Replacing my Sony Vaio with a new laptop

SinDinero

The time has come. I need a new laptop, so on here for advice...as by no means am I tech-literate.

Bought a Sony Vaio VGN-NR38E back in 2009 (so it's lasted pretty much 6 and a half years - whilst falling apart bit by bit).

Spec:

CPU: Intel Pentium Dual-Core Processor T2390, Enhanced Speedstep Technology 1.86 GHz.

MEMORY: 2GB/Go DDR2 SDRAM

HDD: 160GB

WLAN: 802.11 b/g

SCREEN: 15.4 WXGA (1280 x 800)

OPTICAL: DVD RW R DL/RAM

GRAPHICS: Mobile Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X£100

OS Windows Vista Home Premium (Later up graded to Windows 7 Home)

Not sure how those stack up these days. Are there any areas I should be mostly looking to improve on?
One thing for sure is the USB speed - basically there were 4 of them which I liked but they were 2.0's - which mean it did take a LONG time to move over 140gig of stuff on to an external hard drive.

I'd buy a Sony Vaio again - though saw Sony recently gave up on the laptop market.

I basically use by laptop for everything. Playing music, watching films (so maybe a tiny screen one wouldn't be so great), Internet streaming, photo editing, word processing etc. I also take it on my travels both on the train and abroad.


Need minimum 250 HD space. (My previous one was always running 'full' - probably one of the reasons it didn't work so well towards the end).
Also with DVD/CD drive and at least a couple of USB ports.
It would also be nice to be able to run some kind of music software on it to as well as all the previously mentioned stuff.

Top end budget £400-500. Would need it in my hands in the next few days - so high street or 'next day delivery'.

So please help. I seriously haven't got a clue - I've been out of the game for so long (has much changed in recent years?)
What should I avoid?
What kind of processor, RAM?
Which operating system (I've been unlucky in the 2 computers I've had in my lifetime have had Windows Millennium and Windows Vista on them)?
Is there anything I may have overlooked? Etc.

Thanks a lot techies. and MERRY CHRISTMAS! :xmastree:

jshm2

You don't really need anything more than an intel i3 or an AMD A4 laptop. Most newer model laptop screens are HD these days as standard.

As far as your music goes. Buy a NAS drive instead of loading it onto your laptop. That way you can access it without the laptop as well as stream it to whatever device can get online.

Sony just didn't make decent money on laptops as they were too pricey for what they were offering. Try for a DELL or Toshiba as it's within your price range. Though an Asus Zenbook is slightly smaller in screen but just as good.

Cisco001

HP ProBook 450 @ £350
Intel Core i5-5200U 2.2GHz
4GB RAM + 500GB HDD
15.6" HD + WIFI
Webcam + Bluetooth
Windows 10 Home 64bit

Not the best value for its spec, but I think probook range is slightly better in quality

MSI CX61 2QF@ £500
Intel Core i5-4210M
8GB RAM + 1TB HDD
15.6" HD LED + Bluetooth
NVIDIA GeForce 940M
Webcam + Windows 10 Home 64bit

Good value for its spec, but you may not need that much of power.

PC Specialist Cosmos IV V15-940 @ £550. It is overbudget, but mentioning it due to its Full HD IPS screen

Edit: forgot to ask, how often do you go abroad or on train? I wonder if 15.6" too big/ heavy.

Fightsback

jshm2 wrote: »

AMD A4 laptop.

No, please don't

SinDinero

Fightsback wrote: »

No, please don't

Come on we're going to need more information that that.

SinDinero

Cisco001 wrote: »

Edit: forgot to ask, how often do you go abroad or on train? I wonder if 15.6" too big/ heavy.

Quite often. My current laptop fits in my bag. It's been lighter recently due to the fact that the battery broke (so I took it out).

The problem with small stuff is that it's.....well small........so not good all rounders (watching video content etc.). I guess some 'laptops' aren't that much bigger than a phone screen these days.

Fightsback

SinDinero wrote: »

Come on we're going to need more information that that.

Because the A4 is rubbish and it's long been superseded by the AMD's carizzo chips anyway. AMD are not famed for their battery life.

Here's a laptop with good battery life (I actually own a HP probook and my wife's company laptop is a G2 probook.) for £349

http://www.ebuyer.com/724689-hp-probook-450-g2-laptop-p5s40es-abu

See review here

http://www.notebookcheck.net/HP-ProBook-450-G2-Notebook-Review.137513.0.html

This laptop benefits from a 4gb RAM module upgrade which you can add for about £17.

An alternative is this as well:

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/asus-x555la-15-6-laptop-black-10135223-pdt.html

SinDinero

By the way how is Windows 10?

As I said in my original post I've been unlucky in that the 2 computers I've bought in my lifetime came installed with arguably the worst versions of Windows ever (Windows ME and Vista).

I wouldn't want to make it an expensive hat-trick!

Also i have a question about USB's. I noticed that in some of the afore posted Laptops that they have both USB 2.0 and USB 3.0. I know the higher the number the faster the data transfer.....but is there any reason why they even bother having a 2.0 USB?

Fightsback

SinDinero wrote: »

By the way how is Windows 10?

As I said in my original post I've been unlucky in that the 2 computers I've bought in my lifetime came installed with arguably the worst versions of Windows ever (Windows ME and Vista).

I wouldn't want to make it an expensive hat-trick!

You are asking the wrong person here, I use Linux most of the time.

Rum Rat will be along shorty to extol it's virtues but I swear he owns shares in the company

It runs on my daughter's old Sony SR-26 and so far not had any issues with it, it's a vast improvement over windows 8. It's nowhere near awful as Vista and ME, they were two shockers.

prosaver

http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/acer-aspire-es1-411-14-laptop-black-10138732-pdt.html

Fightsback

prosaver wrote: »

http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/acer-aspire-es1-411-14-laptop-black-10138732-pdt.html

Slow, horrible, overpriced and only useful as toilet paper. Do not go anywhere near celeron processors unless you are skint or wish to inflict them on the very young or very old.