The Great 'Cheapest Decent Laptop' Hunt

rpsheridan

sorry the 549 one is http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/Acer_Aspire_6930G-744G32Mn_Laptop_LX.AGA0X.002/version.asp?refsource=ldawin

chili2001

rpsheridan wrote: »

Im looking for the best processor available, 4GB memory and high quality screen. Grpahics and hard drive memory do not matter to much. My budget is £500 although £600 tops.

I dont know which processor to go for, so confusing as to which is the best when they are the same Ghz.

This is my cheaper back up at the minute http://www.ebuyer.com/product/158885

However I have also found this http://www.ebuyer.com/product/158885 with a better processor, is it worth the difference, does anyone know of any better specs for the same price of £549 or under? I cant find any.

What do people think?

Cheers in advance

This one is a very good model for the price and although the Acer from laptops direct has a better CPU it is not worth the extra £100+

rpsheridan

I have found this for £600

Dell Precision M4400 Laptop with the following specification:
2.8Ghz Core 2 Duo (T9600) Processor
4Gb Memory (1 x 4Gb)
250Gb Hard Drive
FX1700M 512Mb Graphics Card
Screen is 15.4 WXGA 1280 x 800
Wireless
Bluetooth
SD Card Slot
Integrated 0.3 Mega Pixel Camera
Fingerprint reader

Would this be worth paying the extra, I mean how big of a difference is there between, T9600 and the T6400 etc?

chili2001

rpsheridan wrote: »

I have found this for £600

Dell Precision M4400 Laptop with the following specification:
2.8Ghz Core 2 Duo (T9600) Processor
4Gb Memory (1 x 4Gb)
250Gb Hard Drive
FX1700M 512Mb Graphics Card
Screen is 15.4 WXGA 1280 x 800
Wireless
Bluetooth
SD Card Slot
Integrated 0.3 Mega Pixel Camera
Fingerprint reader

Would this be worth paying the extra, I mean how big of a difference is there between, T9600 and the T6400 etc?

I think thats the highest intel dual core possible cpu for laptops. The difference is 0.7Ghz between the T6400 and T9600.
Is it worth it? Well depends on what you need all that extra power for? Are you a gamer or use a lot of video or photo editing software? Then the extra graphics and cpu power would come in handy. The Acer with the T6400 is no slowpoke itself though! Personally I would save myself £200 and get the Acer. The other looks a very high spec but not worth the extra cash in my opinion. Oh... and its a Dell.

rpsheridan

I just want something that will last me really, its going to be a toss up between the two as I cant find anything in between. I like to run a lot of applications at once so the more powerful the better. The only thing I dont really know what I am looking for is the screen, what sort of resolution for hd should i be looking for and will anything else affect this, eg qraphics card or motherboard? What is WXGA?

Surely Dell is better than acer isnt it? I kind of like the idea of finger print recognition too!!!

chili2001

rpsheridan wrote: »

What is WXGA? Surely Dell is better than acer isnt it? I kind of like the idea of finger print recognition too!!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wide_XGA can explain it better than me!
The finger print thing is basically a novelty security thing and can be a little hit and miss, either works or annoyingly doesn't!
As for Dell vs Acer lets just say that out of every 10 call outs I get to fix a dodgy computer problem, 8 of them are made by Dell. Some people still swear by them though. I just swear at them! Still, you pays your money and takes your choice.

rpsheridan

ok brilliant, thanks very much, looks like it is the acer, unless I can find a better spec for under £550, however I have looked for ages and I am struggling. The spec seems outstanding for the price, wonder if I can get cashback/vouchers for ebuyer too somewhere.

marcofoo

I've seen a lot of criticism and some praise for several brands on here.

Is anyone in the know able to summarise the positives and negatives for each brand? In their opinion of course.

rpsheridan

do hp and sony laptops have the best reputation?

JDPower

marcofoo wrote: »

Is anyone in the know able to summarise the positives and negatives for each brand? In their opinion of course.

You'll get a hundred different answers from a hundred different people in response to a question like that, there is no hard and fast pros and cons between brands.