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Recommend me a laptop


Melan

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My current laptop is getting seriously long in the tooth (2008, plus it technically belongs to my employer), and recently, I have been experiencing odd screen problems - the whole image goes away and there is an odd, TV-like flickering in its place. It lasts a few secs only, but it is getting more common - increased from once a day or so to something like once every two hours.

 

So, I'd like to solicit some recommendations for a laptop. I know some of you guys are experts. :) My wishlist:

  • It will primarily be used for writing, reading stuff, watching movies and browsing the Internet. I don't need much of a top gaming functionality (though it'd be cool if it could run TDM), but I'd like to have a decent-sized screen - at least 14'', preferably 15'' or larger.
  • My current laptop, a Toshiba Satellite Pro A300 with 2 GB RAM, is a bit on the heavy side, and it is a problem since I carry it everywhere. If there is a lighter model, that's great.
  • Should be suitable for Win7. Apple is not an option.
  • Should have USB slots, a decent-sized keyboard (numpad not required, I've got an extension), and a DVD-drive, maybe a Blu-Ray drive (is that kind of thing standard nowadays? Is it practical?)
  • Good battery time is important, but not absolutely essential.
  • Reasonably large HDD for extensive porn collection TDM missions
  • Should last me at least 5 years like the old one.
  • Price: 600-650 € is about as much as I am prepared to pay normally, although I can go a bit higher if the offer is really compelling.

Come the time of peril, did the ground gape, and did the dead rest unquiet 'gainst us. Our bands of iron and hammers of stone prevailed not, and some did doubt the Builder's plan. But the seals held strong, and the few did triumph, and the doubters were lain into the foundations of the new sanctum. -- Collected letters of the Smith-in-Exile, Civitas Approved

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Well, I won't name the exact model, but I'd like to suggest you a few more considerations:

 

1. Display. If you plan to work under the direct sunlight or just in well-lit environment and your eyes are not ok, I'd suggest to buy a notebook with the opaque screen, not with the glossy one. Please believe me, your eyes and head will say you "thanks" :).

2. If it's possible, choose an Intel Haswell CPU (Core i3/i5/i7 4xxx, Pentium G3xxx, Celeron G2xxx). They have excellent power-saving features (which will save battery), and also they are the most powerful CPUs on the market.

3. RAM 4 GB is minimum, but the more it will be, the better. Many modern programs are becoming 64-bit only, so be prepared for it.

4. Blu-Ray is only needed if you plan to use BD discs, i.e. watch BD-movies and/or archive big data (dozens or hundreds of GB).

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While it's true that Intel CPU = power, at this price range AMD APUs will usually outperform on graphics. There may be a discrete graphics card at the top of the price range if the deal is slick. If you get something like an A10 APU, it could probably run TDM, because I've done OK with the A6-3400M.

 

Standard 15.6" screen size should allow 2-3 USB slots, an HDMI port, a numeric keypad on the large-enough keyboard, and an optical drive. Most laptops I've seen still come with a DVD burner rather than a Blu-ray drive. The screen res will often be 1366x768 (the resolution that will not die), but possibly 1600x900 or 1920x1080. "Ultrabooks" are the marketing term for lighter, thinner laptops. They are generally 13.3" or 14", so smaller screen than you want, with no optical drive and a price premium. Your old laptop was 6 lbs (2.73 kg). Newer non-ultrabook laptops seem to hover around 5.3 - 5.7 lbs.

 

4 GB RAM at a minimum. At this laptop size, you will usually have 2 RAM slots. Either 1 empty with 1x4GB or 2x2GB. Since your old laptop doesn't have a 4 GB stick you won't be able to take RAM out to expand your new one to 8 GB (perhaps 6?), but it's not critical. It may be worth thinking about if you try to use DR on it.

 

As far as brands go I would rate ASUS and Lenovo over HP, Dell, and Acer. Your mileage may vary.

 

I will PM you.

Edited by jaxa
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The guys at work have an Alienware 17 and 18, and they are lovely machines. I myself have an Alienware M17x and I would not hesitate for a second to get another one. 5 years on and mine is still going strong, and because it's owned by Dell, you can open the whole thing and dismantle it without voiding your warranty.

I always assumed I'd taste like boot leather.

