help plz - need a higher end laptop

starbies

hi - i'm wondering if someone could point me in the right direction.
I need to get a laptop for a university course, I'll be using it for CAD and 3d modelling programs - i've copied the course recommended spec below.
I've started looking around but i've been given so much conflicting advise from different suppliers that i really need some unbiased advice now! thanks in advance, starbies
Operating System
Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7
(Apple and Linux OS will not operate some of the required software. Any such machines will need to support dual boot to Windows OS.)

Processor
Multi-core Processor Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4 Ghz minimum or equivalent AMD or similar Processor (it may be better to obtain a faster dual core processor than a slower quad core).

RAM
4 GB RAM (minimum – must be capable of upgrade to, or come with 8 GB, but note that laptops generally only have two slots for RAM – Please note that 64 Bit OS is essential to address all the RAM).

Video
1280 X 1024 screen resolution with 24 bit colour. Video Card separate from CPU
Dedicated Video Card with support for Direct X 9 and Open GL 1.3 or later and have on the Video Card at least 512 MB dedicated RAM but 1GB dedicated RAM preferred. (RAM shared between CPU and video is not acceptable).

Hard Drive
60 GB Hard drive size (usually adequate for anything other than large audio or video files since an external backup system is preferable and must be used regularly (eg DVD writer or other off system storage).

Wireless
802.11N

Knarf44

There are many laptops that will meet those requirements and therefore it's more about which particular brand you prefer. You should get lots of suggestions from people about their own particular favourites and advice on why you shouldn't buy brand X over brand Y.

If you want specific suggestions you'll need to tell us your budget.

Most people will point you towards the DELL outlet site where there are usually some bargains to be had. Another useful site is the Argos clearance site on Ebay. Another often quoted site is Currys and I admit they are always worth checking out.

I would suggest, if your budget allows, you'd want a laptop with a bigger screen so either 17" or 18". Refurbished laptops are generally fine and come with the full guarantee in place. Most are simply customer returns and are usually in almost perfect condition.

Personally, my preference is Toshiba or Samsung. Toshiba do some very good 17" laptops in their L670 range and Samsung has the R780, which with an i5 processor is a very attractive proposition.

Lokolo

Whats your price range?

gonzo127

agreed we need to know a maximum budget to be the most help

Hammyman

Top end Lenovo or Dell Precision series.

4Fingus

For CAD you will need a top spec VGA card. You really do get what you pay for in this arena so give yourself a budget and get something at the top of the budget. Make sure that most of the 'power' is in the card. It's like having another PC in your PC purley dedicated to the task of rendering your graphics.

Good luck.

starbies

Lokolo wrote: »

Whats your price range?

hi guys - thanks for the replies - sorry - should have put a price range down but i really not sure what is reasonable and what isn't (it's a while since i've needed to buy a pc and feeling a bit 'out of it').
Basically I've allotted £1000 for course essentials to include laptop but as a mature student with three kids I could do with spending as little as possible.
starbies

Lokolo

Any reason a laptop and not a PC?

Knarf44

starbies wrote: »

hi guys - thanks for the replies - sorry - should have put a price range down but i really not sure what is reasonable and what isn't (it's a while since i've needed to buy a pc and feeling a bit 'out of it').
Basically I've allotted £1000 for course essentials to include laptop but as a mature student with three kids I could do with spending as little as possible.
starbies

Ok, but what's the maximum you want to spend on the computer?

Are you looking at Up to £500 or up to £800? being as specific as possible on budget will help suggest specific models for you to consider.

Looking at the Argos Clearance site, as an example, this is what you could get currently for up to £500:

Acer Aspire 7732

A little bit more expensive (£50) is the Acer 8735G Blu-Ray

At Currys at up to £800:

Acer Aspire 7741G

HP Pavilion dv7-4045ea

All of these laptops offer dedicated graphics cards.

If it turns out you want a desktop then you'd get more bang for your buck at around the £500 mark but you may need to invest a bit extra in at least a 22in monitor.

These suggestions are simply to give you an idea of the market.

starbies

Knarf44 wrote: »

Ok, but what's the maximum you want to spend on the computer?

Are you looking at Up to £500 or up to £800? being as specific as possible on budget will help suggest specific models for you to consider.

Looking at the Argos Clearance site, as an example, this is what you could get currently for up to £500:

Acer Aspire 7732

A little bit more expensive (£50) is the Acer 8735G Blu-Ray

At Currys at up to £800:

Acer Aspire 7741G

HP Pavilion dv7-4045ea

All of these laptops offer dedicated graphics cards.

If it turns out you want a desktop then you'd get more bang for your buck at around the £500 mark but you may need to invest a bit extra in at least a 22in monitor.

These suggestions are simply to give you an idea of the market.

thankyou for the suggestions - it is really useful - I think my biggest problem has been that I really am not sure what I actually *need* to spend to get what the spec I've been given - I don't want to be too tight and end up with something that's not quite good enough but on the other hand it seems silly to go mad and blow all my grant on something does sings and dances more than i need it to.

re laptop v desktop - i care for my mum when not at home or uni so need the mobility.

thanks, starbies

Knarf44

Ok so, based on the requirement for a 2.4GHz processor you're probably looking at spending around £500-£600 on a model such as these:

Advent Sienna 700

Asus X52F-SX109V

Toshiba Satellite L655-158

Toshiba Satellite L650-19W

The links are to Currys but using a shopbot may find them a bit cheaper elsewhere.