Asus Laptop €300 - Power City

johnny-grunge

Power city are selling this for €300. It's marked up in-store at €320 with a note reminding you to ask for an additional €20 off.

A friend of mine bought one today. Slim, sexy, decent spec and a good manufacturer IMO. It's the 1.8ghz Ivy Model.

Edit: CPU - Intel(R) Celeron(R) CPU 1000M @ 1.80GHz

mad m

Which powercity? Was on their website and there is nothing to say its 300

GrumPy

mad m wrote: »

Which powercity?

They are all the same. OP, have you a link to their actual site, no?

Sparks43

€399 on website

Even at 300 its no great shakes imo but if you wiped the win8 off it it could be a good linux/xbmc solution.

johnny-grunge

It's not advertised on their website as you rightly mention but it is defo in their Finglas store and as a result all their stores (used to work for them). I have one here that I've just installed Windows 7 on.

mad m

johnny-grunge wrote: »

It's not advertised on their website as you rightly mention but it is defo in their Finglas store and as a result all their stores (used to work for them). I have one here that I've just installed Windows 7 on.

No optical drive?

cruhoortwunk

mad m wrote: »

No optical drive?

You'd get over that for €300. None of the ultrabooks have a cd drive either, they are less and less needed

beauf

Is that the one with the plastic body or the aluminium one? The plastic one has a fair bit of flex in it. Good value if your not a heavy user and won't be moving it around much. If I was using it a lot I think I'd get a stronger one, with a better keyboard.

spank_inferno

Anyone have the spec for this?

tooler08

spank_inferno wrote: »

Anyone have the spec for this?

Key features: Windows 8,
15.6-inch screen (1366x768 resolution),
i3 ‘Ivy Bridge’ processor running at 1.8GHz,
4GB memory,
320GB hard disk

iggy

Is this offer definitely on? I'm gonna go after work to Fonthill.

witnessmenow

tooler08 wrote: »

Key features: Windows 8,
15.6-inch screen (1366x768 resolution),
i3 ‘Ivy Bridge’ processor running at 1.8GHz,
4GB memory,
320GB hard disk

Seems very good value at €300

bmaxi

johnny-grunge wrote: »

It's I have one here that I've just installed Windows 7 on.

Please tell us how you did that, I thought it was only possible 8 Pro to 7 Pro because of software incompatibility. I have a new laptop with Windows 8 and I can't get used to it but everywhere on the net says it's a minefield, even wiping the HDD and doing a clean install. HP don't even list Windows 7 drivers for my laptop.

themacdaddy

bmaxi wrote: »

I have a new laptop with Windows 8 and I can't get used to it but everywhere on the net says it's a minefield, even wiping the HDD and doing a clean install. HP don't even list Windows 7 drivers for my laptop.

There is a big update for Windows 8 released last night, Windows 8.1, allowing you to use the start button again, and the normal desktop look similar to Windows 7. See here

beauf

You could do that in Windows 8.0 with a 3rd party app. Underneath 8 is 7. You just have to turn off metro.

The 8.1 menu is very basic. The 3rd party utilities are much better.

paddyp

themacdaddy wrote: »

There is a big update for Windows 8 released last night, Windows 8.1, allowing you to use the start button again, and the normal desktop look similar to Windows 7. See here

No start menu mind just a "start button" that does the same thing that putting the mouse in the corner used to do, nonsense in other words. Theres nothing useful in it for me except my bluetooth works again.

beauf

bmaxi wrote: »

Please tell us how you did that, I thought it was only possible 8 Pro to 7 Pro because of software incompatibility. I have a new laptop with Windows 8 and I can't get used to it but everywhere on the net says it's a minefield, even wiping the HDD and doing a clean install. HP don't even list Windows 7 drivers for my laptop.

You can make w8 like w7. Install classic shell or start8 etc.

The issue you might have heard is the UEFI bios on new machines. Which make it tricker to install a new OS. It has a feature called Secure Boot, which locks the bootloader to a version of the OS. Its tricker to turn this off and clean the bootloader. Which then lets you install a new bootloader and OS. Most people will not be able to do this. Locking the machine to the OS it came with.

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/features/381565/uefi-bios-explained/3
http://www.techradar.com/news/software/operating-systems/what-microsoft-s-secure-boot-means-for-the-future-of-linux-1160157

beauf

paddyp wrote: »

No start menu mind just a "start button" that does the same thing that putting the mouse in the corner used to do, nonsense in other words. Theres nothing useful in it for me except my bluetooth works again.

