laptop and desktop

alanppool66 · 06-12-2009, 12:05 AM

Hi firstly what a fantastic web site, found this by accident via hotukdeals... its formed the cornerstone of my research. Really impressed.

I am hoping that you can help, need a laptop (xmas present for wife) and almost certainly a desktop as its days are numbered (6 years old, 2 repairs and on last legs). I'm looking at dell for both.

Desktop
-------
Think Inspiron 545/546 fits the bill. Current pc is 144G (60%full, 512 MB ram so painfully slow) so want lots of memory for future proofing. Need something thats fast, can multi task (dont need monitor), wireless router capable, dont use games. Will be used in upstairs study (looks not important) Not sure of cost but certainly < £500

Laptop
------
Again Inspiron 15 or 17 (need to decide on screen size). Mainly for use downstairs (looks important!!!) and looking to wireless route with desktop. Possibly occassional mobility. This will be mainly for e-mail, web browse, spreadsheets, word etc. Needs to be quick. Read many comments concerning battery life, and some concerning blue tooth. Cost c 450 or less (depends if extras worth the cost). Unsure of screens as never previously owned laptop. Prob wish to link into tv every now and then and route to upstairs printer.

Had painful 6 hours finding my way round dells web site.... would really appreciate any views on compatability, models recommended and whether dell likely to go for any combined discounts (most models in range under the current discount so appear a bit surplus currently).....

Thanks very much, much appreciated
Alan

Paul · 06-12-2009, 07:04 PM

Hi Alan,

Regarding laptop: If it is mainly for use at home battery life should not be an issue as it will be plugged in most of the time. Also you may need to think about ports if you want to hook it up to your TV. Does your TV have an hdmi port? If so, the Inspiron 15 and 17 do not. You would need to look at the Inspiron 15z, Studio 15 or Studio 17 (or maybe a VGA to HDMI adaptor? Not really sure about this kind of stuff).

The LED screens on all the Dell laptops are superb.

I hope some other forum members will be able to help with your decision, if not feel free to reply and I will do my best to help you narrow down your choices.

alanppool66 · 06-12-2009, 09:16 PM

Thanks for geting back Paul, good point on the batteries (so obvious really), do you think the 9 battery pack is worth upgrading too for the odd occassions when taken away).... any idea how long 6 cell battery lasts? Never realised on the HDMI port, got hi fi system that also takes this so think this might be needed afterall, any you recommend as being particularly good value at the moment (or is this a bad time due to xmas?). Would appreciate your views if possible (PS many recommendations from friends saying to stick with dell for laptop).

On the desktops the choice is a bit overwhelming in some ways, i did see something today on acer with following spec for £399 (below). Any views on reliability of these compared to dell? As a guide can you think of anything in dell for similar kind of spec as struggling to get my round it?

Really appreciate your assistance and once again wonderful site you've set up here ....

Aspire M3802 sports:

Processor
* Intel Core 2 Quad Q8300 2.50GHz
* 4MB L2 Cache
* Intel® G43 Express Chipset

Memory
* 4GB DDR2 800MHz
* Expandable to 8GB
* 4 x soDIMM slot

Hard drive
* 750GB SATA

Software Windows 7

Paul · 07-12-2009, 06:06 PM

The spec of the Acer looks ok for the money. What graphics card does it have? I can't really offer an opinion on build quality, upgradability or support for the Acer as I have no experience of them.

Regarding laptop, personally I wouldn't bother with the 9 cell battery. How often are you in a position where you need to use your laptop for an extended period of time where there is not a power socket available? In my experience hardly ever, and I travel a lot with mine (3 1/2 yr old Dell Inspiron 6400, not even one support call and still going strong.

)

Have you decided on a 15 or 17 inch laptop yet?

alanppool66 · 07-12-2009, 06:40 PM

ah cheers paul, definitely 15" consensus from folks who have them is that 17" is too big / heavy to carry around and all regret it, so think that has settled it for me. discarding 9 cells it is too :-)

I am a bit thick on these things and acer spec apparently seemed ok, key for me is capacity, speed and multi tasking on the desk top

any suggestions at all please? ...its all so horribly confusing

Thanks
Alan

Paul · 07-12-2009, 07:51 PM

Aarrgh! the pressure!

