Laptop advice please...

father-ted

father-ted

father-ted

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I am buying a laptop for my daughter.

She will be using it to play games, internet, office applications for school work, and webcam. It is to replace her desktop which takes up too much room.

I dont know very much about laptops, so any recommendations?

We are looking to spend in the region of £500-£600

Thanks in advance :cool:
 
Seriously considering this one, costs a bit more but the spec is better. Is there anything similar that I should look at also? This one costs £738 inc vat.

Product Description Acer Aspire 6935G - Notebook PC Processor 1 x Intel® Core™2 Duo P7350 2GHz 1066MHz Chipset Mobile Intel PM45 Express Cache 3MB - L2 Cache Hard Drive 320GB - Serial ATA-150 - 5400 rpm Networking Ethernet
Fast Ethernet
Gigabit Ethernet
IEEE 802.11b
IEEE 802.11a
IEEE 802.11g
IEEE 802.11n (draft)
Bluetooth 2.0 EDR Telecom Fax / modem - 56 Kbps RAM 4GB (installed) / 4GB (max)
DDR2 SDRAM Graphics Controller NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT - 512 MB Built-in Devices Stereo speakers
Subwoofer
Wireless LAN aeria
Bluetooth aerial Notebook Camera Integrated - 1 Megapixel Display 16" TFT 1366 x 768 ( WXGA ) Optical Storage DVD±RW (±R DL) / DVD-RAM / BD-ROM Card Reader SD Memory Card
Memory Stick
Memory Stick PRO
MultiMediaCard
xD-Picture Card
MMCplus OS Provided Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium Dimensions (WxDxH) 38.5 cm x 27.5 cm x 4.4 cm Weight 3.5 kg Manufacturer Warranty 1 year warranty
 
In terms of spec that would do what you want.

I've had bad experiences with Acer though, I had one and my sister has had one. Mine had to go back twice (faulty DC jack and bad motherboard to HD connection) and hers died at 13 months old (screen dead, new inverter didnt do it).

The service when getting mine fixed was very slow on both occasions
 
if you're getting that spec Acer - shop around (google) because im sure ive seen it cheaper than £730 for that model. think it was £579 or nearabouts i saw it priced at.
 
from what I can see, Acer do loads of different spec machines under each model number. Quite misleading.

You can get them in the 500 range but the spec is much lower
 
agreed father-ted.. been looking at a few of them as well. Usually cheaper ones have no bluray drive, different cpu, a lower specced graphics card etc.

Also wondering what kind of gaming performance would be had with the 9600M GT
 
Tis not too bad to be honest , about 8600/2600 desktop performance , and is meant to be a lot faster than the 8600M. I saw the 8600M playing COD4 just about so there you go, and this was on default cack divers.
 
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is there a major difference between the 6930G and the 6935G ? also how do you check if the graphics card is DDR3 (if its not in the tech specs)
 
Also now looking at this laptop, can be had for around £700 inc vat....but that is refurbed and sold as new with full 12 month warranty. Brand new, I can get it for around £780:

Toshiba Qosmio F50-10Z:

Technology type : Intel® Centrino® 2 Processor Technology featuring Intel® Core 2 Duo Processor P8400, Intel® PM45 Express chipset and Intel® WiFi Link 5100
clock speed : 2.26 GHz
front side bus : 1066 MHz
2nd level cache : 3 MB
Operating system Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition (pre-installed, Toshiba-HDD recovery)

