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laptop 550 budget ..

  • 27-08-2011 11:27am
    #1
    irishjay
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 347 ✭✭


    the sister wants somthing with that budget.. any ideas?


Comments

  • #2
    norbert64
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,192 ✭✭✭norbert64


    Million dollar question is as always, what will it be used for.

    General college course work, office, internet, music, tv and movies, skypeing, pics?

    If so, you could actually save yourself a bit of money and get something around the €400 - €450 mark.


  • #3
    irishjay
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 347 ✭✭irishjay


    a graphics card in it would be good.... other wise genrel but the odd game be played on it


  • #4
    Squeeonline
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,570 ✭✭✭Squeeonline


    irishjay wrote: »
    a graphics card in it would be good.... other wise genrel but the odd game be played on it

    You wont get a "gaming laptop" for that price. I have a toshiba t130 which just has an Intel chip for graphics and that plays older games perfectly smooth. Baldurs gate 2, Silent hunter 3, Sim City 4...

    You wont need a fancy gfx chip if you're not playing newer games, and not having one will (generally) mean that you're battery life will be longer, the laptop will run cooler, and you will have less driver issues.


  • #5
    coolpix23
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 56 ✭✭coolpix23


    Jay it's impossible question to answer. Someone will find a great deal and then post it here but just because its a great deal doesn't mean anything if it's not the right one for your sis.

    It's all about what she's going to use it for. Like if she will use it to play Videos on a HD TV you'll probably want a HDMI connector, if not save the money for that and get a higher spec without it.

    A gottcha with RAM is that there is normally only two slots and because smaller RAM sticks are cheaper, i.e. 2 1GB sticks are cheaper than 1 2GB stick usually what ever RAM they say is in it, that it. I think Microsoft say min for Win 7 is 1GB, 2GB recommended. So really you want 4GB.

    Some links...
    BBC's click program to buying a laptop.
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/click_online/8706635.stm

    A more detailed one on makeuseof.com
    http://www.makeuseof.com/pages/download
    when you click to download it it asks for a password it's just the word -> makeuseof <- (they have lots of other guides and handy cheat sheets)

    When I'd narrowed it down to a few contenders I'd check reviews and DON'T forget to check reviews of Tech Support.

    Then compare the CPU and GPU (graphics) benchmarks. Try http://www.cpubenchmark.net/

    Hope you get a good one


  • #6
    seagull
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,342 ✭✭✭seagull


    Have you looked in the laptops forum? There have been quite a few threads recently about what laptop to but in the €500 region.


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