Buying a Laptop: The current Generation

aaronmcc1231

I'm going into my first year of college in August and was wondering if anybody has any recommendations for a laptop. I've a budget of around €600, and I'm going to be studying Computer and Information Technology if that helps in recommending one.

aaronmcc1231

aaronmcc1231 wrote: »

I'm going into my first year of college in August and was wondering if anybody has any recommendations for a laptop. I've a budget of around €600, and I'm going to be studying Computer and Information Technology if that helps in recommending one.

I just finished up doing IT degree myself this year. There isn't really much heavy duty stuff that you would need any crazy specs for, just some programming and database stuff is about the hardest it might get on the computer.

This should do you fine for the few years:
http://www.laptopsdirect.ie/refurbished-grade-a2-hp-pavilion-15-ab291sa-core-i5-6200u-8gb-2tb-15.6-inch-a2-p5p73ea-w10/version.asp

Good luck with the course, hope you enjoy it as much as I did mine.

edit: Forgot to mention this is a refurb but I have been buying refurbs throughout college because you get much better spec laptops for a much lower price and personally speaking I have never had trouble with a refurb.

aaronmcc1231

Deleted User wrote: »

I just finished up doing IT degree myself this year. There isn't really much heavy duty stuff that you would need any crazy specs for, just some programming and database stuff is about the hardest it might get on the computer.

Good luck with the course, hope you enjoy it as much as I did mine.

edit: Forgot to mention this is a refurb but I have been buying refurbs throughout college because you get much better spec laptops for a much lower price and personally speaking I have never had trouble with a refurb.

Thanks for the suggestion! Looks to have good specs(much better than the yolk I'm currently using) and the price point checks out. Will definitely be looking into getting it!

twerg_85

Hi, any thoughts on this for €450?
http://www.elara.ie/productdetail.aspx?productcode=WCE80S2000DUK

Core i3 5th gen, ssd (I have external hdd) and 15" screen.

Any major pitfalls?

Thanks!

..Brian..

Budget: e300

Intended use: General web browsing, emails, office, youtube, skype etc

Mobility: Looking for something about 15"

Warranty: Is a warranty important? Not really important but if the price is right ...

OS? Win10

Additional info: SSD boot drive essential.



So am I dreaming for this kinda money?

mordeith

..Brian.. wrote: »

Budget: e300

Intended use: General web browsing, emails, office, youtube, skype etc

Mobility: Looking for something about 15"

Warranty: Is a warranty important? Not really important but if the price is right ...

OS? Win10

Additional info: SSD boot drive essential.



So am I dreaming for this kinda money?

You're probably looking at a Chromebook (example) for that money unless you go 2nd hand.

..Brian..

Didn't think of them, any reason not to?

Kirk Van Houten

Looking for recommendations for a 17" laptop mainly for browsing, excel, word etc Would prefer new rather than refurbish. Budget of around 550/600. All advice appreciated.
Kirk

mordeith

..Brian.. wrote: »

Didn't think of them, any reason not to?

Won't be much storage and multi tasking prob not great. Might suit your needs well enough. Best check reviews cos screens and build quality can vary

..Brian..

..Brian.. wrote: »

Budget: e300

Intended use: General web browsing, emails, office, youtube, skype etc

Mobility: Looking for something about 15"

Warranty: Is a warranty important? Not really important but if the price is right ...

OS? Win10

Additional info: SSD boot drive essential.



So am I dreaming for this kinda money?

The best laptop I can find for that price is this:
http://www.laptopsdirect.ie/a1-refurbished-dell-e5420-core-i5-2520m-2.5ghz-4gb-320gb-dvdrw-wifi-webcam-a1-e5420/version.asp

No SSD but you are spending 300 euro :P You aren't going to get a great laptop with a SSD for anywhere near 300. If you want a chromebook you will get something with a 16gb ssd for 300 but you wont be able to run Office or any windows programs, even though you can use alternatives like Google Docs etc.

..Brian..

Thanks, having a look around for that website. Any reason not to go for a refurbished laptop? I presume the A1 rating gs means as new?

sadie9

Looking to buy a 13.3in Laptop.

Budget: up to 700 euros incl. delivery.

Intended use: Email, internet, Word, Excel (simple), Skype conf calls.

