Which Laptop?

iaind

iaind

iaind

Soldato
Joined
26 Feb 2009
Posts
14,817
Location
Exeter
Ok - some of you may have seen my previous thread, have decided to get a new machine for circa £800 and have narrowed it down to these:

Sony Vaio FW41E/H - £767
  • C2D T6400 2.0Ghz
  • 4gb RAM
  • 500Gb 5400rpm HDD
  • Radeon HD 4650
  • 16.4" 1600x900 LED Backlit display
  • BD-ROM/DVDRW
  • 2.9kg
    [*]Pros - LED Display and resolution, nice and thin, uber sexy, good graphics card, BD drive, nice keyboard
    [*]Cons - CPU not much faster than my existing T7250, 5400rpm HDD

HP DV6-1240ea - £699
  • C2D T6500 2.1Ghz
  • 4gb RAM
  • 500gb 5400rpm HDD
  • Radeon HD 4530
  • 15.6" 1366x768 display (not sure if it's LED)
  • DVDRW
  • 2.8kg
    [*]Pros - Stylish, HP quality, price, light and thin
    [*]Cons - CPU not much faster, graphics card is a downgrade from my 8600M GT, 5400rpm HDD, low screen res

Dell Studio 15 - £828.99
  • Core i7 720QM 1.6Ghz (2.8Ghz Turbo)
  • 4gb RAM
  • 500gb 7200rpm HDD
  • Radeon HD4570
  • 15.6" 1920x1080 LED display
  • Slotload DVDRW
  • Backlit keyboard
  • 2.5kg
    [*]Pros - Silly fast CPU (according to benchmarks), 7200rpm HDD, good screen res, backlit keyboard would be handy
    [*]Cons - Price, Graphics card not much faster

Dell Studio XPS 16 - £828.99
  • C2D P7450 2.13Ghz
  • 4gb RAM
  • 500gb 7200rpm HDD
  • Radeon HD 4670
  • 15.6" 1920x1080 LED display
  • Slotload DVDRW
  • Backlit keyboard
  • 2.9kg
    [*]Pros - Sexy styling, second best CPU, best GPU, full HD display, backlit keyboard
    [*]Cons - Price (Value - same as Studio 15 but has a slower CPU)

So, which one would get your hard earned cash? I really can't decide, although I reckon the HP is probably bottom of the list as it's not much of an upgrade. I'm looking to replace because I need a bigger HDD (only got 160gb ATM although it's 7200rpm), more RAM (currently got 2gb) and want to upgrade to Win7 when that's released - will be purchasing post release.

I'm leaning towards the Sony because it's just so sexy, but the head is saying one of the Dells. Is there anything I've missed?

I've noticed a rather large advert at the top of the page while posting this for this one:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=LT-134-AC&utm_source=forums&utm_medium=banner

Slightly higher spec than the Sony for £100 less, I'd be mad not to consider it - I've had problems with Acer laptops before, I owned one a few years back that wasnt great reliability wise. What are they like these days?

I've looked at Toshiba and Samsung but can't find anything for the price/spec I'm after. The laptop's my only PC but I only occasionally game on it (got a PS3 for that), it's primarily for media duties and some coding work.

Thanks in advance!
 
No opinions at all?

The HP's out the running - saw one in a shop the other day and while they looked pretty classy in pictures, they're vile in the flesh
 
I really like the Studio XPS myself for the price but I've also seen the Sony and can't deny it's pretty good value. Toss up depending how important cost is to you, if you can afford the extra I'd say the full HD screen is worth it.
 
Its the CPU that's making me unsure - my current CPU isnt lacking but the XPS or Sony arent giving me any more in that department at all. I'm hoping Dell will pull the rabbit out the hat and do the XPS with the mobile i7 for a good price.
 
My order of perference would be the XPS then the studio, then the Vaio.

Having seen the FW41 in the flesh it looks way too plasticky and is quite ugly, not the usual Vaio high standard of styling. But performance wise its good despite its slower cpu.
 
