Laptops

[gallsman]

Tesco have some great Acer and Compaq deals at the minute for in and around 400 quid.

[Main Street]

Base    Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T6500 (2.1GHz, 800MHz, 2MB)

That processor has actually lower specs than the T7600 that came with my 3 year old. mac book pro

You could check out what laptops have  the P7350 processor, better performance and longer battery life.
Sony Vaio possibly at the same price?

Usually a separate video card draws more battery power, that could be an issue for you


You can do custom comparisons on this web page
just scroll down to
Refine Comparison Charts
http://www.laptopmag.com/review/laptop/sony-vaio-vgn-nw-series.aspx?mode=benchmarks&cids=1875%2C1257%2C1382%2C1912%2Cpa

[020304 Tir Eoghain]

Tesco have some great Acer and Compaq deals at the minute for in and around 400 quid.

Acer seems to be the real deal all right. Top of the range yoke in Argos as well at the minute, £599 i think it is. all the bells & whistles!

[Mhic Easmuint]

Main Street,
How do you rate the HP Business class laptops?
Had current one just over 3 years and will be looking again soon.
Will be wanting decent spec again, prob similiar to Aontroim's.  

Also, would you go for warranty?  
I did with my last one, the 3 year Next Business Day on site.  I was thinking it was a waste, but after a lightning strike last year my motherboard got fried and that was with Surge protectors etc.  Was good in that case when its used daily for work.

[aontroim]

Thanks for the replies so far lads.  Mac - i'm happy enough to spend around £700 as i want something with a spec that will be robust enough to perform well for a few years at least - as i said I only have real experience with Dell and Toshiba (Tecra) models - wasnt a fan of the Toshibas at all.

Would like to keep the spec as good as possible for that price range so min 4gb RAM, fast processor, fast wifi card etc.  Have you a link to that Dell partner channel to check out the other models you mentioned?

[Main Street]

Main Street,
How do you rate the HP Business class laptops?
Had current one just over 3 years and will be looking again soon.
Will be wanting decent spec again, prob similiar to Aontroim's.  

Also, would you go for warranty?  
I did with my last one, the 3 year Next Business Day on site.  I was thinking it was a waste, but after a lightning strike last year my motherboard got fried and that was with Surge protectors etc.  Was good in that case when its used daily for work.

You would have to provide a link to a model.
It usually makes good sense to follow on with what has worked for you.  I would look for one with  the T9400 processor 2.53GHz.
A good medium price - battery efficient / fast / cool running processor

I had a look at HP website and it's a cluttered jungle, a truly awful website.
I checked out the HP EliteBook 8530p  USD 1850  
http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/sm/WF06b/321957-321957-64295-3740645-3955549-3782310-3994572-3795143.html

The HP has 1/2 the memory and  ca. 1/2 the battery life  that you get in a $150 cheaper Mac Book Pro.
15"Mac book pro  USD 1700
http://store.apple.com/us/configure/MC118LL/A?mco=NjcxMTU2OQ
I would buy a Mac Book Pro and run windows on it, if I needed to.

As I wrote,  even my MBP from 3 years ago has better specs than the current Dell studio 15

I have never bothered with an extra warranty.
Statistically, if some component in a laptop is likely to breakdown, it will do so inside the first month.
Home insurance covers most everything that is likely to happen.

[118cmal]

Hey guys,

Heading over to NY in the summer and was considering purchasing the basic macbook ($999.00).  The spec is as follows:
2.26GHz : 250GB

    * 2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
    * 2GB DDR3 memory
    * 250GB hard drive1
    * 8x double-layer SuperDrive
    * NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics
    * Built-in 7-hour battery2
    * Polycarbonate unibody enclosure

All I really want from my laptop is to be run very smoothly, browsing and to hold around 50gb of media without slowing down.  I do however want something that will last me for years and have been recommended the macbook by numerous people.  Everyone I know who has one loves them.  they are, however, very expensive so I was wondering if you could advise me if a Mac is definately the right laptop for me?  Is it true they don't pick up viruses?

Also, will there be any issues at customs if I decide to bring one home?

Will there be any compatibility issues between using a US Macbook in the UK?

Thanks,
Mal

[Main Street]

There are no compatability issues either software or hardware with the UK, power adaptor is automatically adaptable for 110v and 240v.
Unless you leave the laptop and accessories with original packing on and shout out at customs 'do I have to declare this'? you should have no problems.
The price you pay for a macbook is higher than a bog standard laptop but once you consider the graphics card, the quality processor inside and the long battery, both short term and long term, life,  then the price you pay is considered competitive.