Mobility: Mobility important, has to be light and portable, easy to use any room of the house. And light weight carry out to meetings. Also want to use propped up tent style as video viewer so need decent display. Hence the 13.3 size seems idea.

LAN: Need wired Lan/ethernet port as back up for internet is important.

Warranty: A year at least.

What Operating System do you use? Happier with Windows.

Curb Your Enthusiasm

..Brian.. wrote: »

Budget: e300

Intended use: General web browsing, emails, office, youtube, skype etc

Mobility: Looking for something about 15"

Warranty: Is a warranty important? Not really important but if the price is right ...

OS? Win10

Additional info: SSD boot drive essential.



So am I dreaming for this kinda money?

Add an extra €70 and get this: http://www.tesco.com/direct/hp-250-g4-156-inch-laptop-core-i5-windows-10-home-4gb-ram-128gb-ssd-black/447-5385.prd

David1997

Looking to buy a laptop over the summer as I start college in September. Hoping to do medicine, don't know if that's of any relevance. Any recommendations around the €400/€500 mark? Want something fast, reliable and easily portable.

scrapsmac

Budget: e600 / £500 (I'm living up North)

Intended use: Starting a Comp Science course in Sept / Low level Video Editing (Go Pro type stuff) / Viewing photos

Mobility: 14/15" - Something portable would be nice

Warranty: Preferably ...

OS? Win10

Additional info: SSD essential

Thanks in advance! :cool:

Alanstrainor

scrapsmac wrote: »

Budget: e600 / £500 (I'm living up North)

Intended use: Starting a Comp Science course in Sept / Low level Video Editing (Go Pro type stuff) / Viewing photos

Mobility: 14/15" - Something portable would be nice

Warranty: Preferably ...

OS? Win10

Additional info: SSD essential

Thanks in advance! :cool:

Although lower end machines are starting to come with SSDs you're not going to get any decent space for your budget. You might have to factor in upgrading to an SSD yourself.

scrapsmac

Alanstrainor wrote: »

Although lower end machines are starting to come with SSDs you're not going to get any decent space for your budget. You might have to factor in upgrading to an SSD yourself.

Thanks Alan,

Any recommendations in that case for my budget? I could probably stretch to £550 for the right set-up.

Cheers!

scrapsmac

scrapsmac wrote: »

Thanks Alan,

Any recommendations in that case for my budget? I could probably stretch to £550 for the right set-up.

Cheers!

I would go with a laptop like this:
http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/refurbished-grade-a1-hp-pavilion-core-i5-6200u-8gb-2tb-15.5-inch-windows-1-a1-n7k30ea-w10/version.asp

Then buy an SSD:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-inch-Solid-State-Drive/dp/B00P736UEU/ref=sr_1_3?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1467283856&sr=1-3&keywords=ssd

That all comes to £410 + delivery. I bought a A1 refurb recently when I needed a laptop and it came as new. I then also bought the SSD on Amazon and put it into the laptop. For 500 I got a laptop with a 250GB ssd, 8gb ram and an i5, that is amazing value all for under 500.

scrapsmac

Deleted User wrote: »

I would go with a laptop like this:
http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/refurbished-grade-a1-hp-pavilion-core-i5-6200u-8gb-2tb-15.5-inch-windows-1-a1-n7k30ea-w10/version.asp

Then buy an SSD:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-inch-Solid-State-Drive/dp/B00P736UEU/ref=sr_1_3?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1467283856&sr=1-3&keywords=ssd

That all comes to £410 + delivery. I bought a A1 refurb recently when I needed a laptop and it came as new. I then also bought the SSD on Amazon and put it into the laptop. For 500 I got a laptop with a 250GB ssd, 8gb ram and an i5, that is amazing value all for under 500.

Would this be any good?

http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/lenovo-yoga-500-14-2-in-1-white-10137561-pdt.html

Might plum for it and pop an SSD in down the line?

Jaybird1610

Budget: 500 €
Intended use: every day (web browsing, youtube, word/excel/powerpoint , Digital art (mostly Paint tool Sai) )
Mobility isn't an issue (home computer )
OS : Windows
Warranty : sure I guess ?

Been using an Acer Aspire 5738z for 5-ish years but cant seem to find anything that reads to be as reliable as it ?

scrapsmac

scrapsmac wrote: »

Would this be any good?

http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/lenovo-yoga-500-14-2-in-1-white-10137561-pdt.html

Might plum for it and pop an SSD in down the line?

