£3-400 laptop, please advise. I think I've got my options down...

jimmy_g

Hello folks,

I'm after a laptop for around £300-400. Having done a bit of browsing on here and elsewhere for tips, I think I've got it down to 4 possibilities. I'll be using it for email/browsing/word/excel/usb tv tuner/desk top publishing(sometimes graphic heavy)/image editing/AutoCAD, sometimes all at the same time.

So, I think I'm looking for something with at least 4gb of RAM and the best processor I can get. I've done a bit of shopping around, and it appears that I'll struggle to find better deals than saveonlaptops.co.uk are offering.

Based on various comments I've read, Acer seem to be one to steer clear of due to low reliability. 3 of the 4 I've picked are Lenovo, which is partially influenced by http://www.laptopmag.com/mobile-life/best-brands-overall-verdict-2011.aspx

The four I've got it down to are (my brief comments are in brackets below each):

http://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/Samsung_R730_1041049.html
Samsung R730,
Intel® Core™ i3-380M Dual Core Processor, 17.3" HD+ Screen, Windows 7 Home Premium Edition 64-bit, 4GB DDR3 RAM, 640GB HDD, DVD Rewriter, Integrated Graphics, Webcam, HDMI, NP-R730-JB09UK, Was £599.97
£399.97
(Key difference: 17" screen)


http://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/Lenovo_G570_1072019.html
Lenovo G570,
Intel® Core™ i3-2310M Dual Core Processor, 15.6" HD Screen, Windows 7 Home Premium Edition 64-bit, 4GB DDR3 RAM, 500GB HDD, DVD Rewriter, Integrated Graphics, M5134UK
£399.97
(Key difference: Sandy Bridge processor)


http://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/Lenovo_Edge_15_1079088.html
Lenovo Edge 15, Red,
Intel® Core™ i3-380M Dual Core Processor, 15.6" HD Screen, Windows 7 Home Premium Edition 64-bit, 4GB DDR3 RAM, 500GB HDD, DVD Rewriter, Integrated Graphics, Bluetooth, HDMI, NVLGWUK, Includes (78Y9364) 3 Year On-site Next Business Day Warranty to Qualify for Cashback
£469.99
(plus cashback of £100.01=£369.98 final price)
(Key difference: 3 year on-site warranty)


http://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/Lenovo_G560_1087835.html
Lenovo G560,
Intel® Pentium® P6200 Dual Core Processor, 15.6" HD Screen, Windows 7 Home Premium Edition 64-bit, 6GB DDR3 RAM, 500GB HDD, DVD Rewriter, Integrated Graphics, M27B2UK, Exclusive Upgraded to 6GB Ram!
£319.97
(Key difference: 6gb RAM, lower price, but older processor (I think))


There's a number of similarities between them, as you can see in the screengrab below (saveonlaptop.co.uk has a neat comparison tool):

( http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l168/JPAG/laptopcomparison.jpg )

Any comments, or suitable alternatives, would be gratefully received.

grumpycrab

If you're potentially going to be running all those apps at once I'd go for an i3-380M minimum. If you don't have an external monitor I'd get the 17" Samsung (and half price 3 year warranty even though that makes it £50 over budget), otherwise the Lenovo with 3 year warranty. Both cracking deals!

jimmy_g

grumpycrab wrote: »

If you're potentially going to be running all those apps at once I'd go for an i3-380M minimum. If you don't have an external monitor I'd get the 17" Samsung (and half price 3 year warranty even though that makes it £50 over budget), otherwise the Lenovo with 3 year warranty. Both cracking deals!

Thanks for that. The chances are that the times when I'm doing all those tasks at once, I'll be at my desk and plugged into my external monitor. On that point - when you can display your laptop on a monitor and use a wireless keyboard & mouse, why would you choose to buy a desktop pc?

Esqui

I'd lean towards the one with the newer i3 processor (the second one in your list), which'd feel the fastest of them. That said, the one below with cashback and 3-year warranty seems like a better deal.