Laptop suggestions for a budget around $1000?

LRickyBaker on 27/02/2015 - 21:11
Last edited 27/02/2015 - 21:12

Hello!

I'm looking to purchase a new laptop to replace my Macbook Pro that has unfortunately died after a long life. I'm looking forward to getting a Windows operating system though, since it's been so long.

Besides the usual high, internet usage; I'll be doing some video editing with my GoPro footage, occasionally some music production with programs like Cubase 5 and Ableton, some gaming every now and then, but nothing that requires really high specs. I also like to stream hockey games live, and download a lot of stuff, so a strong WiFi would be a bonus. The ability to upgrade to 16 GB RAM later on would also be awesome.

I'm not a complete noob when it comes to computers, but it's a little overwhelming with everything on the market these days, I need some guidance.

Here are some I've been looking at:

https://www.jbhifi.com.au/computers-tablets/laptops/dell/del…
https://www.jbhifi.com.au/computers-tablets/laptops/dell/del…
https://www.jbhifi.com.au/computers-tablets/laptops/lenovo/l…
https://www.jbhifi.com.au/computers-tablets/laptops/toshiba/…
http://www.harveynorman.com.au/computers-tablets/computers/l…

I'm interested in buying from JB HiFi and possibly Harvey Norman because of some good deals they have going on right now. I also plan on financing the laptop but intend to pay it off within a few months.

Let me know what you think, and any suggestions you may have would be really appreciated!

Thanks

Computing Computer Laptop

Comments

  • scrimshaw on 27/02/2015 - 21:43
    +13

    Stay away from the Inspiron, Ideapad and Satellite L50 mainstream crap. Many of the notebooks you see being sold in big box electronic stores are usually consumer / prosumer grade stuff, with less emphasis on reliability but more on aesthetics and media features (e.g speakers and discrete GPU's). Most consumer class laptops are made to fail within a few years.

    They will be a downgrade when compared to the stuff Apple makes in terms of the chassis, touchpad and build quality.

    Look for
    Dell Latitudes / XPS
    Acer Timeline X
    Toshiba Portege or Kira series
    HP Elitebook / Probook
    Lenovo Thinkpads (except Thinkpad Edge series)

    I'd look into getting a Dell Latitude which you can get from the Dell Outlet and $999 will get you the DFO-3074980LT which is the 14 inch E7440 with core i7 / 8GB RAM single DIMM / 128GB SSD/ Wifi AC / and Wireless WAN 3g (allows you to put in a SIM card and use mobile broadband)

    • PVA on 27/02/2015 - 22:56
      +1

      sorry, I dont agree. we bought my son a dell inspiron years ago and it was fine for years, even after a glass of chocolate milk was spilt in the keyboard. after 5 years the HDD failed but then his school gave mac airs to all students.
      3 years ago we bought my dad an inspiron (cheapest office works had). it is still perfect.
      I just bought an inspiron 15 5000 from the outlet 4 months ago for $695, great unit. touchpad works great, 2, 3,4 finger gestures etc.

      http://www1.ap.dell.com/content/topics/segtopic.aspx/product…

      two great ones at the moment are available..

      DFO-3047266IP REFURBISHED Inspiron 15 5000 Series Laptop 4th Generation Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4510U processor (4M Cache, up to 3.1 GHz) 16GB Dual Channel DDR3L 1600MHz (8GBx2) 1TB 5400 rpm Hybrid Drive Windows(R) 8.1 (64Bit) English Optical Drive not included Integrated 10/100 Ethernet Port AMD Radeon(TM0 R7 M265 2GB DDR3 High Definition Audio enhanced with Waves MaxxAudio(R) 43 WHr, 3-Cell Battery (integrated) Intel® 3160AC + BT4.0 [802.11ac + Bluetooth 4.0, Dual Band 2.4&5 GHz, 1x1] 15.6 inch LED Backlit Touch Display with IPS and FHD resolution (1920 x 1080) LCD Cover Moon Silver $ 799
      DFO-3059258IP REFURBISHED Inspiron 15 5000 Series Laptop 4th Generation Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4510U processor (4M Cache, up to 3.1 GHz) 16GB Dual Channel DDR3L 1600MHz (8GBx2) 1TB 5400 rpm Hybrid Drive Windows(R) 8.1 (64Bit) English Optical Drive not included Integrated 10/100 Ethernet Port AMD Radeon(TM0 R7 M265 2GB DDR3 High Definition Audio enhanced with Waves MaxxAudio(R) 43 WHr, 3-Cell Battery (integrated) Intel(R) Dual Band Wireless-AC 3160 1x1 + Bluetooth 4.0 15.6 inch LED Backlit Touch Display with IPS and FHD resolution (1920 x 1080) LCD Cover Moon Silver $ 799

      I was going to add that you can get them new for $1099 (5th gen cpu) on sale but looks like they are back to $1700 again.

      • scrimshaw on 28/02/2015 - 04:09
        +4

        To each their own I guess. However, generally speaking, Inspiron isn't quite as premium as Latitude though. You'll know the difference once you have actually attempted to pull apart an Inspiron and compared it to the Latitude series
        or at least, used one at work and seen the abuse that they go through

        (source: I used to work for helpdesk and my organisation used Dells. Latitudes are very well built.).

