Laptop for €500-€650

Ferris_Bueller

Hi guys, sorry about posting another one of these threads as I'm aware there are quite a few with similar queries. I don't know a hell of a lot about laptop specs so I was hoping someone with a bit more knowledge could help me out.

Looking to buy a new laptop over the next few weeks. Budget would be as above but could stretch to €700 maybe. I would use it quite a lot, but not for anything overly complex - streaming music/netflix/sports, using Microsoft Office, the odd game on stream (football manager mainly). Mainly use it at home so battery life or being portable aren't overly important to me.

I would like something quick and reliable, one that will last me for a couple of years. Don't even know where would be the best place to buy. Am I wasting my time looking at places like Harvey Norman, PC World, DID etc? Could buy something online if it was from a trustworthy site, also going up north in a few weeks so could go up there if it would be cheaper.

Any suggestions would be appreciated folks! Thanks.

Ferris_Bueller

Would anyone have any opinions on the below laptops?

Acer Swift 3 1.6Ghz not sure if that is important? Also not sure what to make of acer as a brand.

HP Pavilion x360

Finding it hard to find a laptop with 8GB Ram, 256 GB SSD & an iCore processor.. What would be best to sacrifice?

Anywhere online that someone could recommend buying? What are laptopsdirect like?

beauf

The ssd is sometimes the only thing you can upgrade

beauf

Argos have some Lenovo on sale..

Ferris_Bueller

Yes Argos seem to have the best deals in store, some Ideapads and Yoga's on sale if anyone know's what they are like. Probably better to go 128gb SSD rather than 4gb RAM then?

beauf

I'd check each model on YouTube someone has probably checked out what's upgradable.

there are new intel chips out for laptops that are worth looking for as there is a significant advantage in the new generation (kaby lake)
where unlike in the past the i5 u laptop chips now have 4 cores instead of 2.. the 8250u chip. the i3 chips still only have 2 cores.
Here is dell full hd screen 15 inch laptop for 650 euro with that chip, 8gb ram. doesn't have ssd but then again it has a big 1tb hd.

http://www.dell.com/en-ie/shop/cty/pdp/spd/inspiron-15-5570-laptop/cn57001?oc=cn57001&l=en&s=dhs

actually the 17 inch version (fine for your home use)
has a 1tb hd and an ssd for 649 with that chip. seems like a deal to me. screen is IPS also (better viewing angles from the side compared to non-IPS)
http://www.dell.com/en-ie/work/shop/laptops/inspiron-17-5000-laptop/spd/inspiron-17-5770-laptop?view=configurations

you're also getting newer usb-type c ports here along with the older usb 3 ports also and new hdmi 1.4 standards. basically allowing you better connectivity for devices needing usb type c and the newer hdmi for extra features with newer tvs etc.

pc world etc is bad value unless there is a particular deal going (rare). Argos etc ok but won't get the latest tech generally (like above models). laptopsdirect or saveonlaptops are ok also but they are portals for manufacturers to offload older stock so again, not getting the latest. getting the latest innovations does not always matter but for example with the big benefits of the latest u mobile chips that I outlined above, in this case it is.

Ferris_Bueller

Thanks a lot for the reply glasso, that is very helpful. Unfortunately the price for the second laptop you posted is before VAT and it works out an extra €100 when added on. The specs look good for that laptop but the reviews don't seem great which is throwing me. I have always had a Dell though so sticking with them would be nice.

Unless someone has other suggestions, I've narrowed it down to three options:

Dell Inspiron 17" 5000 - the same laptop as posted above. Will cost €750, have seen some reviews that aren't great but specs seem good?

Dell Inspiron 15" 5000 - 1TB HD instead of 256 SSD, other that than it is the same as the above laptop but €100 cheaper.

Acer Swift 3 - specs seem good and reviews look good too? Only thing throwing me off is 1.6Ghz which I'm not sure if it's important or not?!

If anyone had an opinion which is the best/best value I would appreciate it.

beauf

Check the reviews of the screens. The Lower end Dells have some awful screens even in IPS.

Ferris_Bueller

Ferris_Bueller wrote: »

Thanks a lot for the reply glasso, that is very helpful. Unfortunately the price for the second laptop you posted is before VAT and it works out an extra €100 when added on. The specs look good for that laptop but the reviews don't seem great which is throwing me. I have always had a Dell though so sticking with them would be nice.

Unless someone has other suggestions, I've narrowed it down to three options:

Dell Inspiron 17" 5000 - the same laptop as posted above. Will cost €750, have seen some reviews that aren't great but specs seem good?

Dell Inspiron 15" 5000 - 1TB HD instead of 256 SSD, other that than it is the same as the above laptop but €100 cheaper.

Acer Swift 3 - specs seem good and reviews look good too? Only thing throwing me off is 1.6Ghz which I'm not sure if it's important or not?!

If anyone had an opinion which is the best/best value I would appreciate it.

reviews for the dell is not the current model.

acer cpu - 1.6ghz is the base frequency. can go up to 3.4ghz. it's the new 8250u chip that I mentioned. it's base frequency is low for power efficiency.

the acer is smaller and lighter if that appeals. looks ok.

