Surprise surprise, advice required.

Hex

Hey all, this seemed to be the best place to turn to for advice! I've been laptop hunting across the web (too lazy to leave my house) for the last few weeks and I haven't yet managed to settle on any one in particular. I have a budget of max 950e, and I want this (Windows) laptop for entertainment, mostly. I'm pretty sure I want a 15"ish display, I'm a whore for HD so ideally I want a 1920x1080 resolution. Blu-ray is a plus, but not a necessity. Other than shows and movies, I might want to do a bit of casual gaming, but nothing too strenuous. I'm studying Japanese in college and when I'm doing work I have a fair few separate windows open for transliterating/translating/dictionaries and the like, for some reason in my head this justifies needing such a high resolution.

I'd like to stay away from integrated graphics cards. I don't know much about processors but i5/i7 sounds good to me! I had my eyes on the HP Pavilion dv6t Quad Edition, a rather nice setup, but unfortunately HP doesn't deliver to Ireland from their USA website. I looked into a forwarding carrier but it would cost me an estimated 250e to get it shipped and through customs.

I've also been looking at the Dell XPS 15z, which seems to have rather nice specs, but then again I've heard a few complaints about fan noise and wireless problems. We've had 5 Dell laptops in the house over the years, and we only ever had trouble with one - the disc drive in my sister's Studio 15 rapes anything that goes in there. Needless to say she downloads everything now.

So basically I'm looking for advice on a number of things. Firstly, is a 1080p display on a 15" laptop even needed? The most common resolution that seems to be popping up everywhere is 1366 x 768, but to me this seems a bit low. Correct me if I'm wrong! I'll also consider 14" laptops if anyone would recommend them? Portability would be nice. Secondly, if anyone could point me to a website where cheap laptops reside, please do. I've checked out a rather exhaustive list of Irish websites to no avail.

I realise this post is jumbled and vague, and for that I apologise, but when it comes down to it I really don't know what I want. Please point me in the right direction if you can! Thanks!

_AVALANCHE_

Cough*paragraphs*Cough

_AVALANCHE_

OK, I read it.

What games are you likely to play? Added GPU will make machine heavier and eat into battery when on so make sure you actually need it. Intel 3000 is fine for majority of things, eg, playing full HD. From what you've said and depending on games an i3 with integrated intel would do, can be got for less than €500ish.

No point getting Full HD screen on anything under 17inch, you won't notice it. If anything it'll be a hinderance, making text smaller. You have to go all the way to a 42inch TV before most people will see difference in 720p and 1080p. Someone will disagree with me here I'm sure.

Nothing wrong with Dell XPS, when reading reviews i'd just look for a major flaw with a model, never mind the odd nitpicking. Vast majority of tech in Laptops is same from Manufacturer to Manufacturer.

Komplett.ie is top Irish site.

saveonlaptops.co.uk and Amazon.co.uk and maybe laptopsdirect (thread on here before about them being ****s to deal with though if you had a problem so maybe best to stick to other two, unless they have a great bargain) are best English.

computeruniverse.net is good german site, good deals but watch out for qwertz layout keyboards, check the pictures.

List games anyway and we can throw up a few laptops that would do.



Lenovo G570
ASUS
ASUS 1600x900p screen on 15" Laptop, Good graphics, will play most games at decent resolutions, USB3

Is this the HP you were after?

All above have blu ray.

johneire31

I don't see anything in your specs that should make you spend more than 500 or so. There is nothing intensive in your demands that an average new laptop can't handle. Big memory allows you to open more windows and run more applications at the same time smoothly. Most integrated graphics can easily handle your requirements, depending on your gaming which you suggest to be light.

argoes have this model on the go at the moment and it looks good at 600

http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/5086878/Trail/searchtext%3EGREAT+DEALS+ON+LAPTOPS.htm

j

Jarren

www.sony.co.uk/product/vn-s-series
They have special offer atm, free processor upgrade.

Torqay

If you want to enjoy full HD on a 15.6" laptop, you'll have to cough up a bit more though...

The higher end Dell XPS 15 have a 1920x1080 display, from €920 or €1050 with aBluray combo drive.

Hex

I can get this (http://www.dell.com/ie/p/xps-15z/pd?oc=n0015z06&model_id=xps-15z) laptop for 872e delivered. It's between this and the dv6 I think.

As for games, well I'm not a heavy gamer really but when I do game it would be something along the lines of Skyrim, or the next Tomb Raider.

Are you sure I wouldn't be able to tell the difference in resolution? I mean, there's a big difference between 1366x768 and 1920x1080. Thought the extra resolution would also be handy for Photoshop and the likes.

I realise I'm purchasing more than I need here, but I did the same with my last desktop. I bought this computer around 4 years ago and while it was pretty much top of the range at the time of purchase, it can struggle a bit now with some modern games and applications. It can barely play 1080p video. I just want the insides to be considered decent enough for the next 5 or so years before I need to upgrade my hardware/laptop.

Thanks a lot for your advice!