        • PVA on 28/02/2015 - 15:52

          I understand but I think for most people at home they are fine - especially when you consider the new retail price - Latitudes are like close to $3000, outlet is a bit more real in true value.

        • iridiumstem on 28/02/2015 - 16:08

          @PVA: I think which one is valuable/best depends on what you value. Latitudes are designed for those people who require reliabilities and sturdiness, whereas Inspiron is more of those people who don't need those as much (not saying that Inspirons are not reliable, but just saying the focus is different).

          Though if you want a sturdy laptops, cheap, 2nd hand/refurbished business laptops are hard to go by, since they drop their price heaps and they usually are used in office environment only.

        • [Deactivated] on 01/03/2015 - 10:37
          +1

          I fix Dell laptops daily and I agree with scrimshaw. Inspirons will fall apart if you don't handle them with a high level of care. Obviously if it was a laptop to take between couch and desk I wouldn't mind. If this was a laptop that was going between home/work or home/school I would get a latitude.

      • tikei on 01/03/2015 - 14:13
        +1

        My inspiron is 7 or 8 yrs old and is still fine. I treat it very well though.

    • algy on 28/02/2015 - 21:43
      +2

      I agree with this so much, OP please get a Dell Latitude or XPS from the outlet store. Scrimshaw is right on the money here, they are very well built and will last you a lot longer than the crap you can buy at JB Hi-Fi. I am typing on a Latitude now that is just as good as the day I got it 2 years ago.

      • RickyBaker on 28/02/2015 - 23:37

        I'll most likely be going either Dell or Macbook. Thanks for the responses!!

        • algy on 01/03/2015 - 16:39

          Good choice, good luck with your purchase mate

    • Claggs on 01/03/2015 - 08:55
      +2

      Working in the IT service industry, servicing both Mac's (Apple Authorized Service Provider) and Windows machines for both home users and small - medium businesses, scrimshaw is absolutely on the money with this.
      You'll find that on average, Apple users will get longer use out of their machines before upgrading. A lot of the machines sold in places like Harvey Norman are selected because they can squeeze as much margin in them over some of the more expensive, more reliable machines (not saying all expensive machines are inherently more reliable).

      Of course there are always exceptions, and some people who buy that sub $500 laptop will have it for 5+ years, and someone with a MacBook that lasts just a month out of warranty. Nothing's perfect.

      Dell cater primarily towards businesses/professionals, so they're built with longevity in mind, much like Apple and for this reason are an excellent choice.
      Lenovo are another good choice, although with the recent news of them, I'm not so sure.

      Both Apple and Dell (unsure of Lenovo, and HP do it for select models) you are able to go to places like an Authorised Service Provider and have the machine repaired, even if it is 4 years EOL/out of warranty, because they keep the parts in stock in case of people who rely on their machines who need it repaired as soon as possible, and are not wanting a new computer.

      I understand that this isn't exactly what you were asking, but these kinds of things need to be taken into consideration - warranty, after warranty support, reliability, etc. - when making such as expensive purchase.

      • RickyBaker on 01/03/2015 - 09:15

        No, I completely agree with you! My first Macbook lasted me close to 7 years, and that was with putting it through hell! Dropping it, spilling things on it, taking it everywhere, taking it to parties, more drinks spilled on it, kicking it off my bed in my sleep; eventually the iced coffee that spilt on it in my sleep was the nail in the coffin! I even opened it up and tried to fix it; I got close but unfortunately no success.

        Looks like I'll be choosing between Apple or Dell then. Thanks

        PS: How do Alienware's hold up? I understand they are made by Dell now. I'm not to worried about portability and it being clunky. It's mainly going to be sitting at home, and occasionally taking it to the library or something like that. This seems like a very good deal at JB HiFI for one:

        https://www.jbhifi.com.au/computers-tablets/laptops/alienwar…

        • [Deactivated] on 01/03/2015 - 10:45

          Think of an Alienware as other any laptop with high specs. Then add on marketing and an extra 50-70% price margin. Expect no increase in reliability. BTW if you don't get warranty, parts such as power supplies or an LCD can range from $200-$600.

          All that aside I think they look pretty cool but if I was going down that path I would probably get one of the laptops from logical blue one.

        • RickyBaker on 01/03/2015 - 10:49
          +1

          @voolish: Is that price not a good one? i feel like its better than most laptops with those specs/other gaming laptops.

        • [Deactivated] on 01/03/2015 - 11:00
          +1

          @cNelson144: To put it simply, no. The choice is yours though. They definitely have their fair share of problems though and are not easy to fix although you should be able to get 5 year warranty and then just sell it before it ends for a fair price.

          Do not get extended warranty through JB HiFi, call Dell after you buy it and they will extend your warranty at a price or better yet get it off their website.

