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New laptop for college, 4-500 euro budget

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  • 30-07-2014 10:42pm
    #1
    21 Schump Street
    Registered Users Posts: 76 ✭✭


    Could anyone recommend me a new laptop around my budget? I will be using it for college work, writing essays etc. and watching movies.

    I was having a look at Dell Inspiron 17 5000 series, would they be any good?

    Thanks


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    #2
    Mr. G
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 4,621 Mod ✭✭✭✭Mr. G


    If you're not going to be doing much with it that laptop seems quite good looking at it. I would prefer Windows 7 as it's easier to see what's running, but that conversation is for another day :).

    Looking at the specs, I would not consider the €349 one if the €399 one has an Intel i3 processor. Of course you can spend out now but I think you are better off getting a bag or something to put it in rather then getting a fancy laptop. Since it's for college, I really wouldn't spend much on it personally. All you want is a reliable laptop, nothing special? If it's for gaming etc well then that's a different story.

    It has 4GB memory isn't bad for word processing etc, but I would not consider a laptop under 4GB. Being able to upgrade is handy and worth mentioning here that you can always add to it. The processor is a big thing in terms of speed so don't underestimate that, the i3 is reliable and you shouldn't have an issue with it.

    One piece of advise, (I'm sure you know this anyway), do your research. Harvey Norman often have deals on but watch the specifications. Don't go for anything below an i3 processor, 500GB Hard drive and 4GB ram as a general rule. Consider the size and how long you need the battery to last also.

    This might help if you're looking for a comparison and reviews re the above.

    http://www.laptopmag.com/reviews/laptops/dell-inspiron-15-5000.aspx

    This might also help if you're stuck:
    http://www.trustedreviews.com/best-laptops-for-students_round-up

    Don't get caught out on crap processors or graphics cards, but there are good genuine deals out there, you just have to find the genuine ones.

    Depending on where you go and what course you do, you might be able to get Office for free. For example, Microsoft have a program that gives out free software to IT students etc.


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