New laptop: Is it better to have dedicated Graphics or SSD

wannabeprudent

Dear All

I am looking for a new laptop with 15.6" screen with 1920 x 1080 resolution and have narrowed down to two. Both have the i5 6200U processor. The main uses will be Office, web and Minecraft. (Lots of Excel hence better resolution an advantage). Any advice appreciated

The Dell model has dedicated graphics card and 8GB RAM
http://www.dell.com/uk/p/inspiron-15-5559-laptop/pd?oc=cn55907&model_id=inspiron-15-5559-laptop#secondaryContent

The HP Model has 250GB SSD and 6GB RAM
http://store.hp.com/UKStore/Merch/Product.aspx?id=T9P32EA&opt=ABU&sel=NTB

Many thanks in advance

paddyrg

SSD, you'll regret it if you don't. The reboot time is seconds not minutes, a lot of life force is wasted with a slow hard drive.

If you get the one with the graphics card, visit crucial.com and get your own SSD and install it straight away - it's a bit of a faff though

Cisco001

dedicated Graphics as you are running minecraft.

think of it this way, you can install SSD yourself when you have spare cash, but you can never add a dedicated Graphics to laptop.

however, this is better spec than those, IMO
http://www.ebuyer.com/737456-msi-gl62-6qc-gaming-laptop-9s7-16j612-065

alternatively, this £555 at PCspecialist.
select i3-6100H to suit your budget. It use more power than i5-6200u, but performance are similar according to benchmark.
Also select m.2 ssd drive such that you can add HDD for storage yourself if you want to.

Chassis & Display
Cosmos Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD IPS LED Widescreen (1920x1080)

Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i3 Dual Core Processor i3-6100H (2.70GHz) 3MB Cache

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

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

M.2 SSD Drive
256GB M.2 2280, SATA 6Gb/s (561MB/R, 296MB/W)

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
Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack

Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-8260 M.2 (867Mbps, 802.11AC) + 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 SERIES UK KEYBOARD WITH NUMBER PAD

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

Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language

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

Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode

Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)

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 7 to 9 working days

wannabeprudent

Thanks Cisco001

The spec of the i5-6300HQ processor looks great against the i5-6200U of the other two. Seriously thinking about this one now