          You could always the get the refurb one here
          http://www1.ap.dell.com/content/topics/segtopic.aspx/product…

        • algy on 01/03/2015 - 16:52

          @cNelson144: Alienware's price is really bad, if you are looking for a gaming laptop go for an MSI one, better build quality and much better internals for the price. But from your description is sounds like you would be much better off with the regular business dell series'.

    • deepdag on 01/03/2015 - 19:17

      I can vouch for Dell Latitude. Mine is business purchase & been with me for 3.5 years. Only upgrade was 8gb Ram & 240gb SSD. It works as new till today. I use mainly for usual office stuff, CRM, Illustrator, Indesign, Lightroom & photoshop. The battery also is fantastic, mine started informing about replacing with new one just recently & it would always give me 5-6hrs of working on the road so excellent purchase. Certainly going for these one next time around.

    • mls82 on 02/03/2015 - 23:39

      Any advice for a work laptop - $1k budget, preferably 1080p, ODD, SSD, does not need dedicated graphics. Would be running virtual machines installed with CAD & RS Logix 5000.

    • ConnanyIrsh on 14/03/2015 - 21:59

      Totally agreed. A man you should listen to. Maybe a few $ more, but worth every cent.

  • [Deactivated] on 27/02/2015 - 21:54

    Why not a mac again? I've got a windows 8.1 tablet, and a windows 8.1 laptop, and its terrible compared to my macbook pro. So all over the place.

    • Damonator84 on 28/02/2015 - 08:09
      +1

      Obviously too cheap to get a Surface.

      • [Deactivated] on 28/02/2015 - 08:14

        Nope, surface is the best of breed, no doubt, but it doesn't stop windows 8.1 from being a stinking hot mess and the. The build quality is also way way below a MacBook Air. Try using a surface pro on your lap. The battery life is also worse on a surface pro (by 2 times at least).

        • Damonator84 on 28/02/2015 - 14:36
          -3

          Still better than Apple.

        • [Deactivated] on 28/02/2015 - 14:48
          +1

          @Damonator84: Owning both, I can tell you this is not the case. It certainly has some redeeming features (the pen is great for presentations), but its not up there. If the surface was half the price of a Macbook Air, it would have something, but its not, its the same price. It would be like buying a Kia Sorrento and paying the same as a Range Rover Sport. Both are cars, both are 4wd…

        • iridiumstem on 28/02/2015 - 20:31
          +1

          @thorton82: :P I think it depends on where you stand. Personally speaking, I think Macbook Air's would be better as a laptop, however, I still prefer Surface Pro because I carry it around and use it as a writing appartus for note taking and a laptop as well.

          Also, I think it's really unfair to say the build quality is bad when it's more of a design flaw. I've personally never needed to use the Surface Pro on my lap for other than just simple note taking or simple messages, but I've heard people complaining about it being unstable when they type stuff. That is a design flaw from having the laptop components inside the tablet; the weight is on the stand which doesn't translate well to using it on you lap. It's not build quality though, I personally found Surface Pro to be relatively well made, sturdy and it doesn't feel flimsy when I use it.

          If you think Surface Pro being a hybrid of laptop and tablet is gimmicky and not going to utilise it, then definitely, Surface Pro line is worse than Macbook Air. If you are going to use it as both, then I think Surface Pro line is better, since it does have a stylus which is alright for note taking and stuff.

          Though I think we are digressing slightly off the OP's question.

        • RickyBaker on 28/02/2015 - 20:48
          +1

          @AznMitch: No worries, you guys make good points. Thank you

        • [Deactivated] on 28/02/2015 - 20:55
          -1

          @AznMitch: by build quality I meant the shitty plastics and low rent fabric keyboard, vs aluminium monocoque. But as you point out there are too many shortcomings and design flaws. No laptop in this day and age should only have 3-4 hours battery life for a start.

        • iridiumstem on 28/02/2015 - 21:06

          @thorton82: It is lighter than Macbook? Though I do agree, the battery life on Surface Pro 1 was awful. Surface Pro 2 got better with Haswell.

          Also, in terms of aluminium body vs keyboard, weight issues, I personally think it's all from how Surface Pro was designed as a hybrid. Most of the issues you've mentioned is relating to keyboard dock, I think is caused by the fact that it's a hybrid. If they had the luxury of having the tablet non-detachable (i.e. proper laptop) then it would be different. So is the battery life issues, I think they exchanged battery life with weight with Surface Pro 1.

          In terms of the tablet at least, I think the build quality is amazing, I was not even thinking about the keyboard dock when you mentioned build quality so that's why I thought, "that's strange, I personally found the tablet to be sturdy and not flimsy at all". Keyboard dock, I think it can be better, but I don't personally find it dodgy. It's still fairly sturdy, not everything has to be metal IMO because metal is heavier than plastic/fabric. Obviously, I'd want something light for the hybrid.

          Also, Surface Pro 3 is out and yeah I still think the problems you've mentioned is there, other than the battery life. Though they have improved a lot on SP3 it seems. I've never had the luxury of owning one so I cannot speak for it too much, but the changes to the keyboard and the changes to the stand does look like an improvement to me. Surface Pro 1 is discontinued long time ago, so why bring 3 hours battery life onto this when Pro 2 definitely increased the battery life and so did Pro 3?

