Spec me a good lappie?

Colbaker · 8 Jan 2009 at 13:01

Hi all,

Looking for a good lappie that i can use as my main pc, I don't do any pc gaming any more(as i use the consoles) but handle a lot of high res pictures and also do some video conversion, Also like to multi task when using the lappie.

Looking for something of good quality and decent battery life but with the performance to handle my needs, Only want to spend around £500.

What would you recommend?

Guzzidom · 8 Jan 2009 at 13:24

With only £400 to spend I've just gone for a Sony VGN NS10LS (250gb/T3200/3GB/intel GMA4500HD/Firewire/1.3mp webcam/good X-brite screen)
I nearly went for the Dell 1545 because of it's slightly quicker CPU and 4GB but it's lack of connectivity and toys put me off.
They are both 15.4" though, if you want a 17" version I'm not that knowledgable.

Colbaker · 8 Jan 2009 at 14:41

Cheers for the reply, Let me know what you think of it when it turns up, Just looking to see if the all round performance is good, The current lappie i am running is..

Advent 9315
Core 2 duo T5250 1.5ghz
2gb memory
120gb hdd
15,4" screen

It is stupidly slow and always overheats, Also the battery life is appaling, I do like sony lappie's though as they are well built so its defo on the cards.

Guzzidom · 8 Jan 2009 at 15:28

If you are looking to replace your desktop machine it could be an idea to go with a 17" screen, especially for photo editing, you also tend to get (obviously) a bigger battery (though this is counterweighed by a more power hungry display), a few more toys like card readers etc, because there's more space to put them, but just as importantly the cooling tends to be slightly better because of the internal chassis space.
In my experience lappies are a bit fragile for replacing a desktop effectively, unless you only use it for a couple of hours a day, they certainly don't like being left permanently on 8 hours a day every day, seems to shorten their life no end. Advent, Emachines, Gateway, Acer all not great, in fact I don't rate HP/Compaq either. Toshiba and Sony are nicely put together but a bit hard to obtain parts for while Dell are decent (which is more than you can say for their budget desktops) and the bits are obtainable, but tend to be a bit workaday at the lower price points.
One of the cooling stands makes great sense for a desktop replacement and don't cost a fortune..