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hello all, im an undergraduate student in Cardiff university and gonna study Computer Science and Informatics and im thinking of buying a new laptop..but unfortunately i have no idea which specs should i focus on!!Can someone help me by teling me what specs should my laptop has definetely or on which i should focus my attention..all opionions are well appreciated,,:P
thanks for ur time.
thanks for ur time.
Well, I'm definitely not an expert but I bought this laptop a couple of days ago! http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/laptops-netbooks/laptops/laptops/hp-pavilion-15-n297sa-15-6-laptop-21921792-pdt.html
The exact specs you want will depend on what you plan to use it for, e.g. if you're only going to be word processing things and browsing the web you don't need something as powerful as if you were planning on using it for gaming, editing photos and watching videos.
Like I said though - I'm no expert, I'm sure there's someone out there somewhere who can help you! What's your budget?
The exact specs you want will depend on what you plan to use it for, e.g. if you're only going to be word processing things and browsing the web you don't need something as powerful as if you were planning on using it for gaming, editing photos and watching videos.
Like I said though - I'm no expert, I'm sure there's someone out there somewhere who can help you! What's your budget?
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What's your budget.
I always look for a good amount of medium speed DDR3 RAM 4gigs should do.
CPU's for laptops its all about core speed if your not gaming, so if you can find a nice high GHz core speed CPU quad core or dual core, quad core is better as more programs are beginning to use more than one core.
Planning on watching movies or gamming a lot? Or both? Get an external hardrive and go with a 500GB HDD.
DO NOT GET AN SSD they are very expensive and often low on space and aren't worth the boot speed unless you have a good desktop PC.
Touch screens are an expensive luxury get a cheap portable mouse if you need one.
You'll want a webcam for Skype sex...oh and talking to the relatives. Don't mix these two up.
Check for battery life and weight, the larger your HDD the heavier it'll be, you can always get an external hard drive for movies.
A DVD drive would be useful and make sure it has multiple USB (3.0 is faster than 2.0) slots.
Posted from TSR Mobile
I always look for a good amount of medium speed DDR3 RAM 4gigs should do.
CPU's for laptops its all about core speed if your not gaming, so if you can find a nice high GHz core speed CPU quad core or dual core, quad core is better as more programs are beginning to use more than one core.
Planning on watching movies or gamming a lot? Or both? Get an external hardrive and go with a 500GB HDD.
DO NOT GET AN SSD they are very expensive and often low on space and aren't worth the boot speed unless you have a good desktop PC.
Touch screens are an expensive luxury get a cheap portable mouse if you need one.
You'll want a webcam for Skype sex...oh and talking to the relatives. Don't mix these two up.
Check for battery life and weight, the larger your HDD the heavier it'll be, you can always get an external hard drive for movies.
A DVD drive would be useful and make sure it has multiple USB (3.0 is faster than 2.0) slots.
Posted from TSR Mobile
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by TheNote
What's your budget.
I always look for a good amount of medium speed DDR3 RAM 4gigs should do.
CPU's for laptops its all about core speed if your not gaming, so if you can find a nice high GHz core speed CPU quad core or dual core, quad core is better as more programs are beginning to use more than one core.
Planning on watching movies or gamming a lot? Or both? Get an external hardrive and go with a 500GB HDD.
DO NOT GET AN SSD they are very expensive and often low on space and aren't worth the boot speed unless you have a good desktop PC.
Touch screens are an expensive luxury get a cheap portable mouse if you need one.
You'll want a webcam for Skype sex...oh and talking to the relatives. Don't mix these two up.
Check for battery life and weight, the larger your HDD the heavier it'll be, you can always get an external hard drive for movies.
A DVD drive would be useful and make sure it has multiple USB (3.0 is faster than 2.0) slots.
Posted from TSR Mobile
I always look for a good amount of medium speed DDR3 RAM 4gigs should do.
