Advice re. laptop purchase !

starlight0708

Hello

I need to get a new laptop after my iQon gave up the ghost after nearly 6 years.

We only use the laptop for browsing the net, online shopping, banking,utube etc and microsoft office for some limited work from home. I am thinking of getting an iPad later this year so don't want to spend too much on a laptop. My budget is €400 - €500. One of the problems with our current laptop is that it was very slow when browsing the internet but I am assuming it was because it was so old.

I have been looking around at some websites and have identified the following options. I would really appreciate any advice on these laptops and whether they are (a) good value for money, (b) suitable for what I need (c) will last me for a couple of years and (d) be fairly quick in terms of internet access.

Any advice on these laptops or other suggestions would be very much appreciated - many thanks

http://www.pcworld.ie/Product/HP-Pavilion-g61394ea-Laptop/311401/301

http://www.pcworld.ie/Product/HP-Pavilion-g61325ea-156andquot-Laptop-Red/309520/301

http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/5087176/c_1/1%7Ccategory_root%7COffice%2C+PCs+and+phones%7C14418968/c_2/3%7Ccat_19780850%7CLaptops+and+netbooks%7C14419039/Trail/searchtext%3ELAPTOP.htm#tab3

http://www.pcworld.ie/Product/TOSHIBA-Satellite-C850D107-156andquot-Laptop/311436/301

Torqay

Forget about all the AMD laptops at PC World. The one at Argos is a 1st gen Core i3, probably gathering dust on the shelves for the last 2 years. Dabs is selling this Acer with a 2nd gen Core i3 for €417, certainly the better deal.

starlight0708

Many thanks for the reply. I hadn't really thought of ordering a laptop online.

Do you have the same level of customers care etc. Is Dabs the best website for ordering online or are there other recommendations? Many thanks

blindsider

Depends on where you are geographically. If you're in/close to e.g. Dublin, Cork or Limerick, you have more choice and can browse/haggle more.

Personally, I have had pretty good experience in Harvey Norman, and also with Dabs.ie online.

I'd pick a laptop which suits your budget and requirement (like the one suggested above) note down the details (spec), go to a few stores, compare prices, haggle and see what you can get. Ask about customer service.

Also look online at Dabs, laptopsdirect, Dell etc etc and see how much you can save.

Best of luck.

Jarren

The Acer linked by Torqay is actually the best value laptop based on the specs.

Another lappy to consider

http://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/Lenovo_G580_1234979.html

starlight0708

Many thanks for all the advice and the two recommendations - its much appreciated !!

Does anyone have any advice on acer over lenovo or vice versa? I hadnt heard too much about lenovo before.

Thanks again !

Joni23

starlight0708 wrote: »

Many thanks for all the advice and the two recommendations - its much appreciated !!

Does anyone have any advice on acer over lenovo or vice versa? I hadnt heard too much about lenovo before.

Thanks again !

It really just depends on who you ask. Personally regarding manufacturer, id rate Lenovo slightly ahead of acer, but thats just me and there's very little in it. There both quality manufacturers as you have to be, to compete in the mainstream market. Its much more important to review the pros and cons of individual models.

Neodymium

Torqay wrote: »

Forget about all the AMD laptops at PC World. The one at Argos is a 1st gen Core i3, probably gathering dust on the shelves for the last 2 years. Dabs is selling this Acer with a 2nd gen Core i3 for €417, certainly the better deal.

I have a similar laptop to that acer model with the same body. On my laptop, the hinge on the left side is only held to the body with a couple of plastic lugs which cracked off quickly. Overall the laptop is quite flimsy, inside wires are held down with masking tape and the ducts of the fan are sealed together with tape. From my experience asus and lenovo laptops seem to have better build quality, you will pay a little extra for it though.

starlight0708

Many thanks for all the responses and advice ! I have been browsing on line and came across this HP Laptop which seems like good value on "save on laptops"

http://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/HP_Pavilion_G6-1391ea_1163435.html

It seems to have good specs and seems good value. Would HP be a better choice over Lenovo or Acer?

200motels

Don't go near a HP laptop.

starlight0708

Thanks for all the advice - it is very much appreciated.

I think we are going to go with the lenovo on save on laptops as recommended above.

Thanks again to all !

bonzodog2

Look for one that you can access the fan just by removing a panel from the base, for defluffing, instead of having to completely dis-assemble it. Some recent Acers seem good for this. Some older HPs were a disaster for overheating due to cr@p cooling system design.

tony007

Jarren wrote: »

The Acer linked by Torqay is actually the best value laptop based on the specs.

