Hi looking for a laptop for a friend.
minimum 500GB hard drive
15.6inch screen
needs to run photoshop
Not sure about the rest just good specs in general
Up to $750 but try to get price down
They said is oo.com.au any good for laptops I said no, but is this any good:
http://www.oo.com.au/Toshiba-Satellite-S50D-A00M-No_P242124.…
Apart from refurb it looks pretty good.
Any info would be great thanks.
I disagree…there are plenty of good laptop deals on here for around that price.
What makes it difficult to find?
What is wrong with the one above?
I think what he means that the laptops in your price range generally have lower build quality and the bad design (not how it looks but how well it was designed in terms of heat dissipation). I am not saying that there are no decent laptops in your price range, but it's hard to find the ones has a decent spec with decent build quality that doesn't overheat at that range. (Unless you go into older generation models that are heavily discounted.)
In terms of what you suggested, Toshiba is famous for overheating issues. I've heard bad things about AMD, but that might've been just my friends being nerdy. I would search upon the model you've posted though.
The reviews I've found are fairly mixed.
http://www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/reviews/toshiba-toshiba-satel…
Also, A10-5745M's performance is similar to i3-2310M according to notebookcheck.net… I am not too sure whether that is considered powerful enough for your friend, since being able to run photoshop and being able to run photoshop without stress is different.
http://www.notebookcheck.net/AMD-A-Series-A10-5745M-Notebook…
Thanks,
not sure why they want photoshop, they are not big on photoshop or graphic designers of any sort just a program they think they may like to use…
Just want it for study nothing special apart from that though.
In terms of Benchmark, A10-5745M is worse than most, if not all, CPUs on Macbook Air from 2012 onwards.
EDIT: So i5-4260, i5-4250U, i5-3427U, i5-3317U. Benchmark point is not exactly representative of the user experience and such, but it sorta shows that A10-5745M doesn't perform well against those.
@PVA:
True PVA.
I have a $300 Acer with a lowly 1.65GHz AMD E-450 dual-core and 4 gig ram. I don't use Photoshop, but prefer the free Gimp alternative. I can run that fine with up to four Firefox windows open (~90 tabs total).
It has a Win7 "experience index" of only 3.9.
I suppose if you're doing very high-res stuff, it would struggle a bit. Might have to quit Firefox then!
I use a Thinkpad Edge, E531 with an i5 and 1920x1080 screen. Cost me $670 delivered, check the lenovo site and try optioning one up.
You can get good gear for that price but you need to hunt around.
Those are dirt cheap, but oh so terrible to use….
if its a refurb also look at the Dell outlet. Items are added every day so a daily check is a must.
got a fhd touch screen, i7, 1TB hybrid model for $699
Never been a big fan of dell in general, they really good quality laptops?
Also how much was that dell off?
Thanks.
over half price New were some thing like $1500. dell doesn't have those specs any more for the new models, screen not as good.
have had it for a month no probs.
I was looking at a Toshiba with similar specs (but worse battery life) they were $1800 but were on runout for about $1050 at DSE, missed out and kinda glad I did. This Dell feels really nice and it was only $699.
Go and visit JB hifi and have a look and feel.
I bought a low end Dell for my parents 4 years ago and apart from getting a new battery from ebay a year ago they have had zero problems - this was the cheapest laptop I could find for any brand at the time.
a year before that I bought a cheap Dell for my son, no problems even after he spilt a whole glass of choc milk over the keyboard. Pulled it apart and all the milk was causght in the plastic spill guard under the keyboard. cleaned it out and it was fine until last year (hard drive failed) . In the meantime he had a mac air from school so we dumped the old Dell.
I will say my previous laptop was a Toshiba and I had it for around 5 years, it is now just starting to play up (need to remove battery to reboot…). Happy with the Dell but who knows years down the track - then again I didn't pay a fortune either.
Why would you spend $400 - $750 on a computer to use Photoshop? You would have paid more than that for Photoshop itself. That said, if you're spending less than $700, in my opinion, it's always better to go with a desktop unless you need the portability.
