I'm looking for a laptop that can do the usual surfing, movies & connect to a big screen plasma etc. Not worried about games.
I've seen heaps at MSY but not sure on what cpu to get. It seems best to stick with a SSD for the OS these days and at least 8GB DDR3
Thanks for the info!
I left out the size, weight, battery life and screen resolution bits as at this price range I can't be too picky. I guess the best specs I can get for the price.
Any particular models to check out or avoid?
Well 14" or 15.6" should be pretty similar cost. 15.6" has bigger screen, number pad, 14" has smaller weight/size. Outside of this yes you will pay for it.
I personally like Toshiba at this price range, but everyone has their own 2c on this. Build quality will vary with manufacturer.
I suggest waiting for the Lenovo christmas sale.
They are also clearing out pre-built models (Lenovo E320).
To get a Core i5 E320 for $449, go to
http://shopap.lenovo.com/AU/en/deals-and-coupons/outlet-clea…
click the E320
Specifications:
i5-2450M Processor ( 2.50GHz 1333MHz )
4GB RAM
500GB drive
Bluetooth 3.0 and Lenovo Realtek wireless chipset
You cannot customize the specifications (it is prebuilt)
Use the coupon code for a discount. LASTCHANCEEDGE which will bring it down to $449. It will be cheaper if you use the student portal.
Just note that it doesn't have a DVD drive, and the touchpad might not be to your liking. But.. for $449, you get a decently powered CPU, ample storage and bluetooth to boot. The battery can last 6 and half hours.
This laptop supports an MSATA solid state drive. You can grab an MSATA 128GB Crucial M4 from Ozgameshop for $115 ish.
Anything i3 or better (i5, i7) will work just fine. You will be able to play HD video without any additional video card (and even simple gaming). Even a first gen i3 will be fine.
SSDs are great, though unfortunately cheap laptops don't come with them, so you are probably better off buying a laptop without an SSD, and an SSD separately and throwing out the drive that comes with the laptop.
Also, 4GB of RAM is probably enough for you. Most applications are limited to 2GB or 4GB each anyway (depending on the application). If you are editing video, sure spring for 8GB, but for the uses you listed you probably won't notice a difference. Having said that, the cost difference shouldn't be much.
Other things you haven't mentioned are size, weight, battery life and screen resolution. All of these will have a big impact on cost.
In short: any i3/i5/i7 you like the look of will do what you want. But you probably at least want to consider what the right size is for you.