Buying a Laptop: The current Generation

banie01 · 15-12-2021 1:05pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118284843#Comment_118284843

Upgrades done and dusted 😁

Added a 2nd 8gb stick of DDR3200 and a Crucial 1tb sata SSD for games. All told total cost of the machine €850.

Not bad IMO for a Ryzen 5, 16GB ram, 1.5TB storage, 4GB Nvidia 3050. Yes the screen isn't the greatest but, it's after working out as a great bang for the buck work/gaming rig

Thanks again for the pointers Glasso.

15-12-2021 1:16pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118324801#Comment_118324801

best fit for the use cases of the specific user at the budget is what counts most

tbh the screen is going to be a lot better than ones that used to come with gaming laptops in the past and perfectly fine for gaming and productivity work

colour accuracy is more important if you're a stickler / enthusiast / pro photographer doing a good bit of photo editing

yoshiktk · 31-12-2021 12:42pm

Just a quick one. How much inflated are HarveyNorman/DID prices compared to Amazon/etc? A friend of mine is in market for new laptop, have the one4all card, asked me for help, but I was amazed how much You would need to spend on something decent there.

31-12-2021 5:08pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118395368#Comment_118395368

It can safely be said that Harvey Norman are terrible value for laptops and DID would be similarly bad

Currys / PcWorld would be a better bet

this would not be a bad option for something basic but decent (on sale). upgrade the ram yourself. the cpu is actually fine for most common tasks.

same model with 11th gen i5 also for more money

https://www.currys.ie/ieen/computing/laptops/laptops/hp-14s-dq2502na-14-laptop-intel-pentium-gold-128-gb-ssd-silver-10222266-pdt.html

yoshiktk · 05-01-2022 8:57am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118396687#Comment_118396687

Thanks. She went with i5.

Now onto something harder. I'm thinking about going back to college, would need something decent for Autocad/3d blender with touchscreen and pen support. Max budget of around 900€, but lower the better.

Was looking at Hp Spectre x360, decent configuration, i5 8gb, for around 700€.

Or would it be better to ditch 2in1 for better config like i7?

moshea · 05-01-2022 11:16pm

Am in the market for a laptop for my niece for university. Main requirements are 14", i5, 16GB, lightweight, with a budget of no more than €1000.

Since checking out this thread, the Acer Swift 3 had become my benchmark, with the 16gb model coming in at €850 (including student discount).

https://store.acer.com/en-ie/acer-swift-3-ultra-thin-laptop-sf314-511-silver

I was pretty happy with that, until I saw that this vivobook S413 had another £60 quid knocked off the price this week, bringing it down to about €660, which is approaching a good deal I think.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09MTVWHJN

Its not however as widely reviewed as the Acer Swift 3, so hard to know much about it beyond the basic specifications - which are very similiar.

Anyone any thoughts on how these might compare, and if the Swift 3 is worth the extra €200 ?

07-01-2022 1:43am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118424129#Comment_118424129

the acer is a lot better built and will run faster even though it has the same cpu because the acer sends more power to the cpu (watts)

if you can afford it I'd go for the acer

07-01-2022 1:49am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118419645#Comment_118419645

link?

look at lenovo.ie (student discount available ) at the flex and yoga line

spectre x360 decent for 700

i7 over i5 cpus in the mobile intel cpus (the non H line) are not really worth the extra cost (<10% higher performance over i5)

the TDP (watts) that the cpu runs at is more important - read reviews for that

T1000x · 07-01-2022 2:59am

I'm looking for a laptop that can handle music production. Lots of plug-ins on the go at once and all that jazz, so performance would be the key word I suppose.

My budget is around €1,200.

It'll be solely used for music production so I'm not too bothered with a high end GPU, although I'd ideally need one that can handle 2 monitors.

Any advice or pointers would be very much appreciated!