Get a cheap case and reliable power supply, for around $100, spend around $180 on a Pentium Anniversary Edition and a H97 motherboard, $100 for a cheap SSD, $80 for 8GB RAM and get a 750 Ti. You should have enough change from $750 to grab a 22" monitor and a cheap keyboard and mouse.
That computer would completely smoke a $750 laptop left, right and centre, not to mention that the 22" 1080p screen will be infinitely better than a crappy 1366x768 15" screen you'll get on a laptop for Photoshop use.
hard to sit on the couch and use, or move it around.
Okay I'm not entirely sure why they want photoshop, they just mentioned that their current $1100 laptop that is 4 years old always freezes.
I have no idea why they want photoshop I'll have to ask.
Unless they think photoshop is something they don't actually have.
Will find out more.
Hi mate,
You can buy acer i5 3rd gen, 4gd ram, 1tb hdd,15.5"brand new for $499 from msy.
Cheers
http://www.msy.com.au/viconline/home/14156-acer-e1-570-53334…
That one?
It doesn't say it has any money off or anything? What is the RRP
Thanks.
Does it really matter? I mean, if it was the perfect laptop for your friend and is within the price range, almost at the bottom of it actually, does it really matter if it's not a bargain?
Also, I think most people here in OzBargain use laptops for gaming and that's why they'll tell you that you'll need something over $1000 or a desktop. Four years ago I bought a $400 i3 Toshiba and altough now it's a bit sluggish it can still run photoshop ok for the occasional use that I give to it. A couple of months ago I bought an Intel celeron US$200 laptop for my parents and they have no issues with it.
What I'm trying to say is that for most people that use laptops for browsing, Office and Skype it's probably more important the form factor of the laptop than if it has an i3 or an i7 processor.
Best of luck, hopefully someone will find you a great laptop (that Acer one already seems pretty good)
Appreciate your feedback. Thanks!
If your in study or have a child that does then apple/education offer a nice discount on an awesome AIR/Pro line of laptops - with awesome OS, security and fast/small apps comapred to windows. Also apple/refirbisahed laptops can be had for a discount and discounts of 10-15% at dicksmtih/jbhifi all the time if you keep an eye peeled
I would pay more and get a MAC, they have resale value, great company support and are just worth it (typing this on my macbook 13" AIR now so i spend as i recomend
As for windows laptops, new $300 win8.1 laptops are all the rage, look for a toshiba, dell, acer, HP (no touch screen) - dont pay more than $600 for a windows laptop and its a bin end of life machine as its not worth selling or fixing (unlike apples). They need security (win8 comes with MS security, dont need to buy nortons.macafee) the programs are twice the size of windows and run half as fast. Windows is a resource pig and after 12 months you will need to do a reinstall, setup when it starts to run slow.
Photoshop/lightroom subscription is cheap and you can run on mac/windows with a licence.
This is what I really hate about Apple Fanboys. They always try to convert everyone and they always make Windows seem worse than it is and Apple seem better than it is. Windows wouldn't be around if it was truly that bad. So why can't we all just live and let live.
Your post is so wrong on so many levels.
I would pay more and get a MAC, they have resale value, great company support and are just worth it
"Just worth it" = "I'm a fanboy" - At least provide solid reasons.
As for windows laptops, new $300 win8.1 laptops are all the rage, look for a toshiba, dell, acer, HP (no touch screen) - dont pay more than $600 for a windows laptop and its a bin end of life machine as its not worth selling or fixing (unlike apples).
Yes, because comparing a $1100 MBA to a $600 Windows notebook almost half the price is totally a fair comparison. Come on.
the programs are twice the size of windows and run half as fast
That's utter nonsense. Prove that the programs are twice the size. Do you even know what you're talking about?
Windows is a resource pig and after 12 months you will need to do a reinstall, setup when it starts to run slow.
That's also utter nonsense.
