Laptop for a mother

SaberX on 05/09/2014 - 00:13

Hi guys,

GF wants a laptop for mothers bday. Need to pick something up in person from a perth wa store in next 1-2 weekends, any suggestions? I got my current asus from harvey norman on sale down $500 something to $900 back a yr or two ago, so I'm outdated now, but it is a cutting edge computer still - 8gb ram, i7 etc you get the drift. Anyway back on track - she wants a bday present for her mother, $800 budget.

I'm tempted to say to go a cheaper notebook-tablet convertible… or a cheaper mid sized laptop that gets things done.. those ones you see in the paper for like sub $600, 700 etc , but i've never had the use for. It's hard for me to know how good these work as i obviously use one laptop my whole home life so I go for something powerful enough.

She's 50 so obviously no gaming or hardcore computing. Never had a laptop before if that says anything (ofc must use a computer at work). Will use primarily for downloading, i assum eas she converts she may want to watch series etc in bed, around house. Web browsing etc?

So battery life or portability /weigh would be a plus. Would something like a hp x360 (the one that can convert /flip its screen onto its underside) work well? I saw adverts a month or so back for $499… Or too heavy/bulky?

Are celeron processors noticeably laggy? Same for the fact it has 4gb ram, will that get you by with windows 7 or 8(what do cheaper sub $600 laptops come with these days? windows 7 stilll?) ? Or will one notice the slowness on a celeron, pentium quad core etc laptops (the non i3,i5 type laptops)?

Your advice would be great, any shops and good prices that we can pick it up on this or next weekend would be great… unfortunately time isn't on our side for a great sale advert.

p.s im aware of the asus t100 transformer, but personally prefer more laptop specs like 320 gb hdd than 32gb of hard storage etc.

Thanks!

Computing

Comments

  • scrimshaw on 05/09/2014 - 00:54
    +1

    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/159759

    A great bargain for a well built business grade notebook.

    Check out MSY Notebook PDF http://www.msy.com.au/Parts/notebook.pdf

    CPU performance doesn't matter for a computer that's only web browsing / video / word editing. You can expect passable performance with a Bay-Trail series processor (e.g Atom Z3775, found in the ASUS T100 refresh) but for heavier usage then perhaps it may be worth looking at a Core i3/i5 low voltage ultrabook as a step up.

    Also note, some Atoms have been renamed as Celerons. For e.g Celeron N2830 is actually an Atom processor based on Bay Trail-M. The AMD equivalent of these is the AMD A4 series.

    • [Deactivated] on 05/09/2014 - 08:49

      https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/159759
      Lenovo ThinkPad X230 $449.00 Delivered

      Agree with the above. Just swap out the drive for a cheap SSD and it will 110% do the job.

    • SaberX on 05/09/2014 - 17:28

      THis has to be delivered though? We'd prefer to grab something instore though - unless this is available in the MSY store?

      Interesting… was thinking of the old style celerons in computers…. didn't know they're the "new" more powerful netbook processors aka the atoms. So Nxxxx celerons essentially are the old atoms. How about per MSY's catologue the following (from first few rows):

      Kabini E1-2100, Pentium DUal Core 2020M, Intual pentium quad coreN3510(assume this is also a netbook atom processor), intel celeron 1000M.

      Just all so confusing now as once upon time it was just N270,N290 processors for atoms/netbooks. Now there's kabini, pentium quad core this, dual core that, AMD quad core this… they sort of transgress and use the old "Pentium 4", "quad core" cpus that you saw in desktops years ago. Which is why it is confusing me since i dont keep up with this side of technology. Is there a website listing the processors and their ranking on power vs other brands for each type of book: netbook, laptop, vs tablet?

      I did see the MSY notebook btw on ozbargain last night, but there were quite a few negative comments it seemed against Lenovo, and reporting the X230's quality wasn't as great?? Do you agree??

