Hey folks.
Going of to Uni in a few weeks and I'd like some advice on a more than decent laptop that I'd like to future-proof me for some time. I'll be working on it but I'd also like to do some gaming every so often. I'm looking on PC Specialist and so far, here's what I've choosen:
Model: [URL="http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/notebooks/vortexIV-17/"]17.3" Vortex IV[/URL]
CPU: Intel Dual Core i7-4610M @3.0GHz
RAM: 4GB Kingston DDR3 1600MHz (I already have 8GB that I can salvage from my old laptop so that's not a problem)
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M
HDD: 1TB WD Scorpio Blue 5400RPM
SSD: [URL="http://www.scan.co.uk/products/60gb-kingston-ssdnow-v300-25-ssd-mlc-flash-read-450mb-s-write-450mb-s-85000-iops-60000-iops-max"]Kingston V300 60GB[/URL] (I'll only be installing the OS and a few programs on this, no games)
Thermal Paste: That extra £9 one.
Bluetooth and Wireless: Intel AC-7260
OS and other software crap: None. I already have a spare copy of Windows.
Everything else is at default.
Anyone object to these? I feel my CPU might bottleneck things but for games, a higher clock is better and the quads get seriously expensive. If I've missed anything else out you need to know, just ask.
Cheers.
I'm no expert on this stuff, but I just got a laptop for uni for like £300 and it seems you're spending too much. Granted, I didn't get an SSD or special GPU so I can understand yours being more expensive but not that much more.
The 4th gen i7 seems really unnecessary and as a general rule I'd say don't trust Kingston for SSDs; everyone I know who's got one had it break or just not be as reliable as other brands.
I'd recommend going for an i5 instead as aside from hyperthreading and perhaps cache there doesn't seem to be enough to warrant such a gap in price.
I'm looking at an expensive laptop mainly because I'll be on the move a lot. I don't want to have a home PC and a small FF at Uni whilst still having to take my old laptop to lectures and such. It's already dying and I've had to open it up several times to upgrade, repair or replace certain parts, and there are now some mechanical failures which I just can't deal with. It's really on its way out.
And that's interesting about the Kingston SSD's you've mentioned. I've got one right now in my main PC for about a year and that just works fine. No issues whatsoever. Maybe I just got lucky, or your friends haven't been so. :v:
I was looking at the i5's but when I saw that i7, I figured a logical quad would be a large improvement for £40. Now you've got me worried, but thanks for your recommendation though.
In that case it seems you have it sorted. There isn't really anything to worry about, the SSD issues were probably a one off to be honest.
I'm actually going to change my stance on the SSD. For £9 more I can get double the storage, and I've barely done stuff to my main PC SSD and it's already 73 gigs full. Worth it.
The i5 has hyper threading too. And I'd get the bigger ssd, especially if it means it's not Kingston.
I completely forgot that i5's can have HT too... Doh. Saved about £30-£40 there. I lose 100MHz but I suppose I can live with that easy. I've also changed it to the Samsung 840 EVO 120GB, which was only a tenner more so that's fine. Thanks.
[QUOTE=El_Jameo;45808804]I completely forgot that i5's can have HT too... Doh. Saved about £30-£40 there. I lose 100MHz but I suppose I can live with that easy. I've also changed it to the Samsung 840 EVO 120GB, which was only a tenner more so that's fine. Thanks.[/QUOTE]
You really will not notice the difference at all. Seems to me like you're paying way over the odds here.
What would you suggest? I feel like going any lower would start to have an impact, but hey what do I know, I'm up for saving a couple of quid.
Hate to be that guy who double posts to bump but I'm ordering the following config tomorrow:
Model: 17.3" Vortex IV
CPU: Intel Dual Core i5-4340M @2.9GHz
RAM: 4GB Kingston DDR3 1600MHz (I already have 8GB that I can salvage from my old laptop so that's not a problem)
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M
HDD: 1TB WD Scorpio Blue 5400RPM
SSD: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB
Thermal Paste: That extra £9 one.
Bluetooth and Wireless: Intel AC-7260
OS and other software crap: None.
I get the feeling peeps are saying I'm being way to overkill for this, but quite frankly I'm not going to see my home PC that much anymore, as in not for weeks at a time and even then only at weekends. furthermore I'm trying to futureproof myself and this seems like a good long term plan (I've been rocking out my GTX 580 in my desktop now for ages, don't plan on changing it anytime soon). Plus I'll always be on the move around Uni and Halls so it seems even more ideal.
Looks solid.
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