CPU's for laptops its all about core speed if your not gaming, so if you can find a nice high GHz core speed CPU quad core or dual core, quad core is better as more programs are beginning to use more than one core.
Planning on watching movies or gamming a lot? Or both? Get an external hardrive and go with a 500GB HDD.
DO NOT GET AN SSD they are very expensive and often low on space and aren't worth the boot speed unless you have a good desktop PC.
Touch screens are an expensive luxury get a cheap portable mouse if you need one.
You'll want a webcam for Skype sex...oh and talking to the relatives. Don't mix these two up.
Check for battery life and weight, the larger your HDD the heavier it'll be, you can always get an external hard drive for movies.
A DVD drive would be useful and make sure it has multiple USB (3.0 is faster than 2.0) slots.
Posted from TSR Mobile
Disagree. I definietly recommend a laptop with an SSD if you can afford it, or maybe one that has an SSD and a traditional drive as well, put the OS on the SSD, the computer will feel much much faster. In all honesty who actually uses DVD's these days? Get a laptop without it and you'll save the weight, get an external drive if you'll need it.
Hey, I am studying Computer Science at Cardiff starting Sept. Would recommend anything i5 or better for processing power. Other than that if your into gaming find one with a dedicated graphics card instead of on board graphics otherwise you will have a hard time playing any modern games. Whats your budget?
Original post by Seble
Disagree. I definietly recommend a laptop with an SSD if you can afford it, or maybe one that has an SSD and a traditional drive as well, put the OS on the SSD, the computer will feel much much faster. In all honesty who actually uses DVD's these days? Get a laptop without it and you'll save the weight, get an external drive if you'll need it.
Old style lecturers use DVD drives and s external drive isn't exactly portable also some uni's provide software that will come on CD's.
SSD's aren't worth it for a purely work based laptop. Plus their price alone just isn't worth it and often they replace a HDD with an SSD.
Posted from TSR Mobile
(edited 9 years ago)
Thanks for ur advise TheNote..do u have any specific model in mind??And what brands should i focus my attention more..i prefer Vaio for some reason 
Moreover im not into heavy gaming i play mostly LOL,LFD2.I just need a fast laptop so i can do my assingments and spend my free time as smooth as possible..cuz i dont know the internet speed in my residence(Talybont North)
Moreover im not into heavy gaming i play mostly LOL,LFD2.I just need a fast laptop so i can do my assingments and spend my free time as smooth as possible..cuz i dont know the internet speed in my residence(Talybont North)
Don't buy from the shops like PC world. They are overpriced! always look online!
With a budget of 795 pounds you can get any laptop:
You want a i5 or even i7 processor for a fast laptop. 4th generation is within your budget.
SSD greater than 500GB but they are hard to find
Size is up to you (wouldnt recommend anything over 15" its a pain to take into uni)
Best laptop brands: Lenovo, ASUS, Dell (however expensive), the sony Vaio is nice but for the same specs you can get a cheaper laptop.
http://www.ebuyer.com/store/Computer/cat/Laptops/Lenovo/Intel+Core+i7
Just dont get apple!
With a budget of 795 pounds you can get any laptop:
You want a i5 or even i7 processor for a fast laptop. 4th generation is within your budget.
SSD greater than 500GB but they are hard to find
Size is up to you (wouldnt recommend anything over 15" its a pain to take into uni)
Best laptop brands: Lenovo, ASUS, Dell (however expensive), the sony Vaio is nice but for the same specs you can get a cheaper laptop.
http://www.ebuyer.com/store/Computer/cat/Laptops/Lenovo/Intel+Core+i7
Just dont get apple!
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by fadis
ok guys what do u think of this laptop...?? pls mention the disadvantages or advantages based on ur opinion..
