Laptop Advice

huitzilopochtli

Hi all,

I am currently without a laptop which makes researching buying one difficult at best, so I thought I'd put together what I know and think and ask for some advice. Thanks in advance for any replies, though I may be slow to reply due to the aforementioned lack of laptop.

So, I want to buy a laptop. My budget is in the €1000-1400 range (although around €1200 would be my ideal). I intend to use it for work (mostly word processors, online research, some statistics programs) and a modest amount of gaming (mostly age of empires).

I think I'd like it to have the following specs:
8GB RAM
120GB SSHD
Quad core processor
Mechanical keyboard
Min. 15" screen with 1080p resolution (pref HD)

I realize I may be asking for a bit much, and will compromize where necessary.

Ok, what do I need to know? First off, are the requirements above suitable to my intended use? (I think so, but I'd like another opinion.) Second, are there any features I should be looking for but aren't above? Third, would a custom built laptop be more likely to meet my needs or should I also be looking at ready to buy ones? (So far I've been looking at custom builds.) Finally, where should I be looking to buy? I've been looking at some places online, but again it's hard to do this sans regular computer access.

Anyway, thanks again for any answers/advice!

Cheers,
H

Lu Tze

huitzilopochtli wrote: »

Hi all,

I am currently without a laptop which makes researching buying one difficult at best, so I thought I'd put together what I know and think and ask for some advice. Thanks in advance for any replies, though I may be slow to reply due to the aforementioned lack of laptop.

So, I want to buy a laptop. My budget is in the €1000-1400 range (although around €1200 would be my ideal). I intend to use it for work (mostly word processors, online research, some statistics programs) and a modest amount of gaming (mostly age of empires).

I think I'd like it to have the following specs:
8GB RAM
120GB SSHD
Quad core processor
Mechanical keyboard
Min. 15" screen with 1080p resolution (pref HD)

I realize I may be asking for a bit much, and will compromize where necessary.

Ok, what do I need to know? First off, are the requirements above suitable to my intended use? (I think so, but I'd like another opinion.) Second, are there any features I should be looking for but aren't above? Third, would a custom built laptop be more likely to meet my needs or should I also be looking at ready to buy ones? (So far I've been looking at custom builds.) Finally, where should I be looking to buy? I've been looking at some places online, but again it's hard to do this sans regular computer access.

Anyway, thanks again for any answers/advice!

Cheers,
H

I don't think any laptops have mechanical keyboards. On top of that, are the statistics programs resourse intensive? As office programs internet and old RTS games aren't that resource heavy and should happily run on lower spec machine saving you money. Just thing to consider

hankscorpio184

You could always contact these and ask for a mechanical keyboard.

Unique URL to re-configure: http:// www. pcspecialist.co.uk/ quotes/ cosmosIII-17/ cmve7C3NeU /

Just remove the spaces in the URL above.

Chassis & Display
Cosmos Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD LED Widescreen (1920x1080) (€69)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Dual Core Mobile Processor i7-4610M (3.0GHz) 4MB
Memory (RAM)
8GB KINGSTON SODIMM DDR3 1600MHz (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
INTEL® HD GRAPHICS MEDIA ACCELERATOR 4600
Memory - Hard Disk
250GB Samsung 850 EVO SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 540MB/sR | 520MB/sW)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
8x SATA DVD±R/RW/Dual Layer (+ 24x CD-RW)
Memory Card Reader
Internal 9 in 1 Card Reader (MMC/RSMMC/SD: Mini, XC & HC/MS: Pro & Duo)
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND (€13)
Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® N-7260 HMC (300Mbps, 802.11BGN) + BLUETOOTH
USB Options
3 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT AS STANDARD
Battery
Cosmos Series 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (48.84WH)
Power Lead & Adaptor
1 x UK Power Lead & 90W AC Adaptor
Keyboard Language
COSMOS 17" SERIES UK KEYBOARD WITH NUMBER PAD (NON-BACKLIT)
Operating System
Genuine Windows 8.1 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (€110)
Windows 10 Upgrade
FREE Upgrade to Windows 10 with all Windows 7 & Windows 8.1 Purchases*
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365
Anti-Virus
BULLGUARD INTERNET SECURITY - FREE 90 DAY TRIAL
Notebook Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 2.0 MEGAPIXEL WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
2 - 3 DAY DELIVERY TO REPUBLIC OF IRELAND (€27)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 7 to 9 working days
Quantity
1

