Laptop recommendation

[lekky]

I'm looking to buy a laptop and wondered of anyone had any advice or recommendations?

I'd like to spend around £300 ($600?) on it, with at least 1GB of RAM and a decent HD 80GB min although I'd prefer more.

[ViciouZ]

Seen the recent PC World adverts? Looks like what you're looking for.

[Eiii]

There is no such thing as a gaming laptop.

[Spook]

What about those quad-core beast laptops?

[lekky]

There is no such thing as a gaming laptop.

Thanks...

Back on topic, PC World refurbished laptops seem cheap at a decent spec? No idea if refurbished laptops will last tho, anyone offer any help on that?

This is the result of my thus far lacklustre research:

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/store/pcw_page.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@1153236251.1206989936@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccegadedjmflledcflgceggdhhmdgml.0&page=Product&fm=null&sm=null&tm=null&sku=973396&category_oid=#productInformationSection

[Eiii]

I'm serious. You can get a really good overpriced one that'll play the lastest games, until it starts to break down five or six months later. And laptops are pretty tough to reliably repair yourself. If you want one that can actually play game decently, just get a desktop. It'll cost about half as much for the same thing, and it'll be a cinch to swap out parts if something breaks.

If you just need the laptop for office-based stuff or not-so-new games, then disregard the above. But either way, get a Vista-free laptop.

[y00tz]

I'm sure by both of Lekky's post that he doesn't want a 'gaming' laptop

Lekky: Do you have anywhere you could buy a laptop like this?
(http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/HP-Pavilion-DV6701US-15-4-Widescreen-Laptop-DV6701US/sem/rpsm/oid/203096/catOid/-12963/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do#prodspecs)

[Edgecrusher]

There is no such thing as a gaming laptop.

I play on laptop most of my time and it suites me well 

For Lekky: One that actually has inet 

[lekky]

I'm serious. You can get a really good overpriced one that'll play the lastest games, until it starts to break down five or six months later. And laptops are pretty tough to reliably repair yourself. If you want one that can actually play game decently, just get a desktop. It'll cost about half as much for the same thing, and it'll be a cinch to swap out parts if something breaks.

If you just need the laptop for office-based stuff or not-so-new games, then disregard the above. But either way, get a Vista-free laptop.

I don't want to play games on it!!! Only football manager...

I'm sure by both of Lekky's post that he doesn't want a 'gaming' laptop

Lekky: Do you have anywhere you could buy a laptop like this?
(http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/HP-Pavilion-DV6701US-15-4-Widescreen-Laptop-DV6701US/sem/rpsm/oid/203096/catOid/-12963/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do#prodspecs)

Wow y00tz, thats double the rpice here... but its exactly what i want.

[KnacK]

Vista Free is the Way To Be!

[lekky]

(don't mind my spam)

£332.57 ex vAT
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Samsung R60 Plus - Pentium Dual Core T2330 / 1.6 GHz - RAM 2 GB - HDD 160 GB - DVD±RW (+R double layer) / DVD-RAM - Radeon X1250 - WLAN : 802.11b/g - Vista Home Premium - 15.4" Widescreen TFT 1280 x 800 ( WXGA )

Extended specifications
General
System Type: Notebook
Built-in Devices: Stereo speakers, wireless LAN aerial
Width: 35.8 cm
Depth: 26.5 cm
Height: 3.7 cm
Weight: 2.7 kg
Localisation: United Kingdom

Audio
Audio Output: Sound card
Compliant Standards: High Definition Audio

RAM
Installed Size: 2 GB / 2 GB (max)
Technology: DDR II SDRAM - 667 MHz
Memory Specification Compliance: PC2-5300
Configuration Features: 2 x 1 GB

Processor
Processor: Intel Pentium Dual Core T2330 / 1.6 GHz
Multi-Core Technology: Dual-Core
Data Bus Speed: 533 MHz

Battery
Technology: 6-cell Lithium Ion
Installed Qty: 1
Capacity: 4000 mAh
Run Time (Up To): 2.5 hour(s)

Operating System / Software
OS Provided: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
Software: Cyberlink PowerDVD , Samsung Network Manager, Samsung Battery Manager, Samsung Update Plus, Cyberlink DVD Solution, Magic Doctor, Microsoft Office 2007 (Trial), Samsung Recovery Solution II, Samsung Speed Up Manager, Samsung Display Manager