Toshiba NB Satellite L50-A1D9
Toshiba NB Satellite L50-A1D9
Do you have a link to the exact model, i am getting russian websites when i copy and paste the name in
Original post by Stevelee
Do you have a link to the exact model, i am getting russian websites when i copy and paste the name in
i found it in a site of a store in greece(where i come from) so it wouldnt help if u dont know greek
how about that one http://www.plaisio.gr/laptop-tablet/laptop-notebook/laptop/Turbo-X-Furious-II-i741-1675-Backlit.htm
Original post by fadis
i found it in a site of a store in greece(where i come from) so it wouldnt help if u dont know greek how about that one
http://www.plaisio.gr/laptop-tablet/laptop-notebook/laptop/Turbo-X-Furious-II-i741-1675-Backlit.htm
how about that one http://www.plaisio.gr/laptop-tablet/laptop-notebook/laptop/Turbo-X-Furious-II-i741-1675-Backlit.htm
ive never heard of the Turbox brand so i cant say if the laptop is good. I know the mainstream companies here in the UK and US pretty well, for greece i can't really help sorry
Original post by wrenny
Well, I'm definitely not an expert but I bought this laptop a couple of days ago! http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/laptops-netbooks/laptops/laptops/hp-pavilion-15-n297sa-15-6-laptop-21921792-pdt.html
The exact specs you want will depend on what you plan to use it for, e.g. if you're only going to be word processing things and browsing the web you don't need something as powerful as if you were planning on using it for gaming, editing photos and watching videos.
Like I said though - I'm no expert, I'm sure there's someone out there somewhere who can help you! What's your budget?
The exact specs you want will depend on what you plan to use it for, e.g. if you're only going to be word processing things and browsing the web you don't need something as powerful as if you were planning on using it for gaming, editing photos and watching videos.
Like I said though - I'm no expert, I'm sure there's someone out there somewhere who can help you! What's your budget?
I'm thinking of buying an hp pavilion for university/A2! What's your view of it so far?
Original post by fadis
hello all, im an undergraduate student in Cardiff university and gonna study Computer Science and Informatics and im thinking of buying a new laptop..but unfortunately i have no idea which specs should i focus on!!Can someone help me by teling me what specs should my laptop has definetely or on which i should focus my attention..all opionions are well appreciated,,:P
thanks for ur time.
thanks for ur time.
Get this one.
http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/laptops-netbooks/laptops/laptops/hp-envy-17-j184na-17-3-laptop-silver-10019167-pdt.html#RC
It depends on what you're going to use it for.
You get £100 back after 21 days.
1TB SSHD, a hybrid of SSD & HDD. The SSD will store things that you will use most often.
I've got this and it's working pretty good. 1920x1080 resolution - so you can multitask more easily (i.e. have one application window shown on the left and another shown on the right).
It's a Windows 8 operating system. I prefer Windows 7, however it's not that bad as people make say it is. You need this operating system to develop and distribute Windows 8 Phone applications - it won't let me on Win 7.
Also, you can install a legacy start menu on it if you really hate the Win 8 one.
http://www.iobit.com/iobitstartmenu8.php
If you're into gaming or things that involve graphics (Adobe Photoshop), a dedicated graphics card will help things run more smoothly.
Original post by subjunctivehistorian
I'm thinking of buying an hp pavilion for university/A2! What's your view of it so far?
Well, I've not used it much yet so I'm not sure how detailed an answer I can give, but I like it so far! It's Windows 8.1, which I've never used before so I'm slowly getting used to it. The main difference I noticed between 7 and 8.1 is the new start screen. The first time I turned it on I spent a good while rearranging it to suit the stuff I use and taking a lot of shortcuts off there which I will never need. My old laptop was also HP (G62) so for me there was little difference in keyboard layout between the two, which is good. I haven't had Microsoft Office put onto it yet, but I will before uni starts. I really, really like being able to properly multitask by having 2 windows open at the same time - I can IM on Skype at the same time as watching a film, for example. However that's not a feature of the laptop in particular, just of the OS.
