I need a new laptop now, as I need to be able to run MATLAB 2014, which only comes in 64-bit, and my netbook has a 32-bit CPU, even though it was made in 2008. It doesn't have to be too powerful, but it'd be nice to be able to actually run minecraft (and even better stream games from my desktop). I'd also rather have either an SSD or SSHD than a purely mechanical drive. I won't need to store much (I've been fine on a 40 GB partition on my existing netbook) and will be using uBuntu, so don't need an OS.
The problem is that I'm not an expert on laptop hardware, especially budget hardware, and I don't have much time because I keep being told to go to lectures and meetings and ice-breaker sessions and I'm supposed to sign up for a variety of forms of exercise. Because of this, I'm hoping one of the knowledgeable people here can pick something out.
I'm willing to put in a different drive to the one it came with if that's cheaper than buying something with an SSD, and there's a 4GB DDR3 SODIMM sat at home which my parents could post me if for some reason someone's selling a machine with no RAM. As usual, I'd rather buy from Scan, but as I no longer live really near to them, I'd need it to be posted anyway, so it's not got as many advantages as it's historically had (I qualify for free postage from Scan, though, so you can take that into account when looking at prices.
To anyone that replies, thanks in advance.
Give me a site/retailer to use.
AnyOldName3, here's my advice: wait a month or two for broadwell. You'll have more options with better performance or battery life, and haswell will go on clearance. So you can go either better or cheaper, depending on what you want to do.
What's your budget?
The problem is low end cpus don't come out until many months after the high end products. So he may be waiting quite a bit longer than that. And just because broadwell is out doesn't necessarily mean that most haswell laptops will drop in price. They rarely do unless you're buying used.
Most of the mid-range ultrabook CPUs (Core i3-4030U, Core i3-4000M, etc) are being implemented in "desktop replacement notebooks" now in the $400-$600 range. They may not be thin or have 12 hours of battery life, but they have the performance, and are waaaay better than the old crapbooks. Especially in GPU performance. Ultrabook CPUs will be the first to come out on broadwell, and broadwell has a nice battery life improvement and GPU boost. It's definitely something to consider.
Which is why I'm considering replacing my craptop with one instead of doing yet another repair.
NaturalViolence Wrote:And just because broadwell is out doesn't necessarily mean that most haswell laptops will drop in price. They rarely do unless you're buying used.
Hmm... You're probably right about that...
Retailer: Something cheap and not shit. Scan is good, but I know you hate it. I think Newegg UK actually sells stuff now. Amazon will sell stuff, but is a pain to search. I don't know anything else except buying directly from OEMs.
Timing: Ideally I need it by the 22nd, but I can do without for a few weeks after that at most.
Battery: I only need a few hours (like 2-3) but would rather it was still close to this time in a few years.
CPU power: I don't need that much. It's primarily just coding, browsing and the occasional Steam stream as I have the bandwidth at the uni. This also means I don't need much of a GPU.
Budget is as low as possible. If I end up not being a cheapskate then I'm going to end up with a lot of 'well it's only £50 more so I'll get the next GPU up'. £300 would be fine, but I'm flexible in either direction. If I can get somethign adequate for £200, that's better, and if I can't unless I spend £400 or more, then that's fine as long as I'm not paying for somethign I don't need.
@MaJoR
I have no idea what point you're trying to make. Unless you're just making a personal comment about your own situation that has nothing to do with AON3. My only point is that when broadwell is released they will only replace the high end cpu models with it at first. Then it trickles down to the midrange and low end offerings. Intel has always done product releases this way for desktop, laptop, and server cpus. So unless you're in the market for an expensive laptop you'll have to wait a bit longer for broadwell. And he's not in the market for an expensive laptop So waiting for broadwell doesn't make much sense for him.
@AON3
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/156-asus-x551ca-notebook-core-i3-3217u-4gb-500gb-hdmi-dvdrw-webcam-wifi-usb3-win-81-64bit
(Same laptop with free bag):
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/156-asus-x551ca-core-i3-3217u4gb-500gb-hdmi-dvdrw-webcam-wifi-usb3-win-81-64bit-plus-asus-nereus-bag
This is literally the only laptop I could find on those three sites with a half decent cpu in that price range. Everything else either has an atom, celeron bay trail, or amd kabini. All of which are ultra low power cpus designed for use in tablets, netbooks, and very low end laptops. And most of them are chromebooks. It seems that getting a decent laptop over there for 300 pounds is pretty hard. 200 would be impossible as that seems to be the absolute lowest you can get a laptop for period. I blame VAT.
Battery life should not be a concern for you. Any modern laptop will far exceed those requirements unless it's a gaming laptop. Especially low end ones.
Thanks. It's a nuisance that I have to buy stuff, especially Windows, as I want to run uBuntu.
Unless it's a chromebook (it's not) then it should come with windows.
NaturalViolence Wrote:My only point is that when broadwell is released they will only replace the high end cpu models with it at first. Then it trickles down to the midrange and low end offerings. Intel has always done product releases this way for desktop, laptop, and server cpus
Except that's not what Intel has said, and not what happened with Haswell. Core M CPUs (fanless tablet chips) such as the Core M-5Y70
were benchmarked a month ago with a release date within a month or two, with ultrabook U series Core i3, Core i5, and Core i7 models following in "early 2015". Following that is highend stuff, such as mainline Core i3-i5-i7 chips for desktops and laptops. Low to midrange desktop chips won't even get the broadwell update, and will skip straight to skylake.
The idea of high end -> low end hasn't been true for years. Even Ivy Bridge released Ultrabook chips first, which are rather slow by desktop standards. Tablet -> Ultrabook -> Highend desktop/laptop ->
midrange (skipped for broadwell) ->
low end (skipped for broadwell). That's Intel's current release strategy.
Sources:
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/09/intels-launches-three-core-m-cpus-promises-more-broadwell-early-2015/ and various googling.
NaturalViolence Wrote:I have no idea what point you're trying to make. Unless you're just making a personal comment about your own situation that has nothing to do with AON3. ... And he's not in the market for an expensive laptop So waiting for broadwell doesn't make much sense for him.
I've been researching this for my own laptop replacement situation, and I just figured I'd try to help out since I'm looking into something similar. When I said all of this he hadn't stated his budget yet, and I even asked what his budget was. I couldn't know what he hadn't said yet! So I just gave him what I knew to help out. With core i3 ultrabook CPUs going into $400 range laptops, it offers waaaay better bang for the buck than a $300 crapbook with an atom. And Broadwell will make that even better. That's all I was saying...
AON Wrote:Budget is as low as possible. If I end up not being a cheapskate then I'm going to end up with a lot of 'well it's only £50 more so I'll get the next GPU up'. £300 would be fine, but I'm flexible in either direction. If I can get somethign adequate for £200, that's better, and if I can't unless I spend £400 or more, then that's fine as long as I'm not paying for somethign I don't need.
Then the stuff I'm talking about won't apply. All that's available in that pricerange is chromebooks, tablets, and crapbooks. *shrug*