I'm a Windows user. I have used OSX, I have friends that use OSX, I respect everyone's personal choice and opinion. It's just like whether you drive a Toyota or a Holden. What I don't like, however, are people who simply just want to convert others. They're like those annoying religious people that try to sway you to joining their religion.
Even though I use Windows, I accept that OSX has various strengths. But so does Windows. They're both comparable, mature products which have been around for many decades, perhaps longer than many of us were even alive. It's stupid to sit here and make it seem as if Windows or OSX is dysfunctional. They're not. I like Windows but I don't trashtalk OSX because that's just stupid, but there are always annoying Fanboys (from both sides, mind you).
You beat me to it. :(
Though, I do see where Apple fans are coming from in terms of macbooks and macbook airs. Apple does have a huge advantage in laptop industry, they basically create their own OS/limit hardware supports (Easier to optimise), they have a few model that they mass produce (Economies of scale). Their build quality is superb for its price.
I often recommend Macbook Air for that reason. Just install Windows over it if you don't like Mac OS. Macbook Air is a solid machine, in terms of its build quality.
Though that is above the price range that the OP asked. If I were to recommend Windows laptops above that price range, I would've bought up ThinkPads, Surface Pro 2 and Samsung ATIV Series 9. Though I am slightly hesitant on Samsung since I have heard that they have several teams designing the laptop in Samsung, so their quality varies from teams to teams. Though as far as what I've seen with my dad's laptop, it looks superb.
What I forgot to recommend is, search through Lenovo Thinkpad T series or W series from Lenovo outlet or their deals. Sometimes they come down to reasonable range. Though unfortunately, Lenovo is horrendous in terms of servicing and Lenovo is said to have ruined the Thinkpad series according to some… enthusiasts.
http://shopap.lenovo.com/au-outlet/products/
Or:
http://shopap.lenovo.com/au/en/deals-and-coupons/
I'd also recommend Surface Pro 2, solid machine, on $900 dollars at the moment, but you'd need a type cover which pushes the price to $1000 range.
EDIT: I am certain that there are many other decent manufacturers, but those are the only ones that I could personally recommend from experience/from other peers' experience.
I completely agree with you. Macbooks are great. Whether Aluminium is the best material to use is questionable - we know that it dents more easily than carbon fibre, for example, but Apple has executed the design to perfection.
That's the benefit of, as you say, economies of scale, as well as having a design that doesn't change year after year, meaning that they can keep costs low. Think about it, how many years has the current MBA design been used for? It's been a couple hasn't it?
What I forgot to recommend is, search through Lenovo Thinkpad T series or W series from Lenovo outlet or their deals. Sometimes they come down to reasonable range. Though unfortunately, Lenovo is horrendous in terms of servicing and Lenovo is said to have ruined the Thinkpad series according to some… enthusiasts.
The Lenovo T series really is one of the holy grails of notebooks, in my opinion. Their X series are also great. I think Lenovo has done a fine job. You always have to balance pleasing the old followers and attracting more of the new crowd and I think they've been able to do that.
I'd also recommend Surface Pro 2, solid machine, on $900 dollars at the moment, but you'd need a type cover which pushes the price to $1000 range.
The one thing that I hate about the Surface is that you can't use it without a desk. With my laptop, I can use it on the couch and type out an email. With the Surface, you either go full tablet mode and like decimate your typing speed or you have to put it on something stable.
I don't exactly blame Apple on using Aluminum, since, well it is going for the general audiences. Also I had so many problems with plastics on laptop that I ended up loving anything that is not plastic… I will just say this, LG makes crappy laptop, you never put plastic on the fan area unless you know for certain that it's not going to overheat constantly, deteriorating the hull. So anything not plastic is good on my book.
Also, I think how the target audience changed sort of influenced ThinkPads. ThinkPads were meant to be an expensive/premium laptop/investment. Now, I sort of see ThinkPads as one of the few relatively decent laptop lines that is for general audiences. I did hear complaints about the key arrangement changes and the screen ratio changes. I think those are the main thing that shows the target audience transition. Also because of how ThinkPads now are aiming at the general public, they have cut cost, to bring the price down, on things that old ThinkPads had. Even though I do feel tad bit sad about ThinkPad becoming less and less of what it used to be, I don't deny that it probably was necessary for the company to stay afloat.