You can also set up Windows to run on its own partition. Handy if you want to watch certain Widows based streaming software, like sopcast, for sports. Incorporated into the Macos is a very simple and easy to use back up software called Time Machine. Other benefits are that you don't need to bother with anti-virus/bug-ware/ spy-catcher protection.

[trileacman]

I have had a dell inspiron 1525 for a year and a half now. A couple of weeks ago it started completing turning off for no reason, I checked online sites for a solution and I read out the heat sink as it was clogged with dust.

I thought the problem was solved but it iis only getting worse. I think its related to the heat sink but im no expert and could be wrong. Possibly the fan isnt driving well enough to cool the heat sink.


Anyone have this problem before?
Anyone able to direct me to a websites and/or helplines/people to solve this problem?
Thanks.

[ardmhachaabu]

I have had a dell inspiron 1525 for a year and a half now. A couple of weeks ago it started completing turning off for no reason, I checked online sites for a solution and I read out the heat sink as it was clogged with dust.

I thought the problem was solved but it iis only getting worse. I think its related to the heat sink but im no expert and could be wrong. Possibly the fan isnt driving well enough to cool the heat sink.


Anyone have this problem before?
Anyone able to direct me to a websites and/or helplines/people to solve this problem?
Thanks.

Random shutdowns would lead me to check/replace the PSU (power supply unit)

[JimStynes]

Ordinary laptop or a Mac, which is better and why?

[CiKe]

Not sure if Jim asking that question as Macbook was updated yesterday. Interested in the same thing although was thinking about buying one, but have read that the Mac Book Pro may be a better bet, for the more durable casing, possibility to upgrade ram above 4mb. better battery?

Have heard they wear better and still go strong long after other laptops. My own one at the moment could fry an egg and takes a good few mins to load up, frequently freezes etc. Had it about 4 years.

[Main Street]

Ordinary laptop or a Mac, which is better and why?

There is a huge range in the variety of 'ordinary laptops'.
Just like car models can differ with engine size and general build, Laptops also differ re quality and type of components installed within.

One respected reviewer of all things laptops,
when reviewing the latest 15" MacBook Pro
"There are still (sadly) no Windows notebooks that can live up to the MacBook Pro"
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Apple-MacBook-Pro-15-inch-i7-2010-04-Notebook.30506.0.html

Much depends on what you want to do with a laptop. You don't have to spend the extra money for the latest MBP.
You are also paying for a graphics card which is there to also attract gamers.

Netbooks are pretty crap. If you want something light, go for for a 12" or 13" Laptop with a long battery life.
  The 13" entry level Macbookpro has had an processor upgrade (still a Core 2 duo) and a new 10 hr battery, is a good enough deal for £1,000.
http://computershopper.com/laptops/reviews/apple-macbook-pro-13-inch-2010-version

Lenova have recently launched a 12"  ThinkPad X201, comes with the newer i5 processor, for about £1100,   8-10hr battery life and looks a very good deal as well.
http://computershopper.com/laptops/reviews/lenovo-thinkpad-t410

The single most expensive component in a laptop is the processor.
If you are going for an older laptop.
The manufacturers prices come way down for the older Laptop mobile processors once new ones are launched.
The retail market becomes a dolly mixture mess of different manufacturers, different sizes, different prices and different specs. Some laptops with obsolete processors are dumped on the market and jazzed up to appear a bargain with a bells and whistles misleading advertising campaign.

If going for older laptop you may as well select the better performer laptop.
The older processor type is called the Core 2 duo, but there are many different grades.
The newer mobile i5 processor uses less power = less heat= longer battery life. They say it is better for the computing process needed for games but in general use on a laptop, you would be hard pressed to notice a real difference between it and say the P8400 Core 2 duo

Here  you have a list of laptops from Dabs
http://www.dabs.com/category/computing,laptops-and-netbooks,laptops/11105-46400000#filters

look at the menu on the left called  Dual core, you see a lot of listings,

From the rated list, at the bottom of this page linked, we can see how the various Core 2 duo are graded accorded to capacity.
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-Core-2-Duo-Notebook-Processor.7322.0.html

Considering what Dabs are selling,
and based on that league table at Notebook Check, we  can see that the T4400 is a basic entry cheapo - best ignored and that the best laptops will have the
P8600 and P8700 mobile pentium chip

The 8600 list
http://www.dabs.com/category/computing,laptops-and-netbooks,laptops/11105-423630000#filters

the 8700 list
http://www.dabs.com/category/computing,laptops-and-netbooks,laptops/11105-432160000#filters

You then pick out the models that have a reduced price but are comparitively well specced.


If you have more questions then ask.