New Laptop, around $1000

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ThomasW

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Geek

#84069 24-May-2011 17:08

My mother has asked me to help her buy a new laptop but I have little knowledge regarding the current generation of hardware they are using. She is planning to use it to run same kind of crafting / sowing machine software and the requirements are not high but still feel she needs to get a good machine for her money.

So would be grateful for any advice, especially on which CPU's are currently best value for money. There are so many different variations of CPU's and its hard to keep track.

Currently considering

HP ProBook 4520s LJ737PA
$1070
CPU: i5-480M
Memory: 4GB

Lenovo G560 0679AFM
$800
CPU P6200
Memory: 2GB

She has just been into Harvy normans, and really likes the screen on the Samsung RV511-A02NZ

Samsung RV511
$985
CPU: P6100
Memory: 4GB

Any advice would be appreciated.

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#473561 24-May-2011 18:18

depends what one wants.. many dont come with modem built in as well now.. so unless want one you might have to buy a usb modem add on.. the sales people never tell you that.. they are useless

personally I wouldnt go for a screen under 15.4 inch.. there was a sale on at moment that bundles in bag, printer and wireless mouse for $999 has a dedicate 1gb card so can play most games and has a p6200 in it.. and 6bit and win7 it flies but no modem!

P6200 IS LIKE PRE i3 RANGE.. CALLED CORE QUO LOOKING AT GOOGLE.. BUT I3 IS REALLY A CORE Duo REPACKAGE more cahce is it or lower voltages? not sure

all the ew range start with i in front.. i7 being the best.. basically i3 = 2 cores and i5 is 4 cores and i7 is 4 or 8 cores

for i3 is entry level.. suit most people.. i7 for gamers and cad/cam on the move ?

horses for courses

marmel

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#473581 24-May-2011 19:02

kiwigeek1: depends what one wants.. many dont come with modem built in as well now.. so unless want one you might have to buy a usb modem add on.. the sales people never tell you that.. they are useless

personally I wouldnt go for a screen under 15.4 inch.. there was a sale on at moment that bundles in bag, printer and wireless mouse for $999 has a dedicate 1gb card so can play most games and has a p6200 in it.. and 6bit and win7 it flies but no modem!

P6200 IS LIKE PRE i3 RANGE.. CALLED CORE QUO LOOKING AT GOOGLE.. BUT I3 IS REALLY A CORE Duo REPACKAGE more cahce is it or lower voltages? not sure

all the ew range start with i in front.. i7 being the best.. basically i3 = 2 cores and i5 is 4 cores and i7 is 4 or 8 cores

for i3 is entry level.. suit most people.. i7 for gamers and cad/cam on the move ?

horses for courses

I must be missing something here but why would you want a built in modem nowadays anyway??

I am assuming you are talking about a dial up connection? As long as it has a LAN port if you needed a wired connection you would be fine.

I think 99% of users would be running a wireless router of some sort wouldn't they?

kiwigeek1

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#473584 24-May-2011 19:10

well if you live in quake zone chch or rural areas here many cant get asdl to door and 3g is a rip off $30 for only 500mb of data you used that in a day easily now days.. your be surprised how many return their laptops the next day cos they werent told no dail up support

a friend up the street 4,im drive away cant get asdl.. no cable in road

yes they do come with both lan wired and wireless.. if live in the city then no problem.

although some still comign out with 100mbit cards in them not 1gbit so if trasnfer files liek video from pc to pc or media servers or NAS boxes you might want the faster card.

marmel

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#473588 24-May-2011 19:15

I guess if you have no other choice dial up will allow you to email and so forth.

Haven't used dial up for a few years now, most kids nowadays will be robbed of hearing that squeal when connecting.

I showed my kids a video tape the other day, they had no idea at all what is was.

kiwigeek1

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#473595 24-May-2011 19:26

i meant 64 bit cpu.. although they seem to run most 32bit apps some wont install and have to hunt down a 64 bit version.. annoying and expensive..

laptop of mine needs replacing.. took a crash in a quake.. keys arent the best.. and another thing ecq didnt fix or replace for me.. desktop died in the 2nd big quake.. not replaced either..

if only $1000 grew on trees.. I kinda like those alienware laotops though.. likes a desktop in a laptop.. ideal for gaming but they start at $3000 lol

nick496

52 posts

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#473601 24-May-2011 19:42

marmel: I guess if you have no other choice dial up will allow you to email and so forth.

Haven't used dial up for a few years now, most kids nowadays will be robbed of hearing that squeal when connecting.

I showed my kids a video tape the other day, they had no idea at all what is was.

Offtopic.
My mate found this today:

Main Box: Antec P183, Intel i5 2500, Gigabyte GA-H67MA-UD2H-B3, 8GB RAM, HD4850, OCZ Vertex 2 120GB, 2xLG 24", Windows 7 Pro 64
NAS: Antec Three Hundred, Sempron 140, Asus M4A78LT-M LE, 4GB RAM, Only 5TB atm :(
Netbook: EEEPC 1000HA

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marmel

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#473605 24-May-2011 19:47

Yeah I saw that the other day too and had a giggle.