There was another HP Pavilion I was considering - the 15-n268sa - but I rejected it in the end because it has an AMD processor, which I have heard are not as good as the intel i5 of the 15-n297sa, but I guess in the end it comes down to personal preference and what you plan to use it for. I had to ask around a lot for advice on what processor and memory etc. to look for, as I really know very little about computers. XD
I'm gonna repeat the advice given to me - if you're getting Windows 8, either get 8.1 or be prepared to download it yourself (apparently it takes ages, and for the none computer-savvy like myself would be a hassle).
I hope this helped
Original post by Sayonara
Get this one.
http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/laptops-netbooks/laptops/laptops/hp-envy-17-j184na-17-3-laptop-silver-10019167-pdt.html#RC
It depends on what you're going to use it for.
You get £100 back after 21 days.
1TB SSHD, a hybrid of SSD & HDD. The SSD will store things that you will use most often.
I've got this and it's working pretty good. 1920x1080 resolution - so you can multitask more easily (i.e. have one application window shown on the left and another shown on the right).
It's a Windows 8 operating system. I prefer Windows 7, however it's not that bad as people make say it is. You need this operating system to develop and distribute Windows 8 Phone applications - it won't let me on Win 7.
Also, you can install a legacy start menu on it if you really hate the Win 8 one.
http://www.iobit.com/iobitstartmenu8.php
If you're into gaming or things that involve graphics (Adobe Photoshop), a dedicated graphics card will help things run more smoothly.
http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/laptops-netbooks/laptops/laptops/hp-envy-17-j184na-17-3-laptop-silver-10019167-pdt.html#RC
It depends on what you're going to use it for.
You get £100 back after 21 days.
1TB SSHD, a hybrid of SSD & HDD. The SSD will store things that you will use most often.
I've got this and it's working pretty good. 1920x1080 resolution - so you can multitask more easily (i.e. have one application window shown on the left and another shown on the right).
It's a Windows 8 operating system. I prefer Windows 7, however it's not that bad as people make say it is. You need this operating system to develop and distribute Windows 8 Phone applications - it won't let me on Win 7.
Also, you can install a legacy start menu on it if you really hate the Win 8 one.
http://www.iobit.com/iobitstartmenu8.php
If you're into gaming or things that involve graphics (Adobe Photoshop), a dedicated graphics card will help things run more smoothly.
thank u..it look really nice but how about gaming with it?Im not a hardcore gamer mainly play League of Legends and Left 4 Dead 2 and i wouldn't start other games as i want to be out of my room most of my time to meet new people..but my main concern is that if i dont have a good network connection and have lagg i would prefer not to have more problems with my laptop!!Furthermore im studying computer science and informatics..do u think its good enough to work on my assingments and university work??
Original post by fadis
thank u..it look really nice but how about gaming with it?Im not a hardcore gamer mainly play League of Legends and Left 4 Dead 2 and i wouldn't start other games as i want to be out of my room most of my time to meet new people..but my main concern is that if i dont have a good network connection and have lagg i would prefer not to have more problems with my laptop!!Furthermore im studying computer science and informatics..do u think its good enough to work on my assingments and university work??
That laptop has incredibly good internet speed (fast wifi) compared to many other laptops. The specs on this laptop is extremely good for gaming.
It is also good enough for work.
If you're not a hardcore gamer, perhaps get a cheaper laptop in the £400 to £600 range. For multi-tasking, maybe having 1920x1080 resolution would help you to view multiple windows at the same time more easily (and see more things without switching tabs/minimising).
Original post by fadis
hello all, im an undergraduate student in Cardiff university and gonna study Computer Science and Informatics and im thinking of buying a new laptop..but unfortunately i have no idea which specs should i focus on!!Can someone help me by teling me what specs should my laptop has definetely or on which i should focus my attention..all opionions are well appreciated,,:P
thanks for ur time.
thanks for ur time.
Hi, if you're just looking to use the laptop for school purposes and not gaming, I suggest Intel i3 and 4GB Ram will do. You don't need those overwhelming specs for a high price since you don't get to use those.
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