Lost in configurations :HELP

[Querelle]

Hi everybody,
I have been playing around with specs in order to get a long lasting laptop which will allow me to play Guild Wars 2 full specs (or games like Assassins creed, Dishonored...) but also be still mutimedia. The truth is that I don't really know what I'm doing and reading forums and checking laptops on the market just get me more confused. I was about to get the Samsung NP 700G7C-S02 eventhough it might just be far too powerful (and expensive) for what I really need but what stopped me is that first it doesn't look that great, Samsung staff is really not competent and somewhat a bit sexist and I would really appreciate having a French keyboard.
So if anyone has the time and the knowledge to help me getting the ideal machine for my need, I would be very grateful. My budget is up to £1100 (ideally less than a £1000).

Thanks

 

[Iroquois Pliskin]

Bonsoir. : ) I'll lend you my time,

For Guild Wars 2 and good future-proofing, you really want a Quad Core i7 CPU, which means the i7-3610QM:

Chassis & Display
The 17.3" Optimus IV: 17.3" AUO Matte Full HD Widescreen (1920x1080) (£85)

Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Mobile Processor i7-3610QM (2.30GHz) 6MB

Memory (RAM)
8GB SAMSUNG 1600MHz SODIMM DDR3 MEMORY (2 x 4GB)

Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 660M - 2.0GB DDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 11

Memory - Hard Disk
750GB WD SCORPIO BLACK WD7500BPKT, SATA 3 Gb/s, 16MB CACHE (7200 rpm)

DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
8x SATA DVD±R/RW/Dual Layer (+ 24x CD-RW)

Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND (£9)

Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® ADVANCED-N 6235 (300Mbps) + BLUETOOTH

Comes up as £908, everything else is standard, includes Windows 7 Home Premium. You may want to "downgrade" to Glossy/Matte 1080p non-AUO screen and save £85, or swap the HDD for an SSD.

 

[Music Guy123]

Here is my suggestion, you can edit the hdds, maybe add an SSD with your spare money. If you really want the laptop to last, getting the 2.7Ghz quad core may be an idea. Anyway, here you are:

Chassis & Display SkyFire:17.3" Matte Full HD LED Widescreen (1920x1080)

Processor (CPU) Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Mobile Processor i7-3610QM (2.30GHz) 6MB

Memory (RAM) 8GB SAMSUNG 1600MHz SODIMM DDR3 MEMORY (2 x 4GB)

Graphics Card NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 670M - 1.5GB DDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 11 Memory -

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

DVD/BLU-RAY Drive 8x SATA DVD±R/RW/Dual Layer (+ 24x CD-RW)

Memory Card Reader Integrated 4 in 1 Card Reader (SDXC/MMC/MS/XD)

Thermal Paste ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND (£9)

Sound Card Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack

Bluetooth & Wireless GIGABIT LAN & INTEL WIRELESS 802.11N CARD INC. BLUETOOTH

3.0 USB Options 2 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 3 x USB 2.0 PORTS AS STANDARD

Battery SkyFire Series 9 Cell Lithium Ion Battery Power Lead & Adaptor 1 x UK Power Lead & 180W AC Adaptor

Operating System Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence (£79) Office Software

NO OFFICE SOFTWARE Anti-Virus

NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE

Keyboard Language INTEGRATED UK KEYBOARD WITH NUMBER PAD

Notebook Mouse INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE

Webcam INTEGRATED 720P 30 FPS HD WEBCAM

Warranty 3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£5)

Insurance 1 Month Free Laptop Insurance inc. Accidental Damage & Theft

Delivery STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)

Build Time Standard Build - Approximately 8 to 10 working days

Quantity 1

Price: £952.00 including VAT and delivery.

Unique URL to re-configure: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/quotes/skyFireII/uQQQdfsyNt/

That didn't format properly when I copied it as I'm on my phone! I hope it makes sense!

 

[pzf]

Hi

It can be quite a challenge trying to find an "ideal" spec (unless money is no object of course!) There are so many interesting combinations available. I spent a good six weeks trying out various configurations before I made my final decision.

I think the important thing, if you're looking for a long-lasting laptop, is to choose a configuration which will be cheaper/easier to upgrade in the future. So, for example, I'd choose a single 8GB RAM rather than 2x 4GB. It costs slightly more to buy a single 8GB now rather than 2 x 4GB but, in the future, if you want to upgrade to 16GB (or even 24GB), you can just buy another single 8GB RAM module to complement your existing single module.

I've also read that the CPU is the hardest part of a laptop to upgrade (sure someone will correct me if this isn't the case), so I've suggested going for the 2.7 rather than the 2.3 as you'll get more life out of that.

I've suggested a small SSD for your primary drive, to put the OS and commonly used programs on - as this will speed up your system considerably. Other files (music, videos, photos) can go on the secondary HDD.

Hope this helps - let us know what you eventually decide on.

Chassis & Display
Optimus Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Mobile Processor i7-3740QM (2.70GHz) 6MB
Memory (RAM)
8GB SAMSUNG 1600MHz SODIMM DDR3 MEMORY (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 660M - 2.0GB DDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 11
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
120GB INTEL® 330 SERIES SSD, SATA 6 Gb/s (upto 500MB/sR | 450MB/sW)
2nd Hard Disk
750GB WD SCORPIO BLACK WD7500BPKT, SATA 3 Gb/s, 16MB CACHE (7200 rpm)
1st 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 (£9)
Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Network Facilities
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® N135 802.11N (150Mbps) + BLUETOOTH
USB Options
3 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT AS STANDARD
Battery
Optimus Series 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (5,200 mAh/76.96WH)
Power Lead & Adaptor
1 x UK Power Lead & 120W AC Adaptor
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence (£79)
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Keyboard & Mouse
INTEGRATED UK KEYBOARD WITH NUMBER PAD
Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 2.0 MEGAPIXEL WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£5)
Insurance
1 Month Free Laptop Insurance inc. Accidental Damage & Theft
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 8 to 10 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £1,042.00 including VAT and delivery.