New laptop advice

If you're not doing anything too strenuous, the cheaper model will be able to handle what you need

Reply 2

One (the first) has an amazing processor, the other does not.

It depends on what you need to do really, but the first will act much faster and can deal with pressure and multitasking better than the latter.

Reply 3

Go for the £449 model. 1TB HDD is pretty spacious(and probably upgradeable) and that Broadwell i5 will pay dividends in processing capabilities, battery life and longevity. You're asking for trouble going for that £299 one, that's a bear trap waiting to be trod on.

Reply 4

spotify95

18

Original post by thecatwithnohat

One (the first) has an amazing processor, the other does not.

It depends on what you need to do really, but the first will act much faster and can deal with pressure and multitasking better than the latter.

I agree - it all depends on what you are going to be using the laptop for.

However, the most important feature that defines a laptop/computer's speed is the processor - it really can make quite a big difference.

Personally, unless you really can't afford the more expensive laptop, go for the one with the i5 processor - as if you then find out you have to do more demanding tasks, your computer will still manage. Whereas if you get the Intel Pentium, and you need to run CPU-intensive programs, you're going to struggle.

Reply 5

Abdi112

Original post by thecatwithnohat

One (the first) has an amazing processor, the other does not.

It depends on what you need to do really, but the first will act much faster and can deal with pressure and multitasking better than the latter.

Original post by marco14196

Go for the £449 model. 1TB HDD is pretty spacious(and probably upgradeable) and that Broadwell i5 will pay dividends in processing capabilities, battery life and longevity. You're asking for trouble going for that £299 one, that's a bear trap waiting to be trod on.

Honestly neither, this particular model has bad keyboard flex and is made from cheap plastic, theres better alternatives out there.

Secondly buying a PC from PCworld is asking for a deathwish, unless you want horrible customer service. Extortionate prices then go ahead

Reply 6

Original post by Abdi112

Honestly neither, this particular model has bad keyboard flex and is made from cheap plastic, theres better alternatives out there.

Secondly buying a PC from PCworld is asking for a deathwish, unless you want horrible customer service. Extortionate prices then go ahead

In the sub £500 price range, I don't expect any hardware to be built well. It's the dumping ground price range. And yes, PC World do suck horrendously :smile:

Reply 7

spotify95

18

Original post by miekharper

Hi all!

I could really use some advice from someone slightly more techy than me! Unfortunately my laptop has died this week due to fan and motherboard failure so it's pretty much as lost cause :frown:

I have had it since early 2011 so it hasn't had a bad run really. I've been looking at this Asus X555LA on offer at £449:

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/asus-x555la-15-6-laptop-black-10135223-pdt.html

However I've also seen a similar model, the X553MA which is only £299, obviously a big difference...

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/asus-x553ma-15-6-laptop-black-10132417-pdt.html

Both have 8gb RAM and 1tb storage, so all I can see difference wise is the processor - Intel Pentium Processor N3540 vs i5 5200U on the first model. Is that really such a better processor that it costs £150 more even on sale?

I'll mainly use it for web browsing and work stuff (just Excel/PowerPoint), but I tend to use Spotify a lot too and I play Football Manager a little too much too, but that's probably the most strenuous thing I'll ever do on it. Could I get away with the cheaper one instead?

Really appreciate any advice, thank you :smile:

Hi,

I've just made a post about this but I would recommend what others are saying - i.e. go for the better processor. The processor is the most important factor in determining a PC's speed so if you skimp out on the processor, expect a bit of trouble with medium to high resource programs.

Even on less demanding tasks (i.e. web browsing) you'll still get a better response from a better processor.

Unless you really can't afford it, go for the i5. My Acer Aspire has an i% and copes with most things well, and it's now 4 years old!

Hope that helps.

Reply 8

Abdi112

Original post by marco14196

In the sub £500 price range, I don't expect any hardware to be built well. It's the dumping ground price range. And yes, PC World do suck horrendously :smile:

Here is my point proven against extortionate price for the same laptop found on amazon

http://www.amazon.co.uk/15-6-Inch-Notebook-i5-5200U-Integrated-Graphics/dp/B00Y0LWQ52/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1443902007&sr=8-3&keywords=ASUS+X555LA

This has 4GB ram but you can pick up another 4 for £20, look at the price difference

Reply 9

spotify95

18

Original post by Abdi112

Honestly neither, this particular model has bad keyboard flex and is made from cheap plastic, theres better alternatives out there.