      • scrimshaw on 05/09/2014 - 18:28
        +1

        You can type in CPU model names or notebook model names into GeekBench website to see how they rate in terms of pure CPU performance. Geekbench however ignores GPU and HDD I/O performance as it only tests the CPU and RAM.

        e.g Intel 2020m - avg 2800
        http://browser.primatelabs.com/geekbench3/search?q=2020m

        AMD E1-2100 - 900 score
        http://browser.primatelabs.com/geekbench3/search?q=E1-2100

        Intel N3510 - 2400 score
        http://browser.primatelabs.com/geekbench3/search?utf8=%E2%9C…

        The notebookcheck.net website also has a list of mobile CPU/GPU's. It'll also tell you, in plain and easy to understand english, what the CPU's can handle.
        http://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Processors-Benchmarklist…

        • SaberX on 06/09/2014 - 13:36

          Thanks. Website takes me to a software thing which you have to download - i assume paid license? Otherwise using your links i can then edit the search and find stuff whic is great. I'm surprised, the AMD E1-2100 at 900 score, and I tried the Intel 1007U and 1000M and they were pretty low 1000s….

          yet their in the $400 laptops versus some of the other ones which have the intel 2020m averaging 2800.

          Is there any real reason why, or are the intel 2020m obviously better value for money? Obviously the GPU and HDD would have an effect on speed, but given most GPU or HDDs will be standard I assume across the range of laptops from the MSY brochure, there would be a significant benefit in just choosing a laptop base don say if it had the intel 2020m or intel n3510? GIven these score the highest on CPU performance? I assume the diff between say 2800 on the intel 2020m and 2400 on the intel n3510 is a world of difference? Or is it not really noticeable in practice?

          Will CPU power affect the running of windows 8? Seems like some of the MSY ones comes with wins 8.1 which I hear is better or more intuitive and battery efficient???

        • SaberX on 06/09/2014 - 13:40

          Missed your last link. Notebookcheck seems good - obviously can compare which processor has the highest number (or GPU) versus another, but is there a way or a guide somewhere on what the actual numbers of the benchmark mean? I mean relative to one another i can tell which processor beats another, but not whether the benchmarked amoutn is decent/fast enough for certain performance or features? Or is that something only experience/knowledge can fix?

          Thanks again!

        • scrimshaw on 06/09/2014 - 15:36

          The benchmark scores between the Atom N and 2020m is not that all significant for real world usage and for a laptop whose sole purpose is to play media, surf the web and type documents on, a score of 2000 is already enough.

          In a nutshell, any laptop in the $450 ~ $ 600 range would be suitable for her needs. You shouldn't worry too much about geekbench scores, because it doesn't reflect real world usage. It's purely to give you an idea of how each CPU stacks against one another.

          AMD CPu's tend to score lower. AMD is a little behind in terms of CPU instructions per clock, and partly also because AMD likes to focus on GPU performance in the low end segment. Geekbench scores ignore GPU performance so it isn't taken account in the score.

          If you are worried about performance, buy the Acer V7-582P with Haswell i5 for $679 after cashback.

          If you want portability I'd go with the ASUS Ultralight X200MA-CT112H ($524) with quad core Pentium N3520.

          , but not whether the benchmarked amoutn is decent/fast enough for certain performance or features?

          I would read detailed reviews about the laptop model, or read up on a notebook that has exactly the same specifications.

  • Davo1111 on 05/09/2014 - 01:06

    netplus and msy both have WA stores.

    http://www.msy.com.au/Parts/notebook.pdf

    I'd get something from the top 2 rows of page 2 (the lightweight/slim/compact page). Just a normal laptop, not a tablet convertable.

    • SaberX on 05/09/2014 - 17:39

      DO you find tablet convertables you sacrifice specs for the added tablet functionality of either detachable or flippable?

      No thoughts on the HP X360 for example which can flip?

      THanks - didn't know MSY has a WA store. Never bought from netplus - how is the laptops range? I thought like austin they woudl be pretty mainstream and not an overly great discount/deal?

      Abit unsure with some of the first few rows, they're within the range but at 11-12/13" screens would these be too small for a mother? They tend to find smaller, technological screens hard to look at I find versus say kids or the Gen Y that has adapted to technology? So i wasnt sure if a typical 14" screen for those cheap i3's or below was a better alternative?

      How is the HP 14-D014TU (F7Q02PA) on the far right, 3rd row? Bit unsur ewho to go with, i assume skip acer, but how is toshiba and HP in the lower range? I've got an Asus now and i"ve found it reliable, previous first laptop i owned was a toshiba which was ok. But I heard HPs heat up alot etc, and seem to be the case from the ones I've held?

