Whick laptop for max €1000

Four of a kind

I'm heading away in early next year and I want to buy a decent laptop to do photoshop/lightroom editing along with some video editing.

Since I'll be carrying it around with me I'd prefer something as light as possible.

I was looking at this Samsung 7 chronos model: SAMSUNG Series 7 NP700Z5A-A01DX 15.6

Its reduced from €999 to €599 at the moment and it looks like a decent spec of a machine.

Can anyone give me other suggestions if possible?

Should I wait and buy in January? I'll be heading in Feb.

Any help would be great.

Four of a kind

Any info?

Jarren

Link to that Sammy please ^ ?

Four of a kind

Jarren wrote: »

Link to that Sammy please ^ ?

http://www.laptopsdirect.ie/Samsung_Series_7_Chronos_700Z5A-S02_Core_i5_Laptop_NP700Z5A-S02UK/version.asp?PID=

Jarren

Sold out unfortunately

I would be pick something with Ivy 7 third gen cpu , decent amount of RAM, dedicated GPU and 1600x900 screen resolution would be a bonus on 15.6 screen.

http://www.komplett.ie/Komplett/product/15_16_inch/80006668/toshiba_15_6_l850_150_i7_3610qm_8gb_500gb/details.aspx

http://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/Lenovo_Z580_1234823.html

Four of a kind

Jarren wrote: »

Sold out unfortunately

I would be pick something with Ivy 7 third gen cpu , decent amount of RAM, dedicated GPU and 1600x900 screen resolution would be a bonus on 15.6 screen.

http://www.komplett.ie/Komplett/product/15_16_inch/80006668/toshiba_15_6_l850_150_i7_3610qm_8gb_500gb/details.aspx

http://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/Lenovo_Z580_1234823.html

Thanks. I'm not very up to date with what Ivy 7 third gen etc means but I take it its better than what the samsung offers?

Jarren

Well it is basically one of the newest processors on the market

There is some info regarding the Ivy cpu in question.

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-Core-i7-3610QM-Notebook-Processor.72681.0.html

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i7-3610QM+%40+2.30GHz

Without going into any technical details, you will require as much processing power as possible.

If budget allows , get also an SSD .

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/Solid-State-Drives-/175669/i.html

Four of a kind

Jarren wrote: »

Well it is basically one of the newest processors on the market

There is some info regarding the Ivy cpu in question.

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-Core-i7-3610QM-Notebook-Processor.72681.0.html

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i7-3610QM+%40+2.30GHz

Without going into any technical details, you will require as much processing power as possible.

If budget allows , get also an SSD .

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/Solid-State-Drives-/175669/i.html

I presume I can just buy a solid state drive after I've purchased a laptop and install it myself? Is this a difficult process?

Jarren

Following those instructions should help

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=1znGkycMQa4

mcw92

Four of a kind wrote: »

Any info?

Im in the exact same situation as you. Getting a laptop for ~900 and want to get an SSD in after.

http://www.komplett.ie/Komplett/product/15_16_inch/80006668/toshiba_15_6_l850_150_i7_3610qm_8gb_500gb/details.aspx

http://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/Lenovo_Z580_1234823.html

Ive being looking at these two same models aswel.
Can you let me know if you decide to get one and how it is?
Cheers.

Four of a kind

Are any of the netbooks worth looking into? A dvd/cd drive isn't a major concern as I can bring a portable one if needed.

Would these slim netbooks carry the same power as normal sized laptops? Basically photoshop/lightroom/Song Vegas editing will be the major power and memory zappers I'll be throwing at it.

mcw92

Four of a kind wrote: »

Are any of the netbooks worth looking into? A dvd/cd drive isn't a major concern as I can bring a portable one if needed.

Would these slim netbooks carry the same power as normal sized laptops? Basically photoshop/lightroom/Song Vegas editing will be the major power and memory zappers I'll be throwing at it.

Do you mean those netbooks that are around <11" screens and only like 200-300€?
Sample Netbook
If yes then stay well clear, Trying to run any intensive software on that would be a nightmare. My mum has one, and i cant use it for 5 mins without getting pissed off about the slowness/keyboard/trackpad/screen size. And tbh i doubt they could even run photoshop, lightroom or Sony Vegas, they struggle to run chrome, flashplayer, and itunes at once.