Sean Quagmire · 15-01-2022 8:08am

Thoughts on this?

lack of ports seems to be the only drawback. Price from curry’s looks decent. The version on Amazon is cheaper but doesn’t have the number track pad and some are being shipped with the 10th gen i5.

https://www.currys.ie/ieen/computing/laptops/laptops/asus-zenbook-ux425ea-14-laptop-intel-core-i5-512-gb-ssd-grey-10225144-pdt.html

18-01-2022 7:41pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118431191#Comment_118431191

the 5800h , 16gb ram 1039€ model

strong 8-core cpu, nice quality bright and high rez screen,

10% code by email with newsletter sign up or 15% using student discount

https://www.lenovo.com/ie/en/laptops/ideapad/500-series/IdeaPad-5-Pro-16ACH6/p/88IPS501619

18-01-2022 7:44pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118478500#Comment_118478500

the one on amazon is a lot cheaper @ 600£

review about incorrect i5 is 6 months ago and reviews ordered by recent date no complaint on that

numpad on the mousepad is a gimmick tbh - no big loss if that is not there

https://www.amazon.co.uk/ASUS-Zenbook-Ultrabook-i5-1135G7-Keyboard/dp/B09KZMCMWS/ref%3Dcm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8&th=1

lucky100 · 24-01-2022 2:14pm

Hi glasso. Hoping you can advise please!

Im looking for a good laptop, mainly for browsing, and basic business needs eg Word and Excel. Good quality screen which allows to view interior design sites

-performance and speed important.

budget 500-1000

ive read your previous posts and probably would get the Acer 3 but looks to be out of stock I think.

thanks so much - coffee on its way!

24-01-2022 5:32pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118525385#Comment_118525385

to be honest the matebook D 15 has a good colour-accurate (100% sRGB screen) even if it's not the very brightest but fine for indoor work

the 11th gen i5 with XE graphics is the same as the acer and runs well in it

it's 8gb ram which is still perfectly fine for your uses

it's 1.56 kg so still very portable and the 15 inch screen may be appreciated for

20% off at the moment at £600 + 3% more when the Irish VAT difference vs UK Vat is taken into account it's a very good option imo as it's build quality is very good.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/HUAWEI-MateBook-2021-Intel-Laptop/dp/B09M8K4RYQ/ref%3Dsr_1_2_sspa?crid=N8QY9PX0UM1L&keywords=matebook%2Blaptop&qid=1643041529&sprefix=matebook%2Blaptop%2Caps%2C102&sr=8-2-spons&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyNU5YRFlTNTNGMFJGJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMDk2NDYyMVZPMVJIVElPMkUxRSZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMzI4NzY1MkUxVUsyTk41UEVJTSZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU&th=1

otherwise the zenbook in link above is also decent if you want something really light (wouldn't worry about the amazon review with wrong cpu from mid last year) but the samei5 will run a little less powerfully than in the matebook due to less watts sent to it

https://www.ultrabookreview.com/41841-asus-zenbook-14-ux425ea-review/

bennyob · 26-01-2022 11:53am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118526650#Comment_118526650

The Matebook is €669.99 in Argos until 28/01/2022. At least i think its the same.

https://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/9483329/c_1/1%7Ccategory_root%7COffice%2C+PCs+and+phones%7C14418968/c_2/3%7Ccat_50000560%7CLaptops%7C50000564.htm

26-01-2022 11:59am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118534419#Comment_118534419

you're correct.

it's the same one.

very solid laptop for the money

webcam position is "different" but would not really mark it down much for that.

