I need some help purchasing a new notebook in South Africa.
I still have my HP Pavilion dv5284ea laptop I bought 11 years ago and I have NEVER had any problem with it - it's still running Windows XP SP3.
See webpages below for all the great features and that is for an 11 year old machine. (I upgraded it to 2GB RAM and it came standard with all the “on select models” features.)
1. http
/support.hp.com/bg-en/document/c00726565
2. http
/support.hp.com/us-en/product/HP-Pavilion-dv5000-Notebook-PC-series/1831955/model/3223579/manuals - see either of the first 2 manuals
I never really appreciated the great features it had for that time (2005), especially the PC card slots and. EXTENSIVE ports until I started looking for a new laptop.
By now you have probably worked out my first problem with the latest notebooks – so few expansion features and ports compared to my old machine.
I will be doing EXTENSIVE research on the web, downloading multiple files, streaming video, multiple web pages and spreadsheets all open at the time, some photo editing, PowerPoint presentations using data projector and then normal leisure usage, e.g. watching movies, listening to music daily while I work (at home). I am NOT into gaming.
My most important consideration is durability.
I was thinking of a notebook with AT LEAST the following specs:
1. FHD 15.6” screen (1920x1080)
2. Either an Intel i5 or i7 CPU - fifth or sixth generation
3. At least 8GB RAM, preferably 1 x 8192 DDR3L 1600 so that it can be easily upgraded with another 1 x 8192 to 16GB.
4. 500-1000GB HDD, preferably 7200rpm
5. DVD+/-RW Optical disk drive
6. HD webcam (720p)
7. Ports - 1 x HDMI,
- 1 x D-sub VGA out (for my data projector),
- at LEAST 2 x USB 3.0
- and 1 x USB 2.0,
(ABSOLUTE minimum 3 USB ports total, preferably 4)
- 1 x RJ45 Ethernet LAN,
- 1 x Headphone/Microphone Combo Jack,
8. Bluetooth / 802.11ac wireless LAN
9. Windows OS
My ADSL seems to go down when I need it the most (only about 2-3 times a year but extremely irritating) and I then use the RJ-11 (modem) jack to do a dial-up connection. So it would be great if I could somehow include that as well, as it is my current backup when all else fails even though it is sooooo slow – better than nothing at all.
My web searches have led me to the following:
1. Lenovo Idea Tab Z5170 (Product ID - 80K600X6SA)
http
/www.laptopdirect.co.za/Lenovo-LENOVO-Z5170-80K600X6SA-lp-132980.php
2. HP ProBook 450 G2 (Product ID - N0Z05EA)
http
/www.laptopdirect.co.za/HP-N0Z05EA-lp-131696.php
3. Acer TravelMate P257-MG-767S (Product ID - NX.VB6EA.003)
http
/www.acer.com/ac/en/ZA/content/professional-model/NX.VB6EA.003
4. Acer Travelmate P257-MG (Product ID - TMP257-MG-55UG)
http
/www.laptopdirect.co.za/Acer-ACER-TMP257-MG-55UG-lp-136948.php
5. I could not find Asus or Dell with the specs I am looking for, although there are HD (1366 x 768) options, e.g. Dell Inspiron 5559 (iS5559-I76500-81000#WIN10 or NBDEI55596200i74110S).
So please, if my most important consideration is durability, together with good performance, please comment on the following:
(a) Your advice on the 5 options above (Lenovo and HP seem best to me regarding the specs I have mentioned).
(b) Any other options I can look at around R15 – R16 000 (less than US $1000)
(c) I've heard that Acer and Asus have pulled out of South Africa ???
(d) Also, your opinion regarding the RJ-11 (modem) jack issue mentioned above.
Thanks
I still have my HP Pavilion dv5284ea laptop I bought 11 years ago and I have NEVER had any problem with it - it's still running Windows XP SP3.
See webpages below for all the great features and that is for an 11 year old machine. (I upgraded it to 2GB RAM and it came standard with all the “on select models” features.)
1. http

2. http

I never really appreciated the great features it had for that time (2005), especially the PC card slots and. EXTENSIVE ports until I started looking for a new laptop.
By now you have probably worked out my first problem with the latest notebooks – so few expansion features and ports compared to my old machine.
I will be doing EXTENSIVE research on the web, downloading multiple files, streaming video, multiple web pages and spreadsheets all open at the time, some photo editing, PowerPoint presentations using data projector and then normal leisure usage, e.g. watching movies, listening to music daily while I work (at home). I am NOT into gaming.
My most important consideration is durability.
I was thinking of a notebook with AT LEAST the following specs:
1. FHD 15.6” screen (1920x1080)
2. Either an Intel i5 or i7 CPU - fifth or sixth generation
3. At least 8GB RAM, preferably 1 x 8192 DDR3L 1600 so that it can be easily upgraded with another 1 x 8192 to 16GB.
4. 500-1000GB HDD, preferably 7200rpm
5. DVD+/-RW Optical disk drive
6. HD webcam (720p)
7. Ports - 1 x HDMI,
- 1 x D-sub VGA out (for my data projector),
- at LEAST 2 x USB 3.0
- and 1 x USB 2.0,
(ABSOLUTE minimum 3 USB ports total, preferably 4)
- 1 x RJ45 Ethernet LAN,
- 1 x Headphone/Microphone Combo Jack,
8. Bluetooth / 802.11ac wireless LAN
9. Windows OS
My ADSL seems to go down when I need it the most (only about 2-3 times a year but extremely irritating) and I then use the RJ-11 (modem) jack to do a dial-up connection. So it would be great if I could somehow include that as well, as it is my current backup when all else fails even though it is sooooo slow – better than nothing at all.
My web searches have led me to the following:
1. Lenovo Idea Tab Z5170 (Product ID - 80K600X6SA)
http

2. HP ProBook 450 G2 (Product ID - N0Z05EA)
http

3. Acer TravelMate P257-MG-767S (Product ID - NX.VB6EA.003)
http

4. Acer Travelmate P257-MG (Product ID - TMP257-MG-55UG)
http

5. I could not find Asus or Dell with the specs I am looking for, although there are HD (1366 x 768) options, e.g. Dell Inspiron 5559 (iS5559-I76500-81000#WIN10 or NBDEI55596200i74110S).
So please, if my most important consideration is durability, together with good performance, please comment on the following:
(a) Your advice on the 5 options above (Lenovo and HP seem best to me regarding the specs I have mentioned).
(b) Any other options I can look at around R15 – R16 000 (less than US $1000)
(c) I've heard that Acer and Asus have pulled out of South Africa ???
(d) Also, your opinion regarding the RJ-11 (modem) jack issue mentioned above.
Thanks