Decision made.... going for:

XPS 16 in red :cool:
2.13Ghz
4gb RAM
500gb 7200rpm HDD + DVDRW
1gb Radeon HD4670 + 15.6" 1080P WLED
Built in DVB tuner and mobile broadband card
Dell bluetooth mouse
1 Year premier warranty

£883 :D

Only question is - I want it with Win7 obviously, Dell are saying any machines that have an expected delivery date after the 22nd will come with 7 preinstalled, but they dont give an indication of delivery date until after you order. Anyone knows how long these normally take - when can I safely order it? Dont fancy paying £20~£30 for the upgrade!
 
Pretty sure that Dell do a free upgrade to Win7 on their laptops now don't they? Or do they exclude the XPS line?

EDIT: Actually looking now they do exclude XPS strangely :(
 
It includes a free upgrade, but as with most manufacturers you need to pay for postage, packaging and tax. Dell haven't announced how much this will be but most are charging £20~£30 :eek:
 
Finally, Dell have started taking orders for Win7 systems. Had the following saved in my basket for a few days - Unfortunately the Win7 build was another 30 quid and they did come with a free mobile broadband card until today - but ho hum - ordered:

Product
Unit Price
Quantity
Price

Studio XPS 16(N00X6002)
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor P7450 (2.13Ghz, 3MB, 1066MHz), Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 64bit- English
£ 725.30
1
£ 725.30
Item
Description
Base
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor P7450 (2.13Ghz, 3MB, 1066MHz)
Memory
4096MB 1067MHz Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM [2x2048]
Keyboard
Internal UK/Irish Qwerty Keyboard
Video Card
1GB ATI® Radeon™ HD 4670 graphics card
Hard Drive
500GB (7,200rpm) Free Fall Sensor Hard Drive
Microsoft Operating System
Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 64bit- English
Optical Devices
Internal DVD+/-RW (DVD & CD read and write) Slot Load Drive(Software install, no media)
Wireless Networking
Intel WiFi Link 5100 (802.11 a/b/g/n 1X2) 1/2 MiniCard
Cables
1 Meter Power Cord (3 Wire) - UK
Shipping Documents
English - Documentation Studio XPS 16
Gedis Bundle Reference
N10X6002
Standard Warranty
1 Year Premium Warranty Support
Enhanced Service Packs
1Yr Premium Warranty Support
Bluetooth
Dell Wireless 370 Bluetooth Module
Order Information
Studio XPS 16 Order - UK
Primary Battery
Primary 6-cell 56 WHr Lithium Ion battery
Carrying Cases
No Carry Case
Dell System Media Kit
Studio XPS 16 Resource DVD (Diagnostic & Drivers)
Camera
Integrated Camera with Facial Recognition Software
Accidental Damage Support
No Accidental Damage Support
Online Backup
DataSafe Online Backup 2GB 1 year
Theft Protection Solution
FailSafe® Theft Protection - track and protect lost or stolen laptops - 30 days free trial
TV Tuner and Remote Control
Integrated DVB-T TV Tuner and Antenna (MLK base)
Labels
Wireless Label (Intel Wireless Cards) - Core 2 Duo
LCD
Red Leather back cover : 15.6" (inch) Truelife 1080p Full HD WLED Edge to Edge Display
DataSafe
Datasafe Local 2.0 Basic
Microsoft Application Software
Microsoft® Works 9.0 / English - (Does not include Microsoft® Word)
Protect your new PC
McAfee® Security Centre - 15 Month Protection - English
Power Supply
90W AC Adaptor
Dell Bluetooth Black Travel Mouse (Bluetooth Card required)
£ 15.64
1
£ 15.64
Total excl. VAT VAT Rate VAT Total incl. VAT
Sub-total(s): £ 740.94 15.00% £ 111.14 £ 852.08
Delivery Charge: £ 17.39 15.00% £ 2.61 £ 20.00
Total Price: £ 758.33 £ 113.75 £ 872.08
 
Prices all seem high to me considering I picked up a 2ghz c2d, 4gb ddr3 ram, 320gb hd, 9600gt 1gb, 16inch screen acer for £440.
 
Acers are cheap for a reason ;)

Plus its higher spec - not hugely but a little bit in every component. Plus it has extras like the TV tuner, bluetooth mouse etc
 
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