Core i3 or i5 Laptop, with good build quality - Minecraft, light video editing, imagine editing... e

[UKFX]

Wow, that is great. :|, might do that. Thing is I have to end up waiting til mid-November. Warrant for 3 years is simply too expensive. 15" preferred but I guess there will be others. Damnit, I hate typing on a PS3 controller, lol.

Thanks for helping. This is Dell Outlet? How reliable are the XPS range? Very regular use, 4+ Years I hope.

 

[Andrei23]

The xps should see you through 3-4 years of use. One of my best mates during uni used a studio xps for like 3 years straight which he still owns now and he only had words of praise for it, and the funny thing is he also bought it refurbished from somebody else. From my experience with such systems they are fairly well built, and at this price point it really is good value for money, especially in terms of what you're looking for. I would go for for the 17inch version over the 15 inch myself as I prefer bigger screens for gaming and you get the added benefit of better graphics card and better cooling. Also, it's alright if you're only going to be able to buy next month as this sort of offers are always going to be up on the outlet. Who knows, you might even be able to bag yourself a better deal for your budged when you do get the money and decide to take the plunge; that was just one example of how far your money could potentially go on the outlet.

 

[UKFX]

Well, I saw a 2310m and GT550M, which was very impressive, but the only thing from that was the 2310m, which has no boost and a lower base clock speed. I'm sure there will be different ones available.

It's not meant for gaming really, but if I can play games, then awesome. Minecraft would run similarly as if it was running on my gaming rig (before it got sold lol), an I'd actually be able to use texture packs on Max settings which would be nice, an some of my other games won't be obsolete for 3-4-5 years. Like the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Series I bought but hardly touched and the Hitman Collection Box I hardly touched as well, lol.

If I can get 4-5 years out of the laptop that would be even better, because I like these things to last a while. My major concern as of now is that a 3 year warranty cost £130, an since some may actually be a repair of some sort (or not), you never know if you're going to run into a problem at day 366 - after the first year of warranty runs out. Also, first year warranty as standard means standard support services and a **** ton of hassle if something goes wrong.

I suppose you're right. A 17" screen would ensure better cooling because of the greater space inside and larger volume of air/flow.

My only concern is warranty and how expensive it is. It's the only thing making me think twice about buying from any outlet. I really do need it to last years, an I can't just chance it, an hope it lasts long enough because if it doesn't survive 2 years, I'm left without a new system for a long time, an I'd also consider the entire ordeal to be a huge waste of time, effort and money.

If I was to get something, what'd be a decent Graphic Card and Processor to choose? I know the 550 is great, but if I can balance Graphic Card + Processor for better all round performance then that'd be much better. XPS only, under no circumstances am I going to get an Inspiron.

 

[UKFX]

Just saw 2410m and GT-550M with 17 inch screen, blah blah all that for £502 with VAT and Delivery. Free delivery at the moment so I imagine that'd be more like £532. It's a shame I have to wait but, that'd be a Laptop I'd be happy to purchase.

If... I can buy Warranty Extension <<< several months later (since it says you can purchase extension if you currently have Warranty), then I'd be willing to buy the Warranty Extension at a later time, like 6 months through the initial Warranty for whatever Dell Outlet laptop it may be, assuming Warranty Extension can apply to Dell Outlet Laptops.

Does anybody here know if you can buy a 2 or 3 year extension nearing the end of the first year of a DELL OUTLET laptop? I figured with them being Outlet, Dell may sneakily hide away some kind of small print vaguely outlining that Outlet laptops have some sort of dimished rights when it comes to repairs and services. I'd be more than happy to spend £532, an that is stretching the budget already so please, no more suggestions exceeding that price, but assuming I can buy a Warranty Extension further down the line, that'd be fine - as I've said already. I'd pay that £130 for a 3 year extension after 6-9 months of the standard warranty, just to ensure I needn't worry about it breaking and being left without anything after spending 450-530 on a laptop.

I'm quite excited. Sometime soon you may see "Gave into Dell Outlet on: /date" in my signature - but we'll see. No Warranty Extension at a later date for Outlet laptops, means no purchase. I can't afford Warranty Upgrades straight away and still spend a shade over £500. Warranty must come later, so long as it's extendable within that first year of standard warranty.

