which laptop would you buy?

StereoSound

Heya,

I need to buy a laptop in the next day or so and these are in my budget. Just general usage and I want to try and teach myself abit of coding to. They are basic enough but which would you buy if you had to get one? Reviews seem more or less on par with each other. The first one has an atom and the second a celeron.

Option one
http://www.pcworld.ie/Mobile/Product/lenovo-ideapad-100s-116-laptop-red/330048/396.0.0

Option two
http://www.pcworld.ie/Mobile/Product/hp-stream-11r050sa-116-laptop-blue/329013/396.0.0

Alanstrainor

These are both more like netbooks/web-books the processors are more or less the same, but I think I would go with the atom over the celeron. Keep in mind that Celerons and Atoms are very similar. In this scenario the Atom is a quad core, and is more efficient.

You can do a bit of coding on almost any machine. but I think these would be both frustrating. Programming in a exclusively Windows environment can be annoying, but this depends on what you're doing. Lack of storage could present problems also. But if you're only learning your programs are most likely going to be small in size.

I'm not so sure these are good options. But they are cheap, so you may not have much choice.

StereoSound

Alanstrainor wrote: »

These are both more like netbooks/web-books the processors are more or less the same, but I think I would go with the atom over the celeron. Keep in mind that Celerons and Atoms are very similar. In this scenario the Atom is a quad core, and is more efficient.

You can do a bit of coding on almost any machine. but I think these would be both frustrating. Programming in a exclusively Windows environment can be annoying, but this depends on what you're doing. Lack of storage could present problems also. But if you're only learning your programs are most likely going to be small in size.

I'm not so sure these are good options. But they are cheap, so you may not have much choice.

Im doing a certificate course part time in programming/coding and wanted something to haul around on the move. Ye they are pretty basic and its really just for basic use as something I can learn on. What other options would I have for in around the price? The 2gb ram bit bothers me to be honest. I'd love 4gb ram model but I'm strapped for cash. Second hand is an option I guess but I'm seeing crap on adverts at the minute.

Sync

I was in a similar situation a good few years back and picked up a Toshiba 11" machine - sold it on within 2 months of having it, and buying a laptop. I think 13" would be the absolute minimum I would look for - I have a 13.3" HP work laptop and it's very portable and does a good job. I think you'll end up really frustrated with a small machine like this - if possible save up and get a superior machine. In the long run it will save you money.

StereoSound

Can these two laptops have their ram upgraded if I wanted to put 4 or 6gb into it?

drunkmonkey

What's your top budget as what your looking at there is junk, it'll do your head in, you need a decent size screen, 15 inch preferably.
Something like this maybe http://www.laptopsdirect.ie/refurbished-grade-a1-toshiba-satellite-c50-b-14d-celeron-n2830-4gb-500gb-15-a1-pscmle-02n025en-w8/version.asp
Spending your money on an ssd will do a lot more than 2gb of ram.

StereoSound

drunkmonkey wrote: »

What's your top budget as what your looking at there is junk, it'll do your head in, you need a decent size screen, 15 inch preferably.
Something like this maybe http://www.laptopsdirect.ie/refurbished-grade-a1-toshiba-satellite-c50-b-14d-celeron-n2830-4gb-500gb-15-a1-pscmle-02n025en-w8/version.asp
Spending your money on an ssd will do a lot more than 2gb of ram.

Want something easy to carry around, 15 inch is not the most compact for me otherwise I'd agree with you. €299 would be the max I could afford at the minute.

Curb Your Enthusiasm

StereoSound wrote: »

Can these two laptops have their ram upgraded if I wanted to put 4 or 6gb into it?

Nope. Soldered to the motherboard. Also, adding RAM to a basic processor won't see much of an improvement.

StereoSound

Techmaster wrote: »

Nope. Soldered to the motherboard. Also, adding RAM to a basic processor won't see much of an improvement.

I've just learned that myself a few mins ago.. Shame really.

Curb Your Enthusiasm

Up your budget by about 100 quid and you'll get something pretty decent online. Miles better than the ones you linked. eBuyer is pretty good for laptop deals.

StereoSound

Techmaster wrote: »

Up your budget by about 100 quid and you'll get something pretty decent online. Miles better than the ones you linked. eBuyer is pretty good for laptop deals.

Thanks I'm checking them out now.

Akrasia

http://www.ebuyer.com/725713-hp-255-g4-laptop-n0z75ea-abu


That laptop is about 290 euros and should do the trick nicely.

The Amd A6 is comparable to an intel i3 and the integrated graphics on the AMD are actually better than the intel graphics

Plus, with the optical drive it's possible to add an SSD later if you decide you'd like to upgrade the performace

Curb Your Enthusiasm

Akrasia wrote: »

http://www.ebuyer.com/725713-hp-255-g4-laptop-n0z75ea-abu


That laptop is about 290 euros and should do the trick nicely.

