How to reduce the cost of this spec?

[osouk]

Hi all,

This spec (with my required add ons) comes in at a fairly respectable £788 inc VAT. However, this is a bit above my budget and would like to reduce it quite significantly.

My laptop needs are: I usually have many applications open at once but it will be predominantly used for work (word processing, internet, downloads, and some Adobe photoshop/illustrator/indesign.

Any suggestions on where to reduce or general thoughts on the spec?

Thanks
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The 15.6" Enigma III 540
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Chassis & Display
Enigma III 540: 15.6" Glossy Full HD LED Widescreen (1920x1080)

Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Mobile Processor i7-2630QM (2.00GHz) 6MB Cache

Memory (RAM)
8GB SAMSUNG 1333MHz SODIMM DDR3 MEMORY (2 x 4GB)

Graphics Card
nVIDIA® GeForce® GT 540M - 2GB DDR3 Video RAM - DirectX® 11

Memory - Hard Disk
500GB WD SCORPIO BLACK WD5000BPKT, SATA 3 Gb/s, 16MB CACHE (7200 rpm)

 

[mantadog]

How much are you looking to save?

You could save by droping to an i5 dual core, something like the 2520m perhaps, that would save about £45. For general use you probably wont notice. Photoshop might be slightly slower but so long as you don't need it lightning fast you should be able to cope.

You might also be surprised how much you can fit in 4GB of ram, if you order 1 stick of 4GB you can fit a second stick later if needed/you have the money.

I would try to keep the 7200rpm HDD because it will be a bit faster and feel better to use.

 

[osouk]

Thanks for your reply. Was looking to spend around 700 - A friend suggests that I just get a refurbished Macbook Pro - I've not heard a bad word about Macs - I know a few people who have taken the plunge and have never looked back.... Has anyone had a bad experience of a Macbook Pro?

 

[Serendipity]

My brother had one, he played a couple of games on it, nothing special though. I find with Apple they are good but you are spending an extra £200-£300 for the label itself, you can get gaming laptops for the same price much more powerful, if I had the money I'd be happy to splash £2000 on an amazing Mac but instead I got a £1,200 desktop with far better specs.

It's up to you though, it comes down to taste.. This is just personal expierience.