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Mac Book Pro doesn't seem too expensive

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Comments

  • #32
    censuspro
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 881 ✭✭✭censuspro


    marco_polo wrote: »
    My question was if you require the laptop to be capable of using both at the same time, so I can suggest something suitable. And also to point our that the 13 inch MacBook only supports one external display at a time.

    http://support.apple.com/kb/SP649

    I thought having dual display was fairly standard, I'm currently using a lenovo n500, with one monitor connected via vga and the other via hdmi?


  • #33
    marco_polo
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 10,093 Mod ✭✭✭✭marco_polo


    censuspro wrote: »

    I thought having dual display was fairly standard, I'm currently using a lenovo n500, with one monitor connected via vga and the other via hdmi?

    It is reasonably common on larger laptops, what I am trying to say is that the 13 MacBook does not support dual displays as it only has one mini display port, and I would think that the majority of 13" laptops would only have a single video port as well.


  • #34
    marco_polo
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 10,093 Mod ✭✭✭✭marco_polo


    Some high quality windows 13.3/14" alteratives which pretty well exactly match the 13" MBP spec for spec, not all have 8 GB Ram, but an extra 4GB RAM is cheap and easily added.

    The one thing they have in common is that they are just as powerful and 2/3 to 3/4 of the price.

    Asus U36SG 13.3 - about €815

    Asus U32VJ 13.3     - roughly same as above

    Samsung 400B4B     - about €780

    Sony VAIO S13 roughly same as above

    HP ProBook 6470b 14" - about €880

    ThinkPad S430 - about €855


  • #35
    censuspro
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 881 ✭✭✭censuspro


    Do you think this Samsung would do the job, looks like it has VGA and HDMi http://www.pcworld.ie/Product/SAMSUNG-Series-5-NP530U3C-133andquot-Ultrabookandtrade-Silver/312379/104.1


  • #36
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 1,299 ✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    This is a nice computer. Comes with no OS as standard, although you could add Win7 Pro in customise system for ~£120. You can also change most of the inner parts.

    Would recommend this company, ordered a laptop from the only 2 weeks ago. Ordered Friday, shipped Monday, arrived in Wednesday.


    http://www.novatech.co.uk/laptop/range/novatecheliten1535.html


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  • #37
    marco_polo
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 10,093 Mod ✭✭✭✭marco_polo


    censuspro wrote: »
    Do you think this Samsung would do the job, looks like it has VGA and HDMi http://www.pcworld.ie/Product/SAMSUNG-Series-5-NP530U3C-133andquot-Ultrabookandtrade-Silver/312379/104.1

    It is a very nice ultrabook, and certainly ticks all of the portability boxes. However the thing about those ultra low voltage processors (they are the ones where the model number ends in UM) used in most ultrabooks, is that they offer much lower performance levels than their full voltage counterparts.

    The low voltage i3-3217um CPU in that samsung is far less powerfull than the i5-2450m, probably slighly under half as good I'd say.

    On a side note a good few of the laptops I linked earlier appear to have dual video outputs, it seems to be a good bit more common than I thought on the smaller 13"ers.


  • #38
    censuspro
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 881 ✭✭✭censuspro


    marco_polo wrote: »
    It is a very nice ultrabook, and certainly ticks all of the portability boxes. However the thing about those ultra low voltage processors (they are the ones where the model number ends in UM) used in most ultrabooks, is that they offer much lower performance levels than their full voltage counterparts.

    The low voltage i3-3217um CPU in that samsung is far less powerfull than the i5-2450m, probably slighly under half as good I'd say.

    On a side note a good few of the laptops I linked earlier appear to have dual video outputs, it seems to be a good bit more common than I thought on the smaller 13"ers.

    How do you think the Samsung would perform using the programs I mentioned e.g. Accounting, tax, payroll software, ms office, internet etc.

    I'm currently using a lenovo n500, upraded to windows 7 and 4GB RAM, using the following processor http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Pentium+Dual+T3200+%40+2.00GHz and this handles everything I throw at it?


  • #39
    censuspro
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 881 ✭✭✭censuspro


    Just notice that the pc world website says an i3 processor but any search on this model is listed as an i5? Is it possible that PC world got this mixed up?

    http://www.pcworld.ie/Product/SAMSUNG-Series-5-NP530U3C-133andquot-Ultrabookandtrade-Silver/312379/104.1


  • #40
    marco_polo
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 10,093 Mod ✭✭✭✭marco_polo


    censuspro wrote: »

    How do you think the Samsung would perform using the programs I mentioned e.g. Accounting, tax, payroll software, ms office, internet etc.

    I'm currently using a lenovo n500, upraded to windows 7 and 4GB RAM, using the following processor http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Pentium+Dual+T3200+%40+2.00GHz and this handles everything I throw at it?

    http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i3-3217U+%40+1.80GHz

    Its better than your current processor, so everything would run just fine. But the regular i5 is substantially better and would probably have a little more longevity. There are pros and cons to both but if the additional portability of an ultrabook is attractive to you then it would be a very nice machine.

    http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i5-2450M+%40+2.50GHz

    As for the i3 or i5 on Currys, more than likely it just comes in more than one version.


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