No point looking at them now anyway since I've got about 18 or so days before I actually look and purchase. Just need to find out about the Warranty Extension on the Outlets first. I like the Next Business Day thing as well. Does this cover all hardware faults for up to 3 years yes?

Thanks for helping folks.

FX

 

[Merlin5]

Don't know if those Dell XPS lappys have HDMI but it would be great if they do.
I just hooked up my dell vostro to my 32" tv and it's awesome using that as an alternate screen. Just ordered a longer HDMI cable from your favourite auction site.

 

[Scrutinize]

Yea, they have HDMI.

It is always worth checking out dmxdimension.com for the latest dell deals and discount codes for new systems. I specced a new XPSL702 i3 with GT550 the other day for £460 inc vat including the offer codes. (Would have upgraded the mem from 2gb myself). The i5 came in at £490

These change regularly. If you haven't signed up on dell for an account it is worth doing as I am getting daily emails with 10-20% off codes at the moment.

Oh and knowing your dislike for inspirons and dell in general, you realise the xps is pretty much an inspiron in a xps case.

It is only when you get to the latitude business systems you really see a difference in quality.

 

[UKFX]

Well I'd hope to get a Core i5 2410m and GT-550m with 7,500rpm HDD. Yes I didn't expect their to be a huge difference in their range, but so long as the XPS speakers are different from the Inspirons, I'd be happy. In Which? magazine, the Inspirons had one of the worst sets of built in speakers, with very bad tinny sound. If I got an XPS even on offer with that, I'd be pretty annoyed.

What do you suggest I do? Sign up where? Who? When? Why? What site/s? I don't fancy registering to 10 different websites for codes though.

Also, the essential question as of now is... Can I buy a 3 Year Warranty Extension, several months (up to say, 9 months during the Standard 1 Year included Warranty) after my outlet purchase? Is there any sneaky regulations regarding warranty on Outlet Laptops? Etc?

If I can buy the Warranty Extension at a later date, then I'd be happy just using the first year Standard Warranty for the first 9 months. No Warranty Extension, no purchase.

So yeah I think I'll look at getting a L702x in 2 weeks. I think 2310m is a bit slow for me without Turbo. I'd like the higher clock speeds of the 2410m and the turbo thingy ma-jig.

 

[Merlin5]

There's a vostro i3 with dedicated 6630 graphics card on the dell outlet at the moment. Backup media not included, but that's not the end of the world.

Vostro 3550
English Windows 7 Professional
Processor: Intel Core i3-2310M (2.10GHz, 3MB cache, Dual Core)
320 GB SATA Hard Drive (7200 RPM)
4 GB DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz (1 DIMMs)
8X DVD+/-RW Drive
Display: 15.6in High Definition LED Display (1366X768) LCD with anti-glare
Graphics: AMD Radeon HD 6630M 1GB Graphics Card
Wireless: Intel Centrino Wireless-N 1030 (1x2 b/g/n+ Bluetooth Combo Card)
LCD Back Cover : Silver WLAN
Back Up Media Not Included
English Genuine Windows 7 SP1 Home Premium (64Bit OS)

£385.03 inc VAT.

 

[JimboJet]

Thats bloody cheap!

 

[Scrutinize]

What do you suggest I do? Sign up where? Who? When? Why? What site/s? I don't fancy registering to 10 different websites for codes though.

Also, the essential question as of now is... Can I buy a 3 Year Warranty Extension, several months (up to say, 9 months during the Standard 1 Year included Warranty) after my outlet purchase? Is there any sneaky regulations regarding warranty on Outlet Laptops? Etc?

Pretty sure you can't on the outlet purchases but you can on new ones.

Just register with dell directly as if you were buying from them and tick to recieve marketing from them only by email.

Usually the same codes are posted on dmxdimension but I have had a few ones recently that have been specific to me.

 

[UKFX]

There's a vostro i3 with dedicated 6630 graphics card on the dell outlet at the moment. Backup media not included, but that's not the end of the world.