Or if you mean ultrabooks,
Sample Ultrabook
then yes some of these are great laptops, although for the price you'd be able to get a much better spec normal laptop.

Four of a kind

mcw92 wrote: »

Do you mean those netbooks that are around <11" screens and only like 200-300€?
Sample Netbook
If yes then stay well clear, Trying to run any intensive software on that would be a nightmare. My mum has one, and i cant use it for 5 mins without getting pissed off about the slowness/keyboard/trackpad/screen size. And tbh i doubt they could even run photoshop, lightroom or Sony Vegas, they struggle to run chrome, flashplayer, and itunes at once.

Or if you mean ultrabooks,
Sample Ultrabook
then yes some of these are great laptops, although for the price you'd be able to get a much better spec normal laptop.

Sorry meant to say ultrabooks yeah. I've a netbook and its grand for just surfing.

mcw92

Four of a kind wrote: »

Sorry meant to say ultrabooks yeah. I've a netbook and its grand for just surfing.

Well then yes some Ultrabooks are great machines.

The most popular processors i've seen in them seems to be the i7-3517U and the i5-3317U. The i7 is better obviously.

The main difference from 'normal' laptops besides the processors, seems to be the GPU. Most ultrabooks I've seen have Integrated Graphics as opposed to Dedicated GPU's which wouldn't make them great for demanding gaming.

Would you have the same budget for an Ultrabook as original post?

Torqay

Four of a kind wrote: »

Sorry meant to say ultrabooks yeah.

mcw92 wrote: »

Well then yes some Ultrabooks are great machines.

The most popular processors i've seen in them seems to be the i7-3517U and the i5-3317U. The i7 is better obviously.

Image and video processing is first and foremost about raw processing power.

Although Ultrabooks feature Core i5 or even Core i7 (duo) processors, they are using chips of the ultra low voltage (ULV) variant which make for great mobility but the number crunching power is no match for their regular counterparts.

Also, the programs you mentioned benefit greatly from dedicated GPUs which you normally won't find in an Ultrabook, again mobility being the reason as powerful graphics cards will drain the battery much faster.

So, a flashy (and overpriced) Ultrabook may not be exactly what you're looking for.

Four of a kind

Torqay wrote: »

Image and video processing is first and foremost about raw processing power.

Although Ultrabooks feature Core i5 or even Core i7 (duo) processors, they are using chips of the ultra low voltage (ULV) variant which make for great mobility but the number crunching power is no match for their regular counterparts.

Also, the programs you mentioned benefit greatly from dedicated GPUs which you normally won't find in an Ultrabook, again mobility being the reason as powerful graphics cards will drain the battery much faster.

So, a flashy (and overpriced) Ultrabook may not be exactly what you're looking for.

Well yes its the photo and video editing that I will be needing while away travelling. Although the weight different might be a lot, I'd still rather have a solid powerful laptop rather than one that just looks and feels good.

Ultrabooks are definitely off the list so.

As I said, I'm planning on working/travelling early next year around Asia so I'd like a good laptop to take with me and also something that has a SSD as well as a minimum 500GB HDD.

So many choices and I'm not too tech savy regarding laptop specs.

skywalker_208

Im in the same position as OP and finding it very difficult to find something that suits.

The Lenovo Z580 looks nice, has nice specs etc but screen res is fairly crap.

From reading some of the reviews from the Samsung Series 7 Chronos it seems to be a good all rounder but not very confortable to use for an extended period of time due to the design of the palmrest (cuts into your arms)

Sonys and Dells seem to be over priced compared to other models with more specs....

