Laptop for university

lonestarfan

Ive copied this from the help me find a tablet thread as I'd like to explore the laptop more now.
I posted -: Can you help me with identifying the spec for a laptop for nephew for university in Sept.
He plays football manager (takes a lot of space?). will use it for watching sky sports & sky go, Facebook, twitter, Skype, steam? What on earth is steam? Spotify, iTunes, iPhone backing up etc, live tv, buying and playing and maybe down loading music, playing DVDs of TV shows maybe, Email, office, powerpoint, publisher etc for uni work and wifi printing.
I need to buy him a printer & a laptop.
Can't see when he can do any uni work with football manager, Facebook. twitter lol.
Haven't got a budget for it as I'd like to know what do we need and how much does that cost and then see where the compromise has to be if I can't afford it. I've seen stuff at £750 which seems to have what we need. That's a lot of money! I've got a few months yet and have at times dipped in and out of similar threads.

Quote:
Originally Posted by NiftyDigits
This ACER Aspire V3-571G for £380 is the kind of thing that I imagine that he would like.
Pair it with a £30 three year extended warranty and you're off.
Sillygoose also replied :-
Thats a pretty good opener... great RAM and not left wanting for anything hardware wise but I am not a fan of the i3-3110 CPU, I feel it would be too weedy for the multi use, I would up the budget enough for an i7 based device, it benchmarks 3x faster (or a good AMD version)

I've looked at the Acer and its made me realise I should have said that if possible I'd like a larger screen as he's going to watch TV on it as I don't think I'm buying him a seperate tv.

lonestarfan

But then maybe I don't need a large screen if he's got to carry it around a lot. Need to check with him is he intending to take it to lectures or just have it at his halls. Space is an issue in his halls as its a small room so a printer & desktop would take up a lot of room so a laptop is best just not sure about the screen now. But another criteria should be 'not too heavy' maybe?

NiftyDigits

Then you are looking at what is usually named as a 'Desktop Replacement'.
Again, another ACER fits nicely into this slot; ACER Aspire V3-771G(NX.M1ZEK.005) from Argos Outlet for £453.98. Has a 3rd generation i5 processor, Full HD resolution screen and dedicated graphics. But then you miss out of the chance to pair it with that extended warranty.

Acer Aspire V3-771G Specifications Processor Intel® Core™ i5-3210M Dual Core (2.5GHz, Intel Ivy Bridge Architecture, 3MB Cache, Intel Turbo Boost up to 3.1GHz)
Screen 17.3" (Acer, LED Backlit, 1920x1080 Full HD Resolution)
Operating System Microsoft Windows 8 64-bit
RAM 6GB (DDR3)
Hard Drive 500GB
Optical Drive Blu-Ray (Blu-Ray HD Play back + DVD-RW & CD-RW)
Graphics Dedicated (NVIDIA GeForce GT 630M with 1GB Dedicated Memory)
Wireless LAN Wireless (802.11b/g/n Wireless)
Network Card 10/100/1000 Gigabit Fast Ethernet
Integrated Webcam Integrated Webcam with Microphone
Card Reader 5-in-1 card reader (SD//MS/MS-Pro/MMC/xD-Picture card™)
USB Ports 4x USB 2.0 Ports
Bluetooth Bluetooth 4.0
Speakers Integrated Sound System
VGA Port 1 External VGA Port
Kensington Lock Kensington lock slot
Charge Time 2.5 Hours
HDMI 1x HDMI Port
Keyboard Type Laptop Keyboard
Warranty 12 Months with Argos Outlet
Battery Life 2-3 Hours (up to 3 hours with power management)
Weight 3-4 Kg (This Model 3.5 Kg)

More details here

Argos Outlet quotes 1TB for the HDD capacity(?) They often get the specs wrong on their website. So it could have 8GB RAM too. But the graphics card may differ, as some models have the NVIDIA GeForce 710M 1 GB. Notably the Acer V3-771G-53238G1TBDCakk(NX.RZJEK.014) But that one has only a 15.6" screen, so it can't be that model they are selling.

On closer inspection, Argos appear to have got it wrong again , as some are suggesting that the Argos model has only 1600 x 900 pixel resolution and the NVIDIA GeForce 710M 1 GB.

Either way, it can be returned without quibbling.

As to the weight...he's a boy. He can get a suitable backpack.

Basil1234

good post there nifty you want this no argos has mucked it up :rotfl:

right lonestarfan heres my little post
dell inspirion 17" screen
Processor

• 3rd Generation Intel® Core™ i5-3337U processor (3M Cache, up to 2.70 GHz)

Operating System

• Windows 8 64bit, English

Display

• 17.3in HD+ (1600 x 900) Backlit Display with Truelife

Memory2

• 4GB3 DDR3 SDRAM at 1600MHz

Hard Drive

• 1TB 5400 RPM Hard Drive

Video Card

• AMD Radeon™ HD 7670M 1G DDR3

Optical Drive

• 8x DVD+/-RW Optical Drive

Case Colour

• LCD Back Cover : Black

Wireless

• Dell Wireless 1704 Card (802.11n + BT 4.0)

Security Software

• McAfee® SecurityCenter 15 Month Subscription

Primary Battery

• Primary 6-cell 65 W/Hr

Services and Support

• 1 yr Next Day In-Home Service

Advertised System Weight

• 2.64 kg.