Billy86

https://www.amazon.co.uk/HoMei-Graphics-Pentium-Dual-Core-Bluetooth/dp/B06X9NPVR9/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1508198297&sr=1-1&keywords=ssd+laptop&refinements=p_n_feature_eleven_browse-bin%3A7472680031%2Cp_n_feature_browse-bin%3A1481781031%7C1481783031%2Cp_36%3A40000-65000%2Cp_n_feature_seven_browse-bin%3A8322553031

A bit over budget at €730 converted but really might be worth a whack. The SSD is 128 GB but it also has a 500GB HDD so really gets the best of both worlds - the OS, programs, etc can go on the SSD and then games and media on the HDD. The G4560 is a Pentium CPU as opposed to iCore but performs exactly as well as an i3 7100 (and by the looks of it, an i5 6300HQ!). I've built two computers using a G4560 and it's a really good processor for games or general use; it is dual core but it uses hyper-threading which long story short, essentially replicates the quad core performance of an i5 or i7.

This is the type of performance it should do on demanding games like GTAV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLZ1-BWFOJs -Battlefield 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQLee2YKop0 - Forza Horizon 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AggQbs2kWIk&t=120s - or FIFA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mHGoQXr1lE

Basically, you'd be getting yourself a games console as well as a laptop, have storage space for plenty of games at once and still have an SSD as well as the 8GB of RAM. On the likes of CDKeys.com or G2A.com you can buy big name title games for less than a fiver by the way (I got Arkham Knight and 2013 Tomb Raider for about €4 each for example, and Arkham City for €2) and unlike consoles there's no fee for playing games online, and if you go to reddit.com/r/gamedeals there are some great sales regularly and some solid games around 5 or so years back literally being given away for free by Steam and the likes.

Might not be of interest but for an extra €30 over your max it's some deal I reckon. Comes with 12 months warranty and 30 day money back too. If you go with it, pay in GBP because while Amazon do great prices they add a sneaky 4-5c to the exchange rate if you pay in EUR.

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For anyone curious about the G4560 being a desktop processor in a laptop, it's legit: http://www.tomsguide.com/forum/id-3450009/homei-laptop-950m-g4560.html - https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=215&v=87R3DitE5wY (skip to 3m 30sec).

beauf

Is like to see bench marks where the g4560 beats a quad core.

Wasnt the problem with that cpu that some games won't run on a dual core.

Certainly a curious machine. Had a laptop with a desktop Pentium 4 cpu many years ago.

Billy86

I've run witcher 3, gta v, and the likes on two budget PC's I've built for friends and family early I nthe summer, got about 50fps on mostly high settings. That was admittedly with a 1050ti graphics card which is a lot stronger than a 950M (because a desktop gpu is about the size of an old VHS tape, e.g. Won't fit in a laptop). They were intended more as home theatre PC's with a small lot of capability to fiddle with some games on lower settings but wound up far exceeding my expectations.

i3s are 2 cores, 4 threads also and until the g4560 came along had for a good while been "the standard" for low cost gaming computers, which the g4560 essentially made obsolete. It's the hyperthreading that allows this... I won't pretend to know the ins and out if what it entails but can say first hand that it very much gets the job done.

Very hard to find comparisons to laptop CPUs on YouTube because they're typically for desktop (g4560) but here is an example of a g4560 with a 750ti which is slightly stronger than a 950m though comparable (there are more again on YouTube if you search for 'g4560 750ti') - https://m.youtube.com/watch?t=202s&v=BwOxFUcnz2Y

beauf

Interesting but,

Doesn't seem any cheaper than just buying a Dell
http://www.dell.com/en-ie/shop/laptops/inspiron-15-7000-gaming-laptop/spd/inspiron-15-7577-laptop

.. both are beyond the OP budget.

Billy86

Though that one's a little different - a 1050 graphics card would be a lot stronger (looks like it's a standard version and not an 'M') while the i5 7300HQ would slightly outperform the G4560 (more in line with an i5 6300HQ), the HDD is double the size at 1TB but there is no SSD and I might be missing something but it seems to start at about €220 more (€948).

I'd reckon since he said €700 was the most he wanted to go for that €30 extra might be worth considering for the additional capability if it's of interest to him, but €250 over would be a whole different kettle of fish.

beauf

730 + delivery for a "HoMei"

Billy86

Good point on delivery actually, brings it to €769 with delivery.

As I said, a suggestion for the OP if it's of any interest to them or getting a console was in any way something they'd have liked as I glanced at their post history and see they used to play PES/FIFA. If it's of no interest to them it's not a bother, but there's no harm in making them aware of it.

hilarious the way people start bringing gaming laptops into it when the OP isn't looking for one.
he mentioned football mgr which will run no issue on integrated graphics.

Billy86

Well apologies for making a suggestion, here are another two.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Acer-Aspire-15-6-Inch-Notebook-Processor/dp/B074JFJG72/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1508247270&sr=8-1&keywords=laptop+ssd+256gb
- i5 7200U, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD. A 2* review because of listing 1TB storage when it's 256GB which is what the OP was after. Free delivery, €665.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01C6WNH3Q/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A1CSPH6UNIUWE0&psc=1
Older i5 3320M, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, refurb but much lower cost at €371 including delivery.

beauf

You pick a laptop based on size of screen and how portable it needs to be, what you are going to do on it.

No idea what size of machine the OP is looking for. However its hard to get a decent screen quality as so many are using poor quality displays. The older range of Dell 5000 had terrible screens.