Buying a Laptop: The current Generation

Monotype · 27-06-2013 12:37PM

If it's a laptop for college, then try to get one as small as you can go. 15.6'' ones can be heavy to lug around.

They're fairly basic CPUs in those laptops. I would be more inclined to go with the Celeron one from PCWorld as (i) it's a newer generation and graphics capabilities are likely to be better, (ii) Pixmania has a bad reputation and PC World are more local if you have problems (even though they're both owned by the same company).
http://ark.intel.com/products/72060
http://ark.intel.com/products/59836

Now, let's see if I can find anything better. Budget is €400, I assume? Word and excel don't need much but solidworks would benefit from a strong CPU and even graphics power, depending on the level of complexity with which you are working.

Something like this if you want a compact system-
http://www.laptopsdirect.ie/Acer_TMB113-M_11_I3-2377M_4GB_320GB_W8STD_NX.V7QEK.008/version.asp
CPU is a bit slower in raw speed, but it's an i3 so it does have hyperthreading (virtual cores), so if you are running a lot of programs, it would be more of benefit. Luckily, Solidworks does use hyperthreading, so the net result is that this CPU should be faster than the above two. At 11.6'', it's pretty mobile. No DVD drive, if that's an issue.

This one has a good, powerful CPU. 2.4GHz i3. The only downside is that there's only 2GB of RAM which is not enough, in my opinion. You'd need to upgrade this to 4 or 8GB. You can buy 4GB of ram for about €35 or 8GB for €60 from memoryc.com.
http://www.laptopsdirect.ie/Acer_TMP253-M_Ci33110M_Windows_8_Professional_with_Windows_7_Professional_d_NX.V7VEK.005/version.asp
Here's another similar one.
http://www.laptopsdirect.ie/Fujitsu_AH532_Windows_8_Laptop_in_Black_VFYAH532M33A2GB/version.asp
They have good specs, but the weight is definitely a concern.

Here's two similar 14'' laptops.
http://www.laptopsdirect.ie/Acer_CS-V5-471_i3-2365_6GB_500GB_W8H_Blue_NX.M4KEK.002/version.asp
http://www.laptopsdirect.ie/Acer_CS-V5-471_i3-2365_6GB_500GB_W8H_Silver_NX.M3SEK.004/version.asp
Slightly different CPUs and RAM. One is blue as well.

A 13.3'' laptop. Again, RAM is a bit low on this one, so you might need to upgrade that.
http://www.laptopsdirect.ie/Toshiba_Satellite_Pro_L830-172_Core_i3_2GB_500GB_13.3_inch_Windows_8_Laptop_PSKF3E-00G00DEN/version.asp

Akrasia · 27-06-2013 03:07PM

Here's a laptop that I have ordered and should receive tomorrow or Monday

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00CEZQRJ2/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This works out at about €289 delivered

No optical drive but it's an IVY Bridge processer which will have the improved integrated graphics and the CPU is roughly comparable to the sandy bridge Pentium B980

Monotype · 27-06-2013 03:43PM

2KG, that's not bad weight-wise; around what you'd expect for the 14'' laptops or the heavier 13.3'' ones.

You know, if you got that one, you'd have a bit of spare money - you could get a reasonable-sized SSD.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-Series-250GB-Solid-State/dp/B009LI7C9Y/
This would make your laptop seem much faster as any programs would load nearly instantly. It would help greatly in opening office programs, internet and so on. It wouldn't help that much with rendering speeds - you'd just need a faster CPU.

daniels.ducks · 28-06-2013 11:27AM

Monotype wrote: »

If it's a laptop for college, then try to get one as small as you can go. 15.6'' ones can be heavy to lug around.

They're fairly basic CPUs in those laptops. I would be more inclined to go with the Celeron one from PCWorld as (i) it's a newer generation and graphics capabilities are likely to be better, (ii) Pixmania has a bad reputation and PC World are more local if you have problems (even though they're both owned by the same company).
http://ark.intel.com/products/72060
http://ark.intel.com/products/59836

Now, let's see if I can find anything better. Budget is €400, I assume? Word and excel don't need much but solidworks would benefit from a strong CPU and even graphics power, depending on the level of complexity with which you are working.