The Amd A6 is comparable to an intel i3 and the integrated graphics on the AMD are actually better than the intel graphics

Plus, with the optical drive it's possible to add an SSD later if you decide you'd like to upgrade the performace

Nice find. Very good price and miles better than the above.

worded

Do ebuyer ship to Ireland - they didn't a few years ago

TerrorFirmer

Something like this or this can be gotten nearby if not.

Akrasia

worded wrote: »

Do ebuyer ship to Ireland - they didn't a few years ago

Parcel motel or parcel wizard make the impossible less impossible (:

StereoSound

I saw this just now in harvey Normans. Any opinion for the price?? The 4gb ram bit should be alot better. The screen quality is not great though but usable.

TerrorFirmer

For €279 in a retail store it's good value but it would be a lot slower than the AMD A6/i3-4005 models posted in the thread for about €30-50 more.

StereoSound

I saw this one in Tesco Naas this morning. Slightly better spec then the one I posted above. This one has the Intel celeron with burst technology. Its €269..I just randomly seen it there and they have a few of them in stock. There is no optical drive in it though.

http://www.tesco.com/direct/toshiba-c50-b-14z-156-laptop-intel-celeron-4gb-ram-500gb-black/355-8744.prd#reviews

worded

Anyone ever got a laptop from ebuyer ? Parcel motel - ok but will they accept a non uk credit card ?

They used to be very fussy

Stick with lenovo or Toshiba

I wouldn't go near that tesco laptop
Cheap build inc cheap keyboard I'd say

Lenovo have the best keyboards in my opinion, keys that don't fall off

StereoSound

Its a Toshiba

worded wrote: »

Anyone ever got a laptop from ebuyer ? Parcel motel - ok but will they accept a non uk credit card ?

They used to be very fussy

Stick with lenovo or Toshiba

I wouldn't go near that tesco laptop
Cheap build inc cheap keyboard I'd say

Lenovo have the best keyboards in my opinion, keys that don't fall off

Zardoz

This is a good buy from Tesco Direct in the UK.
You'd have to use Parcel Motel or a similar service .
Its basically the same spec as the ebuyer one but 30 pounds cheaper.
http://www.tesco.com/direct/acer-aspire-e5-521-notebook-156-inch-led-display-amd-a6-quad-core-processor-4gb-ram1tb-windows-81-os-black/674-8719.prd?pageLevel=&skuId=674-8719

Curb Your Enthusiasm

Zardoz wrote: »

This is a good buy from Tesco Direct in the UK.
You'd have to use Parcel Motel or a similar service .
Its basically the same spec as the ebuyer one but 30 pounds cheaper.
http://www.tesco.com/direct/acer-aspire-e5-521-notebook-156-inch-led-display-amd-a6-quad-core-processor-4gb-ram1tb-windows-81-os-black/674-8719.prd?pageLevel=&skuId=674-8719

I'd still go i3 for the 30 quid more to be honest.

Zardoz

Techmaster wrote: »

I'd still go i3 for the 30 quid more to be honest.

The Ebuyer one is the same cpu ,its an AMD ,not an i3 though

Curb Your Enthusiasm

Zardoz wrote: »

The Ebuyer one is the same cpu ,its an AMD ,not an i3 though

Yes, my apologies

ED E

StereoSound wrote: »

I saw this just now in harvey Normans. Any opinion for the price?? The 4gb ram bit should be alot better. The screen quality is not great though but usable.

Build quality in Medion units can be really really poor. Good price might be for a reason. Just keep that in mind.

StereoSound

I decided to buy locally, its basically one of these two.

Medion akoya, 15.6" screen, celeron n2840 with 4 GB ram and a 500 GB hard drive in DID for €259

Toshiba satellite with identical spec as above @€;269.

Would it be a flip of a coin which one to buy or should I just go with the Toshiba since its a better known brand? The medion has a grey brushed metal effect plastic case which looks nicer then the Toshibas plain black plastic case but I know that's just a cosmetic thing.

mordeith

StereoSound wrote: »

I decided to buy locally, its basically one of these two.

Medion akoya, 15.6" screen, celeron n2840 with 4 GB ram and a 500 GB hard drive in DID for €259

Toshiba satellite with identical spec as above @€;269.

Would it be a flip of a coin which one to buy or should I just go with the Toshiba since its a better known brand? The medion has a grey brushed metal effect plastic case which looks nicer then the Toshibas plain black plastic case but I know that's just a cosmetic thing.

Toshiba would have a better build quality but at that price point it's probably six of one. I'd do a quick screen flex test on them and see which keyboard you prefer.

Alanstrainor

mordeith wrote: »

Toshiba would have a better build quality but at that price point it's probably six of one. I'd do a quick screen flex test on them and see which keyboard you prefer.

Lower end machines are all very similar, Toshiba don't exactly have a great reputation for quality laptops in the last number of years. But given the price point I think you're right to suggest picking the nicest to type on, or best screen etc.

StereoSound

I haven't flex tested either , I personally liked the look of the Medion and keyboard was very comfy.

bside29

I'll choose the Lenovo since it has Atom. But these are not good laptops for programming since they are netbooks.