A new Laptop for the gf

[Master&Puppet]

Hi guys,

My gf is looking for a new laptop and I'm not particularly familiar with the market so it would be great if I could get a few opinions on the subject.

She nominally mentioned £600-£800.

Most likely the most demanding thing it's going to do is playing HD vid.

She is particualrly taken by a Vaio. I admit that they are well built, if more pricey, having owned one myself but alternatives would be welcome.

As a benchmark to search from I'm thinking sony VAIO C Series 15 configured with:

CPU - mid-range processor - like the i5 2430M

Screen - 1080p display

HDD - Large capacity and fast hdd over ssd. Sony have currently got an upgrade deal on for a 500gb 7200rpm hdd.

Graphics- AMD radeon HD6630M 1gb dedicated graphics.

RAM - 4gb is probs enough.

Optical - Blu-ray player

Total from the Sony www is £830.

M&P

[Master&Puppet]

There's also this hp laptop which look like an option:

HP Pavilion dv7-6103ea

CPU - AMD Quad-Core A6-3410MX APU processor (1.6ghz turbo 2.3ghz)

RAM - 6gb RAM

HDD - 2x750gb (7200rpm)

GPU - AMD Radeon HD 6545G2 (integrated AMD Radeon HD 6520G APU processor graphics card and a dedicated AMD Radeon HD 6490M graphics card in CrossFire)

Display - 17,3" HD+ High-Definition LED HP BrightView (1600 x 900)

Optical - Blu-ray ROM with SuperMulti DVD±R/RW Double Layer.

For £779 from the HP website. I think the sony is better value, processor, display, graphics look better on it though this has a bigger hdd.

I've also heard you guys talking about lenovo and I've found these 2 on amazon:

Lenovo G770

Lenovo IdeaPad Z570

The g770 probably has my vote there, gpu looks better and i think the i7 is probs overkill? And it's £100 less...

M&P

[fcb]

Asus has some great laptops also. Maybe you could give them a try.

Here are some I found, which may interest you.

http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/c...nu-id=products

http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/c...06&action=init

http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/c...6F&action=init

http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/c...86&action=init

I know, Lenovo styles may be a bit bland to most. They've always built solid laptops without being bloated with software that you may never use.

[Stryker64]

Have you looked at the ASUS N53SV-XV1. You can get it from Amazon for $900 with converts to around 580 pounds.

http://www.amazon.com/N53SV-XV1-15-6...ref=pd_cp_pc_0

The Specs are as follows.

CPU: Intel i7-2630QM

RAM: 4GB DDR3 at 1333MHz

GPU: Nvidia GT540M (with Optimus I believe)

HDD: 500GB 7200RPM

Disk Drive: DVD Drive :S

Screen: 15.6" at 1080p

Webcam: 2MP



Also comes with 1 USB3.0 port. There are 4 RAM DIMM Slots, so RAM would be easily upgradable. Because it's 15.6" it shouldn't be overly heavy. With regards to the Blu-ray Drive you may need to buy an extra one, but with USB3.0 it will be just as fast as an internal one.

[Master&Puppet]

Originally Posted by CocaCola

Asus has some great laptops also. Maybe you could give them a try.

Here are some I found, which may interest you.

http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/c...nu-id=products

http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/c...06&action=init

http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/c...6F&action=init

http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/c...86&action=init

I know, Lenovo styles may be a bit bland to most. They've always built solid laptops without being bloated with software that you may never use.

Thanks!

Yea I'm quite taken by Lenovo actually. Good hardware and pricing but better than asus build quality which is a plus!

The hardest part about this is finding laptops with blu-ray drives and full hd displays. She might as well get both to make the most out of what she will use it for, but it does depend on whether she wants to spend the extra £50-100.

I was just looking at Asus actually and the Asus N55sf is another alternative when it gets released.

[Stryker64]

ASUS N53SV-B1 might also be worth considering. You can buy one form XoticPC, which I am fairly sure ship to the UK. They will also offer a range of customization and you can get one with i5, 750GB 7200RPM drive and Blu-Ray for around 600 pounds.

http://www.xoticpc.com/asus-n53svb1-...wconfigure=yes

[Master&Puppet]

Originally Posted by Zeals

Have you looked at the ASUS N53SV-XV1. You can get it from Amazon for $900 with converts to around 580 pounds.

http://www.amazon.com/N53SV-XV1-15-6...ref=pd_cp_pc_0

The Specs are as follows.

CPU: Intel i7-2630QM

RAM: 4GB DDR3 at 1333MHz

GPU: Nvidia GT540M (with Optimus I believe)

HDD: 500GB 7200RPM

Disk Drive: DVD Drive :S

Screen: 15.6" at 1080p

Webcam: 2MP

There are 4 RAM DIMM Slots, so RAM would be easily upgradable. Because it's 15.6" it shouldn't be overly heavy.

Wow that's a good deal, thanks for the find!

Originally Posted by Zeals

With regards to the Blu-ray Drive you may need to buy an extra one, but with USB3.0 it will be just as fast as an internal one.

That's a good point, I hadn't considered an external. Will see if she minds that option.

M&P

[Master&Puppet]

Originally Posted by Zeals

ASUS N53SV-B1 might also be worth considering. You can buy one form XoticPC, which I am fairly sure ship to the UK. They will also offer a range of customization and you can get one with i5, 750GB 7200RPM drive for around 600 pounds.

http://www.xoticpc.com/asus-n53svb1-...wconfigure=yes

Again, a great find thanks. Got to love customising

[mrDMxtreme]

Is the laptop going to be for her to keep on her desk? Or is she going to carry it around to class/library? Because if it's just for her desk, a 17" is fine, BUT if she (or you) are goon to end up carrying it around stay far far away from that size.

I had a 17" alienware m17x and it KILLED my back bring to school (just for ur reference I'm 20yr old, 6'3", 200lbs)

And if you get a thick 15" those can be heavy too (my gf has a 15 vaio, and with that and a binder or something else in ur bag, it's not light especially for a girl)

Just my 2cents , but consider size strongly if it's not used as a desktop replacement.

[fcb]

Yup, it's true. If you're not going to be carrying a laptop around and want a PC replacement, then 15.6" and up will be great on a desktop with considerable space. Having to carry a heavy laptop is a burden for anyone's back.