I didnt think this would be so difficult

Jarren

OP

This Lenovo should suit you if you need something for travelling


Battery 9 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (Up to 2.8 Hours Run Time)
Bluetooth Yes
Broadband Integrated Wireless Wide Area Network upgradable
CPU Intel® Core™ i7-2620M (2.7GHz base; 3.4GHz Max Turbo, 4MB Cache)
Color Black
Condition New
Display 14.0” HD+ (1600 x 900) LED, W/ 720p HD Camera
FPR Yes
Graphics NVIDIA® Quadro® NVS 4200M
HDD 500GB, 7200RPM Serial ATA 2.5" Hard Drive
Keyboard UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad)
Memory 4GB PC3-10600 DDR3 1333MHz SDRAM SODIMM Memory
OperatingSystem Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64 - English
OpticalStorage DVD Recordable SATA
Software No Software Included
Warranty 1 Year Depot Warranty
Wireless Intel® Centrino Ultimate-N 6300 (3x3 AGN)

http://outlet.ie.lenovo.com/store/lenovooe/en_IE/pd/productID.253591500

http://www.laptopmag.com/review/laptops/lenovo-thinkpad-t420.aspx

http://www.cnet.com/laptops/lenovo-thinkpad-t420-2nd/4505-3121_7-34562424.html

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Lenovo-Thinkpad-T420-Notebook.51230.0.html

Built like a tank

Torqay

Four of a kind wrote: »

something that has a SSD as well as a minimum 500GB HDD.

So many choices and I'm not too tech savy regarding laptop specs.

You may have to stretch your budget somewhat, if you want a laptop with a SSD and a HDD. Normally you'll only get so called hybrid drives in laptops where the SSD part works as a cache for the platter hard disk, some manufacturers (e.g. Lenovo) offer a separate mSATA SSD but they work the same way. If you really want a separate SSD for the OS and software and a HDD as storage drive, maybe you should configure your own laptop at Schenker (Clevo), e.g. the XMS A502:



In this configuration it will cost €1.234 + delivery.

If you're tech savvy, you may buy without the second HDD and Operating system, as you can save a few quid if you buy them separately. If you prefer a full HD display (1920x1080p), you'll have to add anotyher 30 yoyos.

Torqay

Jarren wrote: »

OP

This Lenovo should suit you if you need something for travelling

What gives, Lenovo? Where are your new Thinkpad Tx30 series machines? Treat us like some backwater where you can dump the old stock, eh?

Pity they don't allow you to configure the old models, more memory, SSD in the Ultrabay, etc.

The new T530 comes with Ivy Bridge CPU and a NVS 5400M unstead, a huge step up, and is still cheaper in their US outlet... b@st@rds!

Jarren

Pretty much but US market is a different kettle of fish .

Electronics in general are a lot cheaper and savings can be made on some items.

Even with http://www.dutycalculator.com/new-import-duty-and-tax-calculation/

Jarren

Torqay wrote: »

You may have to stretch your budget somewhat, if you want a laptop with a SSD and a HDD. Normally you'll only get so called hybrid drives in laptops where the SSD part works as a cache for the platter hard disk, some manufacturers (e.g. Lenovo) offer a separate mSATA SSD but they work the same way. If you really want a separate SSD for the OS and software and a HDD as storage drive, maybe you should configure your own laptop at Schenker (Clevo), e.g. the XMS A502:



In this configuration it will cost €1.234 + delivery.

If you're tech savvy, you may buy without the second HDD and Operating system, as you can save a few quid if you buy them separately. If you prefer a full HD display (1920x1080p), you'll have to add anotyher 30 yoyos.

What is the chassis made of ?

Torqay

Jarren wrote: »

What is the chassis made of ?

Schenker do not produce the case themselves, but they use a chassis from the Taiwanese company Clevo. The W150ER barebones model only looks marginally different than the old W150HR. Besides a redesigned front part, slightly thicker base plate, and different connectivity, the A501 resembles the A502. So, the new model has the same advantages and disadvantages.
It is above average in height. While most all-round laptops are about four centimeters high, the XMG A502 is nearly five centimeters. A weight of 2.9 kilogram (incl. two hard drives) is also much for a 15-inch device.
The buyer looks for metal surfaces in vain. The laptop is entirely made of plastics. Contrary to the matte keyboard surface and the glossy display frame (fingerprints!) the palm rests and lid have a roughened texture. Speaking of the lid: The shrunken XMG logo is now composed of only three stickers and no longer of many small ones.
We think that the build quality is fair. The case is solid and its stability is alright. The chassis has to be pressed quite heavily before it yields. The lid is not that flexural rigid, but this is not utterly important in practice.
The unobtrusive look is a matter of taste. Clevo, a barebones manufacturer, do not favor colorful LED-elements or noticeable colors. The dark gray chassis looks decent and timeless. Because of the stiff hinges the base unit lifts up when opening the lid.

