermann in germany

http://www.ankermann-edv.de/Notebooks/Not-ASUS-P50IJ-SO192D-T3500-2048MB-320GB-39-6cm-15-6-Free-DO::5572.html

The one above is a good spec for the cost, only thing is it doesn't come with windows so you'd be limited to linux, or you'd have to buy a windows license, but I don't think that's huge money.

Thanks for your help. I am slightly wary of anything second hand... Condition might not be top notch. But I will consider. By the way, what is the difference between single core and double core?

buyer95

dimitry datus wrote: »

Second that - single core processors not a great idea.

My oh is selling this one : http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/computers/2404547 Says 350 on the ad but I know she'll go way lower than that - (think 280 is her absoloute lowest of the low)

Other than that if your determined to go for a new one well worth a look at ankermann in germany

http://www.ankermann-edv.de/Notebooks/Not-ASUS-P50IJ-SO192D-T3500-2048MB-320GB-39-6cm-15-6-Free-DO::5572.html

The one above is a good spec for the cost, only thing is it doesn't come with windows so you'd be limited to linux, or you'd have to buy a windows license, but I don't think that's huge money.

On second viewing I like the look of that laptop on donedeal. But a few questions. Is it still working at optimum level? Can it be posted to kerry?

x in the city

buyer95 wrote: »

any links?

just buy a second hand xps m1330

it would wipe that rag of crap into oblivion

could get one for 400 snots im sure.

x in the city

and within a few minutes seen this..

http://www.adverts.ie/laptops/dell-xps-m1330-black/723351

about 100% better that the crap you posted..!

paddy145

x in the city wrote: »

and within a few minutes seen this..

http://www.adverts.ie/laptops/dell-xps-m1330-black/723351

about 100% better that the crap you posted..!

Battery is as good as gone on that one and the 1330 is prone to problems, i had the motherboard replaced by dell and it went a second time so I just dumped it, usb ports caused problems also

buyer95

After doing some more searching, i resolved to head into harvey normans to ask the tech guy to recommend something for 400 euro. He showed me a hp pavillion 625 athlon dual core, with 3gb ram and 320 hd, 256 mb graphics, wifi hdmi, and 15.4 inch screen. All for 400 euro... What do you think? It sounds good, I cant find a link to it on harvey norman page.

Medu

It really depends on what you need the laptop for. If it's just for web access then anything dual-core with 3GB+ of ram will do. The first laptop you linked is a dual-core but it is designed for mobility more than speed.
TBH I would advice against a second hand laptop. Nearly all laptops seem to give problems after a couple of years- even sooner if misused(simple using a laptop on your lap will shorten it lifespan by overheating it). Even if it is in good condition it's battery pack is closer to the end of it's life and will probably cost ~€100 to replace. It's not uncommon to see battery packs becomes useless(lasting only 10-15 minutes) within 2 years.

Finally- make sure you like the laptop. For most people the screen and keyboard will be just as important, if not more important, than what CPU is inside. Open up notepad and type away!

dimitry datus

x in the city wrote: »

buyer95 wrote: »

any links?

just buy a second hand xps m1330

it would wipe that rag of crap into oblivion

could get one for 400 snots im sure.

Jeebus man what's with the agression.it's far from a heap of crap,it's not a gaming machine but its a very decent general use machine.the m1330s had a known issue of the graphics card overheating so I'd be wary of those.

Battery does last 3 hours roughly,it is only around a year old.

Anyway I dont need to defend it,i still reckon tis a good machine for under 300 quid but i totally understand wanting a brand new one.

ED E

buyer95 wrote: »

After doing some more searching, i resolved to head into harvey normans to ask the tech guy to recommend something for 400 euro. He showed me a hp pavillion 625 athlon dual core, with 3gb ram and 320 hd, 256 mb graphics, wifi hdmi, and 15.4 inch screen. All for 400 euro... What do you think? It sounds good, I cant find a link to it on harvey norman page.

As long as that core isnt super slow, thats decent option for you.

You should be aware you wont be able to game on such a unit.

buyer95

Lethal_Bullet wrote: »

As long as that core isnt super slow, thats decent option for you.

You should be aware you wont be able to game on such a unit.

I wouldnt be using it for gaming, it have my xbox for that!

x in the city

dimitry datus wrote: »

Jeebus man what's with the agression.it's far from a heap of crap,it's not a gaming machine but its a very decent general use machine.the m1330s had a known issue of the graphics card overheating so I'd be wary of those.

Battery does last 3 hours roughly,it is only around a year old.

Anyway I dont need to defend it,i still reckon tis a good machine for under 300 quid but i totally understand wanting a brand new one.

a core 2 duo like in the m1330 is superior to what was on the post, that is all.

some of the dells do have problems but i got one for my in law and it had no problems (for over 2 years), until she dropped it lol.

buying laptops for 300/400e is a folly, half of them are barely capable of running windows 7.

Id much rather spend 400euro on a second hand machine that originally cost a lot more.

buyer95

Can anyone tell me how reliable HP laptops are? And also is it really worth the extra dosh for a dual core processor? Like what does it actually speed up?

ED E

buyer95 wrote: »

Can anyone tell me how reliable HP laptops are? And also is it really worth the extra dosh for a dual core processor? Like what does it actually speed up?

With the exception of the nVidia fiasco where a load of units off'd themselves, at lower price levels reliability is rather flat across the board(HP/Dell/Acer/Toshiba/Lenovo).