Same here. Nothing useful worth installing 8.1 for. Other than security patches etc. Theres a few things in W8 I like, but tbh most people won't find any thing in W8 that makes it worth installing either. If your machine comes with w8, then install one of those apps, and it will be very much like windows 7.

bmaxi

Thanks, I've already installed Classic Shell but the fact is, I don't want a tweaked Windows 8, I want windows 7. There were great hopes for 8.1 but it appears to be a damp squib, I think Microsoft have shot themselves in the foot (or even the head) with the whole Windows 8 fiasco.

Danny2580

First thoughts are that this does look a bargain, for regular usage, any other thoughts on it? €300 seems ok at a glance.

beauf

Danny2580 wrote: »

First thoughts are that this does look a bargain, for regular usage, any other thoughts on it? €300 seems ok at a glance.

If its an i3 is ok. Got one in HN for 369 in their sale. If you are not a heavy user it should be ok. I think its a bit flimsy for a a heavy user.

beauf

bmaxi wrote: »

Thanks, I've already installed Classic Shell but the fact is, I don't want a tweaked Windows 8, I want windows 7. There were great hopes for 8.1 but it appears to be a damp squib, I think Microsoft have shot themselves in the foot (or even the head) with the whole Windows 8 fiasco.

If you want help with installing W7 maybe bargain alerts isn't the place for that discussion. Over in computing forum you'll find people to help you with that.

bmaxi

beauf wrote: »

If you want help with installing W7 maybe bargain alerts isn't the place for that discussion. Over in computing forum you'll find people to help you with that.

Keep your hair on, just when I saw someone had done it I thought I might ask, that's all. I already said, I had sought information all over the net and couldn't find it.

Tango One

Maybe I'm wrong but it looks like a celeron processor .

Akrasia

I have this laptop, the x501a with the celeron 1000m processer. The celeron 1000m is an ivy bridge processor with the Ivy bridge integrated hd graphics card (this is much better than the older celerons)

I have bought the x401a for the mother in law, it's basically the same as this except it has a 14 inch screen. and the x55a for my brother in law

These laptops are fantastic value for 300 euros but you need to accept a few things

1. This is not a gaming machine. You'll be able to play games from more than 5 years ago on these, eg, team fortress 2, counterstrike, half-life 2, but you're never gonna play any games newer than this. That said, I have been playing Kerbal Space program on this game and it runs ok but struggles in places (and this game is still in Beta mode and is not optimised and is hugely processor intensive)

2. It is not going to run high end graphics processing. It will be slow for video editing and 3d design and similar tasks. I have used my laptop to convert the family VHS and DVD home movies into AVI files and it worked fine but it might have been a bit faster on a higher end machine


For everything else, it works great.

Windows 8.1 is grand. After a day or two you'll be used to it.
It's stable enough, it's quicker to boot than windows 7. The metro screen is rubbish but you never have to use it

If you're thinking about buying a laptop, you could spend 500 or 600 quid and your machine will still be rubbish at playing games and processing video.

This machine is competing with tablets at this price range, and in my opinion, a laptop of this specification is far more versatile than a tablet. the only advantage a tablet has is portability and battery life.

toby2111

If it's i3 processor, it's a good deal. If not, it's not. Can other people find out for definite if it's i3 or celeron, cheers. I don't live near a powercity so can't check myself.

Akrasia

toby2111 wrote: »

If it's i3 processor, it's a good deal. If not, it's not. Can other people find out for definite if it's i3 or celeron, cheers. I don't live near a powercity so can't check myself.

Why is an i3 so much better than a celeron at this price range?
What can an i3 do that the Celeron 1000m can't do?

They're basically the same chip but some of the features are disabled on the celeron. The i3 could probably struggle to play some slightly newer games, but if you're buying a laptop at this price range with the hope of playing games on it, you're only setting yourself up for disappointment

beauf

bmaxi wrote: »

Keep your hair on, just when I saw someone had done it I thought I might ask, that's all. I already said, I had sought information all over the net and couldn't find it.

I was only saying we can't reply to you about it here. It would be a good discussion to have over there.

beauf

Akrasia wrote: »

Why is an i3 so much better than a celeron at this price range? What can an i3 do that the Celeron 1000m can't do?...t

Nothing it will just do it slower. AFAIK, Slower clock speed, no hyperthreading, and lesser onboard gfx. Not sure if they have the same power saving/consumption.

Take something like iTunes, or encoding media, perhaps working with video, even web browsing will be effected. Websites/web applications are becoming increasingly demanding.

