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[Wiki Guide] Laptop Buying Advice

I need a laptop for uni and I am pretty much clueless at the moment. My dad's a windows-phobe so no PC ever graced our home :tongue:

However on a student budget I figure I'll probably get more for my money with a windows laptop. Which brands are better to go for?

My ideal budget would be about £400, but I could maybe stretch to £600. I'm a chemistry student so I think I'll mostly be word-processing, and not *too* much more. I would also quite like to install photoshop to edit my photos so I'd like it to run smoothly, and with a decent amount of space.

Any advice much appreciated!! Thanks

Reply 1181

AntoGrayo

I am in same boat as you but I am a film student and it proper cofuzzles me about which is the best but for you I recommend the Lenovo z500 if you get it with an intel i3 or i5 processor it should be in your price range :smile:

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Reply 1182

1053908

Okay so I'm starting uni next month.

I am currently considering:
Asus s400 i3 3rd gen 14"
Acer v5-122p AMD A6-1450 11.6"
Lenovo z500 i5 3rd gen 15.6"

Any suggestions

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Reply 1183

Naiad

Original post by Iqbal007

Personally don't like them, but they have improved quite a lot since the previous years in terms of reliability.

Most laptops should come with a integrated webcam these days to be honest.

If the laptops are in your budget and suits your needs and meets your other preferences then try to get to see them upfront if you can if your struggling to decide.

I ended up buying the Lenovo Ideapad U310. Thanks for helping.

Reply 1184

Zubby77

1

Original post by Iqbal007

x

Hey man, could I get some help? What do you think of this laptop?
http://www.dabs.com/products/lenovo-ideapad-z580-i3-2348m-4gb-1tb-15-6--dvdrw-win8---silver-8MWD.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=ppc%20product%20search&utm_content=Q200&utm_campaign=Computing%20-%20Laptops%20and%20Netbooks%20-%20Laptops&origin=pla

It's just for general word processing, presentations etc, but also will be used for watching films and stuff, and very occasional, light gaming. Or would you recommend something else for that price range?

Of course, anyone else is welcome to make suggestions!
:h:

Reply 1185

Iqbal007

19

Original post by Naiad

I ended up buying the Lenovo Ideapad U310. Thanks for helping.

how is it so far?

Is the os on the ssd cache? cos if it is, then you'll notice a huge performance boost.

Original post by Zubby77

Hey man, could I get some help? What do you think of this laptop?
http://www.dabs.com/products/lenovo-ideapad-z580-i3-2348m-4gb-1tb-15-6--dvdrw-win8---silver-8MWD.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=ppc%20product%20search&utm_content=Q200&utm_campaign=Computing%20-%20Laptops%20and%20Netbooks%20-%20Laptops&origin=pla

It's just for general word processing, presentations etc, but also will be used for watching films and stuff, and very occasional, light gaming. Or would you recommend something else for that price range?

Of course, anyone else is welcome to make suggestions!
:h:

what kind of gaming/games?

Its fine for everything else.........and its from a decent series off Lenovo as well so it should feel more solid compared to their basic g580 range.

Reply 1186

Zubby77

1

Original post by Iqbal007

how is it so far?

Is the os on the ssd cache? cos if it is, then you'll notice a huge performance boost.

what kind of gaming/games?

Its fine for everything else.........and its from a decent series off Lenovo as well so it should feel more solid compared to their basic g580 range.

Not really sure, if I any, it'll be the most basic games, Football manager etc, I use my PS3 most of the time. Just wanted what would be a reliable, solid laptop

Reply 1187

Naiad

Original post by Iqbal007

how is it so far?

Is the os on the ssd cache? cos if it is, then you'll notice a huge performance boost.

I ordered it yesterday and it hasn't arrived yet. But I do hope the os is on the ssd. However, someone at my mom's workplace has one and she said it's a very good model and that she's never had any trouble with it. I'm a bit worried about the battery life, but I'll see about that once I get it.

Reply 1188

mauvevenix

5

Could anyone give me a second opinion on the Lenovo IdeaPad Z585? I've been seeing mixed reviews all over the web so I'm terrified on making the wrong choice and ending up with an expensive headache.

Link to laptop: http://www.ebuyer.com/479753-lenovo-ideapad-z585-laptop-mad6duk

Many Thanks!

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Reply 1189

Naiad

Original post by Toya

Could anyone give me a second opinion on the Lenovo IdeaPad Z585? I've been seeing mixed reviews all over the web so I'm terrified on making the wrong choice and ending up with an expensive headache.

Link to laptop: http://www.ebuyer.com/479753-lenovo-ideapad-z585-laptop-mad6duk

Many Thanks!

Posted from TSR Mobile

Amazon says it weights 2,6 kg, which seems a bit heavy. And 4 hours of battery life don't sound like that much to me. But it depends on what you want to do with it.

Unless it's not this one: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lenovo-IdeaPad-15-6-inch-Laptop-Metal/dp/B00AQCZ5VQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1379068267&sr=8-1&keywords=Lenovo+IdeaPad+Z585

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 1190

mauvevenix

5

Original post by Naiad

Amazon says it weights 2,6 kg, which seems a bit heavy. And 4 hours of battery life don't sound like that much to me. But it depends on what you want to do with it.

