Sub-£350 powerful laptops discussion

adandem

grumpycrab wrote: »

The following might help. (From article dated May 7, 2010)

Thanks very much, never expected that! Think I'll go for the Asus;)

mrowen

Adandem- The 5750 is an ACER not an ASUS - so a bit of a difference on the chart posted!

If anyone could give me a bit of advice too it would be much appreciated. Im looking for a budget laptop to do general work/internet/music , play some non graphics hungry games that I can't play on my xbox (Civ4, Dawn of War 2, Football Manager) and also to do a bit of lap top djing. For this , should I basically be looking for the fastest processor (eg Sandybridge i3, i5 ) and as much ram as possible?

OlliesDad

grumpycrab wrote: »

Here's a laptop for under £350 (after Quidco cashback) that has a 2nd generation CPU (i3-2310M). Its an Acer with 4GB RAM, HDMI, USB3 etc. Base price is £399. Use code HWARE10 to get 10% off (checked working Monday 2 May 10am). Go via Quidco to get 6% off (BUT NB. THIS INCREASED RATE EXPIRES IN 13 HOURS)
Here are the links :-
Product :- http://www.dixons.co.uk/gbuk/acer-aspire-5750-4gb-core-i3-laptop-black-09933670-pdt.html?srcid=369&xtor=AL-63
Quidco:- http://www.quidco.com/dixons/

This has now been reduced to £379. So by using Quidco and the LAPPC30 discount code you can get it for under £340.

grumpycrab

sticher wrote: »

...the game he really wants to play on the laptop is World of Warcraft... - it isnt an action game...

mrowen wrote: »

...Im looking for a budget laptop to do general work/internet/music , play some non graphics hungry games that I can't play on my xbox (Civ4, Dawn of War 2, Football Manager) and also to do a bit of lap top djing...

I have to be a bit careful here 'cause I don't use laptops for playing recent games. Having said that a. most modern laptops should be able to play the above games and b. should be able to get something for £350

Here's an interesting laptop I just saw today (£350)
http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/dell-inspiron-m501r-15-6-athlon-ii-p320-4gb-ram-320gb-hdd-1gb-ati-mobility-radeo/933262
Everything is great about it - especially the graphics chip - BUT processor is a bit slow. This will play the above listed games no problem but may be a bit slow generally (CPU benchmark is 1258).

The alternative is a laptop with a modern CPU but with non-special graphics capabilities. There was a great Dixons deal but that's finished.
http://www.dixons.co.uk/gbuk/acer-aspire-5750-15-6-laptop-black-09933620-pdt.html
This is now £380 (and can get 3% off with Quidco).
CPU benchmark is 2707. Theoretically twice as fast as the Athlon above.
Graphics-wise this should play the above listed games but as this is a new(ish) CPU+GPU there may be some driver problems.
Details -> http://www.notebookcheck.net/Acer-Aspire-5750-2314G50Mnkk.49360.0.html

Next is the 1st gen i3 range (preceeds the dixons one above).
http://www.techdepot.co.uk/TD/product/COMPESSEN/CE.NOTBKS/productdetails/IT99852/Toshiba_Satellite_C660-1E2_Core_i3_380M__2_53/PSC0QE-02900CEN/default.aspx?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2011-WK19-01&utm_content=Toshi
CPU benchmark 2339
Price £330 (-5% with Quidco)
Older games should run ok. Toshiba warranties can be bought cheaply from Toshiba.

I'll stop there. Laptops with older procecssors may well be able to run the s/w you want to run but I'd suggest getting the best processor your budget can stretch too - memory and disk can be easily changed - the processor cannot be changed.

grumpycrab

OlliesDad wrote: »

This has now been reduced to £379. So by using Quidco and the LAPPC30 discount code you can get it for under £340.

I think LAPPC30 only works over £399? EDIT: just tried it and didn't work.

mrowen

Hi Grumpycrab,

Thanks for the info. I should probably have also noted my budget is probably a little higher - up to £450 ish. I want to avoid Acers because i have heard so much bad stuff about build quality. I was considering a Lenovo , from saveonlaptops , sadly i canlt post links because i'm too new!

grumpycrab

mrowen wrote: »

Hi Grumpycrab,

Thanks for the info. I should probably have also noted my budget is probably a little higher - up to £450 ish. I want to avoid Acers...

A quick scan (srry - not very familiar with that price point). Try and get an i3-2410M (newest) otherwise i3-380M (next best) or similar... e.g. after a quick scan

http://www.play.com/PC/PCs/4-/19425669/Lenovo-G570-Core-i3-2310M-4GB-500GB-DVD-SM-15-6-inch-Windows-7-Home-Premium-64-bit-Laptop-Notebook-Black/Product.html?_%24ja=tsid:11518%7Ccat:19425669%7Cprd:19425669

http://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/Toshiba_Satellite_L650-1JU_1068472.html
(poor battery and boring but warranty extensions are cheap)

Or perhaps go for bigger 17.3" screen (although I didn't find anything obvious).
EDIT: apart from this -> http://www.ibood.com/uk/en/index.php?utm_source=wntni&utm_medium=dqb&utm_campaign=cj comes with 2 years CAR (Collect and Return) warranty
EDIT: may not be brand new. Probably excess stock, "grade A"

OlliesDad

grumpycrab wrote: »

I think LAPPC30 only works over £399? EDIT: just tried it and didn't work.

Apologies, you are correct. It can be ordered on the PC World site using the 5OFFPCW code to get 5% off so that it is £360.

adandem

OlliesDad wrote: »

Apologies, you are correct. It can be ordered on the PC World site using the 5OFFPCW code to get 5% off so that it is £360.

TCB @ 5% - I think it's on the pre VAT price so around £15.

zuzuspetals

Could somebody help me please? I've decided to get a samsung RV510. There are very similar models available from Sainsburys and Amazon for the same price (£329)and I'm not sure which one is better? One has 3GB/350GB and the other has 3GB/500GB. I'm not sure if there is any other difference between them?

I don't ever need to take the laptop out with me and don't need it for games. My current laptop is five years old and so slow it is driving me crazy. I just need to use it for work/internet/emails.

I'd be really grateful if somebody could advise me, thanks in advance.

I'm not able to post a link!