Laptop Choices

Discussion in 'General Hardware' started by rEd_SeCt0r, Jun 7, 2011.

  1. rEd_SeCt0r

    rEd_SeCt0r Geek Trainee

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    Hi all,

    The missus wants a new laptop.
    Looked at a few & a couple of HP's look good.
    Not 100% sure which one to choose.
    Wondered if you could give me your opinions please.

    The laptops................

    HPPavilion g6-1010sa 15.6" Laptop - Luminous Rose--------------------HP Pavilion g6-1072sa 15.6" Laptop - Luminous Rose
    Processor - AMD Athlon™ II X2 P360 2.3Ghz----------------------------Processor - Intel® Core™ i3-380M 2.53Ghz
    O/S - Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 64-bit---------------------O/S - Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 64-bit
    Ram - 4GB installed DDR3 memory--------------------------------------Ram - 4GB installed DDR3 memory
    Graphics - ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4250--------------------------------Graphics - Intel HD Graphics (integrated)
    Screen - 15.6" Widescreen LCD LED Backlit 16:9-------------------------Screen - 15.6" Widescreen LCD LED Backlit 16:9
    Screen Resolution - WXGA 1366 x 768 pixels-----------------------------Screen Resolution - WXGA 1366 x 768 pixels
    Hard Drive - 500GB SATA 5400rpm--------------------------------------Hard Drive - 500GB SATA 5400rpm
    LightScribe SuperMulti DVD±R/RW with Double Layer Support--------LightScribe SuperMulti DVD±R/RW with Double Layer Support
    Multi-Format Digital Media Card Reader----------------------------------Multi-Format Digital Media Card Reader
    3 x USB 2.0-------------------------------------------------------------------3 x USB 2.0
    Fast Ethernet (RJ-45 port)--------------------------------------------------Fast Ethernet (RJ-45 port)
    802.11 b/g/n WLAN---------------------------------------------------------802.11 b/g/n WLAN
    Bluetooth---------------------------------------------------------------------Bluetooth
    Video Interface - 1xHDMI, 1xVGA------------------------------------------Video Interface - 1xHDMI, 1xVGA
    Altec Lansing speakers-------------------------------------------------------Altec Lansing speakers
    1.3 megapixel webcam-------------------------------------------------------1.3 megapixel webcam

    £379.99------------------------------------------------------------------------£429.99

    Basically, they are identical, except processor & graphics card.
    She is not going to be doing heavy gaming etc, just surfing web & maybe photo's etc, but wants something that has a lot of features & will last a few years.

    I have read the i3 380M is the better processor of the two, but the lower price one has 180GB more storage space & an ATI graphics processor which apparently is better than the Intel one.
    But, does the better processor really warrant the £50 difference?

    Which one of the 2 would you choose & why please?

    Many thanks,

    Pete
     
  2. cube_

    cube_ Mega Geek

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    If all you'll be doing is surfing the web and loading images, the Athlon will do. However, the i3 is just a bit faster and will compute faster! Pages will load a tad faster with the i3, but your downloading speed will remain unaffected, My original choice was to tell you to stick with the i3 because they are generally faster than AMD processors (and more expensive), but being that laptop's these days have a life span compared to that of a mosquito, i would opt for the slightly lagging processor and save $50.

    And yes, that ATI card is definitely better than any Intel brand card but it really won't matter since you're not going to play any games. Movie/picture quality will be the same on either card.

    Let us know what you decide on!
     
  3. violetblueskies

    violetblueskies Big Geek

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    i agree with cube.
    save the $50 or spend more and get something a little better.
    these 2 are almost identical...
     
  4. rEd_SeCt0r

    rEd_SeCt0r Geek Trainee

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    Ok, just thought I would update you all.

    When we looked at these 2 laptops in the flesh, they looked cheap & nasty.

    So, we went into another store & bought an Acer Aspire 5742 (Black).
    i3 380M
    4GB DDR3 Ram
    500GB Hard Drive

    Everything else the same except no bluetooth, but that is no biggy as I have a usb dongle, & we don't use bluetooth that much anyway, just to get pics etc off the phones.

    Much more sturdy looking & nice keyboard.
    Keyboard also has the numeric keypad, which the other 2 didn't.

    Price was £404.00
    It was display model that had not long been put out on shelf & has not been fiddled around with as it was spotless.
    It was also discontinued/end of line, so we got 20% off.

    So, got all the best spec for cheaper than we were gping to pay in the first place.

    Thanks for all your advice.

    Kindest Regards,

    Pete
     
  5. cube_

    cube_ Mega Geek

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    Very nice, congrats on the deal! I like acer's just because i've rarely repaired them over the years
     

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