System memory standard : 4,096 (2,048 + 2,048) MB
maximum expandability : 8,192 MB
technology : DDR2 RAM (800 MHz)
Hard disk capacity : 320 GB
certification : S.M.A.R.T.
DVD Super Multi drive (Double Layer) compatibility : CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD-R(DL), DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+R(DL), DVD+RW, DVD-RAM
maximum speed : Read: 24x CD-ROM, 8x DVD-ROM/ Write: 24x CD-R, 4x CD-RW, 10x HS CD-RW, 16x US CD-RW, 8x DVD-R, 6x DVD-R (Double Layer), 6x DVD-RW, 8x DVD+R, 6x DVD+R (Double Layer), 8x DVD+RW, 5x DVD-RAM
type : DVD Super Multi (Double Layer) drive
Display size : 15.4 "
type : Toshiba TruBrite® WXGA TFT High Brightness display
internal resolution : 1,280 x 800
Graphics adapter manufacturer : NVIDIA®
type : NVIDIA® GeForce® 9600M GT supporting TurboCache™ technology
memory : 512 MB dedicated VRAM (up to 1,791 MB total available graphics memory using TurboCache™ technology with 3 GB system memory)
memory type : GDDR2 (400 MHz) Video RAM (resp. Video RAM and system memory combined)
connected bus : 16x PCI Express
Internal video modes
Max External Video Modes Max Resolution : 2,048 x 1,536
Max Refresh Rate : 85 Hz
Non-interlaced resolution with max refresh rate : 1,280 x 1,024
TV tuner manufacturer : Toshiba
type : hybrid digital (DVB-T) and analog TV tuner
Interfaces 1 x DC-in
1 x RJ-11
1 x RJ-45
1 x i.LINK® (IEEE 1394)
1 x external microphone
1 x RGB
1 x headphone (stereo)
1 x TV-antenna
1 x line-in shared with microphone socket
1 x S/PDIF-out (optical) shared with headphone socket
1 x integrated 1.3 Megapixels Web Camera with built-in microphone
1 x 5-in-1 Bridge Media slot (supports SD™ Cards up to 16 GB, Memory Stick® up to 256 MB, Memory Stick Pro™ up to 2 GB, MultiMedia Card™ up to 2 GB and xD-Picture Card™ up to 2 GB)
1 x HDMI-CEC (REGZA-Link) supporting 1080p signal format
4 (Left 1, Right 1, Rear 2) x USB 2.0 (supporting USB Sleep-and-Charge)
1 (shared with one USB port) x eSATA
1 x line-out shared with headphone socket
2 x IR Blaster-out
Expansion 2 x memory slots (1 to configure)
1 x ExpressCard slot
Wireless communication Wireless Technology : Bluetooth®
Compliancy : Wi-Fi™
Network Support : 802.11a/g/Draft-N
Wireless Technology : Wireless LAN (802.11a/g/Draft-N)
Media Processor processor type : Toshiba Quad Core HD Processor supporting four 128bit SIMD RISC processors (1.5 GHz each) integrating high-definition H.264 and MPEG2 encoders/decoders, and featuring Upconvert, Transcoding, Face Navigation and Gesture Control functionality
Wired communication topology : international V.90 modem (V.92 ready)
speed : 56 Kbps data and 14.4 Kbps fax
topology : Gigabit Ethernet LAN
speed : 10BASE-T/100BASE-TX/1000BASE-T
Sound system supported audio format : 24-bit stereo
speakers : built-in Harman Kardon® stereo speaker system with 2 x bass reflex speakers and 1 x subwoofer
manufacturer : Toshiba Bass Enhanced Sound System with Dolby® Sound Room™
Keyboard keys : 87
Windows keys : Yes
Pointing device type : Touch Pad
Battery technology : lithium-ion
maximum life : up to 1h50min (Mobile Mark™ 2007)
AC adaptor input voltage : autosensing AC adapter (100/240 V) for worldwide usage
Physical dimensions W x D x H : 368.5 x 278 x 38 (front) / 47 (rear) mm
weight : starting at 2.9 kg
Warranty 1-year international warranty. Upgrade your standard warranty with Toshiba warranty extension, uplift and all-risks insurance packs.
Bundled hardware AC Power Cable
AC adaptor
Remote Control for Windows Vista®
IR Transmitter cable
Bundled software Toshiba Disc Creator
Toshiba User's Manual
Supervisor Password Utility
Chicony Camera Assistant Software
Toshiba DVD Player
Ulead® DVD MovieFactory® for TOSHIBA
Toshiba Face Recognition
McAfee® Internet Security Suite - Toshiba Edition (includes free Internet updates for 30 days)
Toshiba Recovery Disc Creator
Dolby® Control Center
HDMI Control Manager
Microsoft® Works, Microsoft® Office Home and Student 2007 (free 60-day trial)
Toshiba Value Added Package (Toshiba Power Saver, Toshiba Zooming Utility, Toshiba PC Diagnostic Tool, Toshiba Flash Cards, Toshiba Components Common Driver, Toshiba Accessibility, Toshiba Button Support)
Google Software (Google Toolbar for Internet Explorer, Google Desktop, Picasa)
Toshiba Gesture Control
Toshiba Bluetooth™ Monitor
Toshiba Bluetooth™ Stack
Connectivity Doctor
ConfigFree™
Toshiba utilities and drivers
Toshiba Assist
Toshiba EasyMedia Toshiba Quad Core HD Processor featuring Upconvert, Transcoding, Face Navigation and Gesture Control functionality
Digital /anlog TV-Tuner
Toshiba TEMPRO Performance Tuning Service
Google Software (Google Toolbar for Internet Explorer, Google Desktop, Picasa)
USB & USB/eSATA Sleep-and-Charge
HDMI-CEC (REGZA-Link)
Bluetooth® 2.1 with EDR
McAfee® Internet Security Suite - Toshiba Edition
Toshiba Face Recognition
Smart Display Support
Toshiba Flash Cards
Easy Keys
Remote Control
S/PDIF
Internal HD 720p support
Harman Kardon® Stereo Speakers
Dolby® Sound Room™
Toshiba ConfigFree™
Integrated Bridge Media Adapter
Diversity Antenna
Built-in camera & microphone
Wireless LAN (802.11a/b/g/ Draft-N)
Fingerprint Reader-Single Sign On
Security features main battery pack (by sliding latch)
main memory (by screw)
supervisor password
slot for Kensington Cable Lock
user password
system password security
main hard disk (by screw)
Special features SM BIOS compliant
integrated microphone for Voice over IP
Enhanced Intel® SpeedStep® Technology
integrated 1.3 Megapixels Web Camera for Video over IP
Multimedia Bar with 9 feather-touch Easy Keys (CD/DVD launcher, Play/Pause, Stop, Rewind, Forward, Mute, on/off function of white LEDs, Camera, Dolby)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Which would be better out of the 2?
 
