Laptop Advice needed for PhD

Poor_old_gill

Not that the PhD makes any difference but it just distinguishes it from other similar threads.
I need one that will last me hopefully the 4 year duration of my course and will allow me to run some mathematical software on it (which I will download).

I will use it for entertainment aswell- like watching shows online or off a external hard-drive and will prob play a bit of football manager on it.

I will use it for all the other basics- browsing, skype, that lark.

Any recommendations- Ideally I dont wanna spend too much over 700.

El Inho

Poor_old_gill wrote: »

Not that the PhD makes any difference but it just distinguishes it from other similar threads.
I need one that will last me hopefully the 4 year duration of my course and will allow me to run some mathematical software on it (which I will download).

I will use it for entertainment aswell- like watching shows online or off a external hard-drive and will prob play a bit of football manager on it.

I will use it for all the other basics- browsing, skype, that lark.

Any recommendations- Ideally I dont wanna spend too much over 700.

sure...you just want everyone to see your massive brain...

i paid 650 for my sony vaio. and you sound just like me, but with the PhD.

Football manager check
movies from hard drive check
streaming from tinternet check

has a HDMI port too so you can hook her up to a telly

http://buy.vivastreet.co.uk/computers+london-w12/sony-vaio-pcg-71312m-in-very-good-condition/44414738

had mine two years now, and only just opened to give it a clean as it was over heating...tis brand new now.

if i was in your shoes right now i would look at getting a refurbished macbook air...but thats just me.

Poor_old_gill

eldwaro wrote: »

sure...you just want everyone to see your massive brain...

i paid 650 for my sony vaio. and you sound just like me, but with the PhD.

Football manager check
movies from hard drive check
streaming from tinternet check

has a HDMI port too so you can hook her up to a telly

http://buy.vivastreet.co.uk/computers+london-w12/sony-vaio-pcg-71312m-in-very-good-condition/44414738

had mine two years now, and only just opened to give it a clean as it was over heating...tis brand new now.

if i was in your shoes right now i would look at getting a refurbished macbook air...but thats just me.

cheers for that- what do you mean by 'give it a clean'??
also how much are macbook airs? are they any good?
Was looking at a few different dells

Nonoperational

It's probably unhelpful but basically any laptop you buy these days for €700 will be perfect for what you need.

El Inho

Poor_old_gill wrote: »

cheers for that- what do you mean by 'give it a clean'??
also how much are macbook airs? are they any good?
Was looking at a few different dells

take the case off, whack a hoover into it, and then carefull scraped off the fan with a penknife..

like surgery, but more macguyver style!

ive heard of refurned airs going for around the 700 mark. they have smallish hard drives designed to run on cloud space..but battery life and weight are second to none..

comment above is very true though...any lappy toppy for the money your talking will be sound

El Inho

Poor_old_gill wrote: »

cheers for that- what do you mean by 'give it a clean'??
also how much are macbook airs? are they any good?
Was looking at a few different dells

sorry just read the rest of that post..

YOU GO NEAR A DELL AND YOU WILL HATE YOURSELF!

Throughout the year i help out friends fixing their laptops, and 98% of them are Dells...expensive paper weights! I can't describe enough just how crappy they are...people have ignored my advice only to apologise for not listening to me months later...im being full on here but its for your own good.

Poor_old_gill

eldwaro wrote: »

sorry just read the rest of that post..

YOU GO NEAR A DELL AND YOU WILL HATE YOURSELF!

Throughout the year i help out friends fixing their laptops, and 98% of them are Dells...expensive paper weights! I can't describe enough just how crappy they are...people have ignored my advice only to apologise for not listening to me months later...im being full on here but its for your own good.

Ok but will you recommend one that isnt a mac please as I want a windows operating system!
I heard Toshiba are good- I have a Dell now, 5 years and I have never had a problem with it

El Inho

Poor_old_gill wrote: »

Ok but will you recommend one that isnt a mac please as I want a windows operating system!
I heard Toshiba are good- I have a Dell now, 5 years and I have never had a problem with it

you are the 1/10 i rarely see :P

Yeah Toshiba/ASUS are two good brands. A lot of people venturing to Toshiba again. As mentioned earlier by someone they are all pretty good. Almost generic at this stage, with different branding...basically what i would do is ask about battery life, RAM, storage space, CD drive, and the new hi speed USB 3.0, and HDMI...

once it ticks the boxes here you have a good laptop.

you'd want 4+ RAM as standard now adays, and some smaller brands offer more at low prices.

hard drive be about 500gb maybe?

and the rest is self explanitory.

i dont really know much of whats out there at the min, but once it meets this basic requirements you're not getting a bad machine.