Really, a single core is too slow to keep up with modern tasks. If a computer was a person, the CPU is the brain, and who wouldnt want to double their brain power. For everyday use its the main limitation on how fast the machine performs. To answer your question, it speeds up everything(not entirely true, but thats the simplified answer).

dazzday

There are plenty of options in your price range for new laptops with new first generation and even second generation processors. If this laptop is an investment why buy old outdated technology when you can buy new at the same price?

14inch: https://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/Packard_Bell_EasyNote_NS44_1070761.html

13inch: https://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/HP_ProBook_4320s_1066236.html

15inch: https://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/MSI_CR620_1088301.html

15inch: https://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/Acer_Aspire_5742_1109794.html

15inch: https://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/Acer_Aspire_5552_in_Black_1109574.html (8gb RAM! overkill really but you could take out one of the 4gb sticks and sell it for €30-40 if you wished)

15inch: https://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/Packard_Bell_EasyNote_TK85_1070755.html

Plenty more here
https://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/products/ids/attributeselection

and more on expansys, dabs, ebuyer, laptopsdirect, amazon etc.

Remember specs are only half the battle when finding the right laptop. Sometimes the trackpad wont suit you or maybe the laptop is too loud etc. Pick out a few and search for reviews and owners lounges. If possible see if you can see them in person at a store and get a feel for them, then shop around for best price.

buyer95

On that website I found the laptop I was looking at for 400 quid in Harvey Normans this weekend https://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/HP_625_1068436.html
What do ye think of it? Is it the best I can get for that price?

dazzday

Any of the ones i mentioned above are better value for money. IMO 2gb RAM just doesnt cut it these days, even for the most basic of users. You will really feel the lag even in multitasking.


Tbh its hard to ignore this for €400 incl shipping:

https://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/Packard_Bell_EasyNote_NS44_1070761.html

• Sandybridge i3 cpu (newest generation of cpu that vastly improves on the amd mentioned)

• Sandybridge intergrated gpu ( faster then the dedicated gpu in the hp)..Good enough to light game

• 14inch with very good battery life...perfect for mobility.

• 3gb RAM, 320GB HDD, webcam, hdmi... all pretty standard

• USB 3.0 ...going to be invaluable in the future imo for faster transter rates and integration with new cameras etc
• Favorable reviews.

EDIT:

If you really want to go for a HP why not something like this

http://www.ebuyer.com/257135-hp-g62-452sa-laptop-xf452ea-abu

buyer95

Whar difference does ram make can someone please tell me?

Liam Byrne

buyer95 wrote: »

Whar difference does ram make can someone please tell me?

Computers are, in a way, like a person.

If you give a person a few things to do at the same time, or to juggle, then they'll be able to keep some stuff in their head but they may need to write other stuff down.

A computer will "write stuff down" on the hard disk in a temporary file, but that slows things down, as disk reading and writing is a lot slower (think "finding a pen & paper).

If it has more RAM, then that's the equivalent of keeping all of the details "in its head" because there's enough space there for multiple items simultaenously.

4GB is sweet, but unless you're doing heavy-duty stuff you'd rarely notice a difference with more than that.

marco_polo

buyer95 wrote: »

Whar difference does ram make can someone please tell me?

It doesn't make the laptop faster per say but it allows you do do more things at once. (If you start running out of RAM performance does decrease drastically as the operating system has to start swapping programs in and out of memory as you switch between them, as this involves reading and writing to the hard disk as needed it does slow thing down considerably, because RAM is orders of magnitude faster than a hard disk). With enough RAM available the operating system can keep all you open programs in memory, so no reading to disk is required.

2Gb is really only sufficent for the lightest usage nowadays, maybe a couple of browser windows and office but that is about it. If you are doing things like watching video, playing games skyping etc 2Gb it is going to run out pretty quick.

EDIT: Damn you and your effective analogies to hell Liam Byrne

buyer95

Liam Byrne wrote: »

Computers are, in a way, like a person.

If you give a person a few things to do at the same time, or to juggle, then they'll be able to keep some stuff in their head but they may need to write other stuff down.

A computer will "write stuff down" on the hard disk in a temporary file, but that slows things down, as disk reading and writing is a lot slower (think "finding a pen & paper).

If it has more RAM, then that's the equivalent of keeping all of the details "in its head" because there's enough space there for multiple items simultaenously.

4GB is sweet, but unless you're doing heavy-duty stuff you'd rarely notice a difference with more than that.

Would 3gb ram be sufficient do you think? Also what is more important, having a dual core processor or lot of RAM?

dazzday

buyer95 wrote: »

Would 3gb ram be sufficient do you think? Also what is more important, having a dual core processor or lot of RAM?

This shouldnt be an issue.
Every mainstream cpu for the last 3 generations has been at least dual core ( core2duo, 1st gen i-series, 2nd generation i-series).

For your budget, do not accept less then a core2duo (and i'd argue a first generation i3) and 3gb RAM.
If this is an investment why buy old technology when you can better performance, better temperatures, better battery life, newer architecture, newer features and better support for the same price?

buyer95

dazzday wrote: »

This shouldnt be an issue.
Every mainstream cpu for the last 3 generations has been at least dual core ( core2duo, 1st gen i-series, 2nd generation i-series).

For your budget, do not accept less then a core2duo (and i'd argue a first generation i3) and 3gb RAM.
If this is an investment why buy old technology when you can better performance, better temperatures, better battery life, newer architecture, newer features and better support for the same price?

The one I'm looking at is a hp laptop, 3gb ram, 320hdd dual core etc for 400 euro... Do ye think that is a good deal?