Need Laptop for College

Nazata

Hey all,
I'm currently looking for a light laptop to use in college for taking notes etc. along with some light gaming (I have a rig at home that can tackle the new and shiny games, though would like to be able to play some multiplayer favourites like TF2, LoL or EVE (I wouldn't expect high settings for this one...) on this) and watching movies as well as general browsing.
A good battery life is an essential feature and I'd prefer something light, though if there's a good quality 15.6" out there that suits my needs I won't say no...
Needs at least two USB ports, 3+ is preferred though. I don't need any installed software and can put on my own OS if need be.
My budget is €550-670.
All help is appreciated.

Torqay

15.6" Sammy, AMD A-10 Triton APU with integrated graphics (HD 7660G), 8 GB RAM, 750 GB HDD. €627 at Komplett.

The processor benchmarks beat any mobile Core i5, the graphics is comparable to a GT 630M, probably as good as gets within your budget. If you don't mind a German keyboard and go computeruniverse.net, you'll get a Core i5/GT 640M/8 GB combo that will fit your budget.

Nazata

Thanks for the reply and the suggestion Torqay, it's really appreciated!
I just have a couple questions:
What is the battery like for that laptop? (Does it charge directly into the battery when plugged in which decreases the batteries potential over time or does it use power directly when plugged in?)
Also for the second laptop, can you easily get VAT off when using a German website such as that?
I'm very interested in APU's but don't know an awful lot about them, is it possible to upgrade the graphics in any way?
I guess it won't be light, but it seems to be worth the price if I'd have to compromise on the CPU or integrated graphics...
I'm leaning towards the Samsung atm, will probably take out the mechanical hard drive and put in an enclosure and put an SSD in somewhere down the line...

Torqay

In depth review of the Samsung with Triton APU here. And no, you can't upgrade the graphics, however, this (or a similar) model is also available with a discrete HD 7670M which works in Hybrid Crossfire mode with the HD 7660G IGP (priced around €720).

As for claiming VAT from purchases elsewhere in the EU, read this:

Cross border refunds of VAT in the EU

won't be mega-powerful for games but core i5 is ok. nice light laptop with small ssd for fast boot-up. won't go higher than 14 inch if you're going to be carrying it in and out of college a lot.

http://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/Samsung_530U4B_ULTRA_1166238.html

review here.

http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/laptops/1291357/samsung-series-5-14in-530u4b

glasso

glasso wrote: »

won't be mega-powerful for games but core i5 is ok. nice light laptop with small ssd for fast boot-up. won't go higher than 14 inch if you're going to be carrying it in and out of college a lot.

http://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/Samsung_530U4B_ULTRA_1166238.html

review here.

http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/laptops/1291357/samsung-series-5-14in-530u4b

will def run the older games that you're talking about like TF2 no issue. if you can find same or similar laptop with ivy bridge and HD4000 integrated graphics it would be a lot better.

Nazata

Thanks for all the replies everyone, I think I'll go for the Samsung, will probably buy it Tuesday unless something better pops up.
So it has graphics around the same as the 630m then? How does it compare to the Intel HD 4000 series? It probably wouldn't be worth going for this Acer just because it has the 640m I'm guessing? (The fact that it's a dual core and the Samsung's a quad makes me more inclined to go for the Samsung, unless there's a huge difference between the 630m and 640m...
But once again, thanks for all the replies guys

Nazata

Also is this description mistaken as they say the laptop has GT 640m graphics, but the Acer website says 630m...

Edit: Also managed to piece together a reasonable Genesis IV with 640m graphics since I don't need an OS. It prices at 608.407 EUR with an i5-3210M (2.5ghz) dual core or 564.410 EUR with an i3 2370M (2.4ghz) dual core (and I have the option to go for a 1080p screen for another ~45 euro...). Would this be a good option?

Media999

Yeah id say go for 1080p, i5 and 640m 4gb ram and buy an ssd later or go with a 128gb ssd now and go slightly over budget. Id

Good thing about custom laptops is there designed to be upgraded.

