Laptop quandry

verbyl.belch · 12-06-2008, 07:26 PM

Hi.

I'm in a bit of a quandry over what laptop would be most suitable for my needs and hope someone here can help give me some ideas/direction.

The back story as to why i need a laptop is as follows and may help you give suitable suggestions. In september i'm moving out of my student house and will either lodge in Nottingham or live with my girlfriend and commute to Nottingham whilst finishing up my expermental work for my PhD.

Therefore, space will be a premium and i can't lug my desktop around with me or have it fill my room when lodging as i'm likely to only have one (small) room.

As i'll be writing a lot and moving the laptop from place to place i think a 15.4" widescreen laptop would be my best bet.

The uses then for the laptop will be, word, excel, internet and watching DVDs. In addition i will also need to use it for editing photos and using programs such as Photoshop and Lightroom.

So the requirements (in terms of hardware) i think i need are:

15.4" screen upgraded to -> Wide Screen WXGA+ (1440 x 900)
2Gb RAM (minimum)
Non integrated gfx card
250+GB hardrive
I don't need a webcam.
Fingerprint reader (i like gimmicks

)

I'm not sure though as to what CPU would be best for my intended use of the laptop.

I'm hoping to spend no more than £500-600. I understand i might have to try and shift my requirements around if the cost of the CPU sends me out of budget.

A quick browse of the Dell website suggests a Vostro system may be the best option for me.

So, if someone who has experience with laptops could give me some direction that would be awesome.

Many thanks

Pete

Paul · 13-06-2008, 10:55 PM

Hey Pete,

I think your only options are the XPS M1530 and the Vostro 1510. The 15" Inspiron 1525 fails your requirements by not having the option of a dedicated graphics card.

If you choose the Vostro 1510 evalue code N0615107, upgrade the screen to 1440x900 and the graphics card to the 256 MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS (you will also need to upgrade the power supply to the 90W Power Adapter for £0) it comes to just £521 inc vat and delivery.
In my opinion this will satisfy your requirements, but if you are still not sure you have a bit more of your budget to play with to upgrade the cpu.

Hope this helps a bit....Paul

verbyl.belch · 14-06-2008, 09:13 AM

Hi Paul.

Thanks for the advice, i think that spec is just about bang on the mark. I'll have a play with CPU upgrades but i think that may push me out of budget and also be a bit overkill for what i need.

One last question, i've just spotted that i've missed the "10% off Vostros between 2-4pm", how often do Dell release offers like this? As that seems to be a great offer.

Cheers

Paul · 14-06-2008, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by verbyl.belch

One last question, i've just spotted that i've missed the "10% off Vostros between 2-4pm", how often do Dell release offers like this? As that seems to be a great offer.

Cheers

Not very often I am afraid. This is only the second time this year that there has been a coupon released for use with Vostro laptops and desktops.

However the Vostros still are great value even without the extra discount.

verbyl.belch · 14-06-2008, 10:54 PM

I'm going to have to wait another month anyway, so hopefully there will be a reduction in the base price of the laptops or another voucher code.. Also, i hear the newer intel chipset (Montevina) may be incorporated in Dell laptops soon.

Other than that, i do think the vostro systems offer great value over the home systems...especially with the next day on-site servicing!

12-06-2008, 07:26 PM	#1
verbyl.belch Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 6 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Laptop quandry Hi. I'm in a bit of a quandry over what laptop would be most suitable for my needs and hope someone here can help give me some ideas/direction. The back story as to why i need a laptop is as follows and may help you give suitable suggestions. In september i'm moving out of my student house and will either lodge in Nottingham or live with my girlfriend and commute to Nottingham whilst finishing up my expermental work for my PhD. Therefore, space will be a premium and i can't lug my desktop around with me or have it fill my room when lodging as i'm likely to only have one (small) room. As i'll be writing a lot and moving the laptop from place to place i think a 15.4" widescreen laptop would be my best bet. The uses then for the laptop will be, word, excel, internet and watching DVDs. In addition i will also need to use it for editing photos and using programs such as Photoshop and Lightroom. So the requirements (in terms of hardware) i think i need are: 15.4" screen upgraded to -> Wide Screen WXGA+ (1440 x 900) 2Gb RAM (minimum) Non integrated gfx card 250+GB hardrive I don't need a webcam. Fingerprint reader (i like gimmicks ) I'm not sure though as to what CPU would be best for my intended use of the laptop. I'm hoping to spend no more than £500-600. I understand i might have to try and shift my requirements around if the cost of the CPU sends me out of budget. A quick browse of the Dell website suggests a Vostro system may be the best option for me. So, if someone who has experience with laptops could give me some direction that would be awesome. Many thanks Pete

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13-06-2008, 10:55 PM	#2
Paul Administrator Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 385 Thanks: 2 Thanked 29 Times in 26 Posts	Hey Pete, I think your only options are the XPS M1530 and the Vostro 1510. The 15" Inspiron 1525 fails your requirements by not having the option of a dedicated graphics card. If you choose the Vostro 1510 evalue code N0615107, upgrade the screen to 1440x900 and the graphics card to the 256 MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS (you will also need to upgrade the power supply to the 90W Power Adapter for £0) it comes to just £521 inc vat and delivery. In my opinion this will satisfy your requirements, but if you are still not sure you have a bit more of your budget to play with to upgrade the cpu. Hope this helps a bit....Paul

14-06-2008, 09:13 AM	#3
verbyl.belch Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 6 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Hi Paul. Thanks for the advice, i think that spec is just about bang on the mark. I'll have a play with CPU upgrades but i think that may push me out of budget and also be a bit overkill for what i need. One last question, i've just spotted that i've missed the "10% off Vostros between 2-4pm", how often do Dell release offers like this? As that seems to be a great offer. Cheers

14-06-2008, 10:54 PM	#5
verbyl.belch Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 6 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	I'm going to have to wait another month anyway, so hopefully there will be a reduction in the base price of the laptops or another voucher code.. Also, i hear the newer intel chipset (Montevina) may be incorporated in Dell laptops soon. Other than that, i do think the vostro systems offer great value over the home systems...especially with the next day on-site servicing!