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what about a Dell Vostro N0315104 £629
BASE Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor T8300 (2.4 GHz, 3 MB L2 Cache, 800 MHz FSB)
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows Vista® Business SP1 - English
MICROSOFT SOFTWARE Microsoft® Works 9.0 - English
LCD 15.4" UltraSharp™ Widescreen WUXGA (1900 x 1200) Display with TrueLife™ *
BIOMETRIC IDENTIFICATION No Biometric Fingerprint Reader
INTEGRATED WEBCAM Glossy Black with 1.3 MP Camera
MEMORY 4096MB (2x2048) 667MHz DDR2 Dual Channel
HARD DRIVE 320GB (5400rpm) SATA Hard Drive
GRAPHICS CARD 256 MB NVIDIA® GeForce™ 8400M GS (64 bit) Graphic Card
OPTICAL DRIVE Fixed Internal 8X DVD+/-RW Slot Load Drive including Software
PRIMARY BATTERY Primary 6-cell 56 WHr Lithium Ion battery
LAPTOP COOLERS Dell™ CoolSlice for Vostro 1510, Black *

* the screen resolution in particular may be more than you need and contributes significantly to the cost.
The price above does NOT include accidental damage cover etc.
I have not got one of these but have got a not disimilar 17" Vostro1700 and am very pleased with it.
 
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Personally I think your massively over speccing for what your daughter needs, I'm sure you can get a perfectly good laptop for your original budget which will do what she wants..

Have you had a look at the HP Pavillion range ? Nice looking, quality laptops at reasonable price. Used one myself until recently getting a netbook..
 
Yes, tend to agree - the Vostro could be significantly downsized just by specifying a more common screen resolution. Can also specify the processor.... None the less mine feels to be a robust machine.
 
Most of the cheaper laptops I have seen dont have good enough graphics cards for the games she will play. With the games progressing the way they are, a lesser card will outdate pretty quickly wont it?

I was advised to get a 9600GT or better card in whichever laptop I get.
 
Laptops date pretty quickly in general imo. Bear in mind she'll probably have it broken before the video card becomes obsolete!
 
Surfer said:
is there a major difference between the 6930G and the 6935G ? also how do you check if the graphics card is DDR3 (if its not in the tech specs)
Click to expand...


heh first time i quote meself :D

in answer to my own question apparently the 6935G spec has 9600m GT DDR 3 memory whereas the 6930G has DDR2 unfortunately :(

sauce
 
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