New lap top help

[Bozzy]

Hi gang,we've been thinking of buying a new lap top for ages now,so we we went to Curry's today to have a look.
I'm a technofobe any way,so when one of the staff came over to supposedly enlighten us,I lost the will to live .
One thing I did pick up on though was the solid state drive thingy,so no fan required which sounded a good thing ?.
Then there was the i3,i5 and so on,the higher the number,the higher the cost.
So I'm more confused now than I was before .

Please could you techy folk advise what to go for ?.
Don't need it for gaming,It's for using the internet,eBay, .org,uploading dash cam footage and photos.
Also it'll be used partly for business,writing invoices etc and emailing.
Hopefully I'll be able to use it for route planning and then loading them onto the sat nav.

Thanks in advance .

Steve

 

[Jack Ratt]

I need a new lap top too, so I'll be watching this with interest. Our son has said to go for a solid state drive. Apparently they boot up quicker or something like.

 

[Bazza]

Hi gang,we've been thinking of buying a new lap top for ages now,so we we went to Curry's today to have a look.
I'm a technofobe any way,so when one of the staff came over to supposedly enlighten us,I lost the will to live .
One thing I did pick up on though was the solid state drive thingy,so no fan required which sounded a good thing ?.
Then there was the i3,i5 and so on,the higher the number,the higher the cost.
So I'm more confused now than I was before .

Please could you techy folk advise what to go for ?.
Don't need it for gaming,It's for using the internet,eBay, .org,uploading dash cam footage and photos.
Also it'll be used partly for business,writing invoices etc and emailing.
Hopefully I'll be able to use it for route planning and then loading them onto the sat nav.

Thanks in advance .

Steve

Steve think Mint is the guy to steer you in the right direction mate

 

[Shelly]

Good luck with your laptop buys
I like my iPad it's so easy

 

[Bozzy]

Steve think Mint is the guy to steer you in the right direction mate

I did ask Dave a while ago Baz,but he's more into the desk top variety.

 

[Gail]

You need @Redline or probably our son!!

 

[DavidM]

MacBook Air 11" - way to go - I carry it everywhere - open it up - insert passcode - and away you go!

 

[billz]

Solid state drives are a fair bit quicker. If it is just for storage (dashcam footage) and as you say emails and documents then all you need is a decent processor with around 1tb HD and around 8g ram. Mine is quite old now and only has 4g ram and i have boat loads of stuff on it. I have to admit i do not store all pics and vids on it as i have an external NAS that stores everything important which i have set up as mirroring

 

[stevie_a]

I always went HP and ended up having the screen problems ( black screen) pixelating screens

this time i went for acer Aspire IV5

Had it for a few years now, so far so good ( only down side is there is no cap lock light on laptop

I have a i5 processor laptop, I recently got my daughter an acre i3 and it is fine, just not got the processor speed that i have
or the memory i have, but everything else it is ok.

For my daughter i paid about £350 if i remember.

 

[Redline]

Solid State Drive (SSD) is a good idea. No moving parts so not going to get hurt if the laptop is dropped or knocked while it is on.
The only downside is that hard disk drives hold a whole lot more than the average SSD and so are cheaper per GByte of storage.
If you don't download lots of videos then it won't matter. If you do, then if you go SSD you will either need an external hard drive just for videos or as large an SSD as you can afford. I store all my photos on external hard drives, not just for disk space but also security. But then, I'm a little OCD as far as keeping files secure and safe from all possible damage and loss.

Start-up times with an SSD will as little at 10-15 seconds (that is if you ever switch the laptop off - many people don't nowadays - but, its a good idea imho. Laptops that are left switched on suffer ever increasing problems.

SSDs do fail but after lots and lots of use - I mean serious amounts. Its the read/write cycle that kills them, but they have clever software to manage this so it is very very unlikely to be stressed by what you're going to use it for. I've had one for 5 years now with no problems - so its likely to outlast the laptop anyway.

SSDs use less power too so your laptop will last much longer on a single charge.

i3, i5 & i7 are the processor type, and, as you save Dave, they become ever more expensive.
What's the difference?
Its very much down to processing capability. The kind of use that you are going to put your laptop to an i3 is going to be more than enough to be honest. It should easily handle dash cam footage - you're not going to be doing any complex video editing etc.