I suppose specs wise it would be, it is 8gb of ram, 6th gen i5 and good storage with a SSHD, the graphics card is very low powered (intel intergrated hd6000 is better). I never used any of the flip/rotating screen laptops before, I prefer good ole traditional laptops Also I dont like Lenovo but that is personal preference.

You did so though that you want mobility and that will for sure be mobile.

Deleted User

Deleted User wrote: »

I would go with a laptop like this:
http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/refurbished-grade-a1-hp-pavilion-core-i5-6200u-8gb-2tb-15.5-inch-windows-1-a1-n7k30ea-w10/version.asp

Then buy an SSD:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-inch-Solid-State-Drive/dp/B00P736UEU/ref=sr_1_3?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1467283856&sr=1-3&keywords=ssd

That all comes to £410 + delivery. I bought a A1 refurb recently when I needed a laptop and it came as new. I then also bought the SSD on Amazon and put it into the laptop. For 500 I got a laptop with a 250GB ssd, 8gb ram and an i5, that is amazing value all for under 500.

This might suit you.

Jaybird1610 wrote: »

Budget: 500 €
Intended use: every day (web browsing, youtube, word/excel/powerpoint , Digital art (mostly Paint tool Sai) )
Mobility isn't an issue (home computer )
OS : Windows
Warranty : sure I guess ?

Been using an Acer Aspire 5738z for 5-ish years but cant seem to find anything that reads to be as reliable as it ?

scrapsmac

Deleted User wrote: »

I suppose specs wise it would be, it is 8gb of ram, 6th gen i5 and good storage with a SSHD, the graphics card is very low powered (intel intergrated hd6000 is better). I never used any of the flip/rotating screen laptops before, I prefer good ole traditional laptops Also I dont like Lenovo but that is personal preference.

You did so though that you want mobility and that will for sure be mobile.

Will the graphics card in this hold me back for light video editing? I play the odd strategy game too (cities skyline )

Froggy123

Hi all,

I am looking to upgrade my current laptop.

Budget: 500 - 700
Intended use: everyday (Web browsing, netflix) and Work (Data analysis in excel and access)
OS : Windows

My current laptop has the below spec's, and is now quite slow so am looking for something that is a lot quicker.

Model: HP Pavilion dv5 Notebook pC
Processor: Intel (R) Core (TM) 2 Duo CPU P7350 @2.00GHz
Memory: 3.00GB

Any advice appreciated.

Thanks

Jaybird1610

[Deleted User] wrote: »

This might suit you.

Thanks ! Its a bit over my budget (its in pounds ?) But Ill probably save a little extra and see in a few weeks

Curb Your Enthusiasm

Hi all

Thoughts on this laptop?

http://store.hp.com/UKStore/Merch/Product.aspx?sel=NTB&id=T9P13EA&opt=ABU

Curb Your Enthusiasm

Curb Your Enthusiasm wrote: »

Hi all

Thoughts on this laptop?

http://store.hp.com/UKStore/Merch/Product.aspx?sel=NTB&id=T9P13EA&opt=ABU

What do you want to use the laptop for?

Curb Your Enthusiasm

[Deleted User] wrote: »

What do you want to use the laptop for?

General home usage. Would like something fast. Good value?

Alanstrainor

Curb Your Enthusiasm wrote: »

General home usage. Would like something fast. Good value?

256GB SSD will make that machine blazing fast. The CPU/APU probably isn't the best, but to be honest it wont make a difference for your usage. I'd say it's a good buy.

Curb Your Enthusiasm

Curb Your Enthusiasm wrote: »

General home usage. Would like something fast. Good value?

Id say try get something with an intel but I totally hate anything amd in laptops The ssd will make things go fast for sure, the biggest improvement people will see these days is switching from a hdd to a ssd.

Curb Your Enthusiasm

Alanstrainor wrote: »

256GB SSD will make that machine blazing fast. The CPU/APU probably isn't the best, but to be honest it wont make a difference for your usage. I'd say it's a good buy.

Good value you think? €450.

Alanstrainor

Curb Your Enthusiasm wrote: »

Good value you think? €450.

I think it is. Most laptops in this price range don't have as good spec. 256GB SSD in this price range is unheard of; but things are clearly changing. The main point where this falls down is the CPU, but this wont matter.