      So from the first few rows what would you recommend?? NOt sure which combo o specs/processor will work best.

      • Davo1111 on 05/09/2014 - 18:17

        yes, you're paying for the convertible feature.

        Netplus range is limited, but it's always worth investigating if they're nearby.

        Not a big fan of HP. I'm now a converted Asus man. Unless i find a crazy good deal on ozb, i'll only buy asus/toshiba and possibly lenovo/ibm.

        I wouldnt get smaller than a 13" screen

        Touch screen is a gimmick imo

        http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Celeron-N2830-vs-Intel-Celeron…

        appears the 1007u is marginally better. I have the 2955u in an acer c720 chromebook. It runs all videos i've tried, but i wouldn't recommend the chromebook.

        • SaberX on 06/09/2014 - 13:59

          Ahhh ok I will keep that in mind in advising the gf on her purchase. We're heading out to shops today to check them out.

          Probablyt stay above 13" then.. i assume below 13" is for portability or an on the go/business machine? Otherwise as a primary usage thing, anything below 13" is abit strenous on the eyes? Has anyone tried using something smaller than 13" for prolonged periods i.e. convenience/portability wasn't an issue at th etime? ANd was it too small?

          I though the touch screen was relevant because windows 8 ran off a very touch screen friendly interactive layout? e.g. all the grids? Tbh ive only seen it on tablet, not used it on computers. Made me shudder testing it out for a few minutes, but maybe i'm just too used to the old windows. Somehow a classic desktop, start button etc just seems more functional to me, but i guess everything new seems daunting at first.. so i should give it the benefit of the doubt.

          So some of the laptops from msy's first 2-3 rows have better processors e.g. 2020m on the TOshiba Satellie C50. Whereas the asus have the 1007U and the n3510 which seem to have benchmarks alot less. The difference though is the 2020m toshbia has integrated graphics versus stand alone GPUs on the asus.

          Would you go with GPU power more over the CPU, especially if her mother isn't going to game, would the integrated graphics slow down the overall setup even though the processor is better? In which case we'd be better off going a laptop with a less powerful processor model but stand alone GPU??

  • [Deactivated] on 05/09/2014 - 07:24

    I upgraded my laptop earlier this year to a non touch screen ASUS with windows 8 and at the start it drove me crazy with how counter intuitive it is to navigate. I consider myself to be reasonably good with computers too (been using since 286 with MS DOS), can't imagine what it'd be like for someone not familiar with tech. So if you can find Win 7 I'd definitely pick it over Win 8.

    I know it may be slightly out of your price range but my gf is not great with computers but loves her MacBook Air, if you can get on sale and stretch I think it's a really safe bet especially if she's just going to be using it for simple things like web browsing.

    • Davo1111 on 05/09/2014 - 08:26
      +3

      Install classic shell: http://www.classicshell.net/

      Then i just disable all the extra swiping "features"

      • [Deactivated] on 05/09/2014 - 08:48

        Or you could just install Windows 7…

        I find it hilarious that people have to tweak and install thirdparty apps just to turn Win8 back to Win7.

        • Davo1111 on 05/09/2014 - 09:51

          Where can you get a legal version of windows 7 these days? Last year i had to buy a copy and got a pirated copy (via ebay)

        • scrimshaw on 05/09/2014 - 11:10

          If you buy a business laptop from Dell or Lenovo you can choose from win 8 or 7.
          Mainstream laptops lack this choice usually.

        • fredblogs on 05/09/2014 - 15:53
          +1

          @RichardWise, Win8.1 is better under the hood. I use it with classic shell at work and it's great (apart from the Win8 theme restrictions)

        • [Deactivated] on 08/09/2014 - 12:36

          @fredblogs: Win7 and Win8 perform exactly the same in majority of benchmarks.

      • [Deactivated] on 06/09/2014 - 06:26

        Thanks will check this out

    • SaberX on 05/09/2014 - 17:40

      Would 4gb DDR3 ram as advertised for most sub $550 models on MSYs product page posted above run windows 8 ok?? So is Win 8.1 a free update for WIn 8 users, not up to date but i heard it is better than Win 8(don't liek the whole interactive thing)

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