An i5 may be a little quicker than an i3, but with an SSD I don't think you'll see much difference to be honest.
My work laptop has an i5 processor and that is well capable of handling the massive amount of data that I use.
i7 is a very fast processor aimed at digital image and video manipulation and very numerically intensive applications. Absolutely no need to go there for your laptop. I use an i7 on my own laptop but then i'm manipulating and processing huge 100+MByte files.

I'd be careful on which brand I'd choose too. At Curry's you'll be paying top whack too. Choose what you want at Curry's but take a look on line too. You'll almost certainly be able to get a similar spec machine cheaper elsewhere. Curry often sell laptops that are exclusive to them. you may not be able to get the same one from another on-line store.

Let me know which you are thinking and I'll take a look for you.

Hope that helps.

 

[Grumps]

Solid State Drive (SSD) is a good idea. No moving parts so not going to get hurt if the laptop is dropped or knocked while it is on.
The only downside is that hard disk drives hold a whole lot more than the average SSD and so are cheaper per GByte of storage.
If you don't download lots of videos then it won't matter. If you do, then if you go SSD you will either need an external hard drive just for videos or as large an SSD as you can afford. I store all my photos on external hard drives, not just for disk space but also security. But then, I'm a little OCD as far as keeping files secure and safe from all possible damage and loss.

Start-up times with an SSD will as little at 10-15 seconds (that is if you ever switch the laptop off - many people don't nowadays - but, its a good idea imho. Laptops that are left switched on suffer ever increasing problems.

SSDs do fail but after lots and lots of use - I mean serious amounts. Its the read/write cycle that kills them, but they have clever software to manage this so it is very very unlikely to be stressed by what you're going to use it for. I've had one for 5 years now with no problems - so its likely to outlast the laptop anyway.

SSDs use less power too so your laptop will last much longer on a single charge.

i3, i5 & i7 are the processor type, and, as you save Dave, they become ever more expensive.
What's the difference?
Its very much down to processing capability. The kind of use that you are going to put your laptop to an i3 is going to be more than enough to be honest. It should easily handle dash cam footage - you're not going to be doing any complex video editing etc.

An i5 may be a little quicker than an i3, but with an SSD I don't think you'll see much difference to be honest.
My work laptop has an i5 processor and that is well capable of handling the massive amount of data that I use.
i7 is a very fast processor aimed at digital image and video manipulation and very numerically intensive applications. Absolutely no need to go there for your laptop. I use an i7 on my own laptop but then i'm manipulating and processing huge 100+MByte files.

I'd be careful on which brand I'd choose too. At Curry's you'll be paying top whack too. Choose what you want at Curry's but take a look on line too. You'll almost certainly be able to get a similar spec machine cheaper elsewhere. Curry often sell laptops that are exclusive to them. you may not be able to get the same one from another on-line store.

Let me know which you are thinking and I'll take a look for you.

Hope that helps.

Eh

 

[Bozzy]

Thanks @Redline,very informative and clear,even for me .
Is there any particular brands to avoid ?/ brands to favour ?.

 

[Bozzy]

Eh

Hey you get back on that tread mill!!!

 

[Nodzed]

Solid State Drive (SSD) is a good idea. No moving parts so not going to get hurt if the laptop is dropped or knocked while it is on.
The only downside is that hard disk drives hold a whole lot more than the average SSD and so are cheaper per GByte of storage.
If you don't download lots of videos then it won't matter. If you do, then if you go SSD you will either need an external hard drive just for videos or as large an SSD as you can afford. I store all my photos on external hard drives, not just for disk space but also security. But then, I'm a little OCD as far as keeping files secure and safe from all possible damage and loss.

Start-up times with an SSD will as little at 10-15 seconds (that is if you ever switch the laptop off - many people don't nowadays - but, its a good idea imho. Laptops that are left switched on suffer ever increasing problems.

SSDs do fail but after lots and lots of use - I mean serious amounts. Its the read/write cycle that kills them, but they have clever software to manage this so it is very very unlikely to be stressed by what you're going to use it for. I've had one for 5 years now with no problems - so its likely to outlast the laptop anyway.

