[Solved] New Laptop

[nightslicer]

Im searching for a new laptop but im not sure what to get. I will be using it solely for university as my course requires me to use Autocad, Photoshop and other software. If someone could suggest a laptop that could run multiple programs fast, with a substantially large screen (possibly 17") i would greatly appreciate it. Thanks :)

[KenB]

Hi,

 

course requires me to use Autocad, Photoshop and other software.

Autocad, and especially Photoshop will require more than just a basic machine.

 

I suggest a machine with a decent processor and at least 8GB RAM.

 

You don't suggest a budget.

Can you give us some idea of what you are willing to spend ?

[nightslicer]

well i have around 600 pounds to spend, and is an i3 processor good enough or will that be too slow and inefficient?

[KenB]

Hi,

I have just looked up the system requirements for AutoCad ( see below )

 

For 64-bit AutoCAD 2014

• Windows 8 Standard, Enterprise, or Professional edition, Windows 7 Enterprise, Ultimate, Professional, or Home Premium edition (compare Windows versions), or Windows XP Professional (SP2 or later)
  
• Athlon 64 with SSE2 technology, AMD Opteron™ processor with SSE2 technology, Intel® Xeon® processor with Intel EM64T support and SSE2 technology, or Pentium 4 with Intel EM64T support and SSE2 technology
  
• 2 GB RAM (4 GB recommended)
  
• 6 GB free space for installation
  
• 1,024 x 768 display resolution with true color (1,600 x 1,050 recommended)
  
• Internet Explorer 7 or later
  
• Install from download or DVD
  

Additional requirements for large datasets, point clouds, and 3D modeling (all configurations)

• Pentium 4 or Athlon processor, 3 GHz or greater, or Intel or AMD dual-core processor, 2 GHz or greater
  
• 4 GB RAM or more
  
• 6 GB hard disk space available in addition to free space required for installation
  
• 1,280 x 1,024 true color video display adapter 128 MB or greater, Pixel Shader 3.0 or greater, Microsoft® Direct3D®-capable workstation-class graphics card
  

These will be minimum requirements.

 

Your i3 processor should be fine. i5 would be better.

4GB RAM minimum ...... 6GB is better.

 

It is increasingly difficult to find a new laptop that does not have Win 8 on it.

Personally I would prefer Win 7.

 

Take a look around and post here links to what you have found ( if you wish )

One of us will offer an opinion .... but the final choice will be yours :)

[nightslicer]

I prefer Windows 7 too but i cant find any with it :( i have also found this laptop, but im not sure if i want to buy it; http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/lenovo-g700-17-3-laptop-21426634-pdt.html

[KenB]

I replied to this one earlier today - and the post has gone missing ............ along with a number of others !!

 

I will try again.

 

I have been away for a few days - sorry for the late reply :)

 

Lenovo are a robust and solid machine. originally Lenovo was IBM.

That is a bit expensive in my opinion.

 

I did a quick search for 17 inch i5 laptop

click here

 

( example only )

The first one needs a part exchange

 

You need to have a good look around.

 

ALSO ......

if you intend carrying the laptop from place to place a 17 inch is quite big.

[Armageddon]

Hi I agree with Ken my Emachines ( basically a Acer ) 17inch i3 cost me £329 with 6 gig of ram and a 720gig hdd , yes i spent a further £50 to up the ram to its max 16gig but thats me

[Plastic Nev]

Hi, obviously not knowing the area where you live, or importantly the number of decent dealers in the area who deal in second hand, I can only speculate on that.

However I picked up a real bargain fairly large screened Acer running Windows 7 from one of those cash converter style shops, well worth throwing the second hand idea into the mixing pot. You never know what you may find out there.

You could get lucky with a good bit of kit quite cheaply, therefore saving cash that can then be used for decent software.

 

Nev.

[nightslicer]

I looked around my second hand stores such as CEX and a few small businesses and realised they over charged. So i bought the Lenovo G700 that i posted earlier for £530 which is a good deal in my opinion (from Currys). Thanks for the advice guys :)

[KenB]

Good to hear that you found something that you are happy with.

The Lenovo is a good solid machine. :)