At least Star Wars is still watchable. When the day comes that I watch that movie and think "hell they had crap special effects back then" it will probably be time to admit I'm an old bugger.

ThomasW

24 posts

Geek

#473619 24-May-2011 20:17

kiwigeek1: depends what one wants.. many dont come with modem built in as well now.. so unless want one you might have to buy a usb modem add on.. the sales people never tell you that.. they are useless

personally I wouldnt go for a screen under 15.4 inch.. there was a sale on at moment that bundles in bag, printer and wireless mouse for $999 has a dedicate 1gb card so can play most games and has a p6200 in it.. and 6bit and win7 it flies but no modem!

P6200 IS LIKE PRE i3 RANGE.. CALLED CORE QUO LOOKING AT GOOGLE.. BUT I3 IS REALLY A CORE Duo REPACKAGE more cahce is it or lower voltages? not sure

all the ew range start with i in front.. i7 being the best.. basically i3 = 2 cores and i5 is 4 cores and i7 is 4 or 8 cores

for i3 is entry level.. suit most people.. i7 for gamers and cad/cam on the move ?

horses for courses

Thanks, I think i3 or even P6200 would be fast enough for all her needs, the software she uses is strange and temperamental at the best of times. She really likes the Samsung (screen and wide spaces between the keys). The reviews are not that great, But would probably suit her needs despite a slightly older processor and I would not have to spend time researching a better deal.

kiwigeek1

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#473630 24-May-2011 20:29

my sister bought the $999 hp package deal.. and got a wireless keyboard and mouse instead of the bag and printer..

so she could do that same.. pay for a wireless keyboard if using on a table would be best and nicer to type on..

but unlike me I use my laptop for watching shows on the bed and external keyboard is a pain so I stick with the crappy lappy one.. even if the keys dont always work and have to press harder LOL

bad review? depends what they are saying.. most might complain about on board itel video chip or lack of usb slots again depends what her needs are. if playing games on board itel is a bad move for most kids lol.. but dedicared cards are pretty good now on laptops.. desktops still have the edge after all some cards cost the price of a laptop alone.

might be best to check if her soft will install on it.. I suspect its a 64bit right? i think p6200 ad i3 are now.. most are now.

they do fly though..

mmm this one had edit button on side other comments cant edit the mistakes. oh well..
last post here.. sounds like you got sorted and what one likes

ThomasW

24 posts

Geek

#473647 24-May-2011 20:46

I beleive the Software is quite old, she purchase a second hand version because a new copy was several thousand dollars. Fairly certain it would be 32 bit. The actual requirements are very low (800mhz, 256mb ram), but for some reason it really slows her present computer down (buggy software I reckon). So she decided to have a laptop just for the sowing machine, and another for other stuff.

Yeah, rereading the reviews, it does seem like they are just trying to find something to complain about. I doubt their complaints would show up outside of a 'testing' environment.

kiwigeek1

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#473657 24-May-2011 20:56

well worse case the pc if 64bit could easily run vmware with xp or older windows running on top of windows 7 I guess best of both worlds.. theres also suns virtualbox which is free and now virtual pc.. but latest vmware is best as has the best video 3d support now ver 7.1?

but if the software has special drivers they most likely wont work on the new pc and some 32bit installers throw up a error even if force compatibility mode.. but im new to 64bit laptops my self since friends have them and want pc help or fixer..

but theres still 32bit machines and some with xp.. Im sure if a sales persons wants a sale they could load it with what you want and sure theirs some fast dual cores out there on 32bit

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nakedmolerat

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#473719 24-May-2011 22:27

i would definitely recommend toshiba. i still have one from early 2005 (yes 2005!)

ThomasW

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#475996 30-May-2011 22:25

Just to close off this thread, she ended up getting a Samsung RV511-A02NZ and I been told it works much better with her Software and sowing machines then her old laptop...

It did refuse to 'acknowledge' the usb dongle at first, I had little idea why, thought it might have been because she had the software installed on another computer... but I clicked "try again" about 50 times and it eventually accepted it :)

So thanks for all the help. Looks like a nice enough machine.

tardtasticx

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#476010 30-May-2011 22:45

My Core i3 is fairly decent. I was pissed when I found out the guy at the store lied to me about it being a Quad core. But it behaves like one in my opinion. It runs mac os x leopard in a VM on an external monitor, windows 7 on the laptops monitor, itunes playing music in 7, various IM clients running and chrome, all at the same time with no hassle. It runs CAD pretty well too. I don't use it too often but it's performed fine for when I have. It'd be more than enough for your mums needs by the sound of it.

And lately, I've only seen netbooks around that dont have dial up modems. Most notebooks I've seen have them built in and active. Check at the store if tehy have a display unit for the one you want and make sure its got the modem built in. But you can get pretty cheap ones on trademe i'm sure.

urban

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#476023 30-May-2011 23:10

have you guys seen this sexy piece of hardware from Asus?

http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/30/asus-outs-ux21-ultrathin-laptop-with-up-to-core-i7-cpu-video-ha/

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