Getting a new laptop thread

Rabs

Yeah I know there have probably been loads before but I cant seem to find one at the moment.

So yes..  Getting a new laptop.. My current PC is a like nine year old Toshiba.. Very old i7 with only 4gig of RAM.. Starting to proper die now. 

I don't do gaming any more but I do, do video editing. My current laptop can just about handle Premier Pro so I want something that can handle that smoothly, don't really need it for much else but browsing and mail and basic stuff.

I have always gone for like the £800 mark when I get a new PC. It seems to give me not the best  out there but at least a good build quality which is important.

Thinking about a Surface Pro, ASUS Zen book or something like that. Also im assuming that SSD is the way to go.. This does cause a slight issue.. I would want the 512 but it gets really expensive. I guess I could always just buy a spare hard drive or two. So many decisions

Any advice?

prowla

I would look at the screen resolution when considering a laptop - some of them don't even have 1080p.

If it's a model which can be upgradable, a 1TB SSD is maybe £100 to buy.

The problem with the super-thin things (like a Surface) is that they're not upgradable.

If you're doing video you might need something a bit pokey and 16 GB RAM.

DiscoStu

I'm in the same boat. My old i7 laptop keeps shutting off so I need a new one, but the specs I want are over £1000 which I can't really justify but £800 these days is considered 'budget' when it comes to 15.6".
I too am after i7, 512 SSD and 8-16Gb RAM. Oh, and an anti-glare screen.

darthed1981

I know laptops are all cool and stuff, but you guys should consider if working from a desktop anyhow building a desktop.

You can build something suitable for video editing for £500 and when a bit breaks, you can swap it, plus you can buy yourself a big swish monitor or two.

For portable web browsing, you can use your phone or tablet.

digitalscream

My advice with laptops has always been the same - the first thing to do to narrow your search is pick your screen; everything else is negotiable.

I'd be seriously tempted by the Ryzen 5 laptops if I was buying one today - i7-like performance, i5 price. Particularly for video rendering, the extra cores (for equivalent price) will give a noticeable improvement. The SSD upgrade advice is solid too - spend £10 on an external USB 3.0 M.2 caddy and put the old drive in it, and you've got an ultra-fast memory stick into the bargain.

For example, the Lenovo Yoga 530 with the Ryzen 2500U, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD and a 14" 1080p screen is £549 at Currys. That's masses (!) of lightweight laptop for very little cash, comparitively-speaking.

menamestom

My Lenovo has been great so far, quad core I7, 512 SSD, GTX1050ti which would be good for editing.  Only 8gb RAM but easily upgradable (check for models like the yoga with soldered RAM or macbooks).

Mine was around £900, think it's an idea pad 720.  It's quick, reasonably light and boots up instantly with a finger print reader.

I've had it around a year and get's used all day for work as well as well as evening for personal stuff.

BeyondSanctorum

darthed1981 said:

I know laptops are all cool and stuff, but you guys should consider if working from a desktop anyhow building a desktop.

You can build something suitable for video editing for £500 and when a bit breaks, you can swap it, plus you can buy yourself a big swish monitor or two.

For portable web browsing, you can use your phone or tablet.

100% agree with this.

You get so much more bang for your buck with a PC. 

I would also get it custom built. I used to buy off the shelf but my last 3 purchases have been custom built and they are so much better in terms of build quality and performance for less money. 

digitalscream

It's a fair comment - if I'm doing any work I do it with my desktop, and the laptop's mainly for out-and-about stuff or browsing while watching TV.

Three monitors, 32GB RAM and five SSDs and a far more comfortable user experience...it's not really a fair fight.

DiscoStu

I don't have space for a desktop (been there before) so has to be a laptop. Yes there's a compromise on hardware but so be it.
I see good prices and spec on 14" screens but I've always had 15.6" so going smaller feels odd. Who wants a smaller screen?! I prefer having a numberpad at the side too but could live without it.