          So I think the question goes back to the question of, is being hybrid worth all that? It depends on where you stand on the view of whether being hybrid is worth all that or not, IMO. This is obviously just my 2c on your opinions. I defintely am enjoying the hybrid function, so I like Surface Pro. But that being said I see why you'd see this as inferior to Macbooks.

          If you ask me what I see as the disadvantage of Surface Pro 1 to Macbook or any proper laptop, I'd answer with:

          1. Lack of USB ports (Seriously you need at least 2, and that is being generous)
          2. Lack of ethernet port (This means I cannot have anything other than USB to Ethernet cable if I need wired internet)
          3. Inability to open the chasis to clean the fans or changing SSD
          4. It heats up fairly quickly (which becomes warm if you use a lot of stuff while using OneNote to note stuff)

          Other than that, pen storage is awful for Pro 1 and 2, 3 got it backward. I am hoping to see some decent changes to it on 4 (which is highly unlikely happen with 4 but one can dream.)

        • goraygo on 28/02/2015 - 21:55
          +9

          @thorton82:

          I own a MacBook Air and also Surface Pro 3. I don't know what you are talking about.

          You are talking about things that is misleading and you don't own a Sirface Pro 3. So how could you compare it to MacBook?

          The build quality of Surface Pro 3 is very good, comparable to MBA.

          The screen of SP3 is heaps better than MBA, SP3 has better resolution and it's a touch screen.

          I agreed the kick stand could be difficult to use on lap when in bed but if you use SP3 as a tablet, then the on screen keyboard is VERY good.

          Whereas for battery life, unless you really need to sit down and use both computers all day without a charger, then MBA gets another 1-2 depends on your usage. But 9 hours on SP3 is plenty.

          So don't go around making comments that is not from your own experience. It is not helpful at all.

          Btw, I am typing this on my iPhone 6, I am not a Microsoft or Apple fanboy, I like good techs and whatever good gets my purchases. I don't stick to one brand and thinking they are the best.

        • goraygo on 01/03/2015 - 07:30
          +4

          @thorton82: your comment tells me you don't own a SP3 and just making it up as you go.

        • This Guy on 01/03/2015 - 09:44
          +1

          @goraygo:

          You are both right:

          7 hours light benchmark (refresh web page every 30 seconds + a few other tasks)
          4 hours heavy (video playback + refresh larger webpage + stream data over wifi)

          http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1213?vs=1287

          If your reading static content and have the brightness down, 9 hours seems more than plausable.

        • rapoot6 on 01/03/2015 - 19:43

          @thorton82: Ah jeep cherokee man!

          rapoot6 on 01/03/2015 - 19:43 (Collapsed - Offtopic. Show)
        • rapoot6 on 01/03/2015 - 21:12
          +1

          @This Guy: light-mid benchmark is the most suitable measure because thay is how most people use their devices

        • Damonator84 on 04/03/2015 - 16:41
          -2

          @thorton82:
          The surface is touchscreen for crying out loud.
          And who cares if the keyboard is fabric like…it is just a cover to keep the dust off the screen. I use the onscreen keyboard.
          Surface Pro 3 rocks its socks over a apple pos.

        • [Deactivated] on 04/03/2015 - 21:21

          @Damonator84: you've obviously never used a Mac. All windows touch screens are useless, you'd know that from owning one. You can't type 3000 words on a screen. I found another problem today; when you open an image, it loads into some piece of shit metro preview app, which doesn't allow you to do anything whatsover. There isn't even a button to quit the program. Just useless.

        • PVA on 04/03/2015 - 22:09
          +1

          @thorton82:
          No idea how you have your windows machine set up but my win8.1 touch screen laptop doesn't do what you are saying. My son has images open in preview on his mac as well - it comes down to choice and the ability to do things multiple ways.
          Touch screen is very handy for somethings I find (zooming, click check boxes etc). I dont type with the on board keyboard and I guess it would be as bad as an apple ipad (which is poor).
          I personally find the mac air keyboard awful (and not a fan of the touchpad either) but my son seems to like it (he gets a bit cheesed off when using office type programs on the air though). I will say the air is just about bomb proof as it has been dropped many many times and gets dents but still works. The mag2 power connector is a pain, after a year they kinda work sometimes (sometimes it charges, sometimes a lot of wiggling the mag2 connector and it then charges)and the plastic starts peeling near the connector - I thought it was because of my son being rough but I have read about this as a common problem with mag2.
          I realise you don't like windows and love apple as in most of your comments whenever someone asks about a phone or computer that isn't an apple device you jump in and go all pro apple. Hey some people don't like them, just like you dont like non-apple.

        • PVA on 06/03/2015 - 19:10

          @thorton82:
          I checked the preview out on my win8.1, there are a lot of editing functions available, selective blur, colourising, cropping etc. I guess you having looked into properly.

  • RickyBaker on 27/02/2015 - 22:35

    @scrimshaw Thanks man, really appreciate you putting the time in for the response. I'll definitely look into all those options.

