Sub-£350 powerful laptops discussion

stinky_daddy

chocolateteddy wrote: »

Wondered if this was a good deal for the price of £329.99

ASUS X54C-SX127V

15.6" Laptop with Intel Pentium B960 2.2GHz, 500GB HDD, DVD Super Multi DL, 8GB Ram, 4 -in-1 card reader ( SD/ MS/ MS Pro/ MMC) & Genuine Windows 7 Premium in Black.

Daughter wants one for school work and general surfing

I am in a similar position, in that we are trying to narrow the selection of potential machines for my soon-to-be 12 DS1, to be (used in our minds at least) primarily for school work (we were looking at netbooks but have rejected that idea).

Loking at spending approx £350 (less ideally) as it would be his 1st machine, but want to future-proof it to a certain degree (if at all possible).

Has anybody any suggestions (have looked at the Acer Aspire above).

TIA

stinky_daddy

JDPower

stinky_daddy wrote: »

Looking at spending approx £350 (less ideally) as it would be his 1st machine, but want to future-proof it to a certain degree (if at all possible).

As far as future proofing goes you should be looking at one of the second gen Intel processors (2nd gen ones have a 4 digit code beginning with 2, eg i3-2380). You should find an i3 without too much difficulty in your price range (I'd choose the Lenovo over that Acer myself, better reputation/reliabilty). You MAY find a 2nd gen i5 processor in that price range if your patient and keep your eyes peeled, which would be ideal. The 3rd gen Intel processors are out now so the 2nd gen bargains are popping up with increasing frequency.

NiftyDigits

If one is excited by this kind of thing, there is this second generation i5 MSI CR640-425UK/MS16Y1 for £305.98.

Expect it to be in excellent condition.

CPU and Memory:
Intel Core i5 dual core 2410M processor.
2.3GHz processor speed.
4GB DDR3 RAM memory.
500GB SATA hard drive.

Display features:
15.6 inch widescreen display.
High definition display.
Resolution 1366 x 768 pixels.

DVD optical drives:
DVD+RW/DVD-RW(read/write).
Dual layer.

Graphics:
Intel HD 3000.

Interfaces and connectivity:
Secure Digital (SD), Memory Stick (MS), Memory Stick Pro (MS-Pro), xD, Multi-Media Card (MMC) compatible.
2 USB ports.(I think it has 4)
Gigabit Ethernet.
HDMI.
Wireless 802.11 b/g/n.

Multi-media features:
1.3MP built-in webcam.
Built-in mic.
Built-in sound system.

Operating system and software:
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit.

Software included:
Anti-virus and security (trial version).
Adobe Reader.

General features:
Up to 6 hours battery life.
Size H38, W26, D3.4cm.
Weight 2.6kg

NiftyDigits

NiftyDigits wrote: »

Same spec, but cheaper: Acer Aspire 5749 2354G50Mnkk for £319.98

Acer AcerAdvantage extended service agreement - 3 years - pick-up and return Accidental damage included** £31.99


Type - Extended service agreement
Service Included - Parts and labour
Location - Pick-up and return
Full Contract Period - 3 years ( from original purchase date )
Repair Time - 5 business days

** Accidental damage to the screen will require a 100 Euro plus VAT excess charge.

Returned one here at Argos Outlet for £249.99. Normal warranty.

mj1989

hello,

im looking to purchase a laptop as a gift for someone. have a budget of around £350 and looking for something that can play a few games, sims 3 and some others around that level. other than that it would be mainly used for internet.

many thanks for your help in advance,

m

lee7421

Hi could anyone advise me on the best buy between these two?
http://m.sainsburys.co.uk/mt/www.sainsburys.co.uk/sol/shop/technology/computing/laptops_and_netbooks/122607311_samsung_rv520a07uk_intel_core_i3_22ghz_4gb_500gb_156_laptop.html?hnav=4294960188
http://m.sainsburys.co.uk/mt/www.sainsburys.co.uk/sol/shop/technology/computing/laptops_and_netbooks/122885257_dell_inspiron_15_core_i3_4gb500gb_black_notebook.html?hnav=4294960188
Many thanks

gonzo127

mj1989 wrote: »

hello,

im looking to purchase a laptop as a gift for someone. have a budget of around £350 and looking for something that can play a few games, sims 3 and some others around that level. other than that it would be mainly used for internet.

many thanks for your help in advance,

m

gaming wise AMD based laptops are better in this price bracket due to their better intergrated graphics, ideally you want a a series processor, however with it being a gift would you consider a refurb? as you will get a bit more laptop for the money.

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/hp-g6-1336sa-refurbished-15-6-laptop-charcoal-13985266-pdt.html this is a pretty good spec laptop, however be aware that HP are generally seen as a less reliable brand having roughly 25% of laptops failing within the first 3 years - this being said this also means that 75% of their laptops are still working after 3 years

jem16

Looking for a new laptop for my elderly parents - old one just about dead.

Now it's basic stuff - internet browsing and emails only so don't need anything too fancy. Would just like it to be reasonably speedy and troublesome - means I don't need to keep helping them sort something!

Probably around the £300 mark but could stretch to £350 if really much better.

I had read about Lenovo but long time since I bought a laptop so not too up on specs now.

Which of these might be best?

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/lenovo-essential-g575-15-6-laptop-11358336-pdt.html

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/lenovo-g570-15-6-laptop-black-12377715-pdt.html

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/lenovo-g575-15-6-laptop-black-12377741-pdt.html

Also saw this in Amazon;

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-RV520-15-6-inch-Laptop/dp/B005TIT7FC/ref=pd_ybh_11

Or is there anything else to be recommended?

Robisere

Try this:

http://www.microdirect.co.uk/Home/Product/54768

It's refurbished, but really top classfor the money, with a 12 month HP guarantee. We have had a HP DV7 for almost 3 years now and love it. Well made, no problems at all and will last.

You might want to remove the HP software, which is quite easy to do if you have a Windows 7 Home Premium disc available. Note the code from the Windows COA sticker on the base, write it down and insert the Win7 disc. It will ask if you want to reinstall or repair. Choose Reinstall, choose one Partition, and install a fresh Windows System. This will make the system faster (I did this to mine) It does NOT affect the Warranty, that only applies to the Hardware, the latop and all its parts.

EDIT:

Should add that wife and I are both in late 60's. Wife is not computer-savvy, but uses the laptop with no problems. This is something we would buy, if we were looking for one.

JDPower

Robisere wrote: »

Try this:

http://www.microdirect.co.uk/Home/Product/54768

It's refurbished, but really top classfor the money

I disagree, £336 for a FIRST gen i3 laptop is not a good price. There are more than enough second gen i3 laptops around for that price.