Either it matters to you or it doesn't. If its just for word, email and booking tickets probably makes no difference.

toby2111

I'm no computer wizkid but I thought an i3 was quicker than a celeron. And as beauf says above,surely a quicker computer is better.

johnny-grunge

Tango One wrote: »

Maybe I'm wrong but it looks like a celeron processor .

My mistake. It is the Celeron model.

Internal Specification : Intel(R) Celeron(R) CPU 1000M @ 1.80GHz (from PCWizard)

The processor is codenamed Ivy Bridge apparently. The sticker on the front of the laptop says 'Intel Ivy Bridge Dual-Core @ 1.8ghz'. They don't half make these naming conventions confusing as hell.

johnny-grunge

beauf wrote: »

Is that the one with the plastic body or the aluminium one? The plastic one has a fair bit of flex in it. Good value if your not a heavy user and won't be moving it around much. If I was using it a lot I think I'd get a stronger one, with a better keyboard.

The whole thing is plastic. Still feels decent enough. Runs nice and cool aswell. Had it on for about 3 hours last night on my bed sheets watching some shows. My Xperia T runs hotter.

Tango One

johnny-grunge wrote: »

My mistake. It is the Celeron model.

Internal Specification : Intel(R) Celeron(R) CPU 1000M @ 1.80GHz (from PCWizard)

The processor is codenamed Ivy Bridge apparently. The sticker on the front of the laptop says 'Intel Ivy Bridge Dual-Core @ 1.8ghz'. They don't half make these naming conventions confusing as hell.

Yeah that had me confused too.

unkel

johnny-grunge wrote: »

My mistake. It is the Celeron model.

You might want to edit your original post to specify it's a Celeron

With an i3 processor it would have been a bargain. With a Celeron, not so much...

bmaxi

beauf wrote: »

I was only saying we can't reply to you about it here. It would be a good discussion to have over there.

I probably overreacted, some people on this forum get very shirty when a thread goes just a little OT. Pax

TerrorFirmer

For casual use with media and browsing etc, the Celeron 1000M is still perfectly fine.

mad m

A friend of mine is thinking of buying this for her daughter for school work etc...anyone know if word is included

The first celeron processors years ago were terrible and had such a bad image that the name has been tarnished. However, the more recent ones are not bad at all. In terms of practical usage for browsing, running ms office, playing videos there would not be a huge difference over an i3. Once you're not planning on using it for gaming this laptop is fine.

review here
http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews/laptop/3425135/asus-x501a-xx277h-review/

mad m

mad m wrote: »

A friend of mine is thinking of buying this for her daughter for school work etc...anyone know if word is included

no. you can buy office suite from here for 70 euro

http://www.software4students.ie/products/microsoft-office-professional-plus-2013-3-year-non-graduating-students-only

Akrasia

glasso wrote: »

no. you can buy office suite from here for 70 euro

http://www.software4students.ie/products/microsoft-office-professional-plus-2013-3-year-non-graduating-students-only

Or you could use Openoffice for free
www.openoffice.org

Akrasia

glasso wrote: »

The first celeron processors years ago were terrible and had such a bad image that the name has been tarnished. However, the more recent ones are not bad at all. In terms of practical usage for browsing, running ms office, playing videos there would not be a huge difference over an i3. Once you're not planning on using it for gaming this laptop is fine.

review here
http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews/laptop/3425135/asus-x501a-xx277h-review/

I can vouch for this. It genuinely is a bargain at 300 quid. The review above has an older generation celeron processer, the Celeron 1000m is newer and performs even better than the reviewed model.

Akrasia

Akrasia wrote: »

I can vouch for this. It genuinely is a bargain at 300 quid. The review above has an older generation celeron processer, the Celeron 1000m is newer and performs even better than the reviewed model.

yes the 1000m vs an i3 model.
6.2 for the celeron, 6.5 for the i3. not much of a difference.

http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Core-i3-2328M-vs-Intel-Celeron-1000M

johnny-grunge

unkel wrote: »

You might want to edit your original post to specify it's a Celeron

With an i3 processor it would have been a bargain. With a Celeron, not so much...

Just changed it there to make it a little clearer. It has an Ivy Bridge processor, i.e. 22nm architecture, and it's a Celeron, i.e. their entry level processor for each architecture. Apologies for the confusion.

beauf

glasso wrote: »

yes the 1000m vs an i3 model.
6.2 for the celeron, 6.5 for the i3. not much of a difference.

http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Core-i3-2328M-vs-Intel-Celeron-1000M

Not a very useful benchmark

The main difference between these two cpus is hyperthreading and the graphics. You probably don't need them if you don't know what they are.

Has anyone else managed to get the Laptop at this price btw?