(besides if you're doing a lot of zoom meetings you should really look at an external webcam as laptop ones are poor quality for the most part)

sxt · 29-01-2022 11:06pm

A **** hole is great. You have to love ****. You will always get it

hdl · 16-02-2022 10:57pm

Hi, looking to but a new laptop for a teen as soon as possible as the current one has died. It'll mostly be used for browsing, school work (MS Teams, Office), Netflix, and Roblox. If anyone has any feedback on any of these, I'd really appreciate it. The first two have i7 processors and the others are i5. All are 8gb ram, and ideally I'd like to have the option of upgrading it in future. I know the Matebook has the ram soldered, but if it's the clear winner here, then I'd probably live without that option. Not sure whether any of the other ones are upgradeable. (All Argos links because it'd be the quickest option for picking one up if any of these are any good, but happy to look elsewhere too). Thanks

https://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/9013366/c_1/1%7Ccategory_root%7COffice%2C%2BPCs%2Band%2Bphones%7C14418968/c_2/3%7Ccat_50000560%7CLaptops%7C50000564/Trail/searchtext%3ELAPTOP%2B.htm%5D

https://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/9560730/c_1/1%7Ccategory_root%7COffice%2C%2BPCs%2Band%2Bphones%7C14418968/c_2/3%7Ccat_50000560%7CLaptops%7C50000564/Trail/searchtext%3ELAPTOP%2B.htm

https://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/9559466/c_1/1%7Ccategory_root%7COffice%2C%2BPCs%2Band%2Bphones%7C14418968/c_2/3%7Ccat_50000560%7CLaptops%7C50000564.htm

https://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/9483329/c_1/1%7Ccategory_root%7COffice%2C%2BPCs%2Band%2Bphones%7C14418968/c_2/3%7Ccat_50000560%7CLaptops%7C50000564.htm

18-02-2022 9:43pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118643773#Comment_118643773

there is not a lot between intel mobile i5 and i7 cpus where they are not H version cpus.

even when run at the same TDP (power level) there is less than 10% in it.

also some of those i7 cpus are 10th gen which you don't want as the 11th gen saw a big upgrade in integrated graphics power

it's more important what power level (watts) is being sent to the cpu. i5's can give more performance than i7's if say one laptop is runnin the i7 at 15w and the other the i5 at 25w max

the matebook runs the i5 at a good power level.

it's also better built than the other options with a full-metal chassis which makes it more durable

8gb ram is fine for all your uses

go with the D15 i5 11th gen cpu option

hdl · 19-02-2022 10:59am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118655926#Comment_118655926

Thanks glasso, I appreciate the help. There was one other laptop I came across in the last couple of days in the same price range, so I'm just wondering is the Matebook still the better option.

This one has the same processor, but 16gb of ram instead of 8gb. I know you've said that 8gb is enough for what I want (and I promise, I'm not doubting you on that!). Was just wondering if for the same price I should go with the 16gb, or if the Matebook is much better all round (as I've no experience with Asus). Thanks.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09F6LCV9N/ref%3Dcm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_X8N813GR7Q8WEYS2NBTN?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

19-02-2022 4:53pm

It's a plastic case and the screen is not very colour accurate unlike the matebook

And for the uses described you don't need 16gb

DeWanderer · 28-03-2022 5:17pm

Hello, could someone advise here, please?:

I need a laptop for Microsoft Office, Researching topics online, Streaming Films, and other common tasks. Nothing high end.

I would like a nice, fast machine with a good quality display, that is going to do me for a good few years.

No real budget but I'm looking at the following machines in and around 600/800€, as they both seem like good value for good machines. I would of course be happy with a lesser but capable machine, if there were significant savings.

The two I'm looking at are:

Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro Gen 6 (16" AMD) at € 781.99

https://www.lenovo.com/ie/en/laptops/ideapad/500-series/IdeaPad-5-Pro-16ACH6/p/88IPS501619

And

Lenovo IdeaPad 5i 15" (i7) at €609.49

https://www.lenovo.com/ie/en/laptops/ideapad/500-series/IdeaPad-5i-15IIL05/p/88IPS501391

Is it worth the extra price for the Pro/Ryzen machine (with the different CPU, Graphics, Display, Windows etc).

Anything else I should be looking at?

Thanks.