    @thorton82 I could definitely go Mac again, just miss some stuff about windows

    • ShortyX on 28/02/2015 - 08:25
      +3

      Since you're into video and music production, get a Mac then use Windows via Bootcamp or Parallels when required.

      • IamEzza on 01/03/2015 - 19:14

        Agreed. I really like the Macbook Air combined with Windows 7 via Bootcamp.

  • Randxyz123 on 27/02/2015 - 22:38

    I'd recommend either saving a bit more or be happy to pay off the computer for a bit longer and getting a refurbished 13" retina macbook pro with 16GB of RAM. Then you can dual boot with windows but mostly use mac.

    Out of interest are you a student?

    • Mudding07 on 03/03/2015 - 19:15

      I am in the exact same boat but I'm a IT student… was there any benefits for students?

      • Randxyz123 on 04/03/2015 - 00:33

        There are education discounts for students through the apple store http://store.apple.com/au_edu_94366

        You also get a $100 voucher for buying a Mac for Uni. You might however want to wait till the apple announcement next week(Wednesday) to see if anything is new before buying one.

  • RickyBaker on 27/02/2015 - 22:41

    No, not a student. Don't think id be able to get any kind of educational discount

    • CandyMan on 28/02/2015 - 14:48
      +1

      If you ask " can I get educational pricing" for an apple product they will probably say yes without asking for evidence. That was the case when I bought a mac from jbhifi

  • RickyBaker on 27/02/2015 - 22:42

    I can't finance through Dell Outlet or something similar correct? And does JB HiFi sell refurbished MacBooks? Or can you do it at an Apple store?

    • [Deactivated] on 28/02/2015 - 00:07

      Financing a computer is retarded unless it's for taxation purposes. Just wait for a 10% off sale and get a 13 inch MacBook air

      • Richardc on 28/02/2015 - 00:37

        13" air was once $850 with 256GB, don't will be any more

  • RickyBaker on 28/02/2015 - 07:06

    Well the whole point of financing is that I don't have all the money right now, or at least can't afford to spend it all at this very moment. But I could easily pay it off in 3-4 months no problem. I do need a new computer very badly though

    • [Deactivated] on 28/02/2015 - 08:08

      bad idea. The cost is considerably higher because of the high depreciation. At least if you pay cash all you pay is the depreciation.

    • sleek881 on 28/02/2015 - 11:30
      +1

      JB HiFI have 12 months interest free with HSBC on computers, that's how I got my Macbook Air, just make sure you manage your payments so you finish paying it off within 12 months.

      • Master Bates on 28/02/2015 - 16:09
        +2

        Warning: "Competitive $59 annual fee. For purchases from $500 to $50,000. No early repayment fees on your promotional purchase." Source

        Because the JB Hi-fi offer is essentially a credit card application in your name and it affects your credit score, you are better off going with a 0% for X months no fee credit card application direct with a bank; find one with no fee from this list and close it when you are done with the repayments. You can then buy from any shop; just watch out for those that claim to be in Aus but bill overseas otherwise you will incur a % overseas purchase fee!

        When you find a model of computer you like Static Ice is your friend to find the cheapest outlet; bear in mind most of the cheaper shops will charge postage.

        • RickyBaker on 28/02/2015 - 16:19

          How exactly would this work? Is there a best one out of the bunch? I'm actually Canadian, I'm here on a work visa and plan to be here for a few years. However, my girlfriend is Australian and I'm sure she could apply for it, if I wasn't able too.

        • RickyBaker on 28/02/2015 - 16:29

          Double post.

        • Master Bates on 28/02/2015 - 20:18

          @cNelson144: That changes things a little. It seems only Westpac are doing $0 annual fee for the first year and they require you to be an Australian Permanent Resident. If your GF is willing to get you one in her name to save you $59, then you are a lucky dude!

        • RickyBaker on 28/02/2015 - 20:44

          @moola: Very lucky! She's definitely a keeper! I've applied for a credit card through Commonwealth with 0$ annual free, but no 0% interest. However, she has agreed to apply for the financing under her name, and if that doesn't work; I can throw it on her credit card! Gotta marry this girl hahah

  • Damonator84 on 28/02/2015 - 08:11

    Microsoft Surface Pro.

  • RickyBaker on 28/02/2015 - 15:32

    Well I went to Harvey Norman today and wasn't impressed with anything I saw. Definitely leaning towards purchasing through JB Hifi, possibly going to pick something up tomorrow. Definitely have to finance since I don't have the funds to make a cash purchase this instant.

    Was looking at the new Macbook Pros and of course am very impressed, but with it comes a giant price tag. I suppose since I'm financing, and in June/July I'll be getting a decent sum of money, I can afford to splurge on a really good machine, but $3000 is still so much. (Not really interested in the 13 inch)

    Is there any laptop (through JB HiFi) that compares to the Macbook Pro 15"? But for around $2000?