Something like this if you want a compact system-
http://www.laptopsdirect.ie/Acer_TMB113-M_11_I3-2377M_4GB_320GB_W8STD_NX.V7QEK.008/version.asp
CPU is a bit slower in raw speed, but it's an i3 so it does have hyperthreading (virtual cores), so if you are running a lot of programs, it would be more of benefit. Luckily, Solidworks does use hyperthreading, so the net result is that this CPU should be faster than the above two. At 11.6'', it's pretty mobile. No DVD drive, if that's an issue.

This one has a good, powerful CPU. 2.4GHz i3. The only downside is that there's only 2GB of RAM which is not enough, in my opinion. You'd need to upgrade this to 4 or 8GB. You can buy 4GB of ram for about €35 or 8GB for €60 from memoryc.com.
http://www.laptopsdirect.ie/Acer_TMP253-M_Ci33110M_Windows_8_Professional_with_Windows_7_Professional_d_NX.V7VEK.005/version.asp
Here's another similar one.
http://www.laptopsdirect.ie/Fujitsu_AH532_Windows_8_Laptop_in_Black_VFYAH532M33A2GB/version.asp
They have good specs, but the weight is definitely a concern.

Here's two similar 14'' laptops.
http://www.laptopsdirect.ie/Acer_CS-V5-471_i3-2365_6GB_500GB_W8H_Blue_NX.M4KEK.002/version.asp
http://www.laptopsdirect.ie/Acer_CS-V5-471_i3-2365_6GB_500GB_W8H_Silver_NX.M3SEK.004/version.asp
Slightly different CPUs and RAM. One is blue as well.

A 13.3'' laptop. Again, RAM is a bit low on this one, so you might need to upgrade that.
http://www.laptopsdirect.ie/Toshiba_Satellite_Pro_L830-172_Core_i3_2GB_500GB_13.3_inch_Windows_8_Laptop_PSKF3E-00G00DEN/version.asp

Thanks for the great reply, realy insightful. I am still learning about laptops that's why I put up the two I did. My budget will be actually around €600 and don't mind carrying around the bigger machine at all. I have a soft spot for number pads as I use them a lot in solidworks

I will take a lot from your post as to what generation to go for and what I am looking for in a good laptop.

Monotype · 28-06-2013 12:35PM

Easiest way to tell which generation is that it is:
i3-2XXX for second generation Intel core-i CPUs (AKA Sandy Bridge).
i3-3XXX for third (AKA Ivy Bridge)
i3-4XXX for fourth (AKA Haswell).
Same for i5 and i7. You just have to look up celeron and pentium CPUs as they seem to pick the model numbers out of a random number generator.

Haswell has only just been released so you'll only see very few laptops with these. Each generation comes with better graphics, in general, as well as better performance for a given speed - i.e., 2GHz Haswell is faster than 2GHz Ivy Bridge, which is faster than 2GHz Haswell. Approximately 10% better each generation.
There are some variations in model where some will have faster/slower graphics.

On the mobile level, celeron and pentium are usually single or dual cores, i3 is usually a dual core with hyperthreading, i5 and i7 are usually dual core with turbo. i7 with a Q at the end is a quad core.

Links to lists of CPUs by generation:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandy_bridge#Mobile_platform
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivy_Bridge_(microarchitecture)#Mobile_processors
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haswell_(microarchitecture)#Mobile_processors
There's probably more there than you want to think about and it's a lot of sprawling data if you don't know what it's about, but I'll leave it there just in case.

Akrasia · 28-06-2013 12:59PM

If you have a budget of €600 and want to get the very best you can afford, I don't think you can go far wrong with this

http://www.laptopsdirect.ie/Acer_V3-571_Core_i7_Windows_8_Laptop_in_Black_NX.RYFEK.023/version.asp#maindesc

It's an quad core IVY bridge I7 with intel HD 4000 graphics (this is integrated graphics, but it still performs better than many dedicated graphics cards)

8 gb of ram and 750gb hard drive

whellman1030 · 30-06-2013 02:03PM

Hi, I want to buy a Laptop with these requirements: 15.6'', Nvidia graphics card, core i5 third generation, Backlit Keyboard, 2.5 Kg or less.

