Recommend me a laptop

Cina

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If you're going that all out you should really get an SSD. They're mint.
 

KingEric7

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What are they out of interest? A quick Google tells me it's some sort of hard-drive but I'm too computer illiterate beyond that to understand more.

I'm using your recommendation of pcspecialist.co.uk and think you can get them on there, but I really am pushing my budget a lot and will only get it if it's really worth it.
 

Cina

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Well they are a lot more expensive and provide less space, but essentially they're non moving hard drives, so they make no noise, and they're also far, far faster than a standard HD is. They can considerably lower how long it takes your computer to start/shut down and load stuff.

My work laptop for example, used to take around 45 seconds to start up, they gave me an SSD for it, and now it takes around 10 seconds total.

If it's pushing your budget a lot, just get 8GB of RAM instead of 16GB (you don't really need that), or maybe a slightly less powerful i7.
 

KingEric7

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Ah right, so you don't necessarily put one in as well? Would that be completely pointless? The processor is unfortunately the most important thing because I want to try and emulate PS2 and Wii games but I'll probably go for 8GB RAM like you say. Everything I read tells me that anything more than that is overkill.
 

Cina

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As well as a normal HD? I know places like pcspecialist have options where you can put a 32GB cached SSD in too, basically just use that to install the Operating System and then use the HD for everything else. It's a good middle ground for having both the faster start/loading speeds as well as still having lots of inbuilt storage, but I don't think it actually works out much cheaper than flat out getting an SSD.

The difference in terms of performance and price in the top end i7's isn't (in my opinion) really substantial enough to justify the costs. Once you hit i7 territory you're going into total overkill anyway. A 3740QM wuld be fine and it's £100 cheaper than the 3840.

EDIT: If you're really not pushed about getting an SSD, I would at least recommend getting a WD Scorpio Black HD, they won't give you the performance boost an SSD will but they are definitely faster than a standard HD and considerably cheaper than an SSD is. They're basically as close as you can get to an SSD without having to buy an SSD.
 

Revan

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Hello, sorry again. Final piece of advice if anyone can help.

I've decided to go all out on this next laptop in an attempt to make it reasonably top drawer for a good few years. It'll take a bit longer to save up for but I'm currently looking at:

i7-3840qm - 2.8ghz -3.8ghz quad core
GTX 670 MX Nvidia - 3GB
8-16GB RAM
1TB hard-drive

I've looked all over but was wondering if anyone knew of one that could be found for less than £1250? Help much appreciated again, I am going to be absolutely skint after this. :lol:
I completely agree with Cina here, KingEric7. 8GB or RAM memory is sufficient, while a SSD wouldn't hurt. In fact it will make a computer a lot faster and then together with the OS you can install the application you use mostly, like your favorite games etc.

This computer is pretty expensive but it is really an absolute beast, you can at-least say that you have the best laptop in the Caf. The CPU and GPU are some of the best available for a laptop. The processor should emulate PS2 games without a problem, and you can also go with a i7 of generation three that would cost a bit less to compensate for SSD. And in the end of the day this laptop still costs less than a Macbook Pro which is inferior in every way.
 

JezChan

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I'm in the market for an ultra book, and I've been looking at the Gigabyte U2442 series. The newest one, the U2442D is standing out to me.

i5-3230M 2.6GHz-3.2GHz Dual Core
14" HD+ 1600x900, matte
8GB DDR3 RAM (2 slots)
NVIDIA GT 730M 2GB
128GB mSATA SSD + empty 2.5" slot
Max. thickness 21mm, mass ~1.7 kg with one SSD

For ~£800 (plus the cost of an additional HDD), I'm struggling to find another ultrabook which packs as much punch for the price.

Can anyone recommend a better alternative?
 

KingEric7

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As well as a normal HD? I know places like pcspecialist have options where you can put a 32GB cached SSD in too, basically just use that to install the Operating System and then use the HD for everything else. It's a good middle ground for having both the faster start/loading speeds as well as still having lots of inbuilt storage, but I don't think it actually works out much cheaper than flat out getting an SSD.

The difference in terms of performance and price in the top end i7's isn't (in my opinion) really substantial enough to justify the costs. Once you hit i7 territory you're going into total overkill anyway. A 3740QM wuld be fine and it's £100 cheaper than the 3840.

EDIT: If you're really not pushed about getting an SSD, I would at least recommend getting a WD Scorpio Black HD, they won't give you the performance boost an SSD will but they are definitely faster than a standard HD and considerably cheaper than an SSD is. They're basically as close as you can get to an SSD without having to buy an SSD.
Brilliant, cheers for all that Cina. I was confused because of that option but it seems I was getting mixed up between that extra drive you can get and the actual SSD main hard-drive type thing itself. Will look into SSDs and WD Scorpio Black's then before making a decision.
 

KingEric7

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I completely agree with Cina here, KingEric7. 8GB or RAM memory is sufficient, while a SSD wouldn't hurt. In fact it will make a computer a lot faster and then together with the OS you can install the application you use mostly, like your favorite games etc.