If I was gonna buy a 15" laptop for around £450 I would go for the Studio 15 (N0053503)

Upgrade the network card to the 'Dell Wireless 1510 Half Mini Card (802.11n)' so you can use the 5% discount code 'FWRCLQSHFJN7SM'

Then for £488 inc VAT & Del you get the Studio 15 which is of higher build quality and more stylish than the Inspiron 15 with:

Intel Pentium Dual-Core Processor T4300 (2.1GHz)
Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
15.6in Widescreen High Definition (1366x768) WLED with TrueLife
4GB RAM
500GB Hard Drive
512MB ATI Mobility RADEON HD 4570 Graphics Card
DVD Writer
2MP Webcam

I think this is a great price for a really nice laptop. (This price doesn't include Bluetooth though)

alanppool66 · 07-12-2009, 08:11 PM

Paul you are a star ....I could kiss you, but I'll refrain

Just to be a pain, I'm an employee of Unisys so qualify for the employee scheme in which we get discount (about 3%), will Dell provide this as an additional code do you know? Really appreciate your help here, was getting stressed

And just to be a real pain on the desktop, is there much difference between the intel and and AMD processors (ie is one better than the other?)

Are there any desktops for c 400-450 which you think are really good value (dont need blue ray etc, totally surplus to requirements)?

Thanks again for your help, you should charge, but after me lol

Paul · 07-12-2009, 09:18 PM

Alan,

Just to confuse you a bit more, have you looked at the Vostro deals?

I just took a look at the Vostro 430 (D124302) which features the very latest processors from Intel, upgraded the RAM to 4096MB (2x2048) 1333MHz and added a 19-in one card reader, added the 10% discount code BK2CWCGV$9XRS4 to get a final price inc vat and delivery of £469 for:

Vostro 430
Intel® Core™ i5 -750 (2.66GHz, 8MB) processor
Windows 7 Home Premium
4096MB RAM
320GB Gard Drive
1GB NVIDIA GeForce GT220 Graphics Card
DVD Writer
19 in 1 Card Reader

I think it is worth considering. Although you buy the Vostros from the Dell Small Business site you can still purchase using your name where they ask for company name in the checkout process...all perfectly legal and above board.

Regarding company discounts, I have no idea...sorry

Intel and AMD both make very good processors. In the last couple of years I would say that Intel has the edge in terms of performance although unless you are a gamer or an enthusiast I doubt you would notice the difference in the real world.

alanppool66 · 08-12-2009, 04:27 PM

That seems like a decent spec. Thanks very much for your time Paul. Going to do some digging and I'll let you know how I get on.

PS I rang Dell and for those eligible for Employee discounts you get that also, but they have to apply on your account manually. Theoretically it shouldnt go on the Vostro (business) but they're going to apply anyway. If you want the details to do this I'll pass it on if you are interested (its a phone number!!).

AndyH · 09-12-2009, 08:50 AM

Alan,
A comment on the Employee Dicsount - I also work for a company that is eligable for this, and I have been told by Dell that you cannot combine the 5% voucher listed on this site with your EPP discount.

However, you should be able to get more of a discount if you are buying two systems at once.

You can view their EPP discounts here: Dell EMEA > Home Page | Dell Dell EMEA

Up to £599 = 3% discount
£600 to £1199 = 6% discount
Over £1200 = 10% discount

Note that those limits are before VAT, so you need to spend £1200+15% = £1380 to get the 10% discount.

And, just to really confuse things, I am convinced that the discount is incorrectly calculated, and infact you only get 2.6%, 5.21% and 8.69% discount respectively.

But that's a whole different discussion!

If you follow the link above and then add things to your basket, the discount shows up automatically. I think they verify your company at checkout to check you are eligable.

Hope that hasn't muddied the waters too much. If you get a different result and manage to get both discounts applied, please let me know.

