New laptop needed

[[email protected]]

Hey, I'm in need of a new laptop. My old one died over Christmas and I got a cheap-ass one a few weeks ago to tide me over for a bit but it's deathly slow and driving me crazy.

I don't need it for gaming at all but I do need it to double as a TV. Also it gets used by my nieces for Netflix/Youtube quite a bit. I also just use it for regular things like email, online shopping, downloading music, basic Word documents for work. My price range (converted from euro because I live in Ireland) is between 680 and 850 pounds. Closer to 700 would be ideal, or cheaper again if possible. I think I'd put an anti-virus on myself and get the silver warranty option. Other than that I don't speak computer and have no idea what would be best. Many thanks.

 

[jimllo]

hmm
a quad core cpu (e.g. i5 7300 HQ), 8GB Ram, and a SSD should give you the performance you are looking for

Chassis & Display
Cosmos Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD IPS LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i5 Quad Core Processor 7300HQ (2.5GHz, 3.5GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
8GB HyperX IMPACT 2133MHz SODIMM DDR4 (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 940MX - 2.0GB DDR3 Video RAM - DirectX® 12
Memory - Hard Disk
NOT REQUIRED
M.2 SSD Drive
256GB SAMSUNG SM961 M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3100MB/R, 1400MB/W)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC)
AC Adaptor
1 x 90W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre Cloverleaf UK Power Cable
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Def. Audio + SoundBlaster™ Cinema 3
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-8265 M.2 (867Mbps, 802.11AC) +BT 4.0
USB Options
1 x USB 3.0 PORT (Type C) + 2 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Battery
Cosmos VI Series 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
Keyboard Language
SINGLE COLOUR BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Notebook Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 1MP HD WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 4 to 6 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £818.00 including VAT and delivery.

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/cosmosVI-15/x3RyNnCydm/

you could pull the harddrive(s) out of the old dead laptop and use them as external storage with a harddrive enclosure

 

[keynes]

I don't need it for gaming at all but I do need it to double as a TV. Also it gets used by my nieces for Netflix/Youtube quite a bit. I also just use it for regular things like email, online shopping, downloading music, basic Word documents for work

If it is mainly for media and some word documents you are better off with a tablet or a laptop costing less than £600. The genesis V in the configurator could be an option.

 

[Stephen M]

Looking at your requirements there is an easy way to save £92, if you are willing to try a Linux distro. Ubuntu, using Google Chrome is now fully compatible with Netflix and Open Office (a free open source version of M Office) will be fine for your work needs. I would give it some thought as the £92 equates to a lot of RAM or storage space, things you do need. It is easy to install and use and there is an option to try it without installation, if you have access to a working laptop of PC I would definitely try the latter, just burn the Ubuntu iso to a DVD or, better still, put it on a USB drive and start the basic install procedure but take the "Try Ubuntu" option, this will run the OS from the media you have chosen. Because it will be running from a DVD of USB drive it will be much slower than a full installation but will give you the chance to see what it is like.

If you wish to do that but are not sure about exactly how, there are plenty of helpful people on these fora who will be glad to give advice. I moved to Linux four years ago and it was much simpler than I had expected.

 

[QEin1985]

Or order without any OS and get an OEM Win 10 licence for £25.

OEM licences are tied to your motherboard for life and you get no telephone support from Microsoft, but when was the last time you moved a Windows key between machines or called Microsoft for support?

 

[[email protected]]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I've been messing about configuring and come up with the following. Is there anything I need to change/upgrade to get me what I need? I decided to keep the OS system option for the time being until I give it more thought.

Chassis & Display
Genesis Series: 15.6" Matte HD LED 16:9 Widescreen (1366x768)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Celeron® Quad Core Processor N3160 (4 x 1.60GHz, 2.24GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
8GB HyperX IMPACT 1600MHz SODIMM DDR3 (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
Integrated Intel® HD Graphics
Memory - Hard Disk
250GB Samsung 850 2.5" EVO SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 540MB/sR | 520MB/sW)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
UltraNote Series: 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)
AC Adaptor
1 x 40W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre Cloverleaf UK Power Cable
Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-8265 M.2 (867Mbps, 802.11AC) +BT 4.0
USB Options
3 x USB 2.0 PORTS + 1 x USB 3.0 PORT AS STANDARD
Battery
UltraNote III Series 32WH Battery (Up to 9.5 Hour Battery Life)
Keyboard Language
GENESIS III SERIES INTEGRATED UK KEYBOARD
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Google Chrome™
Notebook Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 1MP HD WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
2 - 3 DAY DELIVERY TO REPUBLIC OF IRELAND
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 4 to 6 working days
Quantity
1

Price: €594.00 including VAT and delivery.

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/genesisV-15/PxaYtXUqp9/

 

[Stephen M]

That looks OK. Even if you stay with Windows you could use Open Office on that and it will save you some money, this is their site: http://www.openoffice.us.com/

 

[[email protected]]

Thanks for all the help. I really appreciate it.

 

[Oussebon]

If you have the budget I might be temped to suggest something with an i3 CPU and a 1080p screen.

1080p is much better for productivity (e.g. snapping a web page and a word doc side by side and actually being able to read them both) plus it will let you benefit from any 1080p content you view on youtube, Netflix or whatever.

This article goes on at some length about it, but you can see an example of a web page on a 1080p screen vs a 1366x768 screen: http://www.laptopmag.com/articles/laptop-screen-resolution-ripoff

The N3160 type CPUs are very weak and while likely fine for light use if you're upgrading a laptop on the grounds your old one is "deathly slow" I'd probably go for more powerful CPU so you're that bit less likely to find yourself saying the same thing in a few years.


Chassis & Display
UltraNote: 14" Matte Full HD IPS LED Backlit Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i3 Dual Core Processor i3-7100U (2.40GHz) 3MB Cache
Memory (RAM)
8GB HyperX IMPACT 2133MHz SODIMM DDR4 (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
INTEL® HD GRAPHICS 620 - 1.7GB Max DDR4 Video RAM - DirectX® 12
Memory - Hard Disk
250GB Samsung 850 2.5" EVO SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 540MB/sR | 520MB/sW)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC)
AC Adaptor
1 x 40W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre Cloverleaf UK Power Cable
Sound Card
Realtek 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-8265 M.2 (867Mbps, 802.11AC) +BT 4.0
USB Options
1 x USB 3.1 PORT (Type C) + 1 x USB 3.0 PORT + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Battery
UltraNote IV Series 44WH Lithium Ion Battery
Keyboard Language
14" ULTRANOTE III SERIES UK KEYBOARD
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Notebook Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 1MP HD WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
2 - 3 DAY DELIVERY TO REPUBLIC OF IRELAND
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 4 to 6 working days
Quantity
1

Price: €745.00 including VAT and delivery.

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/ultraNoteIV-14/v6F697DU93/

With reference to your initially posted budget, that's £613.

The main extra cost appears to be due to the better screen rather than the CPU. It's 1080p and IPS, which means better viewing angles (possibly very handy if two people are trying to watch media on the screen at once).

You could also consider swapping the 850 Evo to the SM961 for £9 or 11€ as the much faster speeds may help make the laptop even faster for about 1.5% extra build cost.