Intel Core i3-2308M

Intel 2308M
The Intel Core i3-2308M is a dual core processor for laptops. It is based on the Sandy Bridge architecture and offers Hyperthreading to handle 4 threads at once (for a better usage of the pipeline). Compared to the faster Core i5, the i3 does not offer the Turbo Boost technique for the CPU part and is therefore clocked at 2.1 GHz (max).

Sandy Bridge is the evolutionary successor of the Arrandale architecture. The most noteable improvements are the new 256Bit AVX instructions, the improved Turbo 2.0 and the integration of the graphics card into the 32nm CPU core. The CPU is similar to the Core i3-2310M, but does not support Intel's Small Business Advantage tools, such as USB blocker, PC health check, data backup and wireless display (according to CPU World).

Der i3-2308M offers an integrated graphics card ( Intel HD Graphics 3000) which is clearly faster then the older Intel HD Graphics in the Arrandale CPUs. As the new GPU is included in the CPU, it is also manufactured in 32nm and shares the fast level 3 cache with the CPU cores (using a new ring bus). In the 2308M it is clocked from 650-1100MHz (with Turbo Boost). The faster Sandy Bridge CPUs are clocked up to 1300 MHz (like the i5-2520M).

Furthermore, an improved dual-channel DDR3 memory controller is included on the CPU die that is used by the CPU and GPU part.

Due to the improved architecture, the average performance of the Core i3-2308M is higher than a similar clocked Arrandale Core i3 without Turbo Boost. In synthetic benchmarks, the performance was about on par with the faster clocked Core i5-430M (2.3-2.5 GHz) and therefore adequate for most applications.

The 35W TDP rating includes the integrated GPU and memory controller.

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-Core-i3-2308M-Notebook-Processor.81599.0.html

Intel Celeron 1000M

Intel 1000M
The Intel Celeron 1000M is an entry level dual core processor clocked at 1.8 GHz. It is based on the Ivy Bridge architecture (3rd generation Core, 22 nm) and features an integrated graphics card (Intel HD Graphics based on the HD Graphics 2500 at 650-1000MHz) and a reduced feature set (compared to the faster Core processors). E.g. Turbo Boost, AES, Hyperthreading, Virtualization VT-d, Quick Sync, Wireless Display and Clear Video HD are deactivated.

Compared to previous generations, the 1000M should be similar fast as a Pentium B940. Like most Ivy Bridge dual cores, the TDP is specified at 35 W.

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-Celeron-1000M-Notebook-Processor.87690.0.html

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Processors-Benchmarklist.2436.0.html

I just bought one for a family member. seems fine. only slight issue is that the spacebar doesn't register 100% of the time - if you research on the net you'll find that. other than that it's definitely worth 300 euro. It's slim and relatively light. comes back from sleep mode in a couple of seconds and will last for a few weeks on a full charge in that mode. obviously windows 8 can get a bit of getting used to but if you install a simple windows start button application it's easy to adapt to. The latptop in-store will say 320 with an extra 20 euro off at payment and that's the case- 299.95 is what you'll pay. 4.7 score on the windows experience index given.

RobbingBandit

Anyone know what stores still have stock of this?

RobbingBandit

RobbingBandit wrote: »

Anyone know what stores still have stock of this?

had them in sallynoggin earlier today in any case. think that you can ring up powercity so ring your local store. get phone no. on their website.

unkel

glasso wrote: »

yes the 1000m vs an i3 model.
6.2 for the celeron, 6.5 for the i3. not much of a difference.

http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Core-i3-2328M-vs-Intel-Celeron-1000M

Dude, you're comparing the current generation Celeron to a second generation i3. They are ancient. The current generation i3 is the 4th generation (Haswell)

unkel

unkel wrote: »

Dude, you're comparing the current generation Celeron to a second generation i3. They are ancient. The current generation i3 is the 4th generation (Haswell)

well in any case it's a fairly light and responsive laptop and great value at 300 yoyo's .... dude.

Esel

City Slickers

*grabs popcorn

Akrasia

glasso wrote: »

well in any case it's a fairly light and responsive laptop and great value at 300 yoyo's .... dude.

it ticks the boxes. Most other laptops at this price range will have a worse processor and less ram
4 gb ram is enough to run most windows applications well.

If you are buying an entry level laptop you need to accept the limitations (games won't run)

You're better off accepting this than spending 4 or 500 quid on a slightly better processor with the hope that it might be able to just about play some games, and getting disappointed all the time.
for a laptop to play games, you're looking at spending more than 3 times the price of this model. (and even still, you'll be turning settings to medium or low, and you'll be really struggling with any games that will be released next year or the year after