Price: €1,136.00 including VAT and delivery.

ithorizon

hankscorpio184 wrote: »

Graphics Card
INTEL® HD GRAPHICS MEDIA ACCELERATOR 4600

For more than 1000 euro and without dedicated GPU? Seriously?

Considering his price range he can have like GT860X gpu on board.

hankscorpio184

Ooops forgot to add that - sorry

Follow the link and you can customise it to suit.

Adding GTX 950M it comes to
€1,153.33 ex VAT
€1,384.00 inc VAT

Adding GTX 940M it comes to
€1,065.83 ex VAT
€1,279.00 inc VAT

K.O.Kiki

huitzilopochtli wrote: »

Hi all,

I am currently without a laptop which makes researching buying one difficult at best, so I thought I'd put together what I know and think and ask for some advice. Thanks in advance for any replies, though I may be slow to reply due to the aforementioned lack of laptop.

So, I want to buy a laptop. My budget is in the €1000-1400 range (although around €1200 would be my ideal). I intend to use it for work (mostly word processors, online research, some statistics programs) and a modest amount of gaming (mostly age of empires).

I think I'd like it to have the following specs:
8GB RAM
120GB SSHD
Quad core processor
Mechanical keyboard
Min. 15" screen with 1080p resolution (pref HD)

I realize I may be asking for a bit much, and will compromize where necessary.

Ok, what do I need to know? First off, are the requirements above suitable to my intended use? (I think so, but I'd like another opinion.) Second, are there any features I should be looking for but aren't above? Third, would a custom built laptop be more likely to meet my needs or should I also be looking at ready to buy ones? (So far I've been looking at custom builds.) Finally, where should I be looking to buy? I've been looking at some places online, but again it's hard to do this sans regular computer access.

Anyway, thanks again for any answers/advice!

Cheers,
H

Since this is a business laptop, I'd recommend looking at Lenovo ThinkPad.
http://shop.lenovo.com/ie/en/laptops/thinkpad/t-series/t450/#
Like above, there are no mechanical keyboards in laptops, but ThinkPads are known to have the best in the business.

hankscorpio184

What difference does it make if it's a business laptop that it has to be a thinkpad?

K.O.Kiki

hankscorpio184 wrote: »

What difference does it make if it's a business laptop that it has to be a thinkpad?

From a reliability POV, any extra, hot-running component (e.g. GPU) is a liability if it were to fail during the working day.

Also, business laptops generally seem to have bigger batteries than consumer models, so that's always a plus.

Finally, since OP was asking for a mechanical keyboard I'm assuming lots of typing is involved; this is something ThinkPads excel at.
Plus, the T450 has a good trackpad & trackpoint.

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Lenovo-ThinkPad-T450s-Ultrabook-Review.137248.0.html

hankscorpio184

I've worked on and played games on many laptops for over 15 years, and never has the GPU run hot that it broke the laptop.

Although, after taking a closer look at the ThinkPad the keyboard does get great reviews.

It's a nice computer.

ithorizon

Well, good for You but overheating GPU is very common nowdays. It's fine when You knows how to use notebook with dedicated Gpu, if You don't You can be in trobule.

hankscorpio184

Overheating would be airflow issues, or with older cards.

If the computer isn't being cooled efficiently then yes it can overheat.

That's a major problem with these ultrathin laptops and why I generally avoid them.

ithorizon

No, it's generally a problem with plenty of laptops with dedicated GPU.

hankscorpio184

That's a pretty broad statement and generally untrue.

ithorizon

Well, if You say so.