This computer is pretty expensive but it is really an absolute beast, you can at-least say that you have the best laptop in the Caf. The CPU and GPU are some of the best available for a laptop. The processor should emulate PS2 games without a problem, and you can also go with a i7 of generation three that would cost a bit less to compensate for SSD. And in the end of the day this laptop still costs less than a Macbook Pro which is inferior in every way.
Thanks Revan, yeah I'll definitely go for the 8gb. I've never actually had a really good laptop or computer but I've been saving up for a while now and thought I may as well splash out on that. Amazing what you save by comparison when you stop wasting all your cash on weed. :lol:
 

One Night Only

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Could do with a hand on a new laptop here. Struggling to search properly using just my iPhone

Have seen a Lenovo g505 for 297 pound on laptops direct. Will probably only be used for general browsing, downloading movies/tv/music, and maybe an occassional game (fm or something). This laptop any good? Seems to tick all the boxes but I don't know much about processors or other stuff.

There are others which look similar with smaller HDDs/different processors for around 250 quid.

Lenovo are a decent make aren't they? I'm open to suggestions, just thought this looked like an ok price for an ok laptop.
 

Revan

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Could do with a hand on a new laptop here. Struggling to search properly using just my iPhone

Have seen a Lenovo g505 for 297 pound on laptops direct. Will probably only be used for general browsing, downloading movies/tv/music, and maybe an occassional game (fm or something). This laptop any good? Seems to tick all the boxes but I don't know much about processors or other stuff.

There are others which look similar with smaller HDDs/different processors for around 250 quid.

Lenovo are a decent make aren't they? I'm open to suggestions, just thought this looked like an ok price for an ok laptop.
It's alright for browsing, movies etc but you won't be able to play video games on it. FM most likely will run ok, but games that have graphics and are released on the last 5 years or so won't run on it.
 

One Night Only

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If you're not buying a new laptop with an SSD drive, you might as well wait and get one.
Fast startup time doesn't really bother me. The price difference isn't justified for me.
It's alright for browsing, movies etc but you won't be able to play video games on it. FM most likely will run ok, but games that have graphics and are released on the last 5 years or so won't run on it.
Ah well it should do, it's basically a stop gap laptop till I get a more stable job anyway. Need it for CVs and the like. Is the extra 47 worth it for that Lenovo or should I just go with the 250 one? The only difference I see is the hdd size and a different processor?

Cheers for the replies lads
 

Cina

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SSD offers far more than just booting up Windows faster. It makes for a far better overall experience too.
 

Il Prete Rosso

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Fast startup time doesn't really bother me. The price difference isn't justified for me.


Ah well it should do, it's basically a stop gap laptop till I get a more stable job anyway. Need it for CVs and the like. Is the extra 47 worth it for that Lenovo or should I just go with the 250 one? The only difference I see is the hdd size and a different processor?

Cheers for the replies lads
Not just for booting up buddy; the machine just performs better overall.
 

One Night Only

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SSD offers far more than just booting up Windows faster. It makes for a far better overall experience too.
Those with ssds are probably out of my price range at the moment. I am expecting to get a powerful laptop/desktop by the end of the year.

I know they're said to be more stable/hard wearing than HDDs due to no moving parts.

How extensively has it been tested though? Must have been ages tbh.
 

Il Prete Rosso

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2 people say the same thing at the same time... I'll have to look online again tonight and see the prices. Really didn't want to spend more than 300 on a laptop ATM.
To be honest it really depends on what you're going to use it for mostly. I won't spend money on an SSD laptop if I'm mainly a MS Office person or simply a 'files' user. If you like to play movies and do a lot of other things simultaneously then I would recommend the SSD.
 

Revan

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Ah well it should do, it's basically a stop gap laptop till I get a more stable job anyway. Need it for CVs and the like. Is the extra 47 worth it for that Lenovo or should I just go with the 250 one? The only difference I see is the hdd size and a different processor?

Cheers for the replies lads
I don't think that SSD in this case is worth it that much. You want a cheap laptop and if you look on that the specs are low end (an ok processor but not that powerful, only 4GB of RAM, no GPU) so in this case I wouldn't get an SSD. I think that SSD is mandatory if you want a high end computer and if you get also other parts very powerful then it is worthy to spend some money to get a SSD. But if you go with a computer mainly for browsing, movies, Office etc then I wouldn't bother to get a SSD.

About should you get that Lenovo or something else, well without specifying those other options I doubt that someone can give you an answer :)

Edit: SSD significantly improves the process of opening football manager.
 

One Night Only

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I don't think that SSD in this case is worth it that much. You want a cheap laptop and if you look on that the specs are low end (an ok processor but not that powerful, only 4GB of RAM, no GPU) so in this case I wouldn't get an SSD. I think that SSD is mandatory if you want a high end computer and if you get also other parts very powerful then it is worthy to spend some money to get a SSD. But if you go with a computer mainly for browsing, movies, Office etc then I wouldn't bother to get a SSD.

About should you get that Lenovo or something else, well without specifying those other options I doubt that someone can give you an answer :)

Edit: SSD significantly improves the process of opening football manager.
Just thought someone else may have bought a sub 300 laptop recently or seen a good deal somewhere.

Using an iPhone to find a new laptop is an absolute nightmare.

The laptop will probably be rarely used to do multiple things, maybe browse a website while listening to music. May attempt using google sketch up too, but if it doesn't run properly it's no biggie.