Laptop

[Garaen]

Hi All,

I've come to the 'Techie Discussion' section for some wisdom from those who are in the know - Basically, i've been looking for a new laptop for a couple of weeks but can't really decide on anything, so i was wondering whether you guys could give me to idea as to which kind of laptop i need to go for.

I'm after a laptop that is capable of running some high end games, i'm not after something at the absolute top end of gaming, but something that could run most games resonably well would be good. Ideally the laptop would be used for work, gaming and watching DVDs and listening to music etc.

I've kind of narrowed down the type of spec i'm after:

2ghz CPU core duo
nVidiea 8xxx range
2gig ram
15 or 17inch screen
Resonable HDD space

I've kind of narrowed my search down to Sony Vaoi as i've been told they're quite reliable:

The VGN-FZ11Z looks quite nice

Vaio : VGN-FZ11Z : United Kingdom

but i'm a bit worried i'll be paying more for things like a Bluray player with HD capability when i'm not really bothered about that.

The Dell Inspiron 1520 looks pretty good as well, but i've been told to stear well clear of Dell because of their bad reputation.

Can anyone suggest any good laptops along the lines of what i'm after? (Or are the two laptops above as good as i'm going to get?). I'm not strictly tied down to a laptop, i was under the impression that a desktop would be better for what i'm after, but was told that with today's laptops there isn't much difference between them (i still can't believe this ). Would i be better off going for a desktop rather than a laptop for what i'm after, or are there resonable laptops about?

Edit: I just want to add the price range i'm going for is around the 1000 - 1200 quid mark.

Thanks for any help you guys can provide,

G

 

[Garaen]

Oh i forgot to mention, i've done a quick search on the forum for any threads with the kind of information i'm after, but didn't turn up with much - if there is indeed a thread with a load of information could someone point me in it's direction?

Cheers.
G

 

[Clown]

United Kingdom Dell notebooks

What about one of these?

 

[Garaen]

United Kingdom Dell notebooks

What about one of these?

I thought that was a pisstake then because they looked so cheap Just checked the specs and they look quite nice - thanks for the link, i'll try and price one up

 

[Jonty]

Hi Garaen

Dell's Vostro line is essentially the same as the Inspiron range, but because it's intended for small businesses and not normal consumers, it features some nicer options (like durable magnesium-alloy casing, drop zone hard-drive protection, spill-proof sealed keyboards, less preinstalled software etc.). The Vostro's only come in black, so you loose the colour options that the Inspiron line offers, but otherwise it offers a pretty good deal (and don't worry, anyone can buy them, not just small businesses).

As for Sony, they certainly make nice laptops, but you do pay a lot for their design. Also note that some of Sony's components are proprietary, so you need to rely on them to release drivers and such. I don't think this is a deal-breaker, but I remember when people switched from XP to Vista it took Sony a while to get their act together and release updated drivers.

Anyway, you should be able to build a nice notebook for £1000-£1200. Just three more things to consider. Firstly, notebooks aren't as powerful as desktops. Most people don't care, because notebooks offer far more freedom, but (for example) the graphics capabilities are reduced to fit the size, heat and power constraints of a notebook. Personally I love them all the same, but if you want a really nice gaming computer, then £1000-£1200 will buy you a significantly more powerful computer.

Secondly, laptops aren't particularly upgradable (ASUS offer a 'barebones' system, and others allow customisation when ordering, like Dell, Alienware, HP etc.). Although some components like the RAM, hard drive etc. can be easily changed, switching (for example) the graphics card is usually very difficult (because notebook designs are proprietary). Again, if you know this from the outset, and you buy a decent specification now, then there's no reason it shouldn't last you 2-3 years. But again, it's just something else to consider.

Finally, some 'off the shelf' providers like Acer and ASUS can provider some good deals, but obviously you have less freedom to customise the system to your needs (which is one of the reasons Dell is popular).

Anyway, you may want to check out the Notebook Review Forums and Notebook Forums etc. (just two sites that come to mind, but there are plenty of others if you search for them). If you don't mind sifting through countless repeated topics, then there is a lot of helpful information to be found. Just one word of warning: never take one opinion as fact. Always keep searching to get a more complete understanding.

Kind regards

 

[dysfunction]

How about something from here:

From Laptops Direct

Their prices are quite reasonable for what you are getting...

 

[dysfunction]

Or perhaps something like this:

Asus G1S-AK005C - Intel Core 2 Duo T7500 2.2ghz 2048MB 160GB DVD-RW SM 15.4" Camera Built Nvidia GF 8600m 256MB WLAN Vista Premium

 

[djpringle]

I've got one of those and it's very very nice. The styling is an acquired taste mind but you can turn off the annoying flashing lights

 

[Garaen]

Hey guys, thanks very much for all the advice - it's been really good. Currently i've narrowed it down to 4 laptops, although i'm still searching.