Rgds,
Andy

06-12-2009, 12:05 AM	#1
alanppool66 Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 11 Thanks: 4 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	laptop and desktop Hi firstly what a fantastic web site, found this by accident via hotukdeals... its formed the cornerstone of my research. Really impressed. I am hoping that you can help, need a laptop (xmas present for wife) and almost certainly a desktop as its days are numbered (6 years old, 2 repairs and on last legs). I'm looking at dell for both. Desktop ------- Think Inspiron 545/546 fits the bill. Current pc is 144G (60%full, 512 MB ram so painfully slow) so want lots of memory for future proofing. Need something thats fast, can multi task (dont need monitor), wireless router capable, dont use games. Will be used in upstairs study (looks not important) Not sure of cost but certainly < £500 Laptop ------ Again Inspiron 15 or 17 (need to decide on screen size). Mainly for use downstairs (looks important!!!) and looking to wireless route with desktop. Possibly occassional mobility. This will be mainly for e-mail, web browse, spreadsheets, word etc. Needs to be quick. Read many comments concerning battery life, and some concerning blue tooth. Cost c 450 or less (depends if extras worth the cost). Unsure of screens as never previously owned laptop. Prob wish to link into tv every now and then and route to upstairs printer. Had painful 6 hours finding my way round dells web site.... would really appreciate any views on compatability, models recommended and whether dell likely to go for any combined discounts (most models in range under the current discount so appear a bit surplus currently)..... Thanks very much, much appreciated Alan

06-12-2009, 09:16 PM	#3
alanppool66 Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 11 Thanks: 4 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	desktop and laptop Thanks for geting back Paul, good point on the batteries (so obvious really), do you think the 9 battery pack is worth upgrading too for the odd occassions when taken away).... any idea how long 6 cell battery lasts? Never realised on the HDMI port, got hi fi system that also takes this so think this might be needed afterall, any you recommend as being particularly good value at the moment (or is this a bad time due to xmas?). Would appreciate your views if possible (PS many recommendations from friends saying to stick with dell for laptop). On the desktops the choice is a bit overwhelming in some ways, i did see something today on acer with following spec for £399 (below). Any views on reliability of these compared to dell? As a guide can you think of anything in dell for similar kind of spec as struggling to get my round it? Really appreciate your assistance and once again wonderful site you've set up here .... Aspire M3802 sports: Processor * Intel Core 2 Quad Q8300 2.50GHz * 4MB L2 Cache * Intel® G43 Express Chipset Memory * 4GB DDR2 800MHz * Expandable to 8GB * 4 x soDIMM slot Hard drive * 750GB SATA Software Windows 7

09-12-2009, 08:50 AM	#10
AndyH Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 9 Thanks: 2 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	EPP Discount Alan, A comment on the Employee Dicsount - I also work for a company that is eligable for this, and I have been told by Dell that you cannot combine the 5% voucher listed on this site with your EPP discount. However, you should be able to get more of a discount if you are buying two systems at once. You can view their EPP discounts here: Dell EMEA > Home Page \| Dell Dell EMEA Up to £599 = 3% discount £600 to £1199 = 6% discount Over £1200 = 10% discount Note that those limits are before VAT, so you need to spend £1200+15% = £1380 to get the 10% discount. And, just to really confuse things, I am convinced that the discount is incorrectly calculated, and infact you only get 2.6%, 5.21% and 8.69% discount respectively. But that's a whole different discussion! If you follow the link above and then add things to your basket, the discount shows up automatically. I think they verify your company at checkout to check you are eligable. Hope that hasn't muddied the waters too much. If you get a different result and manage to get both discounts applied, please let me know. Rgds, Andy Last edited by AndyH; 09-12-2009 at 09:10 AM.

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06-12-2009, 07:04 PM	#2
Paul Administrator Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 356 Thanks: 1 Thanked 26 Times in 23 Posts	Hi Alan, Regarding laptop: If it is mainly for use at home battery life should not be an issue as it will be plugged in most of the time. Also you may need to think about ports if you want to hook it up to your TV. Does your TV have an hdmi port? If so, the Inspiron 15 and 17 do not. You would need to look at the Inspiron 15z, Studio 15 or Studio 17 (or maybe a VGA to HDMI adaptor? Not really sure about this kind of stuff). The LED screens on all the Dell laptops are superb. I hope some other forum members will be able to help with your decision, if not feel free to reply and I will do my best to help you narrow down your choices.