Also I agree with you about Surface, but I guess it's a thing from what it's trying to be; A hybrid of laptop/tablet. Since it has to act as a tablet, it has to have all the processors and stuff in the tablet, so the keyboard is really light. Weight distribution is weird from that. I think it does have that niche market and I fall right into that so I am fairly biased that regards.
(LAUGH) apple fan boy! Me? No way, been a PC (windows 3.1-8.1) consultant and still recall my DOS days & ive done it for a living for 30 years now.
Yes, the same APP on a mac is HALF the size of the same APP on windows, roughly speaking. OSX keeps everything together in a single (folder) ball that you install by draging to APPLICATIONS and then the icon (its also the folder) to the task bar; to uninstall just drag to the BIN and empty. With windows its installs things all overt the place and to fix i just reinstall (win8x onwards has a refresh option because even microsoft know how bad this is) and you need AV, firewall, and apps like ccleaner - and you still need a clean, refresh every year or so.
M$ have 32bit, 64bit, home, Pro editions, my mac has 1 and its been 64bit for so long i cant recall when they gave up 32bit code and upgrades are free! Unlike M$
I have a tower and a media PC, both with win7 and a win8 tablet - my MAC is the one im typing this on. For my media PC it will be linux when im bored enough to change it and only my tower will stay windows, but thats because i cant put OSX on it.
It looks like the dogs breakfast of windows10 (um 9 was so bad they just dumped it?) will be a multi version, 32/64bit dogs breakfast too. Its a shame as underneth it was all designed on POSIX UNIX back in the win2000 days but they were lazy and ignored every good design rule to build an OS from UNIX. Alas OSX has surpassed windows in quality, design and build as an OS and thats asside from the HIGHEST quality hardware.
Ive just given up on M$ changing her ways, all the programs as OSX or WIN so its easy to jump ship now anyway.
I bought my popcorn. I was going to go onto UNIX stuff, but I am sure someone else will fill in the gap.
Yes, the same APP on a mac is HALF the size of the same APP on windows, roughly speaking.
Still no example? Also I love foobar2000, GIMP, etc etc. There are different selection of programs for each OS so comparing them like that is really bad for that reason.
OSX keeps everything together in a single (folder) ball that you install by draging to APPLICATIONS and then the icon (its also the folder) to the task bar; to uninstall just drag to the BIN and empty. With windows its installs things all overt the place and to fix i just reinstall (win8x onwards has a refresh option because even microsoft know how bad this is) and you need AV, firewall, and apps like ccleaner - and you still need a clean, refresh every year or so.
So giving consumers easy options to format automatically makes it into a bad thing? As I was saying, mac OSs have really huge advantage because they limit hardwares. Half the problems that you've seen, infamous blue screen of death, is because of the driver issues from gazillion different hardwares that Windows support. So in that regards, I personally commend Windows 8 having an easy refresh option.
Also the only reason that Mac OSs are not getting as much as virus is, because the market is too small for those viruses to be profittable. It is not because Apple designed it to be perfect, but rather because no. of people using windows is far more. That doesn't mean Macs don't need antivirus, it is dangerous.
Though I completely agree on you on how much of a mess the UI is for Windows. Still, I did manage to get used to it and I do things with it easily enough. QWERTY for example is a horrendous layout, but people use it because people got used to it. So asking people to move away from Windows because of the UI is… questionable. UI on Windows is a bad thing nonetheless though.
M$ have 32bit, 64bit, home, Pro editions, my mac has 1 and its been 64bit for so long i cant recall when they gave up 32bit code and upgrades are free! Unlike M$
Supports multiple hardwares, has different markets, therefore needs different versions. Also, MS is a software company. They spend money on making a OS and upgrading it. Arguing that MS should give free upgrades because Apple does is really bad. Apple gives out free upgrades because they create their own hardware, it becomes an investment for them. It is to get bigger market share.
