Calling all experts in laptops - does this Acer look like a good option?!

rusticalex

rusticalex

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Alex
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Hi All

Having recently spent far too long deciding what camera I'm going to upgrade to (a Nikon D7000), I'm now involved in the nightmare of trying to decide which laptop to buy. This is proving far harder than I'd realised, partly 'cos I know a lot less about IT than I do about cameras, and partly 'cos there seems to be such a huge selection available with so many different options!

I think my needs are fairly simple as I will be using the laptop for photography (with PS Elements 9) and for internet use, and not a lot else. My budget should be within £600 if I can help it (if more it compromises potential lens purchases!). If you're wondering why I'm not thinking of a desktop, it's partly because I've already got one, partly because I have a knackered shoulder and sitting at any desk (I've tried plenty) just doesn't work for me, and partly because I want to take the laptop with me when travelling.

I have spotted this deal at Comet that might be suitable - http://www.comet.co.uk/p/Laptops/buy-ACER-V3-551-84504G50-Laptop/305002 - but I am shooting in the dark mostly, so please help to point me in the right direction. It is driving me just a bit crazy! :bonk:

Thanks
Alex
 
Could do with more memory. Don't know much about amd these days as they've been way off the pace compared to intel, but you want a processor that's compatible with an intel i5 ideally.
 
I'd buy an Acer, if i ran out of Bog roll, and needed some more.. Seriously, don't buy Acer.

Go to the Dell Business Outlet, you will be able to pick up a kickass machine for under 600 for sure :)
 
Nothing wrong with Acer, had several and been great, but get the Intel option rather than AMD and as much memory as possible, however I agree that Dell is also a good option.
 
I've had two Acer's and never really had a problem. I would happily recommended them
 
Thank you for the replies and advice. It sounds like this particular Acer is not sufficient for my needs, so I will look at other alternatives, including Dell. However, if someone can specify a laptop that would come close to suiting my needs within my budget, and that gets good reviews, you'd save what is left of my sanity if you recommend it!! :help:

Cheers
Alex
 
A colleague at work asked me to look at some the other day and PC world had an i7 Lenovo that was our choice for £550
 
Since you want to bring it around for travel, weight will be an issue. If you can stretch your budget, checkout the basic Vaio S, which starts at GBP799
 
Doesn't say what type of screen the panel is.
Be aware that many do not calibrate well and an IPS panel is worth looking at if you are going to use it for editing.
 
PsiFox said:
Doesn't say what type of screen the panel is.
Be aware that many do not calibrate well and an IPS panel is worth looking at if you are going to use it for editing.
Click to expand...

I reckon its the standard 1,366 x 768 tft screen.
 
I got a new generation I5 hp pro book from laptops direct and its a beast - very solid build quality and very fast, the only thing it lacks is a separate graphics card. Think it was about 440 quid including delivery
 
stupidlammer said:
I reckon its the standard 1,366 x 768 tft screen.
Click to expand...

It might be, but there are different types of screen as I said, such as

TN Film

VA - Vertical Alignment

MVA - Multi-Domain Vertical Alignment

P-MVA - Premium MVA

S-MVA - Super MVA

AMVA - Advanced MVA


PVA - Patterned Vertical Alignment

S-PVA - Super PVA

cPVA


IPS - In Plane Switching

S-PS - Super IPS

E-IPS and AS-IPS - Enhanced and Advanced IPS

H-IPS - Horizontal IPS

e-IPS

UH-IPS and H2-IPS

S-IPS II

p-IPS - Performance IPS

Not all take to calibration effectively.
 
Thanks for all your suggestions, although you've lost me Mark with your impressive knowledge of different types of screens!

After further consideration of the advice I've been given on here and from a couple of techie friends, I'm pretty sure that a refurbished Dell will suit me very well.

I will list 3 or 4 possibilities, all of which I think will be fine, but if you've got time, I'd appreciate any pointers about any of the laptops, particularly any glaring negatives.

1 - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/130753551288?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

2 - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/140835969449?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

3 - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/270986684032?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

4 - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/150895765770?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

Of course, buying from eBay might be considered a mistake. I don't know if that is the case, but the sellers that I'm considering here seem prefectly reputable, and the warranties seem very reassuring. The specs seem fine for my needs - screen size of 15.6" or higher; hard drive of 5400 rpm or higher; LCD resolution of 1600 or 1920. And they are all within the £600 budget, apart from one!

So, if you can be bothered, I'd appreciate any further thoughts, and then I will go for it and spend some cash!

Many thanks
Alex
 
I work in IT

Anything under £400 in todays standard will be more than sufficient, unless your going to be running Photoshop as a full time application in 64bit all laptops will do the job

Intel and AMD in the sub £400 - no sufferance
£400+ - Noticeable difference in 64bit applications

People get chocked up on thinking more ram is the answer to everything, its not. 2gb is fine.

Dell, acer,hp,lenovo are all fantastic brands!
 
nattynarwheel said:
People get chocked up on thinking more ram is the answer to everything, its not. 2gb is fine.
Click to expand...
IMHO, this is not good advice. Especially the RAM - I wouldn't consider editing RAW images on anything less than 4G and I'd be looking at 8G - memory is fairly cheap. Heck even my firewall has 2G of memory in.

As to processor performance - it depends what your expectations are as to what you consider acceptable.

Of the laptops you've listed, the blue one: Dell Inspiron 17R N7110 i7-2670QM Blue 17.3" would be the one I'd go for. All the others are first gen i7s which are not as efficient power wise (less battery life) and slower.
 
nattynarwheel said:
I work in IT

Anything under £400 in todays standard will be more than sufficient, unless your going to be running Photoshop as a full time application in 64bit all laptops will do the job

Intel and AMD in the sub £400 - no sufferance
£400+ - Noticeable difference in 64bit applications

People get chocked up on thinking more ram is the answer to everything, its not. 2gb is fine.

Dell, acer,hp,lenovo are all fantastic brands!
Click to expand...

:thinking:
 
Just to put closure on this post, and to finally say one more thank you for the advice you've all given, I've finally managed to get hold of a refurbished Dell Latitude E5530 for £675.00. A bit over my budget, but I think I'm going to be very pleased with it, and the seller (off eBay) has a cracking reputation and his communication has been excellent. Here is the confirmation of the spec:

"Dell Latitude E5530 | Intel Dual core i5 3210M 2.5 - 3.2GHz Turbo with HT | Win 7 Pro x64 | 8Gb RAM 1333 2x4Gb | 320Gb 7200 SATA | 15.6" 1080p (1920x1080) screen | DVDRW | WEBCAM | Intel 6205 wireless N | Bluetooth | Fingerprint reader | 97W/Hr 9 cell battery | Dell 3 year next business day onsite warranty to July 2015. The price is inclusive of courier and VAT and I will send you a full VAT receipt with the laptop."

I just hope it lives up to the high hopes I have!

Cheers
Alex
 
That doesn't look too shabby - like the full HD screen :)
 
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