Vostro 3550
English Windows 7 Professional
Processor: Intel Core i3-2310M (2.10GHz, 3MB cache, Dual Core)
320 GB SATA Hard Drive (7200 RPM)
4 GB DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz (1 DIMMs)
8X DVD+/-RW Drive
Display: 15.6in High Definition LED Display (1366X768) LCD with anti-glare
Graphics: AMD Radeon HD 6630M 1GB Graphics Card
Wireless: Intel Centrino Wireless-N 1030 (1x2 b/g/n+ Bluetooth Combo Card)
LCD Back Cover : Silver WLAN
Back Up Media Not Included
English Genuine Windows 7 SP1 Home Premium (64Bit OS)

£385.03 inc VAT.

You do love Vostro's lol. Seems good but is that better than a 2410M and a GT-550M? :\ - I don't think it is, but the price clearly makes up for that. With the other laptop I'd have more chance of playing Empire Total War, which, on my relatively beasty rig (before I sold it), it struggled hugely to play anything past the 2nd Road to Independence Campaign. After owning that game shortly after it's release, I never did play past the 2nd or 3rd Road to Independance Mission, let alone the Grand Campaign. I'd actually like to be able to finish that game and play it smoothly. What a bug fest it was!

Thats bloody cheap!

Indeed it is/was.

Pretty sure you can't on the outlet purchases but you can on new ones.

Just register with dell directly as if you were buying from them and tick to recieve marketing from them only by email.

Usually the same codes are posted on dmxdimension but I have had a few ones recently that have been specific to me.

Well, why is it that you can buy a 3 year extension straight away, but not later on Outlet Laptops? That doesn't make much sense and it seems rather unfair. That's like admitting they have little belief that these potentially repaired systems will work after the first year - which would make them a huge waste of money. I'm not spending 350-530 quid for a 1 year laptop. It needs to last at least 4. Not a very encouraging thought for purchase, I must admit.

So just register at Dell.co.uk? I take it the Outlet runs through the same website, so no other registration is required?

So long as I don't have to register to that code website or hand over my e-mail address or details just so they can sell them to 20,000 different third parties then that's okay.

Hmmm. I was quite excited, but now it seems rather unfortunate if I can't get a 3 year extension later on. Oh well. Knew it was too good to be true.

Thanks for helping.

This is the part where I say: "Back to square one!" - disaster.

 

[Merlin5]

You do love Vostro's lol.

Well since I have one I know what to look for and can recommend them. And tbh, considering your needs, you really can't be too picky unless you're prepared to spend in excess of £600. You simply won't find too many laptops with i5 or even i3 and dedicated graphics (a good dedicated card) for around £450. But there are some now and again, the vostro being one of them, such as the one I mentioned on the previous page. There also isn't a huge difference between a 550m and a 6630M, and my 6630 gets good results from all the 3DMarks, and it plays any game you throw at it, albeit not at maximum settings.

 

[Merlin5]

Also, there's a few Acer Aspire 5750G's currently on your favourite auction site going for around £500 to £560 ranging from i3 to i7, all with nvidia 540M or 520M. And they're all brand spanking new.

 

[UKFX]

Well since I have one I know what to look for and can recommend them. And tbh, considering your needs, you really can't be too picky unless you're prepared to spend in excess of £600. You simply won't find too many laptops with i5 or even i3 and dedicated graphics (a good dedicated card) for around £450. But there are some now and again, the vostro being one of them, such as the one I mentioned on the previous page. There also isn't a huge difference between a 550m and a 6630M, and my 6630 gets good results from all the 3DMarks, and it plays any game you throw at it, albeit not at maximum settings.

Well, I saw L702x XPS with i5 2410m and 550m for 530 ish. And I'm not being picky these were peoples suggestions. I'd be willing to get a Dell Outlet laptop assuming I can EXTEND the WARRANTY at a LATER DATE... i.e. a few months but apparently that's not possible on Outlet. Can someone confirm???

Also, there's a few Acer Aspire 5750G's currently on your favourite auction site going for around £500 to £560 ranging from i3 to i7, all with nvidia 540M or 520M. And they're all brand spanking new.

The guaranteed to break Acer? No thanks. They too suck in the support department. I just want an Outlet one with 3 year warranty extension, like 3 or 4 months after purchase!

