Why is this laptop so cheap? 28 December 2012 at 11:37PM in Techie Stuff 24 replies 3.3K views

eskimo26

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/lenovo-z570-15-6-laptop-gun-metal-12377688-pdt.html

Far as i can tell these specs are comfortably outdoing contemporaries at a similar price range [even within the same brand], so for me i get alarm bells. Is there a known fault with these? Why the huge price drop? [then again they're sold out so someone wanted them].

What is the difference between that model and this:

http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/lenovo-z580-15-6-laptop-grey-17056582-pdt.html

Seems to me nothing that would make the cheaper model a bad compromise.

Also i can get a general feel for a laptop specs but find it harder to compare like for like. If someone could glance over these and give me a general idea of which they would get and why.

http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/samsung-series-3-3530e-15-6-laptop-17056557-pdt.html

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/lenovo-g580-15-6-laptop-blue-17056543-pdt.html

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/lenovo-ideapad-z750-15-6-laptop-silver-12377721-pdt.html

i'm pretty happy with the general specs...
6gb memory
i-5 processor
750gb- 1tb hard drive

but what is in the detail when comparing them.

All help very much appreciated will most likely buy tomorrow!

Buffett

Hi eskimo26, main differences are Win 7 vs 8 (i.e. the laptop is an older model without the newest OS - you may need to pay to get Win8) and the processors.

I can't post links, but Google "CPU Benchmark" to find a site with ALL the benchmarks for the processors. You'll be able to see the differences in performance. Do NOT get the Intel Core-Duo Pentium B960 laptop ... this is really old tech now and has very low performance (i5 CPUs will be at least twice as fast).

Out of the first two i7-CPU'd laptops, I'd actually prefer the cheaper one ... based on the benchmark results. You can change the OS easily but not the CPU. It also has more RAM, which makes it more 'future proof'.

Likewise, out of the final 3 and discarding the Pentium processor, I'd go for the Lenovo Z750. The processor is marginally better and the separate Nvidia graphics card is definitely better than the Samsung's. You're getting better hardware but the 'old' version of Windows. However Win8 has only just come out so you might be best with Win7 anyway.

Hope that helps!

bluesnake

a brief look top 2 are cpu

the other 3 are cpu, one i5 has windows 7 and the rest have 8. The lowest spec cpu one has the biggest hdd

think the 399 lenovo has better graphics than samsung, but you have to check this elsewhere. the lenovo has no blutooth, better wifi but slower nic, faster cpu, but you probably will not notice any difference. win7 vs win 8.

closed

re 1st one - try finding some stock

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=58178185&postcount=22

neilwoods

Between the first 2, one is a dual core, other is quad core.

As Closed says, try finding some in a store, hence the main reason why so cheap. One of the biggest marketing ploys going, advertise cheap products to draw you into the store, and then sell you more expensive item.

eskimo26

Thanks guys much appreciated, just curious is more memory better or stronger processor?

I notice i have the option of:
i-3 processor with 8gb ram
or i-5 with 6 gb ram....

I also found this which is very promising, takes a hit to the hard drive [500gb is the lowest of my choices] but i get the i-5 processor AND 8gb RAM.

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/lenovo-g580-15-6-laptop-blue-17056544-pdt.html

santer_2

Adding ram will be easier than changing the CPU but check the number of slots and the stick size

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-gb/library/windows/desktop/aa366778%28v=vs.85%29.aspx#physical_memory_limits_windows_8

closed

i5 is more important than another 2GB of ram, you could get a similar spec dell for £80 cheaper.

inspiron 15r

http://search.dell.co.uk/1/1/148812-switch-by-design-studio-moon-silver-dell-inspiron-15r-laptop.html

3rd Generation Intel® Core™ i5-3210M Processor (3M Cache, up to 3.1GHz)
6GB (1x2048 + 1x4096) 1600MHz DDR3
1TB (5,400rpm) Serial ATA Hard Drive
Windows 8 64bit, English

£379.01 before cashback

or

inspiron 15
•3rd generation Intel® Core™ i5-3210M Processor (2.5GHz, 3M cache)
•6GB (1x2048 + 1x4096) 1600MHz DDR3
•1TB Serial ATA (5400RPM)
•Windows 8 64bit, English

http://search.dell.co.uk/1/1/148132-black-dell-inspiron-15-laptop.html

under £355 with topcashback and voucher codes LS3GP609WB7NL8

fenlander_uk

I have an i5 Z370, which is the 13.3" version of the Z570. Apart from the screen, it's virtually the same machine. In the couple of months after I bought it the price on Amazon varied from £399 to over £600 for the same machine - the price seems to have more to do with market factors than quality. I love the machine - it's quick, solidly made and has been 100% reliable. The only thing I don't like is the way Lenovo set up the disk as a single huge partition: if you repartition it, the one-click factory restore no longer works. I repartitioned it anyway - I prefer to make my own restore options.

The i5 is a good processor. The i7 is tempting, but I'd be a little concerned about the impact on battery life. IMHO, Win 7 rather than Win 8 is more an advantage than a disadvantage.

Point to note: the PCWorld i5 offer at £399 includes a discrete graphics card (my Z370 has this), whereas the i7 at £429 does not. Of course, with the faster processor, discrete graphics are probably less of an issue.

johnnyboyrebel

In addition to the above £400 odd for a laptop of that spec is about normal. Anyone that pays more than that for a Windows machine wants their head testing.

shopaholicjules

MorningI am wanting to get a new laptop for myself from Xmas money from my parents.
I use it fir surfing the net,shopping,eBay,writing some reports and might venture into downloading some music,not much to put on my phone.
It doesn't need to be all singing and dancing but want a decent one for under 400 pound
Would you recommend one of the 399 ones from currys/pc world or the dell one
I keep reading different threads and looking at different websites and am totally confused as I am not tech minded
The things I do know or have been told is to get one with the I processor and to get 4gb or above
Any advice greatly appreciated,I have been looking for days and have not got any further


Thanks
Jules