Trond

Looking at upgrading the ram and installing an ssd drive on an old Dell Inspiron.

I've seen what I need on Elara but it seems a bit pricy...Whats the best website these days??

Alanstrainor

Trond wrote: »

Looking at upgrading the ram and installing an ssd drive on an old Dell Inspiron.

I've seen what I need on Elara but it seems a bit pricy...Whats the best website these days??

Crucial.com? Well there for the memory at least. Amazon.co.uk should sort you for the SSD. Great deals at the moment.

commited

My faithful Lenovo G570 fried itself last night following nearly 5 years of loyal service, I think it's the motherboard. It was €255 mega deal (i3-2310m, 4GB ram, 640GB, 6370M) at the time and I've since upgraded to SSD & another 2GB ram. I wasn't planning to upgrade it for quite a while as it was plenty fast enough for what I needed mostly web browsing/office with a small bit of low intensity gaming.

Now I have to change, I am thinking that I want a good quality FHD screen. I was tempted by the HP linked above but have read some reviews of it having a poor screen. I have the ram & SSD to transfer to a new laptop and a budget of €500. Don't need an optical drive, would like 5+ hours of battery life and ideally <2kg. Any suggestions?

Alanstrainor

commited wrote: »

My faithful Lenovo G570 fried itself last night following nearly 5 years of loyal service, I think it's the motherboard. It was €255 mega deal (i3-2310m, 4GB ram, 640GB, 6370M) at the time and I've since upgraded to SSD & another 2GB ram. I wasn't planning to upgrade it for quite a while as it was plenty fast enough for what I needed mostly web browsing/office with a small bit of low intensity gaming.

Now I have to change, I am thinking that I want a good quality FHD screen. I was tempted by the HP linked above but have read some reviews of it having a poor screen. I have the ram & SSD to transfer to a new laptop and a budget of €500. Don't need an optical drive, would like 5+ hours of battery life and ideally <2kg. Any suggestions?

The screen will be the biggest issue here I'd say. Although cheaper machines are now coming with 1080p screens, they can be a bit sketchy in terms of quality. It may be worthwhile seeing if you can see some of them in the flesh before buying to make sure. That being said you should be able to pick up something decent for 500.

Trond

Alanstrainor wrote: »

Crucial.com? Well there for the memory at least. Amazon.co.uk should sort you for the SSD. Great deals at the moment.

Thanks for that. Handy website. After a bit more research you were right re. amazon as well.

Think I'll go for this SanDisk SSD over the Kingston below which has lots of recent bad reviews.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/SanDisk-PLUS-Sata-2-5-inch-Internal/dp/B00S9Q9UKS/ref=sr_1_4?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1467719969&sr=1-4&keywords=sandisk+ssd

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00A1ZTZOG/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE

Alanstrainor

Trond wrote: »

Thanks for that. Handy website. After a bit more research you were right re. amazon as well.

Think I'll go for this SanDisk SSD over the Kingston below which has lots of recent bad reviews.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/SanDisk-PLUS-Sata-2-5-inch-Internal/dp/B00S9Q9UKS/ref=sr_1_4?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1467719969&sr=1-4&keywords=sandisk+ssd

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00A1ZTZOG/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE

Do yourself a favour and buy the 240GB model, check out the Samsung drives too.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/SanDisk-PLUS-Sata-inch-Internal/dp/B00S9Q9VS4/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1467720351&sr=1-1&keywords=sandisk+ssd

The difference in cash is small, but the headroom is great in terms of storage. 120GB will be a pain in the ass.

Trond

Alanstrainor wrote: »

Do yourself a favour and buy the 240GB model, check out the Samsung drives too.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/SanDisk-PLUS-Sata-inch-Internal/dp/B00S9Q9VS4/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1467720351&sr=1-1&keywords=sandisk+ssd

The difference in cash is small, but the headroom is great in terms of storage. 120GB will be a pain in the ass.

I didn't think id need a 240gb SSD as its for my mother who literally just uses it for MS Word and light web browsing but funnily enough just read that the bigger the SSD thats replacing a HHD the more straight forward the upgrade should be.

Amazon were €10 cheaper than crucial so not much in the difference in the end. Hopefully the upgrade goes to plan.

Thanks again for the quick reply.....