Input Device(s)
Type: Keyboard, touchpad

Video
Graphics Processor / Vendor: ATI Radeon X1250
Video Memory: 128 MB

Display
Display Type: 15.4" TFT
Max Resolution: 1280 x 800 ( WXGA )
Widescreen Display: Yes
Colour support: 24-bit (16.7 million colours)
Features: Super Bright Gloss

Networking
Networking: Network adapter
Wireless LAN Supported: Yes
Wireless NIC: Atheros Super G
Data Link Protocol: Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g
Compliant Standards: IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g

Cache Memory
Type: L2 Cache
Installed Size: 1 MB

Optical Storage
Type: DVD±RW (+R double layer) / DVD-RAM
Read Speed: 24x (CD) / 8x (DVD)
Write Speed: 24x (CD) / 8x (DVD±R) / 2.4x (DVD+R DL)
CD / DVD Rewrite Speed: 16x (CD) / 4x (DVD±RW) / 5x (DVD-RAM)

Power
Power Device: External

Manufacturer Warranty
Service & Support: 1 year warranty
Service & Support Details: Limited warranty - 1 year - pick-up and return

Storage
Hard Drive: 160 GB - Serial ATA-150 - 5400 rpm

Expansion / Connectivity
Expansion Slots Total (Free): 2 ( 0 ) x memory
1 ( 1 ) x ExpressCard/54
 
Interfaces: 3 x Hi-Speed USB - 4 PIN USB Type A
1 x display / video - VGA - 15 pin HD D-Sub (HD-15)
1 x headphones - output - mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm
1 x microphone - input - mini-phone 3.5mm
1 x modem - phone line - RJ-11
1 x network - Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX - RJ-45
 

Card Reader
Type: Card reader
Supported Flash Memory Cards: SD Memory Card, MultiMediaCard

Miscellaneous
Features: Security lock slot (cable lock sold separately), system password

Telecom
Modem: Fax / modem
Max Transfer Rate: 56 Kbps
Protocols & Specifications: ITU V.92

Storage Controller
Type: Serial ATA
Serial ATA Interface: Serial ATA-150
---------------------------------------------------------------------

£335.48 ex vAT
---------------------------------------------------------------------
ASUS X51RL AP030C - Pentium Dual Core T2330 / 1.6 GHz - RAM 2 GB - HDD 160 GB - DVD±RW (+R double layer) / DVD-RAM - Radeon Xpress 1100 - WLAN : 802.11b/g - Vista Home Premium - 15.4" Widescreen TFT 1280 x 800 ( WXGA ) Color Shine

Extended specifications
General
System Type: Notebook
Built-in Devices: Stereo speakers, wireless LAN aerial
Width: 36.5 cm
Depth: 26.4 cm
Height: 3.6 cm
Weight: 2.8 kg

Audio
Audio Output: Sound card
Compliant Standards: Sound Blaster Pro, High Definition Audio
Audio Input: Microphone

RAM
Installed Size: 2 GB / 2 GB (max)
Technology: DDR II SDRAM - 667 MHz
Configuration Features: 2 x 1 GB

Processor
Processor: Intel Pentium Dual Core T2330 / 1.6 GHz
Multi-Core Technology: Dual-Core
Data Bus Speed: 533 MHz
Chipset Type: ATI Radeon Xpress 1100

Battery
Technology: 6-cell Lithium Ion
Installed Qty: 1
Capacity: 4400 mAh

Operating System / Software
OS Provided: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
Software: Drivers & Utilities, ASUS Live Update, ASUS Net4Switch, ASUS MultiFrame, ASUS Power4 Gear eXtreme, ASUS Data Security Manager

Input Device(s)
Type: Keyboard, touchpad

Video
Graphics Processor / Vendor: ATI Radeon Xpress 1100

Display
Display Type: 15.4" TFT
Max Resolution: 1280 x 800 ( WXGA )
Widescreen Display: Yes
Features: Color Shine

Networking
Networking: Network adapter
Wireless LAN Supported: Yes
Data Link Protocol: Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g
Compliant Standards: IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g

Cache Memory
Type: L2 Cache
Installed Size: 2 MB

Optical Storage
Type: DVD±RW (+R double layer) / DVD-RAM

Power
Power Device: External
Voltage Required: AC 120/230 V ( 50/60 Hz )

