Laptop recommendations please?

Mikki

Hope some of you can help!

I'm looking for a desktop replacement laptop. It will probably be in use most of the day, for general web browsing, YouTube, Netflix etc, programming, general computer stuff e.g. spreadsheets etc, occasionally for Minecraft.

Not really sure what I need! Would a 15" screen suffice or would I be better going for a 17"? I use it a lot throughout the day so a good quality screen is important.

Not too fussed about weight or battery life as I can't see it ever having to leave the house!

Budget is around £6-700, but could perhaps stretch a bit more for the best laptop for my needs, and ideally not needing to upgrade for another 4-5yrs, if that's possible?!

I don't want a touchscreen / hybrid, nor a Mac! Oh, I'd like a numeric keypad cos I use that a lot, actually, thinking a 17" might give me a better keyboard layout?

So, should I be looking at i7 and at least 8GB RAM, or could I get away with less? Haven't bought a laptop for years so really no clue, but my current one is about to die so I'd better get it sorted!

TIA!

bsod

expand on the spec and problem with your current one?

I7 isn't necessary and you could get away with less ram, but the difference in price between 4 and 8 is minimal. 17" might be better if it's not going to move around and you want a numeric keypad

Mikki

Thanks for your reply.

Current laptop is a Sony Vaio I've had for about 5yrs. It's a 15", i3 CPU,4GB mem and 320GB hard drive (I think!).

It's slow, constantly overheating & shutting down, the battery is gubbed and I think the hard drive is about to die! I can't watch anything on it - it just can't cope, and can only have 1 tab at a time open otherwise it overheats & shuts down! Yes, I could get a new battery, fan, hard drive etc, give it a good clean out, but I've had it over 5 yrs and think it might be better putting the money towards something shiny & new??

I've cleaned up the drive, defragged etc but it's still painfully slow. Think it's time for a new one!

bsod

it's time for a re-install

a gubbed battery can contribute to overheating, how gubbed is gubbed, does the battery get hot, does the battery matter if it's used in the house

NiftyDigits

and probably to clean the heatsink, possibly with some compressed air. Five year old laptop should still be capable of smooth performance for general browsing. Mine is six years old.

What's the full model number of the machine?

teddysmum

I have had a 17inch (Medion) for a number of years and would hate to go back to a smaller screen.


It is heavier, but I don't carry it about much and even then it's only between car and house.

CoastalWarrior

I don't want to go into specs but I've always used Asus and definitely recommend them.

Cisco001

Here are my pick, based on spec vs price

Pcspecialist The 17.3" Cosmos IV. £760


Chassis & Display
Cosmos Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD LED Widescreen (1920x1080)

Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i5 Quad Core Processor 6300HQ (2.3GHz, 3.2GHz Turbo)

Memory (RAM)
8GB Kingston SODIMM DDR3 1600MHz (1 x 8GB)

Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 940M - 2.0GB DDR3 Video RAM - DirectX® 12

Memory - Hard Disk
1TB SERIAL ATA II 2.5" HARD DRIVE WITH 8MB CACHE (5,400rpm)

mSATA/M.2 SSD Drive
250GB Crucial MX200 M.2 2280 SSD (upto 555MB/sR | 500MB/sW)

DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
8x SATA DVD±R/RW/Dual Layer (+ 24x CD-RW)

Memory Card Reader
Internal 9 in 1 Card Reader (MMC/RSMMC/SD: Mini, XC & HC/MS: Pro & Duo)

Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING

Sound Card
Via® 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack

Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® N-7265 M.2 (300Mbps, 802.11BGN) + BLUETOOTH

USB Options
3 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT AS STANDARD

Battery
Cosmos Series 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (48.84WH)

Power Lead & Adaptor
1 x UK Power Lead & 90W AC Adaptor

Keyboard Language
COSMOS 17" SERIES UK KEYBOARD WITH NUMBER PAD (NON-BACKLIT)

Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£79)

Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365

Anti-Virus
BULLGUARD INTERNET SECURITY - FREE 90 DAY TRIAL

Notebook Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE

Webcam
INTEGRATED 2.0 MEGAPIXEL WEBCAM

Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)

Insurance
1 Month Free Laptop Insurance inc. Accidental Damage & Theft

Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)

Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 4 to 6 working days

Cisco001

£650 savonlaptops
Cube Chameleon CP-7860
Intel® Core™ i7-4710MQ Haswell Quad Core Processor
17.3" Full HD Matte Screen
Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64bit
8GB DDR3 RAM
1000GB 7200RPM HDD
DVD Rewriter
Dedicated GTX 860M 2GB Graphics
USB3 | HDMI | Bluetooth
1 Year Cube Warranty

Cisco001

Cube Chameleon CZ-7840 £570
Intel® Core™ i5-4210M Haswell Dual Core Processor
17.3" Full HD Matte Screen
Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64bit
8GB DDR3 RAM
1000GB 7200 RPM HDD
DVD Rewriter
Dedicated GT 840M 2GB Graphics
USB3 | HDMI | Bluetooth
1 Year Cube Warranty

Cisco001

ASUS X751LA-TY042H £450 @ savonlaptops
Intel Core i7-4500U Dual Core Processor
17.3" HD+ Screen
Microsoft Windows 8.1 64-bit
8GB DDR3 RAM
1000GB HDD
DVD Rewriter
Integrated Graphics
USB3 | HDMI