    I saw these which look pretty good:
    https://www.jbhifi.com.au/computers-tablets/laptops/alienwar…
    https://www.jbhifi.com.au/computers-tablets/laptops/asus/asu…
    https://www.jbhifi.com.au/computers-tablets/laptops/toshiba/…

    Plus whats better? Integrated graphics like the Macbook Pro's offer, or separate graphics cards like nVidia and Radeon?

    Thanks

    • Rorschach on 28/02/2015 - 20:24

      Mate, looks like you've increased your budget for a laptop without having the money for it!
      I'd say buy it ONLY when you have the funds for it, check out the Dell outlet and MSY for best value for money!

      • RickyBaker on 28/02/2015 - 20:47

        I'll be able to pay it off fully in 6 months, no problem

    • ceebee on 28/02/2015 - 20:32

      A dedicated graphics card is always better than integrated. nVidia is usually better regarded than Radeon, but Radeon is good too. Radeon does all in one GPUs that will save you money, that are decent.

      Look into Lenovo, too. They have some decent prices occasionally, and sales. Also custom built ones like MSI aren't bad, something like this: http://www.catchoftheday.com.au/event/45630/?utm_source=COTD…

      • RickyBaker on 28/02/2015 - 20:49

        So should I be impressed with the laptops that have dedicated graphics cards at a more reasonable price? Or is there a catch?

        • scrimshaw on 28/02/2015 - 22:01

          They have nice specs but kind of expensive for what you require (your meets already met at a $1k laptop), and they're heavy too. If you're the type to travel and work on the go, those laptops are 2.4KG, and they are chunky. Not the kind of stuff you want to be lugging around.

          Battery life will also be mediocre due to the higher wattage quad core processor and discrete GPU (expect at most, 4~5 hours of regular use). Whereas other laptops with a i7 dual core and no GPU will average 6-7 hours.

          It's extra performance at a trade-off of portability and battery life.

        • RickyBaker on 28/02/2015 - 23:16

          @scrimshaw: So I should be looking for a i7 dual core and at least 8GB RAM? My old macbook had 8GB, and it seemed slow when doing music production with a lot of tracks, but I know the processor was nowhere near as good as they are today. Still, 16GB RAM would be nice.

          AC Wifi, integrated graphics and a decent HD? Besides the reliability and build quality, all the laptops I mentioned in my original post pretty much meet these don't they?

        • iridiumstem on 28/02/2015 - 23:26

          @cNelson144: If you actually post what model your macbook was, it might help others better on choosing the recommendation. SSD might help with lagging if it was due to HDD (if you had HDD on your Macbook Pro) etc.

        • RickyBaker on 28/02/2015 - 23:35

          @AznMitch: I believe it was a 2009 Macbook Pro. Had an Intel Core2Duo, not sure the speed. I upgraded the RAM to 8GB and upgraded the HD to either 500Gb or 750Gb 7200rp(i think its called). Everything else was the same.

        • iridiumstem on 28/02/2015 - 23:40

          @cNelson144: SSD would definitely be a postive thing. Before SSD it took me 20 seconds to turn my PC on. With SSD, it takes me longer to turn the monitor on, than the PC loading to the password screen.

          I think anything i5 from Haswell would be an upgrade from Core2Duo, if the benchmark is correct. http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Core2-Duo-P8600-vs-Intel-Core-…

          This is comparison between ultrabook CPU which is ULV (low voltage, lower power) and 2.53Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo. So if we bring full sized laptops, I think you're going to feel the upgrade, a lot.

        • RickyBaker on 28/02/2015 - 23:50

          @AznMitch: Thank you for that. Shows what a big difference it's going to be, and an i7 will only be better. What can you recommend non Apple/Surface Pro?

          Looking to pick something up tomorrow or Monday. Feel like I just need to make a decision

        • iridiumstem on 01/03/2015 - 00:25

          @cNelson144: Does it need to be picked up tomorrow or today? If you ask me outside my safe zone, hmmm, I'd have to think for awhile…

          I'd actually go with Latitude or other business laptops like ThinkPad T, X or W series. I know HP makes a decent business laptop from what I've owned. I dare not recommend something consumer grade, because I know that I run a higher risk of recommending something that can cause you headaches.

          If not, I've heard good things about Dell XPS 13 (2015) and I've noticed really decent valued Asus ultrabook in US right now.

        • RickyBaker on 01/03/2015 - 09:19

          @AznMitch: Thank you. I have a hard time justifying the Macbook price. As much as I love them, and I know them, it's hard to drop that much right now, when I could get something decent for less than half the price.

          But you recommend not buying from JB HiFi? I've noticed they don't seem to really sell any of those model of laptops. Just the consumer stuff it seems; besides Macbooks and Alienware. Which I guess you could consider as consumer anyways.

        • iridiumstem on 01/03/2015 - 11:50

          @cNelson144: It's more of, I know that they are likely to last you longer therefore I can recommend them easier. For example, I know that Asus makes a decent valued ultrabooks, but nothing comes without a cost. I've heard things about their crappy trackpad and metallic body conducting electricity etc. I've had a case with a crappy consumer grade laptop that worth over $2000 dollars that I had to throw out after 1 year because of horrendous heat dissipation which basically made it kill itself. I need more researches on other models to be sure that it's not the case, whereas business models are built with sturdiness in mind.

