What Laptop should I buy for my needs?

orkie

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Nov 21, 2010
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18,510
I'm off to Uni at end of September and I'll be looking to buy my first laptop. My problem is that I've been used to a desktop and I don't know how much I need to spend on a laptop to be able to maintain the way I use a PC. For example, I tend to have multiple tabs open on all of IE, Firefox and chrome, with Skype always on and potentially doing something else on the side too. If I did this on the cheap laptop I have access to, it will just crash or go awfully slow.

I know I'll have to limit my use somewhat as it is still a laptop but what are current recommendations, any tips on brands and whether a dedicated graphics card is needed, whether new models are coming out soon etc. Thanks for any help :)

1. What is your budget? £800 - £1200, could go slightly higher if really needs

2. What is the size of the notebook that you are considering? 15.6 inches

3. What screen resolution do you want? Don't mind, all new laptops have good enough resolution for my needs

4. Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop? portable, although I'm likely to connect to a monitor and keyboard while not using as portable.

5. How much battery life do you need? 6hrs+, the more the better

6. Do you want to play games with your laptop? If so then please list the games that you want to with the settings that you want for these games. (Low,Medium or High)? I prefer to be able to play games such as League of legends, hearthstone etc even if on low settings. I don't know whether integrated graphics are good enough as these games aren't that demanding.

7. What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? (Photo/Video editing, Etc.) Mostly browsing and multitasking.

8. How much storage (Hard Drive capacity) do you need? 500GB will be enough.


9. If you are considering specific sites to buy from, please post their links. The cheapest reliable sites that sell to the UK.

10. How long do you want to keep your laptop? At least 3 years

11. What kind of Optical drive do you need? DVD ROM/Writer,Bluray ROM/Writer,Etc ? I don't need any optical drivers, just need enough USB ports (at least 3) and a hdmi or dvi port. A webcam (if laptops without one still exist).

12. Please tell us about the brands that you prefer to buy from them and the brands that you don't like and explain the reasons. No preferences

13. What country do you live in? United Kingdom


14. Please tell us any additional information if needed. I guess for my needs an ultrabook is the best way to go but I'm not sure if I'm not overspending given my needs.

 

orkie

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Nov 21, 2010
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18,510
Thanks for both your suggestions. I looked at both of these and was wondering, aren't these aimed more towards gamers? I think I should have mentioned that I will hardly be using it for games, I just want it to be able to play League of Legends at lowest settings every once in a while. I also don't understand why certain "gaming" laptops seem to have better specs than ultrabooks and yet be cheaper?
 
G

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if LoL is what you'll be playing then anything should cover that up. Just get one that fits your budget, portability and battery-life needs
 

orkie

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Nov 21, 2010
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18,510


http://www.dell.com/uk/p/inspiron-15-7537/pd?oc=cn75324
Would you say this is good for its price? reviews seem to be decent for battery life, not sure on the performance and design though.

http://store.hp.com/UKStore/Cart.mvc and how would it compare to this for instance, which is £100 more expensive after some voucher thing