Another lappy to consider

http://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/Lenovo_G580_1234979.html

I've never heard of lenovo, is it any good?

techiedonegal

200motels wrote: »

Don't go near a HP laptop.

I agree with this post. I run a computer repair business mainly repairing all brands of Laptops and HP's have been very disappointing in the last number of years. I rate Lenovo and Acer Laptops quite highly however probably the best budget sub €500 laptop out there at the moment is from ASUS there reliability and customer satisfaction is off the the chart.

http://www.pcworld.ie/Product/ASUS-A53USX374S-156andquot-Laptop/311422/301

Torqay

You're seriously recommending a laptop with an AMD E-350 Fusion APU for 450 yoyos as "the best budget sub €500 laptop out there at the moment"???

Jarren

A bit over 500 yoyos, not bad for B&M.
It was posted in another thread.

www.argos.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10152&catalogId=14551&langId=111&productId=263728

techiedonegal

Torqay wrote: »

You're seriously recommending a laptop with an AMD E-350 Fusion APU for 450 yoyos as "the best budget sub €500 laptop out there at the moment"???

Woops picked the wrong one well spotted.

http://www.dabs.ie/products/asus-x54c-sx078v-i3-2350-2-3ghz-6gb-320gb-dvdsm-15-6--w7hp-87R1.html?src=17

The acer Torqay linked to has a larger harddrive so is probably better value. But I would still say the ASUS would have slightly better reliability however there wouldn't be very much in it.

Torqay

Well, ASUS certainly has a better reputation than Acer or HP, and statistics seem to prove it. But as they say, "If you buy cheap, you get cheap." Many of these "budget laptops" are build in the same sweatshop, just on another assembly line. Even cheap SONY laptops are just that, cheap.

You'll get a year warranty, and if it doesn't fall apart by then, chances are that it will last another two or three years.

MJ434

Hi,

Any one know if the Asus N76VM is any good...

Thanks!

Torqay

MJ434 wrote: »

Hi,

Any one know if the Asus N76VM is any good...

Thanks!

Not too shabby according to this review. But for gaming, the GT 630M is not the best choice.

MJ434

Torqay wrote: »

Not too shabby according to this review. But for gaming, the GT 630M is not the best choice.

Is it true that ASUS are making better laptops then HP,Dell nowadays....

Is this asus worth 1000 ....any other alternatives with same specs...
my budget is about 800 to 1000..
thanks

Torqay

MJ434 wrote: »

Is it true that ASUS are making better laptops then HP,Dell nowadays.

ASUS has a pretty good reputation regarding build quality.

MJ434 wrote: »

Is this asus worth 1000 ....any other alternatives with same specs...
my budget is about 800 to 1000..

The ASUS is good allround machine but if you want to play games the GT 630M doesn't really cut it. For a gaming laptop within your budget, have a look at the Optimus IV from PC Specialist.

In this configuration it will cost £790/€987:



Incl. delivery, OS installation DVD and 3 yr warranty. If you already have an operating system, you can save €100.

MJ434

Torqay wrote: »

ASUS has a pretty good reputation regarding build quality.



The ASUS is good allround machine but if you want to play games the GT 630M doesn't really cut it. For a gaming laptop within your budget, have a look at the Optimus IV from PC Specialist.

In this configuration it will cost £790/€987:



Incl. delivery, OS installation DVD and 3 yr warranty. If you already have an operating system, you can save €100.

Hi..
Thanks for that..the gaming thing is not a big issue for me as i have a desktop at home..
I found another 3 models at better prices. http://www.komplett.ie/Komplett/site/SearchResult.aspx?searchTerm=n76
and
http://www.laptopsdirect.ie/Asus_N76VM_Core_i7_17.3_Blu-Ray_Laptop_in_Black__N76VM-V2G-T5079V/version.asp

Which would you go for...
Thanks

Torqay

You mean the Core i5? 900/950 yoyos is quite expensive.

advertsfox

Personally, don't go near PC World. Save the few bob and wait a week and order online off the likes of Elara or Amazon.

I've owned the i3 varient of this Acer laptop and it's put together well for it's cost and moves along very fast, perfect for your needs @ €470.