 

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G`day Melan and others,

 

Apple macs will run windows and have great displays but they are way overpriced and generally 2-3 generations of hardware development releases behind a Dell or Toshiba. The Alienware 14"s are good too. I think they have a 900p display. An alternative to brand names and a company that make most of the shells for the brand names is Clevo, Do a search to find a seller in your area. The best thing about the Clevo's is they're customizable. I have a Metabox P370SM3 (Sager NP-9380s) and it is awesome. But it did cost an arm and a leg.

You should really ensure it has a 900p display at least and AMD APU's are a good compromise. I just built a server box for the home with an AMD A6-6400K and 8gig of ram and I'm happy with it. I have only played Postal2 on it to see how the APU Graphics portion stood up and WOW. It was very playable at 1080p but is an old game.mmmmm...... I might try TDM on it just to see.

I will second Morse Troll's words on the display, Make sure it has a mat finish.

Laptop:Metabox P370SM3- Intel Core i7-4800MQ- 2x GTX780M SLI- 16G 1600Mhz- 500G Samsung mSata-1TB Hitachi HDD- 120Hz LG 1080p.Desktops:i75930k-2x GTX980 SLI-16G 2133Mhz-Evo120GSSD-Swift PG278Q1440p Gsync.Spare:AMD A10-7850K-APU-8G 1866Mhz-seagate 4TB-120G ssd. LoL Old:P75-1:1FSB-8M ram 512MB Maxtor HDD-1MB Cirrus Logic video chip-still got the parts somewhere?First PC-Tandy 512K Color computer.

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We have used 2 of these (older with Win7) at work. 1 for ~4years and a newer one for about ~2years. Similar spec to the one linked. We run Mastercam X7 with graphics hardware acceleration on them and they do a great job, are inexpensive, and we haven't had a single issue with them. Screen and keyboard are nice and work well, touchpad is a tad sensitive but we have usb mice plugged in so we have them turned off.

 

More Usb ports would be nice but a 4port hub is like $10 dollars. Only thing I can't comment on it battery life because we always have ours plugged in. Remove the bloatware that comes with all laptops, install the free Win8 start button, boot to the desktop, and off you go.

Edited by Lux
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Thank you for all the tips! That has been useful.

 

Bikerdude: I do not have a preferred supplier. I have entrusted buying it to my brother, and I assume he will find the best comparative price. Just assume anything in Hungary will cost more than in Britain. Or, if you ment, manufacturer, no preferences there either except reliability (e.g. I will never ever choose a HP printer over a Canon).

Come the time of peril, did the ground gape, and did the dead rest unquiet 'gainst us. Our bands of iron and hammers of stone prevailed not, and some did doubt the Builder's plan. But the seals held strong, and the few did triumph, and the doubters were lain into the foundations of the new sanctum. -- Collected letters of the Smith-in-Exile, Civitas Approved

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Bikerdude: I do not have a preferred supplier. I have entrusted buying it to my brother, and I assume he will find the best comparative price. Just assume anything in Hungary will cost more than in Britain.

I have done quite a few laptop rec for people over on ttlg, Faetal being the most rescent. We ended using a company called PcSpecialist, they can sell in euro's and it looks like they ship to Hungary.

 

Here is a copy fo the spec we finilised on and this can be pared down to suit your budget, in Faetals case the GFX card added a big chunck to the price as he wanted it to be able to play Thief 4 & the Darkmod fluidly.

 

