Best place to buy mid-level laptop with SSD?

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#1222313 26-Jan-2015 11:47

From the PBTech spec list for the Probook I am intending to buy, it states;

Memory Standard: DDR3L-1600/PC3-12800
Memory Technology: DDR3L SDRAM

The RAM module I found (for $100 cheaper) states;

Kingston 8GB 1600MHz DDR3 Non-ECC CL11 SODIMM for Laptop

This is kind of why I wanted to buy something ready-made, as I clearly don't have knowledge or background to make a confident decision! Happy to do the actual installation etc, just nervous about buying something that won't work together, since I am not really sure about all the terminology etc.

Really appreciate your help with this!

I would prefer to buy the cheaper Kingston RAM, as long as it is decent quality/specs, and will run with the existing RAM in the Probook. But am open to other suggestions if anyone has any?!

lxsw20

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#1222317 26-Jan-2015 11:51

Why don't you go into PB Tech and tell them you want another 8GB of ram, get them to worry about compatibility. IME HP use a mixture of different RAM brands, they don't make their own RAM or anything. As long as it's compatible the Kingston should be fine.

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#1222331 26-Jan-2015 11:58

Ask pb to give you two Kingston and trade in the Hp ram, or ask them for the Hp ram spec so you can try to get a match.

Someone can tell you whether dual channel is worth your $100 bucks. I think it might, just for peace of mind. But I personally think 8gb is plenty. Unless you do video editing or have 100 programs running all at once

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#1222333 26-Jan-2015 11:58

@lxsw20: I am down in ChCh so no stores to visit unfortunately. Will give them a call if I can't make any headway on here - I have a feeling my fellow GZ'ers will more than likely have more experience and knowledge than PBTech first line support...

@joker: The specs are here http://www.pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=NBKHNB2700566. Many thanks for having a look!

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#1222335 26-Jan-2015 12:00

I just figured I am not going to be buying another laptop for a few years, so I may as well up-spec it as much as possible (within reason). Will be running code IDEs etc so the more the better.

I will do some googling re. dual channel.

TLD

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#1222337 26-Jan-2015 12:01

I'd recommend Just Laptops. They have a large presence on TradeMe, and they sell great stock at unbeatable prices. I've bought components from them as well, as they had the best price I could find (1Tb SSD).

When I bought my current laptop I concentrated on gaming orientated laptops. They have an excellent spec, and economy of scale means you get best possible bang for your buck. I got an MSI GT70 One, which still astonishes me every time I use it. It has a pair of good spec SSDs in a raid0 for the boot drive, and a 750Gb HDD. Because it is fairly simple — it just has the full Adobe Creative Cloud apps, and MS Office installed, with very little else. So it boots in seconds, and opens Photoshop in four seconds first time, and two seconds on subsequent openings. Small apps like the MS Office apps, open instantly.

Trevor Dennis
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#1222339 26-Jan-2015 12:07

I am concerned the screen resolution is not 1080p. That resolution is very pixellated at that size screen.

I also recommend 5th gen Intel core cpu

I also recommend gddr5 graphics ram

In that order of importance

Ram you can also upgrade no rush to do it now. Definitely not a priority.

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SumnerBoy

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#1222340 26-Jan-2015 12:10

Thanks Joker - some great feedback there. I won't be doing any gaming, just software development, and standard office/web tasks - is the GDDR5 graphics RAM still important you think? I didn't actually realise the screen wasn't 1080p, I just assumed at that size it would be - my bad.

I understand what you mean re. RAM upgrades - definitely easy enough to update later - just keen to get it sorted while I have access to the funds ;).

Thanks again.

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#1222344 26-Jan-2015 12:20

Graphics RAM not particular important IMHO - for coding just use whatever graphics the CPU provides, if the mobile CPUs do that.

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#1222346 26-Jan-2015 12:30

Another option: http://shopap.lenovo.com/nz/en/laptops/thinkpad/edge-series/e550/?sb=:000000AD:00000912:

Upgrade the screen, Ram and SSD and you're still only looking at 1500ish. Personally I'd just upgrade to the 8GB 1 Stick option, see what the RAM stick is when the laptop arrives and buy another the same. Guessing it would be cheaper than the $200 they want for 16GB RAM.

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#1222401 26-Jan-2015 13:41

Thanks lxsw20 - I have had a look at those Lenovos. Was hoping for a 250GB SSD - as I think I will need that once I have installed Windows and all the various IDEs and SDKs etc. I will have a better look around their website. Cheers.

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#1222416 26-Jan-2015 14:07

SumnerBoy: ... Was hoping for a 250GB SSD - as I think I will need that once I have installed Windows and all the various IDEs and SDKs etc. ...

+1 Don't settle for anything less than 250GB!

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#1222429 26-Jan-2015 14:27

SumnerBoy: Thanks Joker - some great feedback there. I won't be doing any gaming, just software development, and standard office/web tasks - is the GDDR5 graphics RAM still important you think? I didn't actually realise the screen wasn't 1080p, I just assumed at that size it would be - my bad.

I understand what you mean re. RAM upgrades - definitely easy enough to update later - just keen to get it sorted while I have access to the funds ;).

Thanks again.

Ah I might have confused you with someone who wanted to play games. In that case just ignore anything about any gpu spec. In fact if it doesn't have a separate gpu your battery life could be longer and it will be a few grams lighter too

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#1222430 26-Jan-2015 14:28

;) noted.

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#1222439 26-Jan-2015 14:47

At the end of the day it does come down to price. Pay less, upgrade faster. Pay more, hang on to it longer.

Dell has $400 off their inspiron 15 5000 under their deals section. Latest 5th gen i7.

But might not have a DVD drive do check specs carefully. But it's a few hundred more than say an equivalent 4th gen Intel model.

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