Poor_old_gill

eldwaro wrote: »

you are the 1/10 i rarely see :P

Yeah Toshiba/ASUS are two good brands. A lot of people venturing to Toshiba again. As mentioned earlier by someone they are all pretty good. Almost generic at this stage, with different branding...basically what i would do is ask about battery life, RAM, storage space, CD drive, and the new hi speed USB 3.0, and HDMI...

once it ticks the boxes here you have a good laptop.

you'd want 4+ RAM as standard now adays, and some smaller brands offer more at low prices.

hard drive be about 500gb maybe?

and the rest is self explanitory.

i dont really know much of whats out there at the min, but once it meets this basic requirements you're not getting a bad machine.

You do realise that I cant walk into a shop and ask for advice- I am basically a giant pigeon holding a wad of cash- they will see right through me and I will come home with a shoebox with laptop written on it.
This is why dell is useful

El Inho

Poor_old_gill wrote: »

You do realise that I cant walk into a shop and ask for advice- I am basically a giant pigeon holding a wad of cash- they will see right through me and I will come home with a shoebox with laptop written on it.
This is why dell is useful

fair enough.

someone else might be able to give better advise. sorry coudnt help more!


good luck with your purchase!

_AVALANCHE_

LOOK AT ME!!!!!! LOOK AT ME!!!!!!!!!

phd in what?

When do you need it, if you're not in a hurry then wait a month (6 weeks maybe) and Intel will have new chips out rolled out.

Any auld bricket will run Football Manager. Even integrated Intel graphics would do.

http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu.php?gpu=GeForce+FX+5900+Ultra
http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu.php?gpu=Intel+HD+3000

If you want it now then this one will do you nicely for 4 years. 15 inch screen since you never specified a size. Their's lots of cheaper ones with dedicated graphics but the integrated graphics on the new Intels are gonna be better than them-->Nividias 520M and AMDS 6470<-->so to be up to date now you have to go for 540M, so even more reason to wait.

duckysauce

eldwaro wrote: »

take the case off, whack a hoover into it, and then carefull scraped off the fan with a penknife..

like surgery, but more macguyver style!

sorry but "carefull scraped off the fan with a penknife"

duckysauce

eldwaro wrote: »

sorry just read the rest of that post..

YOU GO NEAR A DELL AND YOU WILL HATE YOURSELF!

Throughout the year i help out friends fixing their laptops, and 98% of them are Dells...expensive paper weights! I can't describe enough just how crappy they are...people have ignored my advice only to apologise for not listening to me months later...im being full on here but its for your own good.

What models did they get , probably something for 350-450 and ate their dinner , drank beer over them , lifted it by screen when on yada yada ya . You get what you pay for, were any of them over the 650 mark ?

_AVALANCHE_

duckysauce wrote: »

sorry but "carefull scraped off the fan with a penknife"

I saw that to, he meant this



though I think surly??

_AVALANCHE_

duckysauce wrote: »

What models did they get , probably something for 350-450 and ate their dinner , drank beer over them , lifted it by screen when on yada yada ya . You get what you pay for, were any of them over the 650 mark ?

The XPS range is grand-->as long as you upgrade the screen which is quite pricey unfortunately.

duckysauce

_AVALANCHE_ wrote: »

The XPS range is grand-->as long as you upgrade the screen which is quite pricey unfortunately.

yep new xps's for home users are very nice.

El Inho

_AVALANCHE_ wrote: »

I saw that to, he meant this



though I think surly??

was much smaller...story of my life!

but yeah, i used a pen knife...that dust was well in there...worked wonders and no i have a silent laptop... (a running silent laptop, not a laptop that doesnt start :P)

duckysauce

eldwaro wrote: »

was much smaller...story of my life!

but yeah, i used a pen knife...that dust was well in there...worked wonders and no i have a silent laptop... (a running silent laptop, not a laptop that doesnt start :P)

a hoover and a knife what the fck are you doing to the poor machine ????:P

El Inho

duckysauce wrote: »

a hoover and a knife what the fck are you doing to the poor machine ????:P

im like an old school dad...treat em tough and they'll grow up tough...

been breaking computers since i was about 9, and fixing them since 14 to save money on the poor family! I know what i can get away with

as i said it flying it now :P

a firm hand will keep every laptop in order.