That site has an upgrade section after you purchase that tell you exactly how much and how to upgrade.

However seeing as its mainly college and you have gaming machine at home id probably go for something a bit more portable.

Id find it hard to avoid this with a 3 year warranty added on. Im in college myself so appreciate a lighter laptop in a cramped room.

edit - just noticed that 13 inch laptop. Probably not suitable.

http://www.laptopsdirect.ie/Samsung_535U_13.3_Windows_7_Laptop_in_Silver__NP535U3C-A01UK/version.asp

Nazata

My budget managed to nudge itself up by quite a bit over the past few days, I'm now going for an Optimus IV. Is it worth the extra 63 pounds for the i7 3610QM (2.3Ghz quad) over the i5-3210m (2.5ghz dual core).
Thanks again for all the help guys, if anyone wants any benchmarks/reviews/comments about the product and service when I order just ask

Media999

Nazata wrote: »

My budget managed to nudge itself up by quite a bit over the past few days, I'm now going for an Optimus IV. Is it worth the extra 63 pounds for the i7 3610QM (2.3Ghz quad) over the i5-3210m (2.5ghz dual core).
Thanks again for all the help guys, if anyone wants any benchmarks/reviews/comments about the product and service when I order just ask

You definitely wont be disappointed with it.

Let us know what you think of it when it arrives. Im sure lots of people are kind of on the fence about getting a laptop custom made and need a bit of convincing.

In a couple of days youll get access to the upgrades section and youll see exactly what you can upgrade. really good feature and custom to your own laptop.

Nazata

After a lot of procrastination in ordering, I went for the Optimus IV two week ago. It arrived yesterday, now have it charging to max before I turn it on.
Have to say even though I haven't used it yet, I really like the aesthetics of the laptop.
Does anyone have any guidelines for getting the most out of a lithium ion battery?
If anyone wants some benchmarks up, I'm happy to oblige, will post/edit this post later as to my satisfaction level with the laptop.

Torqay

Nazata wrote: »

Does anyone have any guidelines for getting the most out of a lithium ion battery?

Battery University:

How to Prolong Lithium-based Batteries

Torqay

Nazata wrote: »

If anyone wants some benchmarks up, I'm happy to oblige, will post/edit this post later as to my satisfaction level with the laptop.

I'd like to know, if PCS adds any cr@p and bloatware or they just install the OS and drivers and nothing else?

Nazata

Torqay wrote: »

I'd like to know, if PCS adds any cr@p and bloatware or they just install the OS and drivers and nothing else?

They add bloatware, less than other companies, but there's a few programs of no use to me.

Doing a clean install now, forgot to highlight the partition I was putting the OS onto and click delete during installation, would this have any effect?
Should I do another clean install afterwards or just delete all of windows.old?

Torqay

Nazata wrote: »

Should I do another clean install afterwards or just delete all of windows.old?

Yeah, just start over, this time go into the Advanced Drive Options, delete all partitions and create a new one.

Nazata

Torqay wrote: »

Yeah, just start over, this time go into the Advanced Drive Options, delete all partitions and create a new one.

Perfect, will do. Thanks Torqay

Torqay

Nazata wrote: »

Does that include the 100MB OEM partition?

Yes, get rid of the lot. Windows 8 Setup will automatically create a new 100MB partition when you create the first partition.

Media999

Get no OS installed. It will actually have a 30 day Windows 7 trial preinstalled. Just upgrade to Windows 8 from there for 30 Bucks.

Save a few Euro for yourself.

Also i didnt notice any Bloatware. What Bloatware do they install or is it just on full OS with License?

Nazata

Media999 wrote: »

Get no OS installed. It will actually have a 30 day Windows 7 trial preinstalled. Just upgrade to Windows 8 from there for 30 Bucks.

Save a few Euro for yourself.

Also i didnt notice any Bloatware. What Bloatware do they install or is it just on full OS with License?

Yeah, I made sure to get no OS installed.
I had some bloatware despite the fact I ordered a laptop with no OS, nothing on the desktop but a few processes running in processes tab of task manager.