Secondly buying a PC from PCworld is asking for a deathwish, unless you want horrible customer service. Extortionate prices then go ahead

My parents' laptop was bought from PC World and that works perfectly fine - and doesn't have bad keyboard flex.

Our first laptop (with Windows XP) came from PC World, and (apart from a replacement fan, heatsink and thermal paste on the CPU) still works fine 8 years on. Admittedly it's quite slow but the tech available in 2007 was different to the tech available now - and chances are a reinstall of XP would probably improve things a bit.

Reply 10

Original post by Abdi112

Here is my point proven against extortionate price for the same laptop found on amazon

http://www.amazon.co.uk/15-6-Inch-Notebook-i5-5200U-Integrated-Graphics/dp/B00Y0LWQ52/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1443902007&sr=8-3&keywords=ASUS+X555LA

This has 4GB ram but you can pick up another 4 for £20, look at the price difference

It also had a much worse display(the £450 machine had a Full HD display). It is also a plastic build styled to look like a metal(probably a brushed effect). In this case, the £449 machine is the better value overall. 1366*768 displays should be cast off to hell. 1440p/4K/21:9 FTW

Reply 11

Also, the reason for why it is so expensive is also because of the amount of RAM (8) available. If you got a laptop which has 4gb RAM and 500gb HDD, then the laptop would be significantly cheaper - it can still have an i5 processor should you wish to have one (I strongly recommend that you do).

However, make sure that if you got laptops with 4GB RAM and 500gb HDD, there are DDR3 slots which will allow you to add more storage space should you need it. It could save you a lot of money!

The only good thing I can state at the moment is the expensive laptop has full HD, which is GREAT. Don't ever go for a low resolution simple because "it's cheaper". And please, for the love of God, do not get a processor which is lower than i5, you'll just be asking for trouble.

ALSO, make sure that you get decent warranty on your laptop. The worst thing you could do is go to university, have your laptop break down on you and having to buy a new one (god forbid) with your student finance. 3+ year warranties are great and if you buy from a good retailer, will only be able £30-40 on top of your laptop price (incl. VAT)

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 12

Original post by Abdi112

Here is my point proven against extortionate price for the same laptop found on amazon

http://www.amazon.co.uk/15-6-Inch-Notebook-i5-5200U-Integrated-Graphics/dp/B00Y0LWQ52/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1443902007&sr=8-3&keywords=ASUS+X555LA

This has 4GB ram but you can pick up another 4 for £20, look at the price difference

Exactly! The high price is because of what they've already installed into the computer, and they're clever enough to tell you that you can have a laptop with 4GB RAM and still insert more should you wish to.

Reply 13

Original post by thecatwithnohat

Also, the reason for why it is so expensive is also because of the amount of RAM (8) available. If you got a laptop which has 4gb RAM and 500gb HDD, then the laptop would be significantly cheaper - it can still have an i5 processor should you wish to have one (I strongly recommend that you do).

However, make sure that if you got laptops with 4GB RAM and 500gb HDD, there are DDR3 slots which will allow you to add more storage space should you need it. It could save you a lot of money!

The only good thing I can state at the moment is the expensive laptop has full HD, which is GREAT. Don't ever go for a low resolution simple because "it's cheaper". And please, for the love of God, do not get a processor which is lower than i5, you'll just be asking for trouble.

ALSO, make sure that you get decent warranty on your laptop. The worst thing you could do is go to university, have your laptop break down on you and having to buy a new one (god forbid) with your student finance. 3+ year warranties are great and if you buy from a good retailer, will only be able £30-40 on top of your laptop price (incl. VAT)

Going down from 8GB/1TB 5400RPM HDD to a 4GB/500GB combo doesn't actually save any significant money. All it does is deliver poorer performance and an overall worse performance per pound spent. 8GB/1TB in a £449 price point with an i5 and a Full HD IPS(hopefully IPS) display is an absolute steal.

Reply 14

Abdi112

But guys you are missing the point here, the OP has stated that he will be doing occasional web browsing, doing documents etc. In this case you can get away without a Full HD screen.

Here is another one with different, slightly slower processor but cheaper (i3, 4gb less ram, no full hd screen)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/15-6-Inch-Notebook-i3-5005U-Integrated-Graphics/dp/B00Y0LWQAW/ref=dp_ob_title_ce

I'll mainly use it for web browsing and work stuff (just Excel/PowerPoint), but I tend to use Spotify a lot too and I play Football Manager a little too much too, but that's probably the most strenuous thing I'll ever do on it. Could I get away with the cheaper one instead?

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 15