And I'm aware where the price difference between electronics in the US and Europe comes from. Still somewhat strange, that Lenovo only offer their (not configurable) old clunkers here as the regular T-series, rather flogging them off in clearance sales alongside the current range.

Torqay

Read the full review here... looks a pretty solid laptop to me, sure two hard drives require more space than some fancy Ultrabook.

Four of a kind

I'm in no rush to buy a laptop yet so I'll just keep an eye out. Very confusing with all the choice available but that's a good thing for sure.

Really thought that samsung 7 series one was fairly decent from the outset, but I guess yer the ones who knows best.

Jarren

Torqay wrote: »

Read the full review here... looks a pretty solid laptop to me, sure two hard drives require more space than some fancy Ultrabook.

Very good specs for the price ,only thing would concern me would be portability/mobility if OP wishes to use this for travelling next year .

Torqay

I don't see many other options, if the OP wants a SSD and a HDD.

Those hybrid drives touted as "SSD + HDD" are very different in concept and in my books more like a marketing spin rather than of real practical use (other than "waking up" a bit faster from hibernation).

Jarren

I wouldn't be getting the Hybrid myself if given a choice .

SSD meant to be shock proof /no moving parts so defo gets my vote

Torqay

Jarren wrote: »

SSD meant to be shock proof /no moving parts so defo gets my vote

Indeed, I'd rather get a decent core i7 quad w 8 GB RAM (less than 800 yoyos) and spend the rest on a nice 256 or 320 GB "real" SSD and still come out under 1.000 Euro. A nice GPU is a certainly a nice bonus but not a necessity for image/video editing where processing power and memory size/speed are far more important.

Having both a SSD and a HDD in a computer makes more sense in a desktop for performance reasons but in a laptop the SSD also adds greatly to the robustness while the HDD and thus the stored files are still at risk. OTOH, for video editing you may need a good amount of disk space so I don't know what the OPs requirements are.

Jarren

We agreed to agree so on that point

Four of a kind

Torqay wrote: »

Indeed, I'd rather get a decent core i7 quad w 8 GB RAM (less than 800 yoyos) and spend the rest on a nice 256 or 320 GB "real" SSD and still come out under 1.000 Euro. A nice GPU is a certainly a nice bonus but not a necessity for image/video editing where processing power and memory size/speed are far more important.

Having both a SSD and a HDD in a computer makes more sense in a desktop for performance reasons but in a laptop the SSD also adds greatly to the robustness while the HDD and thus the stored files are still at risk. OTOH, for video editing you may need a good amount of disk space so I don't know what the OPs requirements are.

Well I don't plan on doing a crazy amount of video editing/photo work....just the normal amount to keep a blog up to date and running smoothly.

All the specs/model numbers etc really are confusing to the likes of me, even though I have a general idea of what yer on about.

Four of a kind

Torqay wrote: »

Jarren wrote: »

SSD meant to be shock proof /no moving parts so defo gets my vote

Indeed, I'd rather get a decent core i7 quad w 8 GB RAM (less than 800 yoyos) and spend the rest on a nice 256 or 320 GB "real" SSD and still come out under 1.000 Euro. A nice GPU is a certainly a nice bonus but not a necessity for image/video editing where processing power and memory size/speed are far more important.

Having both a SSD and a HDD in a computer makes more sense in a desktop for performance reasons but in a laptop the SSD also adds greatly to the robustness while the HDD and thus the stored files are still at risk. OTOH, for video editing you may need a good amount of disk space so I don't know what the OPs requirements are.

Ok so going on thinking line of thinking would the lenovo z580 suggested above be suitable? Would I be able to get a SSD and install it afterwards?

Scrap the video editing, I'd really just need the ability for photos hope work.

Torqay

Four of a kind wrote: »

Would I be able to get a SSD and install it afterwards?

That depends on your skills...

