Need to choose a new laptop. Any tips?

judderod · Post by **judderod** » Wed May 15, 2013 5:54 pm

It's time for me to get a laptop through the business and was just wondering if anyone has bought one recently and maybe have any tips on what to look for etc.

I think I want one with an SSD for fast booting, instant-on, and better battery life. I don't need much storage space at all since it will be used at home most of the time on a network. But I'm not sure if I need a touchscreen for Windows 8. Has anyone used this? Is it any good or just another feature that will never get used?

My current laptop is a HP and although it is starting to fall apart and I had to take it to pieces a while back to clean out the dust to stop it overheating. But it's still going strong after many years so I wouldn't mind another HP.

It won't be used for gaming. All I need it for is web browsing and very occasional office type programs. I definitely want a PC based system with Windows. So I'm thinking £400 - £500 should be enough. I'm also considering a refurbished model from Currys as they're about £50 cheaper and come with a years warranty.

Might go and have a look at the HP Pavilion b005sa 14" Ultrabook tonight.

Riverghost · Post by **Riverghost** » Wed May 15, 2013 8:14 pm

Look into ASUS laptops. i have one at the moment, took me freaking ages to decide one to go for, im a 3D Designer so needed gfx and ram in spades so finding the right blend was hard. thing that swung it for me was the 3 year international warranty, which they are admittedly great on! bought overseas whilst i was working but still covered the repairs and shipping for free whilst out here. nice and quiet, doesnt get too hot and looks great (its polished aluminium so has that very macbook look to it! theres a couple of great deal hunter websites that often list whats on offer atm, ill add some

Post by **indigolemon** » Wed May 15, 2013 8:58 pm

What is your business? Where will it be going with you?

The most robust things out there are the Thinkpad T series laptops. Originally by IBM, Lenovo has taken over production. Mag alloy chassis, everything is user serviceable, and the full maintenance (and strip down) manuals are available. I changed the motherboard in mine in just over an hour. Hard drive to SSD swap involves 1 screw (I've done it).

Best place to get them is here: http://www.tier1online.com/new-category ... estselling

For the money you have, I'd buy this one: http://www.tier1online.com/728-2522a92- ... 1440-x-900

Then slap an SSD of my choice in it at a later date. Note that SSD isn't about battery life, just about faster booting - during average use it'll pull the same power as a mechanical HDD.

judderod · Post by **judderod** » Thu May 16, 2013 8:45 am

Cheers guys.

Popped into Currys last night and have decided against the HP because it looks pretty dated and we've decided I'll use our old laptop for business and the new one will sit in the living room and around the house. They were closing so we didn't get a chance to play with the touchscreens

The ASUS ones look really good and also the Acer's. We want something 13 inch so probably an ultrabook. I thought of swapping in an SSD but to be honest it'll just end up being one of those things I'll never get round to!

Based on looks and specs, the Acer S3-391 is looking like the fave. Plus it's made if ali and magnesium

Will see if I can find some reviews...

bb1boy · Post by **bb1boy** » Thu May 16, 2013 10:14 am

Have you tried the Dell Outlet website? Don't be put off that they are refurb's, they are all as-new and come with good warranties.. and they are cheap! Dell have done a lot to improve their image lately and I know a lot of businesses rate them highly nowadays. Avoid HPs, they overheat too easily.

judderod · Post by **judderod** » Thu May 16, 2013 5:10 pm

Yeah my HP overheats, it seems to trap a lot of dust inside.

Will have a look at the dell outlet website thanks for the tip. I've never had a problem with Dell and I've used them a lot in offices etc. No problems buying something from them at all.