28-03-2022 5:49pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118847979#Comment_118847979

if portability is not so important the pro is much better as it has a far better screen (more colour-accurate and higher resolution) and a more powerful cpu and a discrete (separate gpu - you could play some games)

at 1.9kg it's fine for moving around just that you could get lighter

the other one has a poor enough screen from a colour accuracy point of view

if you want a lighter laptop look at the acer swift 3 11th gen intel (14) or the matebook 15 11th gen intel

acer.ie and amazon or argos

LillyIsland · 30-03-2022 7:33pm

Thoughts on this? Looks potentially better than the Swift 3/Matebook?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B097BTVFMD/ref%3Dox_sc_act_image_1?smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&psc=1

€580 after customs etc.

Does it pass the Glasso test?

31-03-2022 4:48pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118857921#Comment_118857921

it's plastic case build as opposed to metal but if that doesn't bother you then it's very good value at that price for an OLED screen and reasonable CPU

centa · 06-04-2022 6:10pm

Looking to buy a gaming laptop mostly for Elder Scrolls Online.

Would like to spend a max of €1200 and pruchase in the next week online ofr bricks & Mortar around Cork area,

All advice welcome

Darwin · 14-05-2022 1:16pm

@centa, you are probably looking at a 3060 gpu for your budget, but by all accounts ESO will run on a minimum spec GPU, but likes a more powerful CPU. All the links below are to 3060 laptops. On the Dell outlet (Ireland), there are currently two Alienware m15 Ryzen Edition R5 on offer (Ryzen 5800H, 16GB, 512GB SSD) priced at € 1,381.56 but with 12% discount so final price is €1216.

https://www.dell.com/en-ie/outlet/SystemsStockRoomDetails?~ck=mn&lob=&seg=DFH&cyid=7&type=S&segid=1&brandid=1&brand=Laptops%20%26%20Tablets&pid=2&PageNumber=12&SortBy=L

If you want a bigger 17" screen, this Acer Nitro at €1220 is pretty decent for the price:

https://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/4012551/c_1/1%7Ccategory_root%7COffice%2C+PCs+and+phones%7C14418968/c_2/3%7Ccat_50000560%7CLaptops%7C50000564.htm

or this 15" Acer Predator which is slightly over budget at €1279 and has a 1TB SSD:

https://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/2002549/c_1/1%7Ccategory_root%7COffice%2C+PCs+and+phones%7C14418968/c_2/3%7Ccat_50000560%7CLaptops%7C50000564.htm

If you are a student (or know a student), get the Educational discount from Lenovo, so the entry level Legion 7 AMD version can be had for €1189 - this also comes with same spec as the Alienware above, except it has a 16" WQXGA display (2560 x 1600).

If you want a more budget friendly option, the Dell G15 15 - 5510 Gaming Laptop with Intel i7 10870H is priced at € 1,008.75, with 12% discount comes to €888.

https://www.dell.com/en-ie/outlet/SystemsStockRoomDetails?~ck=mn&lob=&seg=DFH&cyid=7&type=S&segid=1&brandid=1&brand=Laptops%20%26%20Tablets&pid=2&PageNumber=9&SortBy=L

The G15 is a scratch and dent model, but in my experience the machines are like new.

The Legion 7 would be my pick of the bunch.

(sorry about the formatting)

Bredabe · 28-05-2022 3:22pm

Can anyone recommend a laptop for me please?

Domestic usage, streaming, email, needs to have office 365 or 10 if at all possible, preferably with the programmes preloaded and printer port.

Max budget 1000€

Deep Thought · 29-05-2022 9:10am

Am looking for a laptop for my son with dyslexia. Needs to be light and has to have hdmi so connect to tv. Was looking at Acer Swift 3, anything else I should consider?

budget about €650

cheers

29-05-2022 9:39pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119129127#Comment_119129127

nothing matches this for overall value at 530 euro

1.5 kg so light enough

metal build, good cpu, screen is colour-accurate if not the very brightest, has hdmi

webcam position off-putting to some maybe

https://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/1484591/Trail/searchtext%3EMATEBOOK.htm

Buying a Laptop: The current Generation

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