---

right think this is best for his needs i5 3rd gen, 1gig graphics card,4gb ram should take care of most things and 1tb hardrive. also is wireless etc etc etc
costs £449 including vat and shipping including atm the £80 off so keep that in mind!
although i personally not a fan of windows 8 but they all shipping with that these days. my personal preference is windows 7 but thats just me!
anyway links below hope it helps

on right hand side of screen with E-Value Code: n0037130
https://www.dell.com/uk/p/inspiron-17-3721/fs#overrides=

actual machine below
https://www.dell.com/uk/p/inspiron-17-3721/pd?oc=n0037130&model_id=inspiron-17-3721

i think is good machine for the money but others may disagree btw steam is an online gaming company which have got there mits into alot of games!

btw regards extended warranties i dont believe in them but comes with a year if something goes wrong usually in first year im typing this on my dell inspiron from dell outlet had it about 4-5 years now only thing to go has been battery but i left my running on charger overnight alot because had to stay on so that was my fault but new battery of ebay to the largest 9 cell you can fit cost me £30 new but that is not dell one still going fine no issues either!
anyway extra warranty
2years £86.25
3years £155
imho better off hanging onto money and if goes wrong just pay when it does he is not complete idiot the lad your buying for is he?

anyway hope this has helped a bit
basil :beer:

lonestarfan

Very impressed with the 3 of you as I thought I'd spend £750 and most suggestions are no more than £500. Leaves £250 for the tv licence, the printer and still some left over thank you.


Should I buy now bearing in mind he doesn't start til Sept?


Ps had a giggle at the backpack remark - you are right. He's a strong lad he'll manage. He'll be well made up with a good laptop as his toshiba he's had for 5yrs is a bit naff now.

lonestarfan

Basil1234 wrote: »

imho better off hanging onto money and if goes wrong just pay when it does he is not complete idiot the lad your buying for is he?

anyway hope this has helped a bit
basil :beer:

Having re read your post I think you mean is he any good with IT. I'd say he's no clue really. I havent been able to teach him as he lives a long way from me. So he'll need lots of support if it goes wrong but the university and the Library has a dedicated IT section on a helpline and on site presence and other students can help him. So he'll be ok I think. At least there's loads of Machines in the library to use if it goes wrong and the library is open 24 hours!!

NiftyDigits

Basil1234 wrote: »

good post there nifty you want this no argos has mucked it up :rotfl:

right lonestarfan heres my little post
dell inspirion 17" screen
<snip>
basil :beer:

Good specs. A bit functional looking and shame about the cost of an extended warranty. Other than that, it seems to fit the bill.

Yeah, Argos and their lacklustre listings. They just can't seem to get it right. On the surface a Full HD screen(1920 x 1080 pixels) etc looked quite good.

lonestarfan

Not sure whether to choose the acer or dell

Should I buy now bearing in mind he doesn't start til Sept?

NiftyDigits

I wouldn't go for the ACER as the specs are likely wrong for the Argos machine. Shame, as it would have covered all bases and has a better processor to boot. The DELL has slightly better graphics to make up for the slightly worse processor. I just left it up for the specs.
DELL specs are ok. New generation of Intel processors due in a few months, so that might push the prices of the previous generations down.. On the other hand, many will be buying for study in September.

What is the full model number of the Toshiba? It may be possible to breathe new life in to it.

Basil1234

also as a thought prices may drop but you won't see significant price drop imho!
personally if it was me i would buy it now, give it to him now. give you some time to bed him in with it and any issues he may have and a chance to sort out any issues.
so come sept he is comfortable with it hit the ground running and set up to his tastes etc etc.
just make sure hes got good av some anti-malware also ccleaner to keep it all running sweet. its the rubbish that gets in that slow them down over time!

lonestarfan

Basil1234 wrote: »

also as a thought prices may drop but you won't see significant price drop imho!
personally if it was me i would buy it now, give it to him now. give you some time to bed him in with it and any issues he may have and a chance to sort out any issues.
so come sept he is comfortable with it hit the ground running and set up to his tastes etc etc.
just make sure hes got good av some anti-malware also ccleaner to keep it all running sweet. its the rubbish that gets in that slow them down over time!

Good approach to take. Thanks. So nifty thinks the Acer might not be specified correctly so it leaves the dell.
My dell e521 has been fine but grandmas dell e521 bought at same time has been a nightmare for 6 years. Just read my history of posts and you'll see. Should've sent it back within 1st year but it was intermittent faults, hard to identify etc
I didn't send it back and its been a pain. Not sure how I feel about buying him a dell now that I think about it. But if we think its the best spec for what we need then ill give it a go.
What would be a good av and anti malware?
I only use Microsoft essentials.