07-12-2009, 06:06 PM	#4
Paul Administrator Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 356 Thanks: 1 Thanked 26 Times in 23 Posts	The spec of the Acer looks ok for the money. What graphics card does it have? I can't really offer an opinion on build quality, upgradability or support for the Acer as I have no experience of them. Regarding laptop, personally I wouldn't bother with the 9 cell battery. How often are you in a position where you need to use your laptop for an extended period of time where there is not a power socket available? In my experience hardly ever, and I travel a lot with mine (3 1/2 yr old Dell Inspiron 6400, not even one support call and still going strong. ) Have you decided on a 15 or 17 inch laptop yet?

07-12-2009, 06:40 PM	#5
alanppool66 Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 11 Thanks: 4 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	ah cheers paul, definitely 15" consensus from folks who have them is that 17" is too big / heavy to carry around and all regret it, so think that has settled it for me. discarding 9 cells it is too :-) I am a bit thick on these things and acer spec apparently seemed ok, key for me is capacity, speed and multi tasking on the desk top any suggestions at all please? ...its all so horribly confusing Thanks Alan

07-12-2009, 07:51 PM	#6
Paul Administrator Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 356 Thanks: 1 Thanked 26 Times in 23 Posts	Aarrgh! the pressure! If I was gonna buy a 15" laptop for around £450 I would go for the Studio 15 (N0053503) Upgrade the network card to the 'Dell Wireless 1510 Half Mini Card (802.11n)' so you can use the 5% discount code 'FWRCLQSHFJN7SM' Then for £488 inc VAT & Del you get the Studio 15 which is of higher build quality and more stylish than the Inspiron 15 with: Intel Pentium Dual-Core Processor T4300 (2.1GHz) Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit 15.6in Widescreen High Definition (1366x768) WLED with TrueLife 4GB RAM 500GB Hard Drive 512MB ATI Mobility RADEON HD 4570 Graphics Card DVD Writer 2MP Webcam I think this is a great price for a really nice laptop. (This price doesn't include Bluetooth though)

07-12-2009, 08:11 PM	#7
alanppool66 Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 11 Thanks: 4 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Paul you are a star ....I could kiss you, but I'll refrain Just to be a pain, I'm an employee of Unisys so qualify for the employee scheme in which we get discount (about 3%), will Dell provide this as an additional code do you know? Really appreciate your help here, was getting stressed And just to be a real pain on the desktop, is there much difference between the intel and and AMD processors (ie is one better than the other?) Are there any desktops for c 400-450 which you think are really good value (dont need blue ray etc, totally surplus to requirements)? Thanks again for your help, you should charge, but after me lol

07-12-2009, 09:18 PM	#8
Paul Administrator Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 356 Thanks: 1 Thanked 26 Times in 23 Posts	Alan, Just to confuse you a bit more, have you looked at the Vostro deals? I just took a look at the Vostro 430 (D124302) which features the very latest processors from Intel, upgraded the RAM to 4096MB (2x2048) 1333MHz and added a 19-in one card reader, added the 10% discount code BK2CWCGV$9XRS4 to get a final price inc vat and delivery of £469 for: Vostro 430 Intel® Core™ i5 -750 (2.66GHz, 8MB) processor Windows 7 Home Premium 4096MB RAM 320GB Gard Drive 1GB NVIDIA GeForce GT220 Graphics Card DVD Writer 19 in 1 Card Reader I think it is worth considering. Although you buy the Vostros from the Dell Small Business site you can still purchase using your name where they ask for company name in the checkout process...all perfectly legal and above board. Regarding company discounts, I have no idea...sorry Intel and AMD both make very good processors. In the last couple of years I would say that Intel has the edge in terms of performance although unless you are a gamer or an enthusiast I doubt you would notice the difference in the real world.

08-12-2009, 04:27 PM	#9
alanppool66 Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 11 Thanks: 4 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	That seems like a decent spec. Thanks very much for your time Paul. Going to do some digging and I'll let you know how I get on. PS I rang Dell and for those eligible for Employee discounts you get that also, but they have to apply on your account manually. Theoretically it shouldnt go on the Vostro (business) but they're going to apply anyway. If you want the details to do this I'll pass it on if you are interested (its a phone number!!).