Manufacturer Warranty
Service & Support: 2 years warranty
Service & Support Details: Limited warranty - 2 years

Storage
Hard Drive: 160 GB - Serial ATA-150 - 5400 rpm

Expansion / Connectivity
Expansion Slots Total (Free): 2 ( 0 ) x memory
1 ( 1 ) x CardBus
 
Interfaces: 1 x display / video - VGA - 15 pin HD D-Sub (HD-15)
4 x Hi-Speed USB - 4 PIN USB Type A
1 x audio - SPDIF output/headphones
1 x microphone - input - mini-phone 3.5mm
1 x network - Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX - RJ-45
1 x modem - phone line - RJ-11
 

Card Reader
Type: 4 in 1 card reader
Supported Flash Memory Cards: SD Memory Card, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, MultiMediaCard

Miscellaneous
Features: Security lock slot (cable lock sold separately), system password, hard drive password, power-on password

Telecom
Modem: Fax / modem - MDC
Max Transfer Rate: 56 Kbps

Storage Controller
Type: Serial ATA
Serial ATA Interface: Serial ATA-150
---------------------------------------------------------------------

£ 399.00 inc VAT
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HP G6065EA Notebook PC (KH948EA)

 technical specifications 
 
 Operating system installed  Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium 32-bit 
 
 Processor type  AMD Athlon 64 X2 TK57 Mobile Technology 
 
 Internal audio  3D Sound Blaster Pro compatible sound 16 bit integrated 
 
 Speakers and microphone  Altec Lansing® speakers 
 
 Battery type  6-cell Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) battery 
 
 Cache  Level 2 cache 512 KB 
 
 Display resolution  1280 x 800 
 
 Display size  15.4" WXGA High Definition BrightView Widescreen 
 
 Hard disk controller  SATA Hard Disk Drive 
 
 Internal hard disk drive  160 GB 
 
 Hard disk drive partition  up to 9 GB partition for system recovery 
 
 Hard disk drive speed  5400 rpm 
 
External I/O ports  3 USB 2.0, 1 VGA port, 1 RJ11 modem connector, 1 RJ45 ethernet connector, S-video TV out, 1 headphones-out, 1 mic-in 
 
 Keyboard  101 key compatible keyboard 
 
 Memory layout  (2 x 1024 MB) 
 
 Maximum memory  Supports up to 2 GB DDR2 memory 
 
 Standard memory  2048 MB 
 
 Modem  High speed 56K modem 
 
 Pointing device  Touch Pad with On/Off button and dedicated vertical Scroll Up/Down pad, volume control, mute button 
 
 Network interface  Ethernet 10/100BT integrated network interface 
 
 Optical drive driver software  Windows Media Player ; Windows Photo Gallery ; DVD Play ; Windows Movie Maker, Windows DVD Maker ; Cyberlink DVD Suite ; Windows Media center, QuickPlay for Windows ; HP Total Care Advisor 
 
 Optical drive type  Super Multi DVD Writer (+/-R +/-RW) with Double Layer support 
 
 Power supply type  65 W AC Power Adapter 
 
 Downloadable software  Special offer: for accessories, software and warranty promotions, please visit: www.mypcchoice.com 
 
 Software included  Recovery partition (including possibility to recover system, applications and drivers separately); Optional re-allocation of recovery partition; Recovery CD/DVD creation tool; Symantec™ Norton Internet Security™ 2008 (60 days live update); Notebook Help & Support 

 Pre-installed software  Microsoft® Internet Explorer 7.0; Windows Mail; Adobe® Reader 8.0 

 Software - Productivity & finance  Microsoft® Works and Microsoft® Office Home and Student 2007 60-Day Trial Version 

 System bus  Up to 1600 MHz system bus running at AC/DC mode 35 Watt 

 Video adapter  NVIDIA® GeForce™ 7000M 

 Video RAM  Up to 336MB Total Available Graphics Memory

 Webcam  Webcam with integrated microphone 

 Wireless technologies  802.11b/g WLAN 

 Dimensions (W x D x H)  35.70 cm (L) x 25.70 cm (W) x 2.54 cm (min) H / 3.96 cm (max) H 

 Package dimensions (W x D x H)  485 x 112 x 360 mm 

 Weight  3.10 kg (6.87 lbs)
 
 Package weight  4.45 kg
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Spam isn't tolerated here.

