Looking at a Dell Inspiron 15

[petemc]

So the girlfriend needs a new laptop. I'm an Apple guy so I'm quite out of touch with modern PC's. I normally just go to the Apple store and buy the mid-range computer.

I've seen a Dell Inspiron 15 for £287 on Asda Direct. It's an Intel Pentium T4500 dual core cpu. WLED display. 3gb ram, 320gb drive etc.

Main uses are browsing and editing photos in Lightroom.

It looks alright, but it's got 3/5 stars on the Dell website. Plenty of complaints. I hate buying things online as its so easy for people to complain. For the price I doubt I'd find a nicer machine, looks and performance wise. I've been searching the forum and there does seem to be a lot of love for Dell.

Yay or nay?

[Mark]

The T4500 CPU is towards the low end of the range (1MB cache gives the game away), which probably sets the scene for the rest of the laptop. Nothing at all wrong with that as a browser (I got an even lower spec part) but might not be as happy with something demanding (which I suspect will probably include Lightroom).

If you're chucking lots of big RAW files around you'll probably want to look for something a little higher up the range if you can afford to do it.

[petemc]

Found this on Hotukdeals.

Dell Vostro 15.6 3550 Sandybridge i3-2310m £358 or **£328 after quidco**

Intel® Core™ i3-2310M 2.1GHz
2gb ram
Intel® Integrated Graphics Media Accelerator HD

[Mark]

Well, it's slightly lower core speed made up for by faster RAM (handy for those RAW files). Plus if Lightroom is in any way multi-threaded it'll benefit some. Memory is less but almost certainly upgradeable if you need to. :)

Intel GMA is, as usual, somewhat underwhelming, but is par for the course at that price. Discrete (faster) graphics is an option on that laptop but at a price. One thing I did spot is the low-ish resolution of 1366 x 768. That might be an issue for photo editing, but I'll leave you to decide on that (you can always plug in a monitor if you need more real estate).

Otherwise, that looks like a better deal to me, but I'll defer to others in case I missed something.

[petemc]

She's only a casual photographer and the display is the same as the Compaq CQ60 so I think that'll be ok.

As a geek it's hard to find a decent computer around the £300-350 mark as I keep thinking about geeky things. My girlfriend, I'm sure, will be happy with a machine that simply doesn't feel slow and is good value for money. She's currently using my 2006 C2D Macbook Pro, so anything that's faster than that will do.

As long as it's got a solid cpu I can upgrade the ram and hd to ssd at a later date.

[LeperousDust]

Intel GMA graphics with sandybridge are VERY good, they've come on a long way...

I have my little HP with last tech i3 here but includes AMD 5470HD which are technically discreet but actually barely a performance increase over the sandybridge GMA.

Seems like a decent buy pete, cheap dells are that, cheap and reliable, it's like buys a corsa or fiesta, because deep down you know there are so many out there things are easily replaceable... ****ing steer clear of the top end Dell and XPS line i've been nothing but burnt by them continually since 2007! I've since given up :p

HP Probook 3420 on HUKD's for £299 after HP cashback, for the money i don't know better...

[petemc]

Probook 4320s looks alright but its a 13'' screen. Think I'll stick with the Dell :)

[petemc]

Just got a little tricky. She really wants the laptop to have a numpad built in. Not one you press num-lock and use the letters as numbers, a proper full sized keyboard with numpad.

The Dell Vostro 3550 doesn't have that.

This Samsung RV511 does, and looks quite swish. Oh and has £50 cash back that started yesterday. I think that's a winner.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-15-6-inch-notebook-i3-380M-Premium/dp/B004HZG2NS/ref=sr_1_3?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1313697551&sr=1-3

Finding it hard to find something I trust as I haven't bought anything PC based for years.

Oooh Sainsburys have an even better spec. http://www.sainsburys.co.uk/sol/shop/technology/computing_and_gaming/samsung/121536143_samsung_nprv511a06uk_intel_core_i3_proce ssor_4gb_500gb_156_silver_and_black_notebook.html? CAWELAID=867853246

Ah nuts. The Sainsburys is the NP-RV511-A06 which is £379 and you can't get £50 cash back. The Amazon is £379, bit lower spec but £50 cash back.

[Del Lardo]

Another option..... (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320737679273)

[petemc]

I offered her that option, she didn't like it :)

The more I look into this Samsung with £50 cash back the more I like it over the Dell.

[Mark]

The two Samsungs you've listed are essentially identical (NP-RV511-A06UK vs NP-RV511-A07UK). The Samsung is a revision behind (A06 vs A07), and the Amazon has 1GB less RAM and 180GB less disk space. Other than that, let's play Snap! :)

But! DON'T get the Amazon one. Get this one...

http://www.sainsburys.co.uk/sol/shop/technology/best_sellers/121735441_samsung_rv511_a09uk_intel_core_i3_3gb320 gb_156_blue_notebook.html

And use code YPYM-3JF9-L4L6 at Sainsburys checkout for £10 off. And then claim the cashback as well!

Assuming this (http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/samsung-rv511-a09uk-intel-core-i3-3gb-320gb-15-6-blue-notebook-289-99-sainsburys/998446) is correct, anyway. :)

Same spec (almost) as the Amazon, but you just saved £38. You can send it to me if you want. :p

PS - Due to the numpad, it'll be big. You'll need a bag that can take a 17in laptop if you want a bag. And bear this in mind when carrying it around or trying to use it on a lap, too. :)

PPS - If you do want the higher spec, it looks like the £50 may be valid on the other Sainsburys offer. Don't know about the checkout code though.

[petemc]

I went with Best Buy. £350 for the Sainsburys one in silver. Didn't see your post at the time. Oh well.

Thanks for all your help guys :)

[Nutcase]

Oh that's typical, lol the one we bought on a massive sale even cheaper ;D Thank god Em don't read this forum...

[Mark]

Didn't see your post at the time. Oh well.

Still £300 after the cashback, so not all that bad. :)