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Laptop Recommendations / Advice ~ £600

Matt H

By Matt H
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Matt H Newbie

Matt H

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It's time for a new laptop, so any input from those in the know would be appreciated.

 

My budget is around £600, but the some of the ones I've been looking at are slightly over, so it’s flexible. There are a few key things to consider:

 

- Has to have a 17" screen minimum

- A Blu ray player would be great and a huge selling point, but there doesn't seem to be many out there with them in my budget

- Has to be stylish

- Weight is not important

- Hard drive size isn't a deal breaker as I have a 1TB external HD

- Has to have a webcam

- HDMI output

- I won't be playing games on it so doesn't have to be geared towards that

- The best performance for the money

 

The first one that tickled my fancy is this Samsung:

 

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/199993

 

Then further down the line, I came across this, but it just seems too good to be true? 18inch screen, BD player and performance? Is it possible to be good for the price?

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fujitsu-Amilo-Notebook-18-4-BluRay/dp/B002VEL0V6

 

Then there's the popular Sony:

 

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/241722

 

Any input / recommendations appreciated.

 

Ta

 

Matt

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Matt H Newbie

Matt H

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From a Techies point of View, look at HP/Compaq and Toshiba units.

 

Oops, forgot to link to the HP unit I found. It looks like good value and I like the idea of lightscribe. What do you think?

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/G72-B20SA-Notebook-i3-350M-Bluetooth-Biscotti/dp/B00440D92S

 

from a techies point of view, Daman, what do you think of that Fujitsu? Too good to be true, or hidden demons?

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JustGav Newbie

JustGav

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Stay away from Dell's... Current build quality is crap... Lenovos are a good option although not sure on price.

 

I've got an Asus UL30A as my support laptop, okay doesn't fit the requirements, but the Asus quality is nice.

 

http://www.asuslaptop.co.uk/#search=1&price[0]=0 AND 199&price[1]=200 AND 299&price[2]=300 AND 399&price[3]=400 AND 599&screenSize[2]=15.6-16&screenSize[3]=17-17.3

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DamanC Newbie

DamanC

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Oops, forgot to link to the HP unit I found. It looks like good value and I like the idea of lightscribe. What do you think?

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/G72-B20SA-Notebook-i3-350M-Bluetooth-Biscotti/dp/B00440D92S

 

from a techies point of view, Daman, what do you think of that Fujitsu? Too good to be true, or hidden demons?

 

How much is/was the Fujitsu? Its currently unavailable.

 

Its a C2D CPU which for your budget you should be getting an i3+ based system. The HP Unit you have linked would be what I would recommend to you, hands down.

 

ASUS are starting to produce some very nice kit, their core business (motherboards etc) is one of the best and their laptops are going that way. This stands out: http://www.asuslaptop.co.uk/proddetail.php?prod=K72F-TY056V I cant comment on their customer support or availability and cost of parts though.

 

As Gav says, Lenovos are worth considering too but tend to be more bland than the HP and ASUS models which are not up there on the looks department compared to say a sony.

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Matt H Newbie

Matt H

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How much is/was the Fujitsu? Its currently unavailable.

 

Its a C2D CPU which for your budget you should be getting an i3+ based system. The HP Unit you have linked would be what I would recommend to you, hands down.

 

ASUS are starting to produce some very nice kit, their core business (motherboards etc) is one of the best and their laptops are going that way. This stands out: http://www.asuslaptop.co.uk/proddetail.php?prod=K72F-TY056V I cant comment on their customer support or availability and cost of parts though.

 

As Gav says, Lenovos are worth considering too but tend to be more bland than the HP and ASUS models which are not up there on the looks department compared to say a sony.

 

I'm beginning to think Amazon have messed up with that Fujitsu. Everywhere else states that it's not got Blu-ray. They retail for about £630. If it's not got the blu-ray then It's off the cards.

 

 

That looks like a cracking laptop for £400, but I'm really after a 17"+ screen. It's one of the most important aspects for me.

 

 

 

 

Any thoughts on that Samsung?

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JustGav Newbie

JustGav

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I hear this from a lot of people.... and it isn't always true....

 

My VP for example wanted a laptop with a big screen, so I got him one... then he moaned it was TOO big to use on the plane... go figure...

 

So, I gave him one of my Asus UL30s and a 22" LG flat panel for his desk. http://www.ebuyer.com/product/195387 (Just for you ;))

 

Best of both worlds, portable when you want to be, decent sized screen back at base. :)

 

I reviewed a sony viao recently which had 17" screen, the thing was HUGE and just a pain.

 

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/179940 -> That's the monitor I got him... and it is a lovely unit for the cost

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Matt H Newbie

Matt H

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I hear this from a lot of people.... and it isn't always true....

 

My VP for example wanted a laptop with a big screen, so I got him one... then he moaned it was TOO big to use on the plane... go figure...

 

So, I gave him one of my Asus UL30s and a 22" LG flat panel for his desk. http://www.ebuyer.com/product/195387 (Just for you ;))

 

Best of both worlds, portable when you want to be, decent sized screen back at base. :)

 

I reviewed a sony viao recently which had 17" screen, the thing was HUGE and just a pain.

 

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/179940 -> That's the monitor I got him... and it is a lovely unit for the cost

 

I know what you're saying, but I've had a 15" screen and It feels cramped on there, especially when watching video in HD. It's got to be 17"+ this time round. Oh and no pink :p

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Terminator Newbie

Terminator

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I would stay away from Samsung, had three here and two just could not stand up to every daily use, hinges gave out on one and power socket came away from motherboard on another, the other one is stil going buy looking tired hinges on the way out. Had several Compaq's both good. My latest is a Sony Vaio and it is the best I have had, HD, Blueray, but with Core i5 processor.

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Havard Newbie

Havard

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FSC = Fujistu Siemens Computers or as we liked to call them F$^$king S^$" computers

 

I wish someone would have told me a couple of years ago. The battery was always terrible for usage without the cable (1 hour max), it always seemed to get hot when in use and went through power cables for fun. For some reason a new power cable worked for a week or so and then would stop charging the battery or operate the computer.

 

Shite...!!

 

H.

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Matt H Newbie

Matt H

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Well that's the Fujitsu out then.

 

I would stay away from Samsung, had three here and two just could not stand up to every daily use, hinges gave out on one and power socket came away from motherboard on another, the other one is stil going buy looking tired hinges on the way out. Had several Compaq's both good. My latest is a Sony Vaio and it is the best I have had, HD, Blueray, but with Core i5 processor.

 

I take it from that spec, your Vaio will be out of budget for me? I'd love blu-ray. What's the model Mr Terminator?

 

 

i dont know much about the tech side on lap tops but this looked quite good to me.

 

awaits to be shot down in flames

 

 

http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/hp-pavilion-dv7-4020sa-06474287-pdt.html

 

Does look good, very similar to the other HP I was looking at. I quite like the subtle styling too. Like the fact that the memory is expandable to 8gig - makes future-proofing good. Plus lightscribe is attractive, but then again, I could just use a marker.

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