Sub-£350 powerful laptops discussion

harz99

shimsham wrote: »

Hi.Anyone know anything about the Advent Roma 2001.

Sandra

It's a Curry/Dixon/PcWorld own brand without any user reviews that I know of, so buyer beware.

Lugh_Chronain

ceebeeby wrote: »

Hi Lugh - am following query with interest as also in the market for the similar, including price. Welcome all advice.

You can also follow my thread on AV Forums here. Don't think you'll need to login, AV Forums is worth signing up to if you need to though.

RachVG

Hi,

I'm looking at buying a new laptop (duh, I'm in this thread!) and I've found this Packard Bell on the Comet site. The two previous laptops I've had have lasted me a long time (Compaq 4 years and Acer 3 years) and I've had no problems, and I know Packard Bell is a subsidiary of Acer these days so I'm hoping their stuff is as good!

This is the laptop:

http://www.comet.co.uk/shopcomet/product/626538/PACKARD-BELL-TJ67-AU-060/tab/specification

The things I'm really looking for in a laptop are the following, which this laptop has all of:

Decent amount of RAM for the OS (My current Acer was running Vista on 512, I upgraded to 2GB but it didn't take so it's currently using 1GB and just about coping), the Packard Bell here has 3GB which I think is probably decent for Windows 7?

HDMI so I can plug it into our TV

5-in-1 card reader - my camera is a Sony and uses MemoryStick Duo not a regular SD card.

DVD writer rather than Blu Ray player

Preferably a webcam but that's a point I'm willing to lose.

I'm not too bothered about battery life - anything is better than the 6 minutes this laptop currently has! Think it was about 2 hours when I got it so anything around there or above is acceptable. Also not fussed about hard drive size - currently got 60gb and not even using half of it.

In terms of what I'd be using it for, I'm not a gamer but I want to be able to play DVDs and avi files smoothly, and run things like Photoshop CS4 and be able to do other things at the same time (ie have web windows, itunes etc open while I work in Photoshop). Portability also not too important, it gets moved around the house but that's it really.

Basically I was wondering a) if that's likely to be reliable, the more technical side of the specs (processor etc) is what I'm unfamiliar with and b) if there's likely to be anything better under £400 that does the things mentioned above.

I've tried searching for reviews of this model but not really had any luck, have found some reviews of other laptops in the EasyNote range though and they seem decent enough but any input appreciated! The general consencus seems to be that PB have improved a lot since becoming part of Acer, and people who were saying "don't touch them with a barge poll!" five years ago have changed their minds a bit.

ETA: Also found this Compaq on ebuyer: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/186604

harz99

RachVg you might be a lot better off buying an external card reader than restricting yourself to a laptop that can read your memory stick duo. Kingston Media do a good multi purpose one that can be had for around £7 off Amazon.

Then there are many good machines mentioned since I posted on this thread about the Samsung R519 which I bought recently.

Do a google search for reviews of each machine and you can then make up your mind as to which suits you best. HTH.

RachVG

To be honest if I was going to get an external card reader I'd just use the USB cable that came with the camera, I don't want loads of extra bits to carry around with me if I want to transfer photos while I'm on holiday - I just want the laptop and the card to be enough. Most of the laptops I've seen have 5-in-1 readers so it's not really a huge problem to restrict myself to that from what I've seen. What I was looking for though was feedback on if the laptops I've linked to are as good as they seem - as I said Google reviews for the Packard Bell aren't showing anything up for that specific model and the Compaq is an ebuyer exclusive so the only reviews are the ones on ebuyer. I was hoping somebody on here who understands more about the tech side of things would be able to tell me if the processor side of the specs are any good. I've read the last few pages of the thread and looked at the links but the two I mentioned are the best I've found for the things I'm looking for and was hoping that if people's opinions were that they aren't really any good, which machines specifically would be better options for what I want. I'm not too good at comparing these kind of things especially when the machines are all on different websites.

harz99

RachVG wrote: »

To be honest if I was going to get an external card reader I'd just use the USB cable that came with the camera, I don't want loads of extra bits to carry around with me if I want to transfer photos while I'm on holiday - I just want the laptop and the card to be enough. Most of the laptops I've seen have 5-in-1 readers so it's not really a huge problem to restrict myself to that from what I've seen. What I was looking for though was feedback on if the laptops I've linked to are as good as they seem - as I said Google reviews for the Packard Bell aren't showing anything up for that specific model and the Compaq is an ebuyer exclusive so the only reviews are the ones on ebuyer. I was hoping somebody on here who understands more about the tech side of things would be able to tell me if the processor side of the specs are any good. I've read the last few pages of the thread and looked at the links but the two I mentioned are the best I've found for the things I'm looking for and was hoping that if people's opinions were that they aren't really any good, which machines specifically would be better options for what I want. I'm not too good at comparing these kind of things especially when the machines are all on different websites.

