Know very little! Love a recommendation please

phormium

Firstly I have read as many threads as looked relevant to my question and looked at lots of the recommendations and went to Currys and had a big chat there and was educated somewhat at least by all the info! All recommendations seem to be heading same way for what I want 8gb ram and 256ssd storage etc and that was fine and they all looked ok.

But after having a look at my existing laptop which I have had for years and is on it's last legs, overheating big time (have had it checked etc, it's just old age!) and what I use it for I think I actually need to go backwards regarding specs.

I feel that ssd storage is not nearly enough for me, I have almost 450gb used up on existing laptop (toshiba satellite) and yes I know I could move some of this to hard drives but that doesn't really suit me as I need to lug this around with me and access a lot of this stuff so would then need to be bringing the hard drives and it's just too messy.

I also think I could do with the dvd write/read thing, mine is actually broken on this laptop and it's a bit of a nuisance. While I know the ssd ones would be quicker I'm not sure that is a major issue to me, I notice this one much slower now but that is because a new hobby of video editing of old family films is taking up something or other, as said I'm no expert!

Now bear in mind I haven't a clue about this stuff but after spending a night researching would something like this suit me better for what I want https://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/3111680/c_1/1%7Ccategory_root%7COffice%2C+PCs+and+phones%7C14418968/c_2/3%7Ccat_50000560%7CLaptops%7C50000564.htm#tab3

Or would I be mad and should just go with the more up to date options?

Alanstrainor

You mention that you need to lug the laptop around with you, so I would rule out the one you posted, as it is a monster at 17.3" machine. Big and heavy really.

Just in terms of the SSD, it would be foolish to get a laptop without one in my opinion. The difference between a machine with an SSD and an old HDD is immense. I would expect the SSD to make the machine feel 10 times faster than the HDD. SSD's are both faster and more robust.

This Dell does seem to be a good deal to me:

https://www.dell.com/en-ie/shop/laptops/new-inspiron-15-5000/spd/inspiron-15-5593-laptop/cn59305

You mention your current machine having 450G worth of files on-board. What makes up this data? Photos and video? Will it all move to a new system?

phormium

Thanks for your reply, I realised later that it is a huge machine! Heavier than the one I have and I don't want that, a 15" screen would do me.

Photos and video and the film clips I'm editing mainly. The photos will only partly have to move but all the film will definitely and as I edit stick it together it is multiplying itself until I am finished and can delete some of the earlier cuts.

I was back in shops today and spoke to someone with my new needs and he suggested a hybrid machine and said this one but the blurb in shop is slightly different in that it says 128GB+1TB and he said that is a combination of both types and would be good option but nowhere in the online ads can I see a mention of the 128GB bit!

https://www.currys.ie/ieen/computing/laptops/laptops/acer-aspire-3-a315-54-15-6-intel-core-i5-laptop-1-tb-hdd-black-10193933-pdt.html?istCompanyId=fbc6ef6d-ab18-45e3-927a-0cb677794424&istFeedId=0959f117-9faa-4499-80bd-c0265bb2950e&istItemId=itlilipqr&istBid=t&gclid=CjwKCAjwldHsBRAoEiwAd0JybaH5QY6kyN3MmX-5tMZ52RUYSDrKJjdrZ-kqroEyPdCz8dqe1RatOhoCeDEQAvD_BwE

I like the one you linked to too, has much more storage at least and I could ditch a lot of photos maybe

Alanstrainor

phormium wrote: »

Thanks for your reply, I realised later that it is a huge machine! Heavier than the one I have and I don't want that, a 15" screen would do me.

Photos and video and the film clips I'm editing mainly. The photos will only partly have to move but all the film will definitely and as I edit stick it together it is multiplying itself until I am finished and can delete some of the earlier cuts.

I was back in shops today and spoke to someone with my new needs and he suggested a hybrid machine and said this one but the blurb in shop is slightly different in that it says 128GB+1TB and he said that is a combination of both types and would be good option but nowhere in the online ads can I see a mention of the 128GB bit!

https://www.currys.ie/ieen/computing/laptops/laptops/acer-aspire-3-a315-54-15-6-intel-core-i5-laptop-1-tb-hdd-black-10193933-pdt.html?istCompanyId=fbc6ef6d-ab18-45e3-927a-0cb677794424&istFeedId=0959f117-9faa-4499-80bd-c0265bb2950e&istItemId=itlilipqr&istBid=t&gclid=CjwKCAjwldHsBRAoEiwAd0JybaH5QY6kyN3MmX-5tMZ52RUYSDrKJjdrZ-kqroEyPdCz8dqe1RatOhoCeDEQAvD_BwE

I like the one you linked to too, has much more storage at least and I could ditch a lot of photos maybe

Your link definitely does not have a 128GB SSD included. But yes a machine with both an SSD and a HDD is a decent idea. The Dell I linked to actually has an empty slot for a HDD, and it would be relatively trivial to buy and insert one. Giving you a second disk for storage, and in my mind you would be better off buying a second 512 SSD given they are pretty cheap these days.

But I do appreciate that you may not want to open a new machine and go down this route. It's more frustrating that Dell.ie don't offer this option from the factory.

The machine I linked also doesn't have a DVD drive. Now I would be of the opinion that a DVD drive these days has gone the way of tape decks in cars, and don't hold much value.

the dual hard-drive options are rarely provided out-of-the factory where laptops have space for the two outside of gaming laptops.

but it's very simple to add another drive where the space is there.

use the crucial website to see if a laptop model can support a 2.5 inch drive and and an m.2 ssd

swapping one main drive for another is trickier

you definitely want an ssd as your main drive

re dvd-players I agree with Alan and would not bother with it included. most laptops don't have one nowadays and if necessary for occasional use you can buy a usb-connected one for €20.

phormium

Thanks for that info Glasso re drives but my eyes glazed over, don't really understand enough to follow it

I really like that Dell one and there is a DVD addition for 45 quid I think, I know they are in theory obsolete but re the old film I am doing quite a few of the elderly relatives have dvd players, having at least upgraded from the video player! It would be handy to be able to send it to them in that form otherwise I am having to get grown up children to sort out USB or download emailed files onto something they can watch. Most of them can still manage to figure out the DVD player. Mind you if I can buy one for 20 quid no point giving Dell 45 or is there any benefit of buying it with the computer?

I think I'm nearly happy enough that Dell recommended, just going to go back to that shop tomorrow to query why their sign beside laptop says there is 128sdd when clearly there must not be! Or at least nowhere else I have seen that machine online has it.

Thanks all for taking the time to reply, I hate having to replace things like this as it's a lot of money to make a mistake with when I know sugar all about them, I know lots about other things

you can get a dvd player for less than €15

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_sacat=0&_nkw=dvd%20usb&rt=nc&LH_PrefLoc=1&_trksid=p2045573.m1684

the dell will do the job for you but personally I would favour a 14 inch laptop as the screen is plenty big enough but it's a more compact package

https://www.currys.ie/ieen/computing/laptops/laptops/hp-pavilion-14-ce1511sa-14-intel-core-i5-laptop-512-gb-ssd-silver-10193333-pdt.html

for €700 you have

500gb ssd
8gb ram
powerful 4-core i5 cpu (enough for video editing)

you could get a unit with a smaller ssd for cheaper but you don't seem to want to go at changing that element yourself so here is an option for you with the minimum size that you want.

phormium

Thanks, I'll have a look at that too even though I think I want the 15", the one I have is that size and I don't think I want to work with smaller even if only an inch but I'll look anyway, thanks again.

it's only an inch on the diagonal measurement so not that much really.

perfect usage size imo but up to you.