Bad shopping experience, Need advice for a uni/multimedia laptop

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MadMaxX

9 posts

Wannabe Geek

#153802 8-Oct-2014 12:01

*excuse my ignorance* I recently went to buy a laptop and got told by a very pushy salesman that the laptop I was looking at would only have 3-4 hours battery life and so the man advised me to buy a different product which he assured me would have far greater battery life. When I got it home it too (even when running power saving) only has 3-4 hours battery life. Due to him feeding me false information in order to make a sale I will Hopefully be getting a full refund this weekend.

While I do my best to understand PC hardware lingo I really don't know much about what I should actually be getting. I'm studying at uni over the summer and next year so word docs will be it's primary use but I also like to surf the web, watch movies, listen to music and game (rpgs/ elder scrolls online) Although the gaming probably isn't super important as I have a desktop. I could really use some advice, please! I need something with the following attributes:

- light weight and portable
- good battery life is a must
- quick start up time
- Windows please, not mac.
- Budget up to $1500ish (is this realistic? student so funds are lacking)

Other bits I'd like:

- i5 or i7
- Solid state hard drive
- 2gig dedicated graphics

If there's anything else you think would be beneficial in a laptop for me, or something I don't really need - please don't hesitate to say so. *really don't know what I'm talking about*

thanks guys :)

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Networkn
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#1149849 8-Oct-2014 12:06

If you want dedicated graphics, a large screen and i7, don't expect amazing battery life unless it's the size of a container ship or unless you are prepared to up your budget.

What do you consider "good" battery life? Movies and other multimedia tend to chew through battery, also screen brightness etc is a compromise you may need to make for longer life.

Quick Start up times are something you get automatically with a SSD and I really rate SSD as something everyone should aim for, though capacity is usually an issue.

I expect with your list of requirements you might be limited by your budget.

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macuser

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#1149853 8-Oct-2014 12:08

Macbook Air 13" with student discount, put Windows on it even. It's the best priced hardware you'll find.

You're not going to get 2GB of dedicated graphics for $1500 on an ultrabook...sorry.

timmmay

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#1149854 8-Oct-2014 12:08

You're after an ultrabook. $1500 is pushing it, maybe possible with a small screen. Check out these links to Dell and Lenovo laptops. Dell is $2600, but if you go for a small screen can go down to $2K. Both are good brands, Lenovo are built like tanks generally.

MadMaxX

9 posts

Wannabe Geek

#1149858 8-Oct-2014 12:13

I was afraid of that! Maybe drop the i7 requirement and dedicated graphics. Battery life wise, I'm not sure - I was expecting at least 6 hours. Screen wise I was looking at 15.1 - anything smaller does my eyes in a bit.

lxsw20

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#1149861 8-Oct-2014 12:15

macuser: Macbook Air 13" with student discount, put Windows on it even. It's the best priced hardware you'll find.

You're not going to get 2GB of dedicated graphics for $1500 on an ultrabook...sorry.

+1 Although don't expect the same battery life as you would get in OSX on the MBA to what you would get in Windows.

Maybe a Surface Pro 3, but once you add the keyboard cover if you want an i5 with semi decent storage it will blow the budget.

MadMaxX

9 posts

Wannabe Geek

#1149862 8-Oct-2014 12:15

I didn't realize you could get a student discount on mac, nor put windows on it

maybe it is something to consider

NZCrusader

646 posts

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#1149863 8-Oct-2014 12:16

Have you taken a look at surface pro 3 ?

These have a surprisingly good build quality.
Boot really fast.
Does not overheat at all, only gets ever so slightly warm.
I can use it throughout the day without running out of power.

Great for taking notes using one note and the pen.

Plays video seamlessly on VLC.

Its a fantastic device and if a student, you can get a discount at the microsoft store.
http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msnz/en_NZ/home?tduid=20dca308ecaa1ffd2d504928c019f8c0

Very happy with the purchase. Would buy again in the future.
*Looking forward to the miracast dongle as well from microsoft.

NZ / AU Battlefield 4 Gaming Community
http://www.sonsofvalour.net/forums/forum.php

macuser

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#1149872 8-Oct-2014 12:23

NZCrusader: Have you taken a look at surface pro 3 ?

These have a surprisingly good build quality.
Boot really fast.
Does not overheat at all, only gets ever so slightly warm.
I can use it throughout the day without running out of power.

Great for taking notes using one note and the pen.

Plays video seamlessly on VLC.

Its a fantastic device and if a student, you can get a discount at the microsoft store.
http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msnz/en_NZ/home?tduid=20dca308ecaa1ffd2d504928c019f8c0

Very happy with the purchase. Would buy again in the future.
*Looking forward to the miracast dongle as well from microsoft.

Try use any Surface device in bed, or on the couch, or wherever... horrible.

Microsoft continues to not bother releasing a rigid keyboard dock, which makes the device really unusable in a multitude of situations.

MadMaxX

9 posts

Wannabe Geek

#1149873 8-Oct-2014 12:24

thanks guys, I'm looking at the mac book air and surface pro options. While I'm here I may as well ask what you honestly think of what I was sold for my needs

Aspire Acer V5 552g
12gig ram
2gig AMD raedon HD8750 graphics
AMD Quadcore processor up to 3.5gh
1 TB harddrive

timmmay

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#1149879 8-Oct-2014 12:27

8 hours battery life may be a bit much to ask.

timmmay

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#1149882 8-Oct-2014 12:30

MadMaxX: thanks guys, I'm looking at the mac book air and surface pro options. While I'm here I may as well ask what you honestly think of what I was sold for my needs

Aspire Acer V5 552g
12gig ram
2gig AMD raedon HD8750 graphics
AMD Quadcore processor up to 3.5gh
1 TB harddrive

That's a bit different from what you said originally. SSD really makes machines snappy, and lowers battery use. AMD are good value machines generally, but not as fast as Intel. Do look up reliability of Acer machines.

MadMaxX

9 posts

Wannabe Geek

#1149894 8-Oct-2014 12:47

That is the specs of the laptop I have already purchased but have organized to return for a refund. I'm currently looking at 15" macbook pros - is putting windows on it something I would be able to do? Eg, put the cd in and follow instructions or would I need to pay someone to do it? If I don't put windows on it, microsoft office can work on mac, yes?

Batman

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#1149900 8-Oct-2014 12:56

Lenovo x1 carbon during black friday sales.

Meet ALL your criteria

MadMaxX

9 posts

Wannabe Geek

#1149903 8-Oct-2014 13:03

I've decided putting windows on a mac book is silly but I am however interested in mac books, regardless. If I was to get a 15" 2.2GHz macbook pro or a 13" 2.6ghz macbook pro , what is worth paying extra for to upgrade

zaptor

741 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1149906 8-Oct-2014 13:06

I'd recommend the 13.3" MBA as well, except your criteria is Windows.

I'm under the (possibly mistaken) impression you're not that technically inclined. I think if you want Windows, maybe stick with a Windows device. We use Parallels to run Windows Office 2011 compatibility, and it's a little flaky sometimes.

Not saying you shouldn't consider MBA, just that it doesn't seem like a trivial task to bootcamp it, if you're a little tech-averse (plus you'll need a Windows ISO, or an external optical drive):
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5634?viewlocale=en_US

The Surface Pro 3 doesn't look to bad actually.
Notable cons appear to be battery life (probably because of i3/i5 instead of an ARM SoC), and real world lap usage as indicated by macuser.
However, a Surface Pro 3 will just work out of the box - since it is a genuine x86 capable Windows device.

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