EDIT: Actually, sod that - get the Windows 8 version with 4GB of RAM, 500GB HD for only €440 off Amazon.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Acer-Aspire-15-6-inch-Laptop-Integrated/dp/B009R1531Y/ref=sr_1_5?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1352126046&sr=1-5



Just checked, there is free 4-5 days shipping option which is still quick because it's Amazon that comes in at £358.73 which is equal to €448!

I'd be tempted myself because I need one too!

MJ434

Torqay wrote: »

You mean the Core i5? 900/950 yoyos is quite expensive.

Elara have the core i5 for 1034...which is expensive...

Is the core i7 ,8GB Ram,750GB Memory worth 969 ....

Torqay

As I said, a good allround machine but so is this Lenovo for €875 (screen resolution is a mistake on LD's part, it's 1600x900)

P.S.: If you don't care for gaming then you wouldn't even need a GT 630M, Intel HD 4000 is just fine

MJ434

Torqay wrote: »

As I said, a good allround machine but so is this Lenovo for €875 (screen resolution is a mistake on LD's part, it's 1600x900)

P.S.: If you don't care for gaming then you wouldn't even need a GT 630M, Intel HD 4000 is just fine

~


Its win 8 though...im going to go for the ASUS... Have you bought anything from Komplett.ie before?
thanks

machiavellianme

Got my ASUS from Komplett a few months back. No issues whatsoever. Very fast service and excellent machine.

Word of warning though. Komplett are Dutch but stock the international versions of each laptop. You'll end up with a US keyboard layout. This may or may not be an issue. (I touch-type so set the localisation to UK but this means no \ when coding)
Dabs, saveonlaptops.co.uk or laptopsdirect would usually stock the UK keyboard versions (but sometimes with a slightly different spec)

MJ434

What do you guys think of >

Toshiba Satellite Pro L870-149: €775.00
Core i5-3210M,
Windows 7 Professional 64 Bit,
17.3" HD TruBrite,
AMD 2GB Graphics,
8 GB RAM, 750 GB HDD,
BD-RE, WiFi BGN, Bluetooth,
Webcam, 1 Year Warranty

Torqay

Seems like an OK deal for a multimedia laptop. Since we don't know the model of the graphics card, it's a bit hard to judge, unless it's a HD 7670M or better it's probably not suitable for gaming.

MJ434

Its a Graphics AMD Radeon HD 7670M - 2 GB DDR3

Torqay

It's an OK graphics card, slightly better than the GT 630M. If you want to play games with it, read this review and check the gaming benchmarks. If you're looking forward to playing modern games in highest details, you'll be somewhat disappointed.

MJ434

Torqay wrote: »

It's an OK graphics card, slightly better than the GT 630M. If you want to play games with it, read this review and check the gaming benchmarks. If you're looking forward to playing modern games in highest details, you'll be somewhat disappointed.

In your opinion which do u think is better for general day to day needs...The ASUS or Toshiba?
Thanks 4 ur help!

Torqay

Both have a pretty good reputation, so it doesn't really matter, go with the specs more appealing to you.

Personally, I'd prefer ASUS, for no particular reason mind you, it's just I never owned a Tosh but the ones I get to see and work with are every bit as good. Brands I'd avoid like the plague are Acer, Advent and HP.

machiavellianme

I have both a Toshiba and ASUS. Nothing between them. Toshiba is a tiny bit heavier but my ASUS has the frustrating American keyboard.
Both have i7 3630 and are lightning fast for number crunching. Never had a single issue with either.

MJ434

machiavellianme wrote: »

I have both a Toshiba and ASUS. Nothing between them. Toshiba is a tiny bit heavier but my ASUS has the frustrating American keyboard.
Both have i7 3630 and are lightning fast for number crunching. Never had a single issue with either.

Hi,
Whats different on the US keyboard...?than normal keyboard

Torqay

Minor differences only, most notably " and and the missing currency symbols for € and £.

UK



US

machiavellianme

There's 1 key less on a US keyboard.
When you map them back to a UK version, you'll be short a \

MJ434

Torqay wrote: »

Minor differences only, most notably " and and the missing currency symbols for € and £.

UK



US

Is the enter key difficult to get used to? On us.

machiavellianme

Not really. And you can always use Alt+Shift to toggle between UK and US layouts.

MJ434

Torqay wrote: »

Minor differences only, most notably " and and the missing currency symbols for € and £.

Hi,
I was thinking i dont really need a 17" screen is there anything with a 15-16" screen with core i7 ??
Thanks