Any suggestion?

looking_around · 30-06-2013 02:05PM

whats your budget?
Do you want of the new Haswell(quad core) intel processors with the most decent(also likely most expensive) Nvidia GPU? What will you be using it for?

The haswell chips are much better on battery life and good on speed.

whellman1030 · 30-06-2013 02:23PM

whellman1030 wrote: »

Hi, I want to buy a Laptop with these requirements: 15.6'', Nvidia graphics card, core i5 third generation, Backlit Keyboard, 2.5 Kg or less.

Any suggestion?

I would like to have a good battery life as you said, maybe 3 hours for web surfing.

I want the cheapest nvidia card because I'll just use the PC to watch some Full HD Movies on the hard drive connecting the PC to a TV and some casual games.

I'm trying to get it as cheap as possible, that's my budget

Monotype · 30-06-2013 02:33PM

HD videos will run on any new card, even integrated. By a long shot.

What does casual games mean? Facebook flash games?

Cam24 · 30-06-2013 02:42PM

Hi,
I want to buy a new laptop but I don't know what type to go for. I will mostly be using it for the internet and Microsoft office and I also have a lot of photos, videos and music I want to put onto it. I have a budget of around €400.
Can anyone advise my on what type of laptop to go for or what I should be looking out for in a laptop that suits what I need it for?

whellman1030 · 30-06-2013 02:45PM

whellman1030 wrote: »

I would like to have a good battery life as you said, maybe 3 hours for web surfing.

I want the cheapest nvidia card because I'll just use the PC to watch some Full HD Movies on the hard drive connecting the PC to a TV and some casual games.

I'm trying to get it as cheap as possible, that's my budget

Actually better thinking I would like to run any game at the moment, but I'm not to keen in having big resolutions, big textures and 100 frames per second. 60fps in a 1024*728 resolution would be all right.

Monotype · 30-06-2013 03:41PM

Cam24 wrote: »

Hi,
I want to buy a new laptop but I don't know what type to go for. I will mostly be using it for the internet and Microsoft office and I also have a lot of photos, videos and music I want to put onto it. I have a budget of around €400.
Can anyone advise my on what type of laptop to go for or what I should be looking out for in a laptop that suits what I need it for?

If you have important photos to keep, you should backup in multiple places.

Something like this?
http://www.laptopsdirect.ie/Fujitsu_AH532_Windows_8_Laptop_in_Black_VFYAH532M33A2GB/version.asp

whellman1030 wrote: »

Actually better thinking I would like to run any game at the moment, but I'm not to keen in having big resolutions, big textures and 100 frames per second. 60fps in a 1024*728 resolution would be all right.

If you want to run any game at the moment, you'd want to have a 650M or 660M. There's the Enigma and Optimus here which might meet your needs. 15.6'' is a good size for general home use, with the odd bit of carrying around. I'd only go for the 17'' one if you were keeping it at home all the time, preferably on a desk. The 11.6'' Inferno is idea for someone travelling a lot and has a decent card.
http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/laptop-computers/
These prices are the base prices, so you'd want to add in a Core i3 or i5 and 8GB of RAM if you want it to last a while. You can also knock off some money if you can find your own copy of windows.

whellman1030 · 30-06-2013 07:29PM

Monotype wrote: »

If you have important photos to keep, you should backup in multiple places.

Something like this?
http://www.laptopsdirect.ie/Fujitsu_AH532_Windows_8_Laptop_in_Black_VFYAH532M33A2GB/version.asp

If you want to run any game at the moment, you'd want to have a 650M or 660M. There's the Enigma and Optimus here which might meet your needs. 15.6'' is a good size for general home use, with the odd bit of carrying around. I'd only go for the 17'' one if you were keeping it at home all the time, preferably on a desk. The 11.6'' Inferno is idea for someone travelling a lot and has a decent card.
http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/laptop-computers/
These prices are the base prices, so you'd want to add in a Core i3 or i5 and 8GB of RAM if you want it to last a while. You can also knock off some money if you can find your own copy of windows.