Groucho2000

Hi looking for a laptop.
Budget: 800 €
Intended use: every day (web browsing, youtube), light video editing and game playing (not the latest)
Mobility. Not a major issue as have desktop also
OS : Windows
Warranty : Yes
With ssd included and dedicated graphics this looks ok to me. Any comments, tips etc. Thanks.

http://www.laptopsdirect.ie/medion-erazer-p6661-core-i7-6500u-8gb-1tb-256gb-ssd-nvidia-gtx950m-4gb-15-30020522/version.asp#top

Capt'n Midnight

Alanstrainor wrote: »

Do yourself a favour and buy the 240GB model, check out the Samsung drives too.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/SanDisk-PLUS-Sata-inch-Internal/dp/B00S9Q9VS4/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1467720351&sr=1-1&keywords=sandisk+ssd

The difference in cash is small, but the headroom is great in terms of storage. 120GB will be a pain in the ass.

Newer model for a fiver less
https://www.amazon.co.uk/SanDisk-PLUS-Internal-Newest-Version/dp/B01F9G43WU/ref=dp_ob_title_ce

GvidoR

I've been a little out of touch with what's good and what's not and would appreciate some help. Currently using an Asus X502C with Intel Celeron 1007U and Intel HD graphics. Changed the HDD to an SSD, did a clean install of Win8.1 and it's still sluggish at simple things. Also sadly I'm stuck at 4GB RAM as it's not expandable.

Been looking at eBay and laptopsdirect but I don't know. I always assumed Core i5 and i7 are great but according to some quick google searches it's not always the case. So is there anything under around €400 (excluding an SSD, I'd use the one out of my current laptop) that will handle Sony Vegas Pro 10 without a problem and won't have a problem with everyday tasks?



TL;DR

Budget: €400, so most likely second-hand.
Use: Everyday stuff + Sony Vegas Pro 10.
SSD not necessary as I have my own.

GvidoR

How's this for €250?

Core i5-2520M
Nvidia NVS 4200M
8GB DDR3
14" 1600x900
250GB HDD

Seaaan

Anyone have any experience buying refurbished from laptopsdirect.ie? There's a lovely HP Envy 13 there that appears to fit my needs beautifully..

Other than that I can't decide between Zenbook UX301LA which has broadwell i5, or the UX305 which has the newer Core M.. With very little price difference between them, it's hard to choose as the more powerful i5 has glossy screen, heavier, thicker and older. The less powerful core M however, has matte screen, a bit thinner and a decent bit lighter with superior battery life.

Right now the battery of the 301la is all that's keeping me from buying it, as it has amazing other features (glass trackpad I'm looking at you).

Any help, please?

Alanstrainor

GvidoR wrote: »

How's this for €250?

Core i5-2520M
Nvidia NVS 4200M
8GB DDR3
14" 1600x900
250GB HDD

Looks like an older machine right? It's definitely not bad by any means, but you'll be dealing with the general issues that can arise from a 2+ year old machine. Things like battery wear are worth keeping a close eye on.

GvidoR

Alanstrainor wrote: »

Looks like an older machine right? It's definitely not bad by any means, but you'll be dealing with the general issues that can arise from a 2+ year old machine. Things like battery wear are worth keeping a close eye on.

Ordered it on Monday. Got it for €235 including delivery. From what I gather it's a refurb so we'll see. Hopefully it gets here tomorrow.

ED E

If you're using that for Vegas your exports will be pretty slow...

GvidoR

ED E wrote: »

If you're using that for Vegas your exports will be pretty slow...

Surely will be quicker than my current laptop. It has arrived in Ireland according to the tracking number. I guess I have to wait until Monday to get it.

TerrorFirmer

GvidoR wrote: »

Surely will be quicker than my current laptop. It has arrived in Ireland according to the tracking number. I guess I have to wait until Monday to get it.

For €235 it's fairly reasonable, assuming it comes with some sort of warranty as well? Yes, it would be considerably faster than your current laptop. Would install the SSD straight away first through.

GvidoR

TerrorFirmer wrote: »

For €235 it's fairly reasonable, assuming it comes with some sort of warranty as well? Yes, it would be considerably faster than your current laptop. Would install the SSD straight away first through.

That's the main thing. I guess I should start transferring everything off my SSD so I can put it in the "new" laptop as soon as it comes.

Don't know about the warranty.