[lekky]

Comparison:

http://qehs.indiereview.co.uk/r/laptops.xlsx
http://qehs.indiereview.co.uk/r/laptops.xls

I guess these are the best i'll find for £400 (yeah my budget went up apparently..). If they are the best (still open to suggestions) which would you guys prefer?

[KnacK]

My only suggestion would be to get one with XP preinstalled.

I am assuming that this is for school work right?

Running XP on a lower end system ( read more affordable) will save you from pulling your hair out in the end.

Also, if you dont need it, dont get an internal modem or straight TV out. Botyh are vary rarely used.

[lekky]

My only suggestion would be to get one with XP preinstalled.

I am assuming that this is for school work right?

Running XP on a lower end system ( read more affordable) will save you from pulling your hair out in the end.

Also, if you dont need it, dont get an internal modem or straight TV out. Botyh are vary rarely used.

If I was at school it might be...

I work at client offices mostly which means i spend weekdays in a hotel, so for the most part it will be my main PC. I'll be running Football Manager on it and watching pornographic movies mostly, and doing a bit of dev in eclipse and photoshop. It needs tyo be fairly powerful but cheap!!!

I may install XP on it, depending on how fast it runs with Vista, but XP pre-installed is not necessary. Don't need a modem but it seems to come as standard? TV out is ok actually, i would use that quite often!

Would I be able to play any decent games on any of those?

[Ahri]

The ASUS. While I'm not 100% sure about the comparison between the graphics cards I don't think that's as relevant as the CPU, and while the AMD seems good, it's got a nasty bottleneck for the RAM interface in that 512KB of L2 cache... I think that's most likely to impact upon your gaming (since you're not playing a graphically intensive game anyway). The ASUS has a 2MB L2 cache.

ASUS ftw. Even though I like NVidia more.

Oh, you didn't give battery life for the ASUS and I cba reading your spreadsheets. I reckon battery life is important, but not while you're playing or compiling (just plug in).

Sidenote: not that I could be bothered reading the specs for all those gfx cards, but I don't think any of them have dedicated chips for HD content decoding, meaning the CPU gets the brunt of it. So while it may be possible to watch your HD pr0n, just don't do it while running on battery

[lekky]

This is such a pain

Is a Core 2 Duo much better than a Dual Core processor? If so thinking about buying one of these and buying some additional RAM
I've kind of narrowed it down to a few laptops:

Asus X50RL-AP999 Laptop

Samsung R60+ Laptop

Asus X50R-AP391C Laptop

I'm thinking about the Asus X50RL-AP999 as it's C2D and then buying an extra GB of RAM to bulk it up..

EDIT: This is meddling hard...

Lenovo 3000 N200 0769 Laptop

HP 6720s Business Laptop

EDIT: Dell Vostro 1700 - Intel Core 2 Duo T5670 1.8GHz 2048MB RAM 160GB HD 128MB nVidia GeForce 8400M GS

[lekky]

Ok, made up my mind:

Dell Vostro 1700 : £460

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T5670 (1.8 GHz, 2 MB L2 Cache, 800 MHz FSB)       
17.0" Widescreen WXGA+ (1440x900) TFT Display
2.0 mega pixel camera
2048MB 667MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM (2x1024)
160GB (5400RPM) SATA Hard Drive
256MB nVidia® GeForce® 8600M GT
Fixed Internal 8X DVD+/-RW Drive
Primary 6-cell Lithium-Ion Battery (56 WHr)
56.6k V.92 Capable Internal Modem & Adapter
Dell™ Wireless 355 Bluetooth 2.0 Module (up to 3Mbps) with Enhanced Data Rate
Intel® Pro Wireless 3945 802.11a/b/g Mini-Card

Any last ditch advice before i go ahead with it?

[KnacK]

Ask if you can get the XP downgrade for it.  I talked to my Dell rep a few days ago about it and he said that depending on who you ask when you buy your system, you can get the downgrade media for systems.

Just a thought.

[lekky]

Ah cool, just been browsing forums and some have mentioned that you can haggle with the salesman if you buy over the phone? I'll try that and get see if i can knock down the prive with XP too thanks KnacK

[lekky]

So just ordered it, feel sick now.. Said i could get XP on it, but i'll try vista and put xp on myself if required..