I found these 2 PC's that match my preferences. I just can't find the same but with backlit keyboard for a small price change...

https://www.asus.com/Notebooks_Ultrabooks/K55VD#specifications
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Asus-laptop-Black-DVD-SM-Graphics-Windows/dp/B00BBSD5WK/ref=sr_1_4?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1372616309&sr=1-4&keywords=15.6+nvidia

http://www.acer.ie/ac/en/GB/content/model-datasheet/NX.RYKEK.003
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Acer-Aspire-M3-581TG-15-6-inch-Ultrabook/dp/B009R16P52/ref=sr_1_20?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1372617420&sr=1-20&keywords=15.6+nvidia

Akrasia · 30-06-2013 07:51PM

Hi

The Asus has a faster processer but the nvidia gt610m isnt up to much

The GPU on the acer is much better but the processer is only an I3

The Laptop I linked to above http://www.laptopsdirect.ie/Acer_V3-571_Core_i7_Windows_8_Laptop_in_Black_NX.RYFEK.023/version.asp#top

It has a quad core I7 and the HD 4000 graphics card is a massive improvement over the hd 3000 sandy bridge I7 . This card would perform better than the gt 610m in the ASUS.

Sephiroth_dude · 30-06-2013 08:41PM

Anyone have any experience with xmg laptops?

Monotype · 30-06-2013 11:09PM

Indeed, there's no point in getting a 610M instead of integrated graphics. It's just a power drain.
TBH, you'd be better off with an i3 and a reasonable graphics card rather than a quad core if it's games you're after. However, that i3 is particularly slow and it's last generation, so it doesn't help much. A 2GHz+ is what you'd really need.

There's also the problem that the second laptop mightn't ship here as you have to buy from one of the other sellers.

If you're stuck, there's another option. AMD have APUs which integrate more powerful GPUs onto their CPUs. Now, their cores are a little bit weaker, but in the one below, you would be getting a quad core vs dual core in i3s, so you're better off if the game or programs use multiple cores to a reasonable standard.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Acer-Aspire-V3-551G-Graphics-Windows/dp/B00AYC7JLM/

@Seph
They look like Clevo laptops, i.e., similar to those sold by pcspecialist or scan.

Cam24 · 02-07-2013 05:28PM

Monotype wrote: »

If you have important photos to keep, you should backup in multiple places.

Something like this?
http://www.laptopsdirect.ie/Fujitsu_AH532_Windows_8_Laptop_in_Black_VFYAH532M33A2GB/version.asp

Yea I have them backed up already. Ok thanks for the advice!

Football Friend · 03-07-2013 10:21AM

Hey! Can someone help with me a laptop choice. Been out of the game for a while.

My main uses are
Microsoft office/excel/access
Maybe football manager game wise
Old game emulators
Playing DVD/music/Netflix
iTunes
General browsing

Obviously the cheaper the better but want one that performs well also.

Thanks

looking_around · 03-07-2013 11:09AM

a standard intel 3rd gen or 4th gen motherboard with it's integrated graphics will do that no problems at all, just look out for about 8gigs Ram.

If battery life is important wait for the Haswell (4th gen) to come out to the general market.

If you're happy with 3 or so hours of battery life and want cheap..keep an eye on stores over the next few weeks the old intel (I3/I5/I7-3) should start being on sales.

Football Friend · 03-07-2013 12:26PM

Would this one be much use?

http://www.did.ie/packard-belll-500gb-6gb-ram-blue-and-white-laptop-nx-c1sek002bw-prd

Im hoping to stay under 500 but could stretch to 6 if the quality was noticably better. I'm not completely adverse to buying online either..unless customer service was an issue..as in it's not too difficult of a process if anything happens the laptop.

If anyone has any better recommendations I'd be delighted to see them.

looking_around · 03-07-2013 12:58PM

I can't really vouch for online stores. but I'm sure someone else will advise on a couple.