BigBearKris

I'm in the same boat - couple of suggestions from me:

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/dell-inspiron-15-7000-15-6-intel-core-i7-laptop-512-gb-ssd-silver-10188862-pdt.html

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/lenovo-ideapad-530s-14-intel-core-i7-laptop-256-gb-ssd-black-10181057-pdt.html

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/hp-pavilion-14-ce0505sa-14-intel-core-i7-laptop-256-gb-ssd-silver-10180942-pdt.html

I will be pulling the trigger on one of the above next week - of you want 15.6" version of any of the above - they're there, similarly priced. 

I will be having mine plugged in into external monitor/TV so I don't care much for screen quality, as long as it has decent HDMI, WiFi and processor good enough to stream video + play HD video files with no issues. 

After Lee's comment I am looking into those Ryzen 7 processors too - tempting...

Rabs

Ohh thanks everyone.. Some very good advice there..

Don't really want a desktop full on PC.. I live in a small flat and there is little room.. I probably could build one myself, I used to do all that many years ago as part of my job as a games tester.. We had to constantly upgrade components to keep up with the latest graphics and sound cards etc.

I was looking at the dells last night actually and a couple of reviews... It seems that as mentioned above.. For the nice slim pretty things there is a compromise on performance HOWEVER, I would imagine that almost anything I would but these days is better than my current laptop.

So confusing..    I keep bouncing between different models. Don't really want an HP.. My last experience with them was not good, so much bloatware and not the best build quality.

I guess like buying a guitar, I should go and actually look at them and see which one I like most.

Rabs

So you guys think Lenovo is good?   This seems like a good deal

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/lenovo-ideapad-s340-14-intel-core-i7-laptop-512-gb-ssd-blue-10193740-pdt.html

Rabs

Something else I just realised..  No frikken DVD drives any more... That's how long its been since I looked..  Im so old 

Snags

For the "no space for a desktop" situation, Intel Hades Canyon NUC ...

Rabs

Snags said:

For the "no space for a desktop" situation, Intel Hades Canyon NUC ...

Nice idea but I do occasionally want the laptop portability..  Not often mind but enough that a NUC isn't really right for my purposes.

Schnozz

Chillblast - Someone told me about them on here and I've been very happy with mine.

BigBearKris

Schnozz said:

Chillblast - Someone told me about them on here and I've been very happy with mine.

Which model did you go with?

Schnozz

BigBearKris said:

Schnozz said:

Chillblast - Someone told me about them on here and I've been very happy with mine.

Which model did you go with?

Mine was discontinued, but I recommended Chillblast to my sister and she bought one too - Also great, but also discontinued.

They seem to re-vamp their lines quite a lot, although it's quite easy to customize them at checkout.

I spent about a month researching what I needed, whereas it took me two days to research a smartphone.

Rabs

Im quite liking Lenovo at the moment.. Some good deals.. It will depend on what they look and feel like to me in real life.

TTBZ

darthed1981 said:

I know laptops are all cool and stuff, but you guys should consider if working from a desktop anyhow building a desktop.

You can build something suitable for video editing for £500 and when a bit breaks, you can swap it, plus you can buy yourself a big swish monitor or two.

Got any links to a decent spec sheet for a £500 editing machine? I'm well out of the loop on this sort of thing but I'm looking for something similar to Rabs! All I know is my pc nerdy mate said look into Ryzen if you're not gaming. Was looking at laptops but I do have somewhere to put a desktop now. Mind you by the time you've got a decent monitor, desk etc you could've just got a decent laptop but I suppose it still wouldn't be as powerful or future proof?

Rabs

Went and got one today...  I did look at some of the smaller 14" ones..  Very pretty and almost reach my spec but not quite without paying like £1200-£1400 for one which  I don't really want to do, the ones in my price range don't tend to have the Nvidia chips in them or I probably would have gone for one... Maybe if I was the kind of person who needed a portable laptop for work or something, one of those would be awesome but I don't really need it..

Instead I got a Dell Inspiron 7000...  Got everything I was after.. i7, 512GB SSD, 8GBram, Nvidia Graphics with 2GBram... £799...  Got to set it up yet as I only just got back in.. So lots of installing to do.. Fun fun    (new toys, YAY )


https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/dell-inspiron-15-7000-15-6-intel-core-i7-laptop-512-gb-ssd-silver-10192736-pdt.html