General use notebook.

[Chris097]

Basically want to use it for light gaming, (minecraft, possibly gw2 or wow or LoL in low-mid graphics), college work and internet browsing.

The main attraction is I just need something portable as I end up being in different ends of the country fairly often, I also have need something to do complete college coursework whilst away from home/my desktop.

I don't really want to spend too much, considering the dell outlet for a good deal or just great value for money from somewhere else.

I don't think I'd need much more than an i3, possibly an i5, would the difference be that noticeable for what I intend to use the notebook for?

Am I going to find anything that actually has a dedicated GPU? Or will I only find integrated Intel graphics at this budget?

If possible I'd like to it be fairly light and reasonably slim. I will need to carry it around a fair bit.

My budget is a pretty strict £350. If it's a really great deal I'd consider £400, I really would rather spend no more than £350 though.

I found this refurbished for my budget (£350) and it seems like a pretty insane deal...

Grade A1 Acer Aspire 5742 Core i5 Laptop in Black
Screen size - 15.6 in
Processor - Intel Core i5 480M - 2.66 GHz
RAM - 6 GB
Hard Drive - 750 GB
Operating System - Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
Optical Drive - DVD Super Multi


Can I expect to find anything better value on the dell outlet or should I really be thinking about purchasing this acer?

Thanks.

 

[Chris097]

Would I be better of perhaps searching for an i3 with dedicated graphics, as the acer appears to have non. I somehow don't see myself managing to get WoW up with integrated intel?

 

[Bellboy]

Someone asked similar a little further down. I'm on the lookout for similar at the same sort of price. The two so far (both have dedicated graphics, both come in at under 400 quid) are:

HP Pavilion G6 Laptop
SPECS:
Processor: AMD Quad-Core A8-3520M (1.6 GHz up to 2.5 GHz with AMD Turbo Core, 4 MB L2 cache)
Operating System: Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 64
RAM: 6 GB (1 x 2 GB, 1 x 4 GB)
Graphics card: AMD Radeon HD 6620G + 7450M Dual GPU (1 GB DDR3 dedicated)
Screen type: 15.6" HD LED BrightView (1366 x 768)
Hard drive: 750 GB
Optical disk drive: SuperMulti DVD±R/RW with Double Layer Support
Memory card reader: Multi-Format Digital Media Card Reader
TV Output: VGA + HDMI
Sound: Altec Lansing Speakers
USB 2.0 x 3
Size: W 374 x D 245 mm
Thickness: 36.3 mm
Weight 2.55 kg

Acer Aspire 5560G Laptop
Product Description
Processor - AMD Quad-Core Processor A6-3420M 1.5GHz
Memory - 4GB DDR3 RAM
Hard Drive - 500GB 5400rpm
Optical Drive - DVD Super Multi (Double Layer) drive
Operating System: Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Display - 15.6" HD Acer CineCrystal LED LCD
Graphics - AMD Radeon HD 7670M – 1GB VRAM
Audio - Speakers : built-in stereo speaker
Input Devices - Keyboard and Touch Pad
Networking - WLAN: Acer Nplify 802.11b/g/n
Power Supply - 6 Cell lithium-ion
Dimensions
Width 381.6 mm
Depth 253 mm
Height 25.2 (front) / 33.2 (rear) mm
Weight 2.6 kg
Interfaces
1 × DC-in jack
1 x Ethernet (RJ-45) port
1 x VGA port
1 x HDMI port
1 x USB 3.0 port
1 x Microphone-in jack and headphone/speaker jack, supporting 3.5 mm headset with built-in microphone for Acer smart handhelds
3 x USB 2.0 ports
Expansion
1 × Multi-in-1 card reader
Warranty / Miscellaneous
1 Year Manufacturer Warranty
Webcam 1.3mp

Haven't had any feedback yet which is better, and I don't know much about laptop hardware meself. Both seem to have pros and cons but 2 small things in the acer's favour for me are 1) the GPU is a little better according to a couple of website benchmarks I saw, and 2) it has USB 3.0. That said I don't know if the better processor and ram in the HP make up for that a little, also which can be better overclocked, etc.

 

[Chris097]

I have been looking at the aspire as well it seems like a pretty decent machine for the price tag, however I really am convinced that the dell outlet + some luck is going to be the best bet for my budget.

Also if you're also looking for a similar price I came across a Toshiba Satellite Pro L850-11V with a very reasonable spec for the price:

Intel Core i3 2350M
AMD Radeon HD 7670M
500 GB 5400rpm
Optical Drive - DVD SM
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)

This nearly the price of my extended budget but I'm yet to find anything better value, should have no problem running any of the games I play and I can probably get a decent frame rate at mid-high graphics depending on the game.

Also it's not refurbished like everything I've been looking at which is a nice bonus.

 

[Bellboy]

Obviously without telling me where (forum rules!), did you manage to find the toshiba for under £400? A quick search shows it nearer to £500 in most places.

Also the only notable difference I can see is the processor, and a quick bit of research suggests the i3 and the A6 are comparable, if anything the A6-3420M is better:

http://compare-processors.com/core-i3-2350m-vs-amd-a6-3420m/2386/

(I assume I'm allowed to post those sorts of links as they are not sellers as far as I can see, if not though feel free to delete, mods)

The same website you can do a comparison of the two I posted (well, the processors anyway):

http://compare-processors.com/amd-a6-3420m-vs-a8-3520m/3380/

So the HP is better again in that regard but not sure how much the better GPU in the asus / toshiba makes up for / supercedes that performance. Beginning to think they are pretty even overall.

 

[Chris097]

Appears I can't tell you where, but the price is exactly 395.

Google exactly this, Toshiba Satellite Pro L850-11R Core i5 Windows 7 Laptop"

It's in one of the first few links you should have no problem finding it!!

 

[Bellboy]

Apologies for the bump, but does anyone have any opinions on the above - which of the listed laptops is best (from a gaming perspective), ae they all gonna be pretty rubbish for games (bearing in mind I'm not looking for it to be on highest settings or anything) and does anyone else have any recommendations for around the £400 mark?