Personally I'd avoid packard bells. They can be hit and miss on trouble.
Are you in a rush? Because I would wait the few weeks for offers. And it's quite cheap & easy to upgrade so don't be against buying a 4gig and putting 50quid aside to upgrade.

There's thisacer

and you can keep an eye on amazon for better offers, though there are sites cheaper than amazon.

Monotype · 03-07-2013 01:07PM

That gives no information on the CPU at all. A quick search of the model number doesn't give any more insight either, although you could probably track it down eventually.

Sounds like you'd be fine with integrated Intel graphics or lower powered dedicated if it's just old games that you're running. What kind of size are you looking for? I'd go with 14'' or less if you plan to carry it around a lot.

Edit: Beaten to it. Yeah, that Acer is fine, or again, something smaller if you need it. Amazon have good customer service, so no need for much worry there.

looking_around · 03-07-2013 01:09PM

have you looked at argos ?

samsung

This looks nice. And you have the benefit of going to a shop if anything goes wrong

Monotype · 03-07-2013 01:33PM

Argos have brutal customer service. IMO, your last suggestion was better.

Here's a few light-weight ones. They've got weaker CPUs as they're designed for longer battery life.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Toshiba-Satellite-L830-15J-13-3-inch-Notebook/dp/B00B18B4VE/
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Acer-Aspire-S3-391-13-3-inch-Ultrabook/dp/B009R16Z7K/
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-Series-530U-13-3-inch-Ultrabook/dp/B00C4QZJFO/

Akrasia · 03-07-2013 02:44PM

Football Friend wrote: »

Would this one be much use?

http://www.did.ie/packard-belll-500gb-6gb-ram-blue-and-white-laptop-nx-c1sek002bw-prd

Im hoping to stay under 500 but could stretch to 6 if the quality was noticably better. I'm not completely adverse to buying online either..unless customer service was an issue..as in it's not too difficult of a process if anything happens the laptop.

If anyone has any better recommendations I'd be delighted to see them.

The ad you linked to isn't very convincing, they don't give you enough information to make an informed comparison. You haven't even been told what type of processer the computer has.

If you have 500 quid and want to get the best laptop for that price for every day non gaming use (you won't get anything for gaming on for less than 7-800 euro and even then, it would be very limited and a frustrating ownership experience) here is a good option

http://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/ASUS_K55A-SX376H_red_1337331.html

The laptop above is an Asus which is a very well regarded brand (they make the google nexus tablets for example)
It works out at about €445 delivered to Ireland.

It's got a good processor, more than enough RAM the best graphics available in this price range and 500gb hard drive

Football Friend · 03-07-2013 03:26PM

Hey thanks for the replies so far! Can any of ye see anything on DID electrical under 500 that represents value? I tried linking a few laptops but my phone keeps freezing.

I think ill be better off going bricks and mortar for the whole customer service thing and I pass a DID on the way from work so it would be handiest.

looking_around · 03-07-2013 03:31PM

Stay away from DID, they don't give all the information and seem to charge more than some laptops seem to be worth.

I've never had any hassle with argos, but that might depend on area. Amazon like Mono said has good customer service. So you don't to be worried from them about that.

Football Friend · 04-07-2013 12:42PM

I think I may have found one..does this seem like excellent value to you guys at around €335. Should have more than the required specs for me! Good brand too?

http://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/HP_650_1337358.html

Thanks a million again for all the help so far.

EDIT : think its £5 cheaper on laptop direct. Every little helps and all that

Akrasia · 04-07-2013 12:43PM

The Asus I linked to above has a 12 month warranty where they will collect and return/replace defective products. That's about as good as any retailer will do for you. Other manufacturers will have similar warranties and if the online retailer will still have their legal obligations the same as any local retailer.

If you buy from a retail outlet, expect to pay at least a 150 euro premium on even the most basic laptop and also expect the salesperson to try to get you to buy more than you need and unnecessary accessories/insurance products.

Also, the staff in many of these stores would know very little about the different processers and graphics cards and memory options. I have met sales-people in electical stores that didn't know the difference between RAM and ROM.

Buying a Laptop: The current Generation

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