          In other words, I am not recommending you to not go to JB HiFi, but I am simply playing safe.

          If you are going to go with consumer grade laptops, just go with this in mind. Everything comes at a cost and there are things that are not written on the paper that you need to consider. Simply because it is a powerhouse in a small factor form, it doesn't mean it's good. If it doesn't handle the heat well, you might have more hassle that way.

          If your budget have gone up, I can recommend Samsung ATIV Book 9 Edition (not lite) as well. They are more of business laptops, the quality was decent as far as I could see. Though only concern I have is, I've heard that Samsung has multiple teams in laptop department, so if you get something other than I've seen, you might get crappy one (i.e. ATIV Book 9 lite)

      • RickyBaker on 28/02/2015 - 23:06

        Those MSI's look insane!

  • ShortyX on 28/02/2015 - 20:12

    Can you salary sacrifice?

  • RickyBaker on 28/02/2015 - 20:46

    Well since I'm foreign and pretty much get my entire tax return back, I have about $6000 coming back to me in a few months. And I work a lot.

    Can anyone give me any thoughts on the items posted above?

  • RickyBaker on 28/02/2015 - 20:54

    Well how about this. With what I plan on doing with this laptop in my original post, what are the minimum specs I should be looking for to achieve what I'd like?

    That way I can make that as a base of what I want, anything above that is a bonus!

  • mrmarkau67 on 28/02/2015 - 21:15
    +1

    For the uses you mention, no need for a dedicated graphics card. They take up space, generate heat that can cause the CPU to slow and reduce battery space.

    One needs

    dedicated graphics for certain kinds of gaming and certain other esoteric things shouldn't be done on a laptop anyway.

    You don't need dedicated graphics.

    My free advice is to buy the best second hand macbook pro you can afford today, upgrade it to ssd when you can and see how you go

    If you really miss Windows, just put it on the Mac.

    Don't go into debt for a rapidly depreciating asset.

  • SuperTeD1982 on 28/02/2015 - 23:19

    I agree with mrmarkau67 but i will add that i think the main thing you need is as much ram as possible, and dedicated graphics cards have their own ram on top of your system ram, i'm not sure if video editing software use this gpu ram but if they do i would guess it would make a difference of some sort. Also i've only limited use of windows 8 but i hear its not very good, which would be a reason to go for the mac, probably not as good hardware, but software efficiency with macs superseeds in music/graphics from what i hear.

    • RickyBaker on 28/02/2015 - 23:42

      I completely agree with you, and I've used a Macbook for 6-7 years now and I love them. But theres some things about not buying Apple that are appealing. Even just the simplicity of having an HDMI port. I'm sorry, I'm very indecisive haha

  • SuperTeD1982 on 28/02/2015 - 23:46

    Well, i am the same personally, i don't use macs, and i don't use iphones, not because they are not better, but just because the restrictions.

    • RickyBaker on 28/02/2015 - 23:48

      What can you recommend between $1k-2k, non apple wise?

  • SuperTeD1982 on 28/02/2015 - 23:58

    i would advise as above that dell outlet does some pretty good deals, they can be better than some really good random deals you see on jbhifi or dick smith etc, but!, as unlike as stated above, dell like any big company wanting to make a profit, put the best 'spec' in their systems, but not necessarly the best hardware, these days that means putting a weak hdd that is the biggest, it might last you 10 years, it might last 2, there is also (or use to be, im out of touch with these things) different makers of the same 'spec' graphics cards, e.g. a 7670m 2gb, one by sparkle, one by nvidia, obviously nvidia would be better but when the specs are listed it just says 7670m 2gb. Anyway, what i would say is shop around, Dell outlet is a good option but dont get tunnel vision, if i see something soon i will post it here.

    • massari on 01/03/2015 - 00:23

      Bought this one for my mum the other day whos going overseas & with my 6% discount at JBHIFI. I think the price will be around 570 in the end

  • SuperTeD1982 on 01/03/2015 - 00:40

    altho its a good laptop, i would not go for an i5 or 8gb. its good for the price, but not what you want, as a rule look for an i7, 16gb, the rest will fall into place…

    • goraygo on 01/03/2015 - 08:09

      But if you consider the same specs in Macs, they will be over 2k easily. Even if you can find that in Windows PC, it is not going to be under then budget.

      i5 would be a good choice for what the Op wants and lee under the budget.

      • RickyBaker on 01/03/2015 - 09:22

        I agree with you, and thank you for the advice; but I think my budget has gone up a bit hahaha. No point in spending a bunch of money on an averge experience, when I could spend a bit more and get the real deal!

  • RickyBaker on 01/03/2015 - 09:43
    +1

    Or perhaps this MSI:

    https://www.catchoftheday.com.au/event/45630/product/msi-15-…

    Then I could just buy another 8GB RAM and I'd be set. Not sure how this brands does in reliability and longevity. I'm looking for the laptop to last me at least 4-5 years

  • [Deactivated] on 01/03/2015 - 13:27

    Op could you add a summery of what your options are? I am looking for something similar or slightly better but I need 4k monitor to fit everything in that small laptop screen.