It's like saying, people shouldn't sell napkins because restaurants give you free napkin, in a way.
Also, I personally think MS did alright job on keeping the OS up-to-date. XP was supported for 12 years, they got upgrades etc etc.
All corporations are out to get your money, MS is not an exception, I agree with you on that. If you say that MS is the most evil company because they charge people for their product, I will argue with you on that.
I have a tower and a media PC, both with win7 and a win8 tablet - my MAC is the one im typing this on. For my media PC it will be linux when im bored enough to change it and only my tower will stay windows, but thats because i cant put OSX on it.
I use windows phone and I think it's crap. The fact that you are using Windows product doesn't change anything. The main argument on you being a fanboy lies within your logic not following and claiming things without proof. Your views are really narrow, your opinions are really just opinions without proof. That is why he's calling you a fanboy. Because fanboys tend to do that.
It looks like the dogs breakfast of windows10 (um 9 was so bad they just dumped it?) will be a multi version, 32/64bit dogs breakfast too.
Windows support more hardware, therefore there needs to be 32/64 bits because not all PCs have RAM more than 4GB nor requires 64 bits OS. Also, since when did having a support for multiple hardware is a bad thing?
Also Windows 10 is named Windows 10 because of third parties have tradition of using Windows 9 as an abbreviation for Windows 9x series. I think it leaves a room for confusion, but that is not a factor in what OS is the best nor it should be.
Alas OSX has surpassed windows in quality, design and build as an OS and thats asside from the HIGHEST quality hardware.
Unibody is great for aesthetics and stuff, but in the end, it is horrendous because if a part chips, you have to change everything. Don't get me wrong, I think unibody gives more of unified looks and leaves a less room for things to break down, but it is not the only answer for laptops. ThinkPads are worshipped by many people because of its modular nature. If one part breaks down, change it with other parts.
Also you have to do so much/pay the Apple premium for things you can get for half the price. Mac mini, they soldered RAM so that you have to pay premium to upgrade your RAM. I say that there are goods and bads about these, but to say it is the best? I have to argue on that regards.
I like aluminum, I think it is a decent enough material and I think it works fine as a heat sink as well in some sense, unlike other materials that allow heat build up. To say that it is the best, I have to argue that it depends on the concept of best.
If you are going to bring up "thin" nature of Macbook Air, it has been surpassed by many laptops like Sony X505 from 2002 which was thinner and lighter than Macbook Air from 2008. Carbon fibres allow laptops to be lighter than the aluminum.
In terms of OS, I think it is still a preference thing. So I am not going to go that much detail into those.
Let's stay on the budget and recommend him a laptop, not bring a war about Windows and Mac. They both work, some people use them, some people don't. Macs are a great option, but I don't think it is applicable in this case. Don't get me wrong, I think macbooks are a solid option, but as I said, it is an option, it is not a solution or an answer for everything or everyone.
Yes, the same APP on a mac is HALF the size of the same APP on windows, roughly speaking. OSX keeps everything together in a single (folder) ball that you install by draging to APPLICATIONS and then the icon (its also the folder) to the task bar; to uninstall just drag to the BIN and empty. With windows its installs things all overt the place and to fix i just reinstall (win8x onwards has a refresh option because even microsoft know how bad this is)
This is untrue. Basically everything Windows installs in in Program Files, don't pretend that there is a problem when there isn't one.
and you need AV, firewall, and apps like ccleaner - and you still need a clean, refresh every year or so.
You need AV and Firewall on OSX as well. If you think OSX is free from viruses and hackers, you're delusional. Have a Google on the topic. You don't need CCleaner on Windows. I don't use it.
M$ have 32bit, 64bit, home, Pro editions, my mac has 1 and its been 64bit for so long i cant recall when they gave up 32bit code and upgrades are free! Unlike M$
Not anymore. Again, stop bringing up things from the past to suit your needs. 32-bit is there for legacy. Do you use 32-bit? I'd presume no, so just ignore it.
Yes, there used to be many editions, but they are continuing to unify their products. There was only two versions of Windows 8.
