Quite specific laptop spec needed 'approx' £400 - 10"-13"

Indigo · 9 Mar 2011 at 20:16

Axeboy said:
Lenovo U350 fits the bill here too.

The Lenovo U450 can be had for under £300 as well, comes with 3GB ram as well.

Also though, I've seen the Lenovo U350 for £260 too. So well within budget there as well.

olivier renault · 9 Mar 2011 at 23:36

Nice. Another one on the recommended list then.

MoRT489 · 10 Mar 2011 at 00:19

If I go for 11" I've narrowed down to Lenovo U160 or Samsung X120.
If going larger then Lenovo U260, U350 or MSI X340.

Any help locating them in the UK or choosing between them greatly appreciated

Indigo · 10 Mar 2011 at 09:05

creed said:
If I go for 11" I've narrowed down to Lenovo U160 or Samsung X120.
If going larger then Lenovo U260, U350 or MSI X340.

Any help locating them in the UK or choosing between them greatly appreciated

If I were you, if they are all similar specs then I would go for the one with the bigger screen. Especially if it's being used for games and watching media.

Also the Lenovo U350 has a CULV processor as well and the Intel GMA 4500HD.

Unless any of the others have ION I'm assuming that the Intel GMA is the next best option. Battery should last for 8 hours as well.

I would tell you where to get it from but then I'd get in trouble.

Here's the specs for one availible for £300 though.

Processor Intel® Pentium® Dual Core ULV (SU4100, 1.3Ghz, 800Mhz, 2MB L2 cache)
Screen 13.3" (1366x768 HD Resolution)
Operating System Windows 7 Home Premium Edition
RAM 2GB
Hard Drive 250GB
Graphics Integrated (Intel® GMA X4500 3D Graphics with up to 384MB Shared Memory)
Wireless LAN Wireless (802.11b/g Wireless)
Network Card 10/100/1000 Gigabit Fast Ethernet
Integrated Webcam Integrated Webcam with Microphone
Card Reader 4-in-1 card reader (MS, MS Pro, MMC, SD)
USB Ports 3x USB 2.0 ports
Speakers Intergrated Stereo Speakers
VGA Port 1 External VGA Port
Kensington Lock Kensington lock slot
Charge Time 2.5 Hours
Warranty 12 Months Warranty - Direct with Lenovo
Battery Life 7-8 Hours (up to 8 hours with power management)
Weight 1-2 Kg (This Model 1.6 Kg)

Indigo · 10 Mar 2011 at 09:07

Specs here as well for the Lenovo U450 as well.

Processor Intel® Pentium® Dual Core ULV (SU4100, 1.3Ghz, 800Mhz, 2MB L2 cache)
Screen 14" (HD 1366 x 768 LED)
Operating System Windows 7 Home Premium Edition
RAM 3GB (DDR3 1066MHZ)
Hard Drive 320GB
Graphics Integrated (Intel® GMA X4500MHD Graphics with up to 1277MB Shared Memory)
Wireless LAN Wireless (802.11b/g Wireless)
Network Card 10/100/1000 Gigabit Fast Ethernet
Integrated Webcam Integrated Webcam with Microphone
Card Reader 4-in-1 card reader (MS, MS Pro, MMC, SD)
USB Ports 3x USB 2.0 ports
Bluetooth Version 2.0
Speakers Intergrated Stereo Speakers
VGA Port 1 External VGA Port
Kensington Lock Kensington lock slot
Charge Time 2.5 Hours
HDMI 1 HDMI Connector
Warranty 12 Months Warranty - Direct with Lenovo
Battery Life 3-4 Hours (up to 4 hours with power management)
Weight 1-2 Kg (This Model 1.99 Kg)
Finger Print Reader Finger Print Reader

It has a bigger screen (only slightly) than what your after and it's not on your final list.

But it does 3GB of ram instead of 2GB and it still only costs £300 too.

arobase · 10 Mar 2011 at 19:02

creed said:
If I go for 11" I've narrowed down to Lenovo U160 or Samsung X120.
If going larger then Lenovo U260, U350 or MSI X340.

Any help locating them in the UK or choosing between them greatly appreciated

I can't tell you anything about locating them in the UK, but for the rest I think you have to consider the size of the display and the weight of the laptop in accordance to your initial need (video watching)...

I don't think it's a good idea to get a laptop below 13", unless you find one with an exceptional display screen (oled, amoled tech).

The Lenovo U260 has a very nice look, but 12.5", in my opinion is still too small and is heavier or about the same weight than the MSI X340 with a larger panel.

Same problem with Lenovo U350 (1.6 Kg) or U450 (1.99 kg) against 1.3 for the MSI.
For what I know about the Lenovo, sounds there is a problem with the fan, much too loud even in idle mode.
On the other side, the MSI X340 has a problem with audio part and is hard to modify if you plan to add more memory or to change the HDD.

Don't forget the Intel GMA 4500HD use "SOME" memory to the RAM system. That means if 384 MB is used for the gfx card, there is less memory available for Windows and the applications, your battery life will suffer, and the laptop will become very loud due to the fan always on.