Option 1:

Sony Vaio FZ11Z

Vaio : VGN-FZ11Z : United Kingdom

I really like the design of this laptop, and the spec is really good. The only thing that puts me off really is the Hard Drive Speed of (rpm) 4200 as i know this is lower than your average. Also i'll be paying extra for the Blu-Ray player and HDMI which i won't use as much.

Option 2:

Toshiba x200

Toshiba - Series Homepage

I really like the specs on this laptop, obviously with a slightly higher price than the Vaio it'll have better specs and i can't really see any fault with this laptop (except perhaps the size of it, as i'm still in limbo about getting a 15inch or 17inch laptop)

Option 3:

Samusung M55

SAMSUNG's Digital World - MobileComputing | M55

Again, great specs and at a resonable price. Someone i know has this exact model and recommends it.

This is the shortlist i've drawn up so far. I had a look at Dell and Asus but i feel i should stear away from them. Any thoughts or suggestions on the laptops i've picked out would be great. The Vaio is still my favourite (although i can't put my finger on why), although the Toshiba is close behind it.

I've set myself a deadline to decide and order the new laptop by this coming Tuesday, so i'll let you guys know what i decide

Thanks again for the great posts guys.

G

 

[Kryten]

I've recommended Samsungs to a couple of people, my own parents included - and so far I've been very pleased with the amount of laptop you get for your money. Never been a fan of the Vaios, I think mainly because of the price of them.

 

[djpringle]

15" or 17", if you aren't going to be moving around all that often I would go for a 17". Whilst the screen doesn't seem all that bigger (my previous laptop was a 17) actually having a number pad on the keyboard made a lot of difference.
I downgraded just because it was a right royal pain lugging it around

 

[ST^]

What idiot recommended you to stay away from Dell :/

 

[Garaen]

What idiot recommended you to stay away from Dell :/

Someone who works in I.T

I've decided to go for the Sony Vaio FZ11Z - Thanks very much for all of the infomation guys - i'll order it in the next couple of days and let you know how i find it

 

[ST^]

Well like I said, that person is an idiot

 

[gunner440]

Well like I said, that person is an idiot

True

Dell aren't bad but stay away from their Inspiron range.

Latitudes are pretty.

 

[nath]

Well like I said, that person is an idiot

D'you work for Dell or something?

 

[ST^]

No, but I buy plenty of stuff from them (work not personal).

Do you work for one of Dell's competitors or something?

 

[nath]

Nope but in my old job dell I remember dell machines fucking up quite a bit.

 

[Kryten]

Don't really have any more issues with Dell than I do with other manufacturers.
They've had large battery problems - because of Sony. They can't seem to make a power supply last for long (but mostly in desktop computers) and they can't design a laptop where the wristpad doesn't keep buggering the screen up when closed. But on the positive side, they're mostly sturdy, quick, support is quick and easy if you do it yourself via their ample site.

 

[Ch3tan]

Dell are horrific to deal with if you ever have a problem.

I once had a 6 month battle to get a refund for a £30 webcam that they had cancelled my order for, then shipped anyway.

My colleague at work bought a laptop for his daughter last week, the screen went after 5 days. He just wanted an exchange or for dell to repair it. He has no technical knowledge. Dell wanted him to open it up and try reconnecting some cables, they also wanted him to download some software -on to a laptop with no working screen, and the only computer in his house.

When he got fed up with this he stated to them that he was simply going to request a refund as they had supplied him with a faulty product. They arranged a callback and suprise, did not call back. He called them the next day from work, I was listening. They transfered him 3 times back to the same department, and several times to other departments. No one wanted to take responsibility. They lied, saying that his laptop was no longer under warrenty -he had owned it for 5 days! One woman who he spoke to twice, claimed that she had never discussed it withim before -she had transferred him to another dept 10 minutes previously. The best, however, was when they said they would sort the refund, then pretended that the phone line was breaking up and they couldn't hear a word he said. He said, and I quote, "don't give me that fucking bollocks". To which the dell person replied "no need to swear sir". "I thought you couldnt hear a word I said" was his reply.

Dell like nothing but to take your money, stay the hell away.

 

[Clown]

They were fine when I bought two of my monitors.

 

[Ch3tan]

Yes as i said, they are fine until you have a problem.

 

[gunner440]

Nope but in my old job dell I remember dell machines fucking up quite a bit.

9/10 times it's the user who fucks up the machine. Not had any problems with Dell in both personal/work scenarios.

 

[nath]

Well, as far as I recall there were a fair few hardware problems. Ones that were very unlikely to be caused by the user. Meh.

 

[Jonty]

Hi guys

Okay, enough bickering please All companies have their faults, and some are worse than others, but it's often just the luck of the draw in terms of individual experiences. Anyway, unless you have something constructive to add, I think we all know the pros and cons of Dell by now.

Back on topic, Garaen, good luck

Kind regards