SSDs use less power too so your laptop will last much longer on a single charge.

i3, i5 & i7 are the processor type, and, as you save Dave, they become ever more expensive.
What's the difference?
Its very much down to processing capability. The kind of use that you are going to put your laptop to an i3 is going to be more than enough to be honest. It should easily handle dash cam footage - you're not going to be doing any complex video editing etc.

An i5 may be a little quicker than an i3, but with an SSD I don't think you'll see much difference to be honest.
My work laptop has an i5 processor and that is well capable of handling the massive amount of data that I use.
i7 is a very fast processor aimed at digital image and video manipulation and very numerically intensive applications. Absolutely no need to go there for your laptop. I use an i7 on my own laptop but then i'm manipulating and processing huge 100+MByte files.

I'd be careful on which brand I'd choose too. At Curry's you'll be paying top whack too. Choose what you want at Curry's but take a look on line too. You'll almost certainly be able to get a similar spec machine cheaper elsewhere. Curry often sell laptops that are exclusive to them. you may not be able to get the same one from another on-line store.

Let me know which you are thinking and I'll take a look for you.

Hope that helps.

Good advice there mate but I think I'd need my 9yr old Grandson to translate that for me

 

[Redline]

Thanks @Redline,very informative and clear,even for me .
Is there any particular brands to avoid ?/ brands to favour ?.

I'd steer clear of Acer.
Asus, Dell and Lenovo (i.e. IBM) I'd trust. Curry's don't do Toshiba - I'd always trust those too.
They do several brands that I don't recognise.
HP I think lost the plot a few years ago. Used to be well screwed together - I'm not so sure now.

The reality is that many use the same motherboards and components, certainly when you get to the lesser known brands. Most screens come from just a couple of manufacturers.

The lower cost models are more likely to be less well put together and so prone to damage from more robust use. Like anything else, you get what you pay for. It is a very competitive market - The manufacturers build to a cost but sell a specification. Look at the quality and strength of the case etc if you've a habit of knocking corners off things like this. Does it feel well put together?

Also, don't be hurried by a salesman. Good ones will listen to you and sell you the right thing (even though they are still likely to up-sell), but, sadly, they are few and far between. If you're not sure, don't be pressurised. Walk away and think about it. There's plenty of choice. Special offers are rarely what they seem to be too.

 

[hard top]

Moved to Discussion in 'Computer & Technical Discussion' started by Bozzy, Today at 5:59 PM.

 

[Redline]

MacBook Air 11" - way to go - I carry it everywhere - open it up - insert passcode - and away you go!

Have used a MacBook Pro for a few years but would love a MacBook Air. Just can't justify having both :-(

 

[hard top]

I'd steer clear of Acer.

Spot on

HP I think lost the plot a few years ago. Used to be well screwed together - I'm not so sure now.

All my PC's are and have been HP, good kit in my book.

 

[Bozzy]

I'd steer clear of Acer.
Asus, Dell and Lenovo (i.e. IBM) I'd trust. Curry's don't do Toshiba - I'd always trust those too.
They do several brands that I don't recognise.
HP I think lost the plot a few years ago. Used to be well screwed together - I'm not so sure now.

The reality is that many use the same motherboards and components, certainly when you get to the lesser known brands. Most screens come from just a couple of manufacturers.

The lower cost models are more likely to be less well put together and so prone to damage from more robust use. Like anything else, you get what you pay for. It is a very competitive market - The manufacturers build to a cost but sell a specification. Look at the quality and strength of the case etc if you've a habit of knocking corners off things like this. Does it feel well put together?

Also, don't be hurried by a salesman. Good ones will listen to you and sell you the right thing (even though they are still likely to up-sell), but, sadly, they are few and far between. If you're not sure, don't be pressurised. Walk away and think about it. There's plenty of choice. Special offers are rarely what they seem to be too.

Our current one is a Toshiba,It's ancient now but still works,very slowly and gets hot quick.
Had Dell in mind as they have a good reputation.
We did walk away today at curry's for the very reason you mentioned,I felt pressurised and hurried.
It doesn't need to be quite as bomb proof now,as the kids aren't really kids any more......thank the lord .
I'll have a look online over the weekend Ian,so may have more questions to ask you .

 

[Bozzy]

Have used a MacBook Pro for a few years but would love a MacBook Air. Just can't justify having both :-(

They're on the pricier side though aren't they ?.