So you should consider a laptop with 3 GB or 4 GB RAM as a minimum...

This is only a technical consideration.

When I chose the MSI X600 against other laptops with better performance for the same price, it was not a technical choice, but simply because it is really thin and light.

Forgot to mention : Warranty 2 years Warranty for the MSI X340.

MoRT489 · 11 Mar 2011 at 12:47

Just read a bit more about the MSI X340, not easy (but possible) to upgrade the RAM and HDD and it is only SATA I (not SATA II), one DIMM and can take up to 4GB although not officially. Seen some video review of it tho and it is very nice looking laptop, competing lookswise with the Macbook Air.

arobase · 11 Mar 2011 at 15:18

creed said:
Just read a bit more about the MSI X340, not easy (but possible) to upgrade the RAM and HDD and it is only SATA I (not SATA II), one DIMM and can take up to 4GB although not officially. Seen some video review of it tho and it is very nice looking laptop, competing lookswise with the Macbook Air.

I don't think this is a Sata I hard drive, but must be Sata II.

MoRT489 · 11 Mar 2011 at 16:09

have u tried upgrading RAM in ur x600? Was it delicate?

MoRT489 · 11 Mar 2011 at 17:30

Looks like someone bought one from OCUK today, if u have been reading this thread please post ur thoughts once you receive it, thanks!

Also does it come with a W7 32/64 CD or just preloaded?

admoo · 11 Mar 2011 at 19:08

Sorry to hijack - I'm also after a <13.3 inch laptop for about £400. My only requirement really is that it has a dedicated graphics card of some description (it needs to run SolidWorks).

Any help would be great! Shame the Acer 8371 is so expensive these days

MoRT489 · 11 Mar 2011 at 22:20

Feel free, it could be helpful

arobase · 14 Mar 2011 at 02:10

creed said:
have u tried upgrading RAM in ur x600? Was it delicate?

I did not upgrade RAM as it was already supplied with 4 GB RAM !

But I changed the 5400 RPM HDD for a 7200 RPM HDD. Quite easy !!!

But not sure if it's the same built as the X340 or not... Supposed not...

The problem it's only Windows 7 32 bits. Can't remember if it was with a CD/DVD or pre-loaded though. Have to checkout.

lmfy2k · 15 Mar 2011 at 09:57

creed, have you purchased one yet?

my requirements are near enough the same as yours (apart from the pink colour

)

MoRT489 · 20 Mar 2011 at 21:58

Not yet, will probably be white, MSI X340 due to slimness, lightweight, size and most of all availability. Hopefully upgrading ram wont be too hard...

arobase · 21 Mar 2011 at 03:07

I only found out the drivers DVD with my MSI-X600. Not the Windows 7 one. ^^

Not very important for me tough, as I always do a complete backup of the hard disk before initialization onto an external USB HDD using Acronis TrueImage or RedoBackup.
It's quite faster than using a DVD burner.

EDIT : the slimness and lightweight of the MSI-X600 is quite impressive compared to my "old" Asus M51Vr (also 15.6") !!!
I can easily hold it with one hand while this is impossible with the Asus.

MoRT489 · 23 Mar 2011 at 19:53

Does it come with Windows 7 key? I have a 64bit disc i could install with if the laptop has its own key.

I have to choose between MSI X340 and Samsung SF310. I like them both just wondering which the missus will prefer, probably thin and light but wondering if it will be too slow... Urgh, guess i can DSR if it's no good.

deshepherd · 24 Mar 2011 at 12:54

I'm looking for something similar ... though as its for my son the "Pink/pastel" requirement can be ignored!

Found the Lenovo U350 available at £300 with the 8 cell battery + a SU4100 processor ... is this a good deal? Basically want something for my son to use for schoolwork etc - gaming ability is a definite non-requirement!

olivier renault · 24 Mar 2011 at 19:54

I'd keep an eye on fusion netbooks.

As for dual core CULV machines, I can vouch for them. They do the job, and they can do it all day.

Not sure about that particular one, but the best in battery life are still the Acer 3810T and the Asus UL30A.

Again, fusion netbooks are worth keeping in mind. they are smaller, and have good balance between CPU and PSU. Not necessary cheaper though.

arobase · 25 Mar 2011 at 11:37

creed said:
Does it come with Windows 7 key? I have a 64bit disc i could install with if the laptop has its own key.

I have to choose between MSI X340 and Samsung SF310. I like them both just wondering which the missus will prefer, probably thin and light but wondering if it will be too slow... Urgh, guess i can DSR if it's no good.

Of course you have Windows 7 key ! In fact you have two of them !

Your private Windows 7 key (find the sticker under the laptop), and the manufacturer Windows 7 key !!!

To retreave it just google for product key finder... :cool:

About the SF310, I guess you're talking about the core i3 version ?
Guess this is not the same price... ^^

Will the missus use the laptop to calculate the rotation speed of a black hole ?