Lu Tze

It does happen, you are basically shoving another high TDP component into a chasis which may not differ from the standard integrate graphics laptop chassis, without additional cooling to dissipate the extra heat.

Things have gotten better, but have a google for the problems with the 8400GS, which had mass failures across all manufacturers. Or PM Overheal - i remember him boycotting Nvidia after his laptop failed due to it, and as far as i know they refused any kind of cover

I would say there is a slightly higher risk of failure with a dedicated GPU, thought nothing as extreme as that has happened since.

huitzilopochtli

Thanks for the replies, everyone. As promised I am very slow replying but here it is.

Lu Tze wrote: »

I don't think any laptops have mechanical keyboards.

I did not know that. I guess that's a compromise I'll have to make then.

Lu Tze wrote: »

On top of that, are the statistics programs resourse intensive? As office programs internet and old RTS games aren't that resource heavy and should happily run on lower spec machine saving you money. Just thing to consider

My previous laptop was an old macbook (c.2008-9) and it slowed significantly when I used it for research. (Admittedly I don't think its specs were particularly impressive.) I didn't know how AoE would perform on lower specs (honestly I just wanted to be able to play it on anything other than the lowest graphics settings I used in my youth) and while I intend to mostly play that, I would like the opportunity to play other, more recent games too. (Having had a mac for so long I feel like I've missed out a little, but it's good to know I could economize on my "modern gaming" without compromising my "beloved childhood games".) My main concern is that I want something with significant gaming ability but it must also be good for everything else for which I might want to use it, and I'm getting the sense that it would be. Is that correct?

hankscorpio184 wrote: »

You could always contact these and ask for a mechanical keyboard.

Unique URL to re-configure: http:// www. pcspecialist.co.uk/ quotes/ cosmosIII-17/ cmve7C3NeU /

Just remove the spaces in the URL above.

Chassis & Display
Cosmos Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD LED Widescreen (1920x1080) (€69)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Dual Core Mobile Processor i7-4610M (3.0GHz) 4MB
Memory (RAM)
8GB KINGSTON SODIMM DDR3 1600MHz (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
INTEL® HD GRAPHICS MEDIA ACCELERATOR 4600
Memory - Hard Disk
250GB Samsung 850 EVO SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 540MB/sR | 520MB/sW)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
8x SATA DVD±R/RW/Dual Layer (+ 24x CD-RW)
Memory Card Reader
Internal 9 in 1 Card Reader (MMC/RSMMC/SD: Mini, XC & HC/MS: Pro & Duo)
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND (€13)
Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® N-7260 HMC (300Mbps, 802.11BGN) + BLUETOOTH
USB Options
3 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT AS STANDARD
Battery
Cosmos Series 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (48.84WH)
Power Lead & Adaptor
1 x UK Power Lead & 90W AC Adaptor
Keyboard Language
COSMOS 17" SERIES UK KEYBOARD WITH NUMBER PAD (NON-BACKLIT)
Operating System
Genuine Windows 8.1 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (€110)
Windows 10 Upgrade
FREE Upgrade to Windows 10 with all Windows 7 & Windows 8.1 Purchases*
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365
Anti-Virus
BULLGUARD INTERNET SECURITY - FREE 90 DAY TRIAL
Notebook Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 2.0 MEGAPIXEL WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
2 - 3 DAY DELIVERY TO REPUBLIC OF IRELAND (€27)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 7 to 9 working days
Quantity
1

Price: €1,136.00 including VAT and delivery.

This is a site I was thinking of. Are they the best value/quality available, or are there other/comparable sites? Again, the keyboard is something that may just have to be compromised. As for the GPU, how does this relate to the graphics card and what is "standard" vs. "optimal"? (I know remarkably little about computers, please enlighten me.) And regarding cooling, would it be worthwhile to invest in the "cooling paste" or whatever it is option that's available on that site?

Also, regarding lenovo - their keyboards are excellent and I'll look into them, but I am leaning towards the above more.