  • Praeto on 01/03/2015 - 18:05

    I mainly use Macs these days, and have a Macbook Pro that is my main laptop. I've recently grabbed one of the Dell XPS12s with i7 / 8GB / 256GB SSD and have been extremely happy with it.

  • rinco on 01/03/2015 - 22:32

    Hi there. My last purchase was a Lenovo Yoga Pro 2. I got it refurbished off Ebay for about $1k late last year. It has a high def (3200x1800) touch screen, is extremely portable (<1.5kg), has impressive battery life (6+ hours) and it is a hybrid laptop/tablet (360 degree hinge). Sure it only has 8 GB RAM and 256 GB SSD and that's heaps.

    My past four or five laptops have been Macs: Powerbooks, Macbooks, Macbook Retina etc. But on my overseas scuba/skiing trip I bought and took the Lenovo. No regrets.

    Supposedly the Yoga Pro 3 isn't as good. So I'd say keep your eye out for a refurb'd Yoga Pro 2.

    • edfrane on 02/03/2015 - 10:51

      But it has intel GPU, which is no good for games/video editing.

  • boomramada on 02/03/2015 - 13:37
    +1

    Just don't buy a Acer.

  • Wallyt99 on 02/03/2015 - 16:42
    +4

    Did your housemate spill water on it by any chance?

  • mirridon on 02/03/2015 - 17:52

    I have a Gigabyte Laptop. Is amazing on Battery Life, Performance and overall design, however mine was 2k.

    This looks pretty good though:

    CPU: Intel 4th Gen. i7-4510U 2.0GHz(Turbo 3.1GHz)
    64bit OS:Win.7 Pro + Win 8.1 Pro(Licensed)
    RAM: 8GB DDR3 1600
    HDD: 1TB SATA
    Graphic: Nvidia GT 750M Graphics
    2GB Dedicated VGA
    Screen: 13.3”Plus(13.8”)LED Screen
    Expansion: Gigabit Lan D-Sub *HDMI *USB3.0 *1.59kg
    *WiFi-N *Bluetooth    Card Reader*Dolby Digital Plus Home Theater

    http://www.msy.com.au/notebooks/14619-gigabyte-r3-750f-4701p…

    Don't look at JBHIFI for laptops, I find them to be out dated.

    I don't trust Dell and Asus, as my room mate and I have gone through a few laptops by those two brands. Some people may disagree, I guess it's really the luck of the draw.

    In my opinion, although the Macbook pro OS is great (I previously owned a macbook pro late 2011), the specs and amount you're paying for the laptop don't seem to add up very well in terms of what you are actually getting. Macbook Pro's are over priced. For those who disagree please provide me with a comparison of Specs and compare them to similar brands/model makes, where the macbook pro has better performance.

    • [Deactivated] on 02/03/2015 - 17:56

      but no one else makes aluminium milled unibodies? You can't compare them for price. I got my top of the line Macbook Pro 15 retina for $2700. It has an i7, 16gb ram, a 512gb SSD, a retina display and 8 hours battery life. I find it reasonable value for money, considering its capabilities and the quality of construction.

      • mirridon on 02/03/2015 - 20:37

        The New Razer is Aluminum body.

        Talking about design. My Laptop battery acts as a a kind of stand to keep 3/4 of my laptop off the surface of my table. I mean that's good design as well.

        It's not an aluminum milled, but I noticed my Macbook would bet ridiculously hot when using the Graphics card for extended periods, and that was aluminum. Whereas my laptop right now rarely does.

        I also found the right speaker of my Macbook to 'play up', and now crackles at full volume.

        I dropped the macbook whilst in a padded bag, and in a SPECK Hard Skin. It dislodged the screen. Now the cable regularly disconnects from the board.

        So it terms of design, I haven't noticed Apple's laptops to be any better than a typical plastic or type of metal laptop.

        My Laptop for 2k has a GTX880m 8GB graphics card, surround sound, i7 DDR3L 16GB ram. 1TB hard drive with a 128GB SSD for the operating system. Battery can last for 7hours. 4 hours when gaming.

        I believe that's value.

        If you find what you have as reasonable…then that's your prerogative. I'm not having a go at you either, but I'm just saying. Value for money wise, a PC laptop is the way to go.

        So I'm answering OP's question in regards to value for money. I don't believe Macbooks to be a good value, maybe you could say a good investment if treated your laptop right?

        Their hardware is behind as well. You may have an i7, but at what speeds? Whats the model, and which generation?

        I've noticed the newer Macbooks don't even come with a Graphics card anymore, unless you spend 3K on a laptop.

        There is more to just having a Fast processor, new generation stuff tears through it's predecessors. It's important to have an up to date as possible PC, that way you won't need to upgrade for years.

        • [Deactivated] on 02/03/2015 - 21:45
          -3

          I said milled aluminium. Big difference.

          I do notice a huge difference in quality between my PCs and my macbooks.

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join