Unless it's not this one: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lenovo-IdeaPad-15-6-inch-Laptop-Metal/dp/B00AQCZ5VQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1379068267&sr=8-1&keywords=Lenovo+IdeaPad+Z585

I've never really been one to take laptops out and about so weight and battery life don't really matter to me. Well I'm going to uni so it needs to be able to do basic stuff like word processing etc but I'd like to do light gaming like The Sims 4 when it arrives and GTA V if it ever materialises. Would this laptop be ok for that?

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Reply 1191

Naiad

Original post by Toya

I've never really been one to take laptops out and about so weight and battery life don't really matter to me. Well I'm going to uni so it needs to be able to do basic stuff like word processing etc but I'd like to do light gaming like The Sims 4 when it arrives and GTA V if it ever materialises. Would this laptop be ok for that?

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I'm not sure about the games, but I think it's fine for the rest.

Reply 1192

mauvevenix

5

Original post by Naiad

I'm not sure about the games, but I think it's fine for the rest.

Thanks for your help :biggrin:

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Reply 1193

Iqbal007

19

Original post by Zubby77

Not really sure, if I any, it'll be the most basic games, Football manager etc, I use my PS3 most of the time. Just wanted what would be a reliable, solid laptop

FM and stuff is very easy to run................also theres a discount code if you want IDEA20 and they cut off another £20 off the tag price.
It should be reliable and solid, its not, they have a rep for it, and you got the z-series which is more of a premium range, anything higher would be their thinkpads.

Original post by Naiad

I ordered it yesterday and it hasn't arrived yet. But I do hope the os is on the ssd. However, someone at my mom's workplace has one and she said it's a very good model and that she's never had any trouble with it. I'm a bit worried about the battery life, but I'll see about that once I get it.

Should be upto 7 hours, so maybe around the 5 hours mark realistically.

Original post by Toya

Could anyone give me a second opinion on the Lenovo IdeaPad Z585? I've been seeing mixed reviews all over the web so I'm terrified on making the wrong choice and ending up with an expensive headache.

Link to laptop: http://www.ebuyer.com/479753-lenovo-ideapad-z585-laptop-mad6duk

Many Thanks!

Posted from TSR Mobile

Your on a budget especially for something like GTA V.................sims 3 is basic so anything can run it.

GTA V entirely depends on if the develops put effort into the coding, cos they messed with GTA IV and was very poorly optimised for pc usage.

Bottom of the page for game benchmarks.............it sits above the gt630m.
www.notebookcheck.net/AMD-Radeon-HD-7670M.69483.0.html

Reply 1194

994

Is this any good for £400? I'll be doing engineering so expect to be using some intensive programs, but the uni will have those on their computers right? i won't be playing games but word/excel and watching tv and movies.

intel core i5-3230M 2.6 ghz
windows 8
320gb serial ata 5400rpm
4 gb 1600 mhz ddr3 sd ram
802.11bgn
7 hours battery life

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 1195

1053908

Original post by 994

Is this any good for £400? I'll be doing engineering so expect to be using some intensive programs, but the uni will have those on their computers right? i won't be playing games but word/excel and watching tv and movies.

intel core i5-3230M 2.6 ghz
windows 8
320gb serial ata 5400rpm
4 gb 1600 mhz ddr3 sd ram
802.11bgn
7 hours battery life

What laptop is that

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Reply 1196

Iqbal007

19

Original post by 994

Is this any good for £400? I'll be doing engineering so expect to be using some intensive programs, but the uni will have those on their computers right? i won't be playing games but word/excel and watching tv and movies.

intel core i5-3230M 2.6 ghz
windows 8
320gb serial ata 5400rpm
4 gb 1600 mhz ddr3 sd ram
802.11bgn
7 hours battery life

Seems very cheap.........hdd may be a bit too small especially if you store a lot of movies, etc

Reply 1197

Numan786

20

Going to uni for a physics subject or engineering well both and need to buy a laptop my budget is £500 and I hope to take it to lectures for note taking and use it for work in general as well as watching tv program's on it and maybe the occasional game but the main issue has to be that it operates fast and doesn't lag or slow down quickly. Does anyone have any recommendations ? Might make a thread to ask my question

Reply 1198

hellomoto170

14

I placed an order on John Lewis for a Lenovo Y510p and strangely it's now dissappeared off the website and I got an email saying my security details didn't match... A shame because it seemed really well spec'd but now I'm gonna have to get something else :frown:

I want to spend around £800-900 on something good that will be fine for casual gaming, and I've found this, slightly above budget:
http://www.johnlewis.com/hp-envy-touchsmart-15-j004sa-laptop-intel-core-i7-16gb-ram-1tb-15-6-touch-screen-aluminium-metal/p588914

Any thoughts? touch screen is a bonus really but it could be nice for web browsing etc.
One thing, it's similar to the Lenovo in specs but this has a GT740m whereas the Lenovo had a GT750 I think, is this a considerable downgrade or is the 740m still ok?
I've considered the Alienware 14 for £999 also but not sure about it, similar specs again, 8gb ram as opposed to 16gb on the HP above but it does have the 750 rather than the 740.
http://www.dell.com/uk/p/alienware-14/pd

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 1199

Naiad

Original post by Iqbal007

Seems very cheap.........hdd may be a bit too small especially if you store a lot of movies, etc

Well, that's solvable with an external hdd, and it's also good for backups.

[Wiki Guide] Laptop Buying Advice

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