But replacing a hard drive is no big deal, they're usually easily accessible through a service hatch.

Four of a kind

Torqay wrote: »

Four of a kind wrote: »

Would I be able to get a SSD and install it afterwards?

That depends on your skills...

But replacing a hard drive is no big deal, they're usually easily accessible through a service hatch.

Well I've a mate who's a wizard with computers so as long as the z580 can take a sdd as well as an hdd he'll be able to do it.

I presume there's space to have 2 drives in the z580?

Torqay

Four of a kind wrote: »

Well I've a mate who's a wizard with computers so as long as the z580 can take a sdd as well as an hdd he'll be able to do it.

I presume there's space to have 2 drives in the z580?

No there isn't, unless you rip out the optical drive.

If you want a laptop with two HDD bays, go to PC Specialist. You'll also get better value and a 3 yr warranty as well.

I suppose you're referring to this Z580 at SOL?

Four of a kind

Torqay wrote: »

No there isn't, unless you rip out the optical drive.

If you want a laptop with two HDD bays, go to PC Specialist. You'll also get better value and a 3 yr warranty as well.

I suppose you're referring to this Z580 at SOL?

Yeah that's the model I was referring two. Is there another model of similar specs that has the two drives in it? Two be honest, I wouldn't mind a 256GB SDD drive only and no Hdd. That was I could use an external 2TB hard drive if I needed extra space etc.

Would that be better option? Any suggestions of Sdd models with decent specs for photo editing - specifically lightroom stuff. Won't be using photoshop much at all when it comes to it, but defo lightroom.

Torqay

I don't know of any Lenovo laptop with a 2nd HDD bay.

If you configure the Genesis IV (which has a 2nd HDD bay) to similar specs and then add a Samsung 830 Series 256 GB SSD (€180) it will cost you ~ 930 Euro.

Core i7 3610QM (faster than the 3612QM)
GT 635M (better than the GT 630M)
8 GB RAM
250 GB HDD (or pick the 128 GB Kingston SSD, special offer for £30 more)

£606 or €750

I see, the Lenovo has a Bluray drive, which doesn't make much sense to me with a 1366x768 display. If you want, you can add a full HD display and Bluray drive to the Genesis IV (£676 / €838).

Torqay

If you can do without the dedicated graphics and prefer greater mobility, have a look at their 14" UltraNote, with a quad Core i7 3632QM, 8 GB RAM and 128 GB SSD it should be still below 800 yoyos.

I'd say, you won't find any comparable ultrabook at this price.

Four of a kind

Torqay wrote: »

If you can do without the dedicated graphics and prefer greater mobility, have a look at their 14" UltraNote, with a quad Core i7 3632QM, 8 GB RAM and 128 GB SSD it should be still below 800 yoyos.

I'd say, you won't find any comparable ultrabook at this price.

Dedicated graphics and/or integrated graphics card....I don't fully understand what the difference means?

What will the difference be for me using it with the likes of photo editing software? I'm not bothered about gaming.

I switched a few specs here: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/notebooks/ultraNote/

What you think of that for €950 delivered?

Torqay

If you're not bothered about gaming, Intel HD 4000 graphics is just fine. Processor power and memory are much more important re image processing.

When you link to the Ultranote, it doesn't preserve your configuration, always goes back to the base model... type the specs or post a screenshot.

This would be 631 Sterling:



I suppose you changed the SSD to the 240GB Intel on special offer? That's 100 pound more. Sure it's worth considering and cheaper and less hassle than ordering the the base 250 GB HDD and replace it with a 256 GB Samsung 830 Series SSD (which would be a tad faster) for €180.

Four of a kind

I just took a pic and uploaded it. Print screens just seem like hassle for me

[IMG][/img]

Is the 240GB sdd drive ok?

Torqay

Intel used to be the (very pricey) leader of the pack but that has changed somewhat in recent months.

According to German compumag Chip, the Intel 240 GB is currently ranked #27, the 256 GB Samsung 830 Series #3. The Intel SSD transfer rates are excellent, the difference is in the access times.

Still, since the Intel SSD is on special offer, I'd say go for it. Cheaper and less hassle.