 

[Andrei23]

Whatever you do, don't buy a laptop with intel hd 3000 and only intel hd 3000 as it will not run minecraft comfortably with any level of detail. I know cause I just tried running it on an i5-2520 and it failed miserably.
I suggest you go with an outlet laptop as that seems to be the best value for your money at this point in time. Here's some food for thought for you, a certified refurbished laptop has gone through serious screening by technicians as opposed to a brand new laptop which may develop a fault during first uses. Usually with electronics, if they have a glaring fault they will break down almost instantly, if not they will keep running for years. In this situation I would trust a laptop that has been powered on and tested by a technician and approved to be resold more than a brand-spanking new laptop that has gone through some very limited quality control procedures.
From what I know xps laptops don't have known issues like some hp consumer laptops are infamous for. So you are pretty much safe going for a certified refurbished as it would have undergone more screening than a newer one, since new laptop are expected to just work. I don't know if you see what I am getting at here, of if I am expressing myself properly (I am not a native English speaker) but if you want my advice, skip the whole 3 year warranty thing and spend your money on other things.
As for the laptop itself, just get a 17 inch with an i5 and 550 at least, from the outlet, of course.

 

[JimboJet]

It may pay to have a machine in mind and ring up to speak to a rep. Explain your limited budget and that you'd like an extended warranty, you never know they may throw it in for free to make the sale... after all it doesn't physically cost them anything as such. I've read in another forum that sometimes it pays to chat to someone at dell. By all accounts its a bit of a lottery as to how good the guy/girl is on the other end. Some wont shift at all, others will bend over backwards to make a sale.

On that note, and I have no idea how Dell actually do this, sales are driven by monthly targets. I'd say this means you're more likely to get something from them right now as we're at the end of the month. You just have to hope you get to speak the salesperson flagging behind a bit!

 

[UKFX]

Whatever you do, don't buy a laptop with intel hd 3000 and only intel hd 3000 as it will not run minecraft comfortably with any level of detail. I know cause I just tried running it on an i5-2520 and it failed miserably.
I suggest you go with an outlet laptop as that seems to be the best value for your money at this point in time. Here's some food for thought for you, a certified refurbished laptop has gone through serious screening by technicians as opposed to a brand new laptop which may develop a fault during first uses. Usually with electronics, if they have a glaring fault they will break down almost instantly, if not they will keep running for years. In this situation I would trust a laptop that has been powered on and tested by a technician and approved to be resold more than a brand-spanking new laptop that has gone through some very limited quality control procedures.
From what I know xps laptops don't have known issues like some hp consumer laptops are infamous for. So you are pretty much safe going for a certified refurbished as it would have undergone more screening than a newer one, since new laptop are expected to just work. I don't know if you see what I am getting at here, of if I am expressing myself properly (I am not a native English speaker) but if you want my advice, skip the whole 3 year warranty thing and spend your money on other things.
As for the laptop itself, just get a 17 inch with an i5 and 550 at least, from the outlet, of course.

That is comforting to know, but I'm still spooked out if it dies after the first year, then £500 is essentially thrown out the window. If Dell don't do a 3 year extension at a later time (even though it vaguely says in the Outlet, about Warranty Extensions only being applied within the first year, so long as you're within your original Warranty), then maybe I'll have to get a third party Warranty, with cowboys. Or not. I don't know yet, but it has to last quite a while, but I will bear in mind what you have said, thank you.

I always go to http://www.minecraftwiki.net/wiki/Hardware_performance and use the Find function in IE to see how the Core i5 and GPUs do when it comes to MC, an yes I knew a fair time ago that a 2410m and Intel HD 3000 graphics are terrible for Minecraft. With a 540m, it's great, but if I can get a 550m, then it's even better. Either way, I can run 256x256 texture packs if I choose to. Just goes to show how much MC needs a beefier GPU.

It may pay to have a machine in mind and ring up to speak to a rep. Explain your limited budget and that you'd like an extended warranty, you never know they may throw it in for free to make the sale... after all it doesn't physically cost them anything as such. I've read in another forum that sometimes it pays to chat to someone at dell. By all accounts its a bit of a lottery as to how good the guy/girl is on the other end. Some wont shift at all, others will bend over backwards to make a sale.

On that note, and I have no idea how Dell actually do this, sales are driven by monthly targets. I'd say this means you're more likely to get something from them right now as we're at the end of the month. You just have to hope you get to speak the salesperson flagging behind a bit!

