Another 'which laptop?' thread.

[BolshieBastard]

I need to replace my aging Tosh Satellite laptop.

I dont need anything superfast. All I want it for is for documents, storeage, streaming vids and watching internet sports channels. Im not into high end gaming but do use an RC Flight Sim for polishing my, ahem, skills when the weather outside is schit.

I considered a chromebook but there doesnt seem to be any with a screen size of 15" plus Im not keen on loading all my docs to the cloud where they could be hacked.

So, Im looking at a lappie costing around 750 sheets. In the spec, I'd like:

minimum 15" screen (not really bothered about a bigger screen)
High screen resolution
dedicated graphics not less than 2 gig
dedicated sound card if poss although would accept integrated sound at a push
Gigabyte port
USB 3.0 ports
WiFi N
Bluetooth 4.0
No less than 4 gig of RAM
Good solid processor
HDD 500 gig to 750 gig
Doesnt have to have SDD

[Alias]

I think you may struggle at £750 for the spec you are after tbh...

I did see this and thought its almost there for you...

I'd prefer the alienware tbh but that aint cheap and only comes in 14", 17" or 18"

I'm sure I'm probably wrong tho and someone will be along shortly to correct me...

Edit: Found this HP one too but prefer the Elitebook ones...

[The Spartan]

Maybe either of these: Deals | Free Delivery | Pcworld

[BolshieBastard]

Thanks both. Bit suprised about the might be struggling comment.

I was thinking along the lines of something like this Gigabyte 15" P15F V2-CF1, Gigabyte P15F V2-CF1, 42752637 - Save on Laptops

I think Gigabyte are mainly for gamers but overall the spec seemed to match what I wanted. What Im not sure about is their reliability?

Specifications
Processor Intel® Core™ i7-4710MQ Quad Core (2.5 GHz, Intel Haswell Architecture, Features Intel Turbo Boost up to 3.5GHz)
Screen 15.6" (1920x1080 Full HD Resolution)
Operating System Microsoft Windows 8.1 64-bit
RAM 8GB (DDR3 1600MHZ)
Hard Drive 1000GB
Optical Drive DVD Rewriter (Records DVDs 8x & CDs 24x & Dual Layer Super Multi)
Graphics Dedicated (NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 850M with 2GB Dedicated)
Wireless LAN Wireless (802.11b/g/n Wireless)
Network Card 10/100/1000 Gigabit Fast Ethernet
Integrated Webcam Integrated Webcam with Microphone
Card Reader SD Card Reader
USB Ports 2x USB 3.0, 1x USB 2.0
Bluetooth Bluetooth 4.0
Speakers Integrated Sound System
VGA Port 1 External VGA Port
Kensington Lock Kensington lock slot
Charge Time 2.5 Hours
HDMI Port 1 x HDMI Port
E-sata 1x eSATA Port
Warranty Gigabyte 2 Year Warranty (View More Information)
Battery Life 5-6 Hours (Upto 5 Hour Battery Life)
Weight 2-3 Kg (This Model 2.5 Kg)
Product Type Notebook
Keyboard Type Laptop Keyboard

[BolshieBastard]

Hmmm. So no opinion on Gigabyte or similar Asus spec'd lappies?

[The Spartan]

Hmmm. So no opinion on Gigabyte or similar Asus spec'd lappies?

I had a look at the Gigabyte one and I'd buy it if I needed a new one, not sure about Asus I heard their customer support is atrocious.

[Antman]

Have you looked at Novatech?

I'm considering one of their customised laptops (SSD instead of HD) for £730 the equivalent T440 from lenovo costs around £1160.

The few reviews I've found said that the keyboard was "spongy" also the chassis is moulded plastic (that's why I'm going for SSD)

[kevpuk]

Gigabyte laptop user here - use every day at ClientCo.
I have the P35k, which is a little pricier, and it has served very well for almost a year now. Powerful, slim, understated (unlike many 'gaming' laptops) and so on.
Spec:
Core i7-4700HQ
16GB DDR3 (2x 8GB) RAM
GTX765M and Intel gfx - NVidia Optimus switches on the fly, so mostly uses the integrated gfx....
BluRay writer
2x 128GB mSata SSDs in RAID 0
1TB HDD
15.6" 1920x1080 IPS screen

All in all, very capable laptop. At ClientCo, I run a VM to access their world, and the laptop is plenty powerful enough to handle actual work as well as 'my stuff' running at the same time. Battery lasts around 4-5hrs, in my experience, with regular work use.
Would certainly recommend to others, Gigabyte's more recent machines are very capable and well priced

[BolshieBastard]

Have you looked at Novatech?

I'm considering one of their customised laptops (SSD instead of HD) for £730 the equivalent T440 from lenovo costs around £1160.

The few reviews I've found said that the keyboard was "spongy" also the chassis is moulded plastic (that's why I'm going for SSD)

Gigabyte laptop user here - use every day at ClientCo.
I have the P35k, which is a little pricier, and it has served very well for almost a year now. Powerful, slim, understated (unlike many 'gaming' laptops) and so on.
Spec:
Core i7-4700HQ
16GB DDR3 (2x 8GB) RAM
GTX765M and Intel gfx - NVidia Optimus switches on the fly, so mostly uses the integrated gfx....
BluRay writer
2x 128GB mSata SSDs in RAID 0
1TB HDD
15.6" 1920x1080 IPS screen

All in all, very capable laptop. At ClientCo, I run a VM to access their world, and the laptop is plenty powerful enough to handle actual work as well as 'my stuff' running at the same time. Battery lasts around 4-5hrs, in my experience, with regular work use.
Would certainly recommend to others, Gigabyte's more recent machines are very capable and well priced

Thanks both.