Need a new laptop!

[Chuckun]

Hey guys,

 

As you may or may not be aware, I recently smashed up my laptop..

 

So I'm looking to buy a new one.. My absolute max budget is £500 ($800 USD).

 

I want a laptop which will give half decent performance on W:ET.

 

I don't want dual core processors or DDR2, as in my eyes these are now old-hat.. Looking for something with a core i processor with DDR3 Memory Slots (obviously).. With my budget this will realistically be a i3 370M or something...

 

I also want an LED backlit screen which is pretty standard now.

 

I have 4gig of 1333MHz DDR3 RAM (2x 2048GB) I can use so if any good deals were going around on decent laptops with feck all RAM, I could deal with that..

 

Also, this laptop must be deliverable to the UK... Which is why I was mostly looking at DELL.

 

 

I have one small question too: Am I correct in thinking that if the processor specs say the memory you can use is DDR3 1333MHz, that you can actually use DDR3 1666MHz if you want to but it will have no advantage over using 1333MHz?

 

Thanks for all your help guys

 

Chuckun

[daredevil]

Get good GPU in laptop if you are planning to play games on it. Best would be get desktop..

[FiveMagic]

If you buy online (newegg ect) you can find decent deals, If you don't want to worry about online stuff and would rather go to a store then i would recommend this ( i know it's not a dell, but hey if it works )

 

$730

Ati 5650 1Gb

AMD Phenom II Triple-Core Processor N830 (2.1 x 3)

4gb DDR3

320gb hardrive

 

( i know Desu will reconize this )

http://www.gateway.com/systems/product/529668725.php

 

Edited November 11, 2010 by 3BlackMagic

[=Plat00n=]

not a big fan of the laptops m8 for gaming. ok for watching movies ,listening to music and checking out the internet thats about it i would say save a £1000 and build your own computer best thing i ever done

 

here a second hand computer on ebay looks tidy starting bid at £700

 

 

 

Item specifics

Condition:

Used: An item that has been previously used. The item may have some signs of cosmetic wear, but is fully ...

Processor Type: Intel Core 2 Duo

Memory (RAM): 4gb ddr 3 ram 1600 mhz Processor Speed: e8500 duo 3.16ghz

Hard Drive: 250 GB 7200 rpm

 

gaming pc which has been used for roughly 1 year and a half its just had a full service meaning fresh install of windows vista home premium i have just bought a brand new hard drive for this costing me £65 i also bought a new motherboard an xfx 790i ulta sli costing me £150 + an antec 1200 watt power suppy costing £180 also a new cpu cooler costing me £45 so there is also some brand new parts in my computer it comes in the cosmos s tower had to make a modification to the side of the case taking out the side fan to allow cpu cooler to fit i will also send u the fan this is a QUAD SLI it has 2x 9800gx2 graphic cards 1gb each it has 4 sticks of ddr3 ram at 1600 mhz i have all disks needed such as windows and graphic card and motherboard + the soundblaster audio disk. the monitor also comes with the tower its a 19 inch monitor + a brand new keyboard very nice computer very fast reliable plays all games at ultra settings all you have to do is plug in and play great christmas prezzie originally bought for £2100 just for the tower

 

if local to cornwall can collect

 

type this in ebay uk item number=160501859729

[Chuckun]

Hey guys,

 

In response to buying a desktop - I have one of those (minus a GFX Card) but I need a laptop for portability and all-round 'ok' performance..

 

I know 'gaming' on laptops is lame, but I'm not a gamer I play W:ET which is a really low system requirement game and takes bugger all to run..

 

I can build a desktop (if I needed one) really cheaply to my kinda specs but laptops aren't so simple from scratch

 

Thanks for the suggestions so far.. I'll bare them in mind

 

Chuckun

[FiveMagic]

Laptops are lame for gaming! You calling me lame ?

[NoGooD]

Not knowing what weight/design/extras your looking for on a laptop, I'll just make a few suggestions based on your occupation and price requirements.

 

This company is in the UK, and I've never done buisness with them so please shop around and read plenty of reviews prior to purchasing anything

 

http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/ASUS_X5DAF-SX061V_Windows_7_Laptop_X5DAF-SX061V/version.asp

 

http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/HP_625_Windows_7_Laptop_WS827EA/version.asp

 

http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/Lenovo_G555_Laptop_M328BUK/version.asp

 

 

These are just a couple. One thing I noticed looking around is you'll likely give up processor power for a better gfx card at the price point your looking at. The dell's seem to have a sweet spot on many of their laptops right around the £549 mark.

 

If processing power is more important that gfx to you, then go with a higher end i3 over a core2duo.

 

Otherwise...try to narrow it down to 3-5 desktops and read reviews on those. GL mate.

[Chuckun]

Thanks NoGood

 

I'd rather have processor power than graphics (hence the choice of going for an i3 ) as I don't really game, only on W:ET which isn't a very graphic game

 

Thanks for your suggestions, I'm giving them a look over now

 

Chuck

 

Oh also; @3BlackMagic - Laptops are fine for gaming IMO but it's clear that they cannot be as good as a desktop ;]

[Chuckun]

Hey guys,

 

I've realised that £500 just isn't enough right now.. So I'm looking at a Dell XPS 15 for £580.

 

Specs:

Intel® Core™ i3-370M (2.4Ghz, 4Threads, 3M cache)

3072MB 1333MHz Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM [1x2048 + 1x1024]

15.6 High Definition WLED TL (1366x768) 720p (can't afford an upgrade to 1080p)

500GB (7,200rpm) Serial ATA Hard Drive - this is a Seagate Momentus hdd - really good, i've used them before now

1GB NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 420M Graphics Card

 

 

EDIT: Some good features:

USB 3.0

Aluminuim Casing

 

 

Is this worth the money? £580 is roughly $925 USD. Bit steep for my liking..

[FiveMagic]

Yeah the price is not that great, Cpu's good but Gpu seems a little low for that price.

[Desu]

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6579158&CatId=4965

 

pretty sure tiger does uk

[Achiyan]

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6579158&CatId=4965

 

pretty sure tiger does uk

great find. wow....almost tempted me

[Chuckun]

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6579158&CatId=4965

 

pretty sure tiger does uk

 

That really is a good find..

 

What puts me off that is:

THIS PRODUCT IS REFURBISHED

and also the fact it's non-USB3 and plastic case >_<

 

There's nothing wrong with refurbs but I only buy refurbs if they have a warranty at least equal to a new one.. >.<

 

Chuck

[Chuckun]

Thanks for all your help guys but for what I wanted (and being as fussy as I am) I had to borrow the money to get something a bit more expensive.

 

I just bought the XPS 15 (anandtech gave it a glowing 3 or 4 page review http://www.anandtech.com/show/3999/dell-xps-15-l501x-review) to the spec that they have (minus the screen upgrade and bluetooth as I plan on getting a decent 1080p True HD stationary screen for films etc)

 

Main features I like are the Aluminium and Magnesium Alloy Frame, "The best" laptop speakers (anandtech say) - JBL integral 2.1 stereo and sub, and the new USB 3.0.. =] The base and the GPU are pretty normal but I don't need anything that's gonna blow me out of my seat; nor can I afford it xD

 

Chuck

[Desu]

well its good enough, that should get you through all the game right now....

 

maybe not metro 2033 Oo