  • Chassis & Display Cosmos Series: 15.6" Matte HD LED 16:9 Widescreen (1366x768)
  • Processor (CPU) Intel® Core™i5 Dual Core Mobile Processor i5-4210M (2.60GHz) 3MB
  • Memory (RAM) 8GB KINGSTON HYPER-X GENESIS 1600MHz SODIMM DDR3 (1 x 8GB)
  • Graphics Card NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 840M - 2.0GB DDR3 Video RAM - DirectX® 11
  • 2nd Graphics Card NONE
  • Memory - Hard Disk 750GB WD SCORPIO BLACK WD7500BPKX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 16MB CACHE (7200 rpm)
  • 2nd Hard Disk NONE
  • mSATA SSD Drive NONE
  • DVD/BLU-RAY Drive 8x SATA DVD±R/RW/Dual Layer (+ 24x CD-RW)
  • Memory Card Reader Internal 9 in 1 Card Reader (MMC/RSMMC/SD: Mini, XC & HC/MS: Pro & Duo)
  • Thermal Paste ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
  • Sound Card Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
  • Bluetooth & Wireless WIRELESS INTEL® N135 802.11N (150Mbps) + BLUETOOTH
  • Wireless Router/HomePlugs NONE
  • USB Options 3 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT AS STANDARD
  • Battery Cosmos Series 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (48.84WH)
  • Power Lead & Adaptor 1 x European Power Lead & 90W AC Adaptor
  • Operating System Genuine Windows 8.1 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence
  • DVD Recovery Media Windows 8.1 (64-bit) DVD with paper sleeve
  • Office Software FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365
  • Anti-Virus BULLGUARD INTERNET SECURITY - FREE 90 DAY TRIAL
  • Laptop Cooling Stands NONE
  • Carry Case Trust 15.6" Notebook Carry Bag Classic
  • Stand-Alone Monitor NONE
  • Keyboard Language COSMOS SERIES UK KEYBOARD WITH NUMBER PAD
  • Additional Keyboard NONE
  • Notebook Mouse INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
  • Gaming Mouse Pad NONE
  • External Speakers NONE
  • Webcam INTEGRATED 2.0 MEGAPIXEL WEBCAM
  • Headsets NONE
  • Surge Protection NONE
  • Printer NONE
  • External Hard Drive NONE
  • Warranty 3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
  • Dead Pixel Guarantee 1 Year Dead Pixel Guarantee Inc. Labour & Carriage Costs
  • Data Recovery NONE
  • Delivery 2 DAY DELIVERY TO FRANCE (24 €)
  • Build Time Standard Build - Approximately 11 to 13 working days
  • Pricing Information
  • Price (excluding VAT) 688,33 €
  • Price 826,00 €
  • Order Quantity 1
  • Bulk Discount 0,00 €
  • Total Order price (Ex VAT) 688,33 €
  • Total Order Price 826,00 €

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Wow, that site is awesome. I just need to arrange some kind of delivery from the UK to Sweden/Norway...

"My milkshake bringeth all ye gentlefolk to the yard. Verily 'tis better than thine, I would teach thee, but I must levy a fee."

"When Kleiner showed me the sky-line of New York I told him that man is like the coral insect—designed to build vast, beautiful, mineral things for the moon to delight in after he is dead."

https://soundcloud.com/paralytik

 

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http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sony-Vaio-VPCZ21V9E-B-Z-series-Core-i7-Laptop-256GB-SSD-8GB-Power-Media-Dock-/131267012803?pt=UK_Computing_Laptops_EH&hash=item1e901fa8c3

 

Ultra portable by day. TDM beast by night.

 

Ask someone who knows about that sort of thing what the driver situation is like though. I've got an old style Vaio Z and it's a bit proprietary.

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Ask someone who knows about that sort of thing what the driver situation is like though. I've got an old style Vaio Z and it's a bit proprietary.

You can get around this by buying a laptop with a 'Express card' slot, then you can -

 

- http://www.techradar.com/news/computing-components/graphics-cards/how-to-make-an-external-laptop-graphics-adaptor-915616#null

- http://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1191969-external-gpu-for-laptops-supercharge-your-graphics/

- http://forum.techinferno.com/diy-e-gpu-projects/2109-diy-egpu-experiences-%5Bversion-2-0%5D.html#post27126

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Interesting site, Bikerdude. Thanks for linking it.

 

My only niggle with those specs is the screen resolution and its about 150-200 over his budget, but maybe he can dig some extra out of his couch. :)

Edited by Lux
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As I said, that spec can be pared down. Also that quote is old now, so the prices will have dropped.

:D

"My milkshake bringeth all ye gentlefolk to the yard. Verily 'tis better than thine, I would teach thee, but I must levy a fee."

"When Kleiner showed me the sky-line of New York I told him that man is like the coral insect—designed to build vast, beautiful, mineral things for the moon to delight in after he is dead."

https://soundcloud.com/paralytik

 

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Guess it's time to make that decision. My 'v' key stopped working (the '2' was already out, but I hae a USB numerical keypad), so I hae to C/P it manually... can't een do Ctrl-C Ctrl- because... well, you see the problem.

 

Thanks for the advice, eeryone.

Come the time of peril, did the ground gape, and did the dead rest unquiet 'gainst us. Our bands of iron and hammers of stone prevailed not, and some did doubt the Builder's plan. But the seals held strong, and the few did triumph, and the doubters were lain into the foundations of the new sanctum. -- Collected letters of the Smith-in-Exile, Civitas Approved

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