Good afternoon,
My friend is looking into a Windows laptop and I haven't been up to date with them for a while, so thought I'd pop here for some advice.
She is currently inclining towards this Dell laptop for ~ $800 (http://configure.ap.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=v51111…)
Does anyone have any experience (good/bad) with this laptop ? Is it good value for money ?
Lastly, are there any other solid laptops with similar specs and price range (Asus, Acer, HP etc) ?
Thank you all ! :)
Dell laptops are overpriced and under-specced, and very rarely pop up on Ozbargain. I suggest looking through JB Hifi and see if there are any discounts or offers on certain brands.
Also, it'd be good to know what is the laptop going to be used for. If gaming is not a requirement, you don't need to get such a high-spec Core i7 + discrete GPU system.
You can save quite a bit by dropping down to a Core i3 or i5 and as a bonus the laptop will have better battery life.
If it's only for web browsing and such, you could go for a much cheaper option, such as this one:
$389 after $59 Cashback
http://www.onlinecomputer.com.au/product_info.php?products_i…
Core i3
6GB of RAM for an extra $29
500GB HDD, Win 7, USB 3.0
Alternatively, if she wants something that is small and portable, try a 13" Lenovo E330
http://shopap.lenovo.com/AU/en/deals-and-coupons/outlet-clea…
Core i3
4GB RAM
Windows 8
7400RPM 320GB HDD
Bluetooth 4
Or if she wants something more powerful with a Core i5, but won't break the bank
http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/91840
Thanks for all your input :)
She said she would like a lot of hard disk space and also plans to do programming on it for university. Would an i3 or i5 be more than enough ? I have a feeling an i7 might be overkill and if possible trade that with better battery life/better and extended warranty service/lighter laptop.
Depends on the programming, but almost certainly an i3 will be more than enough. There is very little difference between an i5 and an i7. For me I would much rather a better screen for this task, even if it means getting something slower than an i3.
In my personal experience, i3 laptops(particularly when coupled with a normal mechanical hard drive) have been too slow and frustrate the hell out of me. Sure they might be enough for programming. But you want the laptop to be capable of doing other stuff comfortably as well. Unless you manage to get a i3 with an SSD drive (and you said she wants lots of hdd space so this probably isnt an option) then i would suggest getting an i5 as a minimum. But that's just my experience. The toshiba that scrimshaw linked to looks good.
If she has fixed her eyes on a Dell and planned to use to mainly for programming and uni work, I'll suggested adding another $99 to get a Vostro 3560:
http://www.dell.com/au/business/p/vostro-3560/pd.aspx?c=au&c…
Similar spec to Inspiron 15R but in a "small business" package with 1920x1080 Full HD screen (heavier and less HDD space though). I guess I just can't stand how people live with 1366x768 on 15.6".
Awesome ! Thank you all your help and advice :)
My friend has this laptop, its pretty good for the price, the only thing that holds it back is the slow 5400RPM Hard drive. If it had an SSD it'd be much faster. Also only 1366x768 resolution. People who are used to retina displays often don't like this. But other things its got good battery, graphics card, good processor and RAM, and reasonably reliable brand.
I'm selling the exact same model in my online store for $24 cheaper (and free shipping) but its got Windows 7 instead of 8 (sooo many people still dont like windows 8). So if your friend is one of those windows 8-ophobes then give him this link for a better deal:P
http://www.riczterinc.com/products/dell-inspiron-15r.html