Also, on the free note. They have said that Windows 10 onwards is free. http://www.computerworld.com/article/2825116/free-at-last-af…
So again, stop bending evidence. What you said is not true. Admit it.
It looks like the dogs breakfast of windows10 (um 9 was so bad they just dumped it?) will be a multi version, 32/64bit dogs breakfast too. Its a shame as underneth it was all designed on POSIX UNIX back in the win2000 days but they were lazy and ignored every good design rule to build an OS from UNIX. Alas OSX has surpassed windows in quality, design and build as an OS and thats asside from the HIGHEST quality hardware.
Again, as I have mentioned before, we know that OSX is based on a UNIX architecture which is technically superior to Windows. But that's a fact Apple Fanboys point out with no real reasoning behind it. Does a superior kernel, in any way, shape or form affect the usability and quality of an OS? Of course not. I don't want to even have this argument. Neither does any other user who is simply happy with what they have. It's actually annoying.
Everyone trying to convert each other need to realise that. If Windows is as terribly bad as some people say, then people will realise that on their own and convert. There's no need to push and prod and argue. I don't go up to OSX users and give them reasons why Windows is superior (and Windows does have its strengths). I accept that they've found what works for them and what they are happy with and if they aren't happy, they'll be able to make the decision themselves to move to a different platform.
What a lot of Apple users don't realise is that Apple have converted them into iSheep and hence can slash down their marketing department because they're getting free marketing from everyone who uses their products. They have a cult-like following not too different from some cult/pseudo-religions we have seen in the past.
@paulsterio: I always stick by a quote for these kind of things, "There is danger for him who taketh the tiger cub, and danger also for whoso snatches a delusion from a woman." I think similar things apply here as well.
EDIT: Also, on Windows 10, I thought it was not their final decision yet. The article is fairly old and it is just an analyst going on about how it should be free. Also newer article,
http://www.computerworld.com/article/2856120/free-windows-no…
Though on regards to the free OS, you don't have to go far, Windows 8.1 with Bing is supplied to OEM manufacturers for free, as far as I remember.
(LAUGH) apple fan boy! Me? No way!
http://www.dicksmith.com.au/laptops-notebooks/toshiba-satell…
$299 Toshiba windows laptop, will do the trick but i would still prefer a macbook air myself
I have the same programs (adobe CSx editions) on the MAC as the WIN PC and they are half the size, virtualy the whole suite is like that, the only exception is OFFICE on the MAC isnt half the size as its windows counterpart but thats probably because MS paid for it to be written by apple fanboys and they often would put more features into the MAC version than the windows version, but because MS dont update office on the mac very often, eventually the windows edition get more of the bling. Its the only way to make WIN look better than OSX by MS. OSX as an OS install is about 10gb, WinXP was about that size, but editions after that are upto x4times that now too. Windows is a very fat child and its not as if it has iLIFE (still no equlivent inc with windows) or suite installed like iWork app's (now free).
I dont care with OS i use, i have lots of cpu/cores, mem (64bg on the PC) and 10TB of storage on the PC, with SSD/Raiod0 ect… And it goes fast! OSX is the better OS and win10 (I have running in a VM on both the mac and the pc, is another dog with fleas!
My ONLY complaint with OSX was paying for it, but i get it free with a apple pc/laptop now and its free updates (all 64bit) so no need to keep trying LINUX distro's! Hey, i have many firends and co workers that make a living with windows (more SHAREPOINT now than anything else and some networking) and i like the mobile platform (on ARM not INTEL), bought a winPhone for my mum for xmas…
The only thing is on a PC i can 1; build my own 2; choice like dell, toshiba, acer ect 3; mod to my hearts content - all these things are pretty much impossible on apple hardware BUT the OSX is way better than WinXX - thats just a stated fact.
Or you know, hackintosh and have both ways and cool your damn jets.
point taken, obiwan!
For that much I'd grab a year old used model from eBay, only going to get junk otherwise, though there's sometimes some good specials here for your upper.