Hmm. Monthly sales? Well I really have no choice but to order in mid-November, so that kind of sucks. I don't think I'll call them up, but surely this Warranty Extension can still apply?

Go to the Outlet and see Warranty Services. Does that not appear to indicate that Outlet Laptops can get Extensions? There is a Warranty Extension tab to click on.

If not, I guess I'll have to chance it and get one without, an hope to hell that it doesn't break. Please remember that it's going to be used mostly all day, every day, forever... lol until it dies. So I'm hoping to get 4 years minimum. Optimistic, I know, but surely possible.

Checked Outlet nothing special in at the moment, an hella expensive, but yes, I hope to get a Core i5 2410m, 4GB of RAM and GT-550m. Hoping 320GB 7,200 is enough space, but I should think it would be, right? :\

This should be fun. Oh, one other thing, about Warranty. If it's been super tested, which I'm a bit doubtful of, then wouldn't it qualify for the same Warranty Extension (at a later date) as the new Laptops? Spooky. It's all about peace of mind really and if something does go wrong it'll get fixed. Again, still bearing in mind that these refurbs are "tested".

Thanks for helping folks, I'll once again check back later.

Edit: I'll register to Dell later today or tomorrow.

 

[UKFX]

Just had a chat with a Dell Agent through their website, after registering to Dell's website.

Here is a direct copy from the chat we had... lol at them trying to get me buying sooner:

19:12:38 System You are now being connected to an agent. Thank you for using Dell Chat
19:12:38 System Connected with ARB_Chat_Jose_Leon
19:12:43 ARB_Chat_Jose_Leon Welcome to Dell Outlet Sales Chat. My name is Joe. How may I assist you?
19:13:45 Lee Hi there. I was just wondering if a Warranty Extension of 3 years can be purchased with a Dell Outlet Laptop, several months after the initial purchase, but still within the first year of the 1 year Standard Warranty? Is that possible? I have been told by others that this is not possible on Outlet laptops, but only on Dell's new laptops.
19:14:33 ARB_Chat_Jose_Leon I will be more than glad to assist you with that.
19:14:58 ARB_Chat_Jose_Leon Yes absolutely you can do it before the first year ends.
19:15:55 Lee That's great news. Thank you. Looks like I'll be ordering a Laptop from Dell Outlet within the next few weeks.
19:16:18 ARB_Chat_Jose_Leon If you need future assistance please contact me back, just log in to the chat and ask for me Jose Leon, or send me an e-mail at [email protected] Attention to my self, It will be my pleasure to assist you again
19:16:35 Lee Thank you Jose.
19:16:58 ARB_Chat_Jose_Leon We have some really great deal going on right now up to 20-25% extra on selected systems
19:17:40 Lee I am aware Dell has some great deals going on at the moment, but I'm strapped for cash until November, so I think I'll stick with the Outlet for now.
19:17:43 ARB_Chat_Jose_Leon If that help you to make your decision before that ends 10/29/11
19:17:53 ARB_Chat_Jose_Leon ok
19:18:08 ARB_Chat_Jose_Leon Great. hope to see you again sooner.
19:18:08 ARB_Chat_Jose_Leon Thank you for choosing Dell, Enjoy your day.
19:18:14 Lee Thanks for your help. Bye.

How friendly am I, right?

Assuming this isn't pure lies, Warranty Extension can be made on Outlet laptops, just the same as Dell's new laptops, any time within the first year, so long as your Standard Warranty hasn't expired. Good stuff right? Probably a waste of money spending £130 on 3 years Warranty with some "next business day" thingy, whatever that is, but it covers any hardware faults, right? So I would think I'm at least covered for 3 years 9 months. Haha.

I'll check that dmxdimension thing out a bit later.

Ahhh, tis good news.

Thanks for helping folks. I'll check back using the horrid PS3 browser later on .

 

[UKFX]

I just thought I'd quickly sign back on to say...

BF3 comes tomorrow! It was dispatched 4 hours ago via First Class RM delivery! Muhahaha. Good times!

 

[Bezzaboy1234]

I Have a HP ProBook 4530's i3 and its great, cost me about £300 second hand and it runs mine craft fantastically, its 15.6" and has a very desktopy feel with the full size keyboard + numpad, just a thought for you =)