Okay then, go back to post 484 and use the link to find info on the CPUs in both machines via the alphabetical list of CPUs button. HTH.

Davre

Hi

Particularly to RachVG who has given a good breakdown of what's needed....

I bought a NRFB Packard Bell 15 .6" wide-screen laptop for less than this recently for £387 and a better technical spec. It was from Dixons clearance on eBay. The exact model doesn't seem to be on the PB website but the 'EasyNote TJ65-DT-041' detail seems to match.

It has 4GB RAM, Core 2 Duo 2.2 processor, actual hardware graphics card (not shared or software graphics), HDMI etc.

Having previously had an Evesham laptop which pretended to be a portable heater (while keeping it's graphics card cool), cracked at the hinges and failed where the power adaptor plugged in - I am happy with the cool running, stronger construction and general package with this one.


Generally buyers should consider portability (17+" machines are not as easy to store away at home due to weight), construction (DVD tray build; surfaces, e.g. keyboard type - size & shape of keys; separate number pad; whether accidentally a shiny surfaced 'finger printing' machine).

Of the above the PB I bought is reasonable in weight, solid build but does have 'flat' keys and shiny surfaces. Don't find these a problem. With laptops I would suggest a cordless mouse, using a small usb 'sender' which turns off the mouse battery when docked in it.

Just a final warning, whatever laptop anyone buys - as above - the socket where the mains adaptor small plug goes into the machine is a weak point in a lot of machine. Regularly unplugging to store it can lead to part failure as it can detach inside, leading to a possible expensive repair. Better to pull out the mains lead part form the transformer block (after switching off at the mains - where ideally a surge protector should be used e.g. Switched Surge Adaptor 3 Way 13 Amp Fused).

The item I bought is still available:

eBay item no. 130399658529

Usual eBay precautions apply and buyers would need to think about support during and after the guarantee period. I hope experienced Savers can advise of any good or bad experiences to support this.

The seller is not stated as Dixons but (add 'www.' in front of all web pages quoted - l can't post links as a new user): stores.ebay.co.uk/TechFurb/Privacy-Policy.html shows they are part of the Dixons group (DSG). They don't seem to answer ebay product questions but have free p&p and fast courier delivery.

PB website for spec(ification): packardbell.co.uk/pb/en/GB/page7r?link=oln43r.redirect&miu6r.icp45r=LX.BDK02.004&miu6r.icp43r=model {remove space added by MSE before the 004}

This website should help with your PB reviews generally as they should match what is in the shops. You can use Amazon etc. to view reviews using the model names from here.

E.g. called Easynote - here's your machine:

packardbell.co.uk/pb/en/GB/page7r?link=oln43r.redirect&miu6r.icp45r=LX.BEH02.017&miu6r.icp43r=model {remove space added by MSE before the 017}

Note: "In 2008, Packard Bell was acquired by Taiwan-based Acer Inc. and the combined entities now comprise the third-largest PC Company in the world."


Here is an e.g. of a cheap surge protector with 3 individual switches:

wilkinsonplus.com/Extension-Leads+Timers/Wilko-Switched-Surge-Adaptor-3-Way-13-Amp-Fused/invt/0255438


Stuff:

NRFB - Never Removed From Box (sealed)

Software graphics - a chip I think on the motherboard or main circuit board inside - usually listed as 'Intel Graphics Media Accelerator HD' or similar under 'Display' or 'Graphics Card' in the machine specification - not as good for screen display, especially games and imagery; some games may not play properly

An Intel Core 2 Duo is a faster processor than a Intel Dual Core but both come in various speeds

spud17

An Intel Core 2 Duo is a faster processor than a Intel Dual Core but both come in various speeds

A common sweeping generalisation, my Dual Core E6300 (2.8MHz) runs rings around many Core 2s, you really have to check the specs.

You cannot even go by the speed, my E6300 is faster than some and slower than others, despite all being the same headline speed.

Check HERE

Davre

spud17 wrote: »

A common sweeping generalisation, my Dual Core E6300 (2.8MHz) runs rings around many Core 2s, you really have to check the specs. ....

Apologies that I've given mis-leading advice and thanks for the quick correction spud17. This can be the trouble with picking info off the web. Would be interested to know how much difference 2, 3 or 4GB of RAM makes with Windows 7 (64 bit)?

Dontknowanymore

Hi
I have a had a little look through the thread already.
I'm on the lookout for a laptop, not netbook as they are too small (currently on one now and it's really annoying!)
Anyway, I only really use it for web surfing (facebook, mse, shopping), the occasional download and watching things like BBCi player etc.
I use it at home so dont need an ultra long battery life either.

Am I best going for a refurb?
I really dont want to have to go much higher than £300 if at all possible, much lower would be pushing it I think lol