Work Laptop... any ideas?

RCUK · 06-30-2015, 04:42 AM

Folks,

I need a new laptop for work and will be using it for heavy number crunching.

Been years since i bought my own laptop but thinking the minimum spec i need would be:

16gb ram
Intel 5th gen i7 processor

I'm currently looking at offerings from Dell and HP and really want something portable but usable so 15" screen.

Not too bothered about SSD, or should i be??

Any thoughts gratefully received.

un1eash · 06-30-2015, 04:46 AM

100% you will want an SSD.

RCUK · 06-30-2015, 04:48 AM

Ok utterly basic question... 'why?'

Not trying to be funny here - truly dont know why

dakhu1 · 06-30-2015, 05:34 AM

Def get SSD - I am a qualified accountant and work in decision support/FP&A and have found building financial models etc far quicker since I switched over to a laptop with SSD

RCUK · 06-30-2015, 05:41 AM

OK...so SSD def on the list..

Now wondering if i do need i7 and 16gb of ram?

Dell latitude machine i like is top spec, but i5 and 8gb of ram with 256SSD for abotu £1k.

(looks nice too

)

Icekube · 06-30-2015, 06:12 AM

have a look at the Dell Outlet, you get some awesome spec machines for a very decent discount, and they still come with decent warranty etc

this looks good:
http://outlet.euro.dell.com/Online/S...&puid=cff9b715

RCUK · 06-30-2015, 07:09 AM

Good shout on the factory outlet call!!

Waspo · 06-30-2015, 08:24 AM

I own an IT Company and sell to Businesses.

Dell are over priced at the moment as this time of year no one's really buying so their pricing is not competitive, after the summer holiday season is over (October onwards, then Dell put effort into their pricing and marketing.

What are good at the moment are ACER and Lenovo, with some knock out prices to be had.

Both have 'Upped' the quality of their components and their design and build, so you should seriously look at these

When you have used a SSD, then you will wonder why you ever put up with the delay on a spinning disk. The difference can be measured and equated to Dial up www and ADSL www. GET ONE, but do look at read and write speeds, as i am sure you may know the SD cards we get for our camera's and phones etc etc, are all different speeds, no difference to SSD's, get a cheap slow read/write SSD and you will wonder why i recommended one!!

Faster drives are coming onto the market like the m.2, but have not made into core Laptops yet, but these buggers are 3 times the speed of SSD!!

Sites to shop at.... Hmmmm, as i said i supply to businesses so i am not up on the retail market, but window shop at PC World and buy from online like Ebuyer or Amazon or Laptop-Direct. These have good return policy if things go awry!

HTH

Wasp0

RCUK · 06-30-2015, 08:29 AM

Thanks very much for that... i think im going for a Lenovo T 450s ... now to find one at the best price with a backlit keyboard, i5 chip and an SSD!

djgandy · 07-01-2015, 03:39 AM

The missus just brought home a Lenovo for work. Looks like the T450s. Very nice laptop.

As others have said, SSD is a game changer, especially for laptops. The other thing is screen resolution. This is still dogshit on so many laptops it's a joke. If you can get a 1080p+ screen do it. You'll have a lot more work space.

dakhu1 · 07-01-2015, 04:42 AM

I have a Dell Precision M 6700 - an absolute monster of a machine - especially as we specced it up - I think it cost around £3k but company paid

RCUK · 07-01-2015, 06:07 AM

Guys ...

Is this a good deal??

Bar the SSD ... it looks like it has a LOT of kit and power, and i could put an SSD in there down the line??

Thoughts?

Waspo · 07-01-2015, 06:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RCUK

Guys ...

Is this a good deal??

Bar the SSD ... it looks like it has a LOT of kit and power, and i could put an SSD in there down the line??

Thoughts?

Is what a good deal????

RCUK · 07-01-2015, 06:30 AM

shit

this:
http://www.dell.com/uk/p/inspiron-15...15-7548-laptop

Waspo · 07-01-2015, 07:10 AM

That looks very nice, and despite what i said yesterday Dell have offered a huge discount on this for a very good spec.

RCUK · 07-01-2015, 07:40 AM

Cool!!!

I ordered one

Wanted to make sure i didnt buy some random crap - so

that u think its good!!

And you can never tell re discounts - 1st of the month clearing old stock im imaging, hence cant upgrade anything.

djgandy · 07-01-2015, 08:13 AM

That's a steal. Just add SSD after if you feel the need. 256GB goes for sub £100 these days.

Dannyrado · 07-03-2015, 01:00 PM

I have the same. Bought it a few months ago, from the dell outlet, with the better processor and the ssd option. It's amazing.
I also put a 3year next day onsite warranty on it. This is my third dell with the same warranty, they've been great. Learnt from buying shit at comet, and being 2 weeks without a laptop when it failed...

1 AKY · 07-03-2015, 05:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RCUK

Cool!!!

I ordered one

Wanted to make sure i didnt buy some random crap - so

that u think its good!!

And you can never tell re discounts - 1st of the month clearing old stock im imaging, hence cant upgrade anything.

How much did you pick it up for? Says 749+vat at the moment. Sure it was less than that couple of days ago.

RCUK · 07-03-2015, 05:42 PM

I paid £749 in the end (i think??) with 1yr NBD and 36 months Mcaffee as well.

Stupidly i didn't think the order went through... and have another coming with the same spec! If your looking for one... happy to sell it on to you at what i paid for it.

misterS3 · 07-17-2015, 06:20 AM

Get rid of MacAfee! That is like putting your machine on go slow!

Use Microsoft Security Essentials (on my cheapie) or AVAST (this is what i use on more powerful machines)

Hulla the Hulla · 07-19-2015, 04:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by misterS3

Get rid of MacAfee! That is like putting your machine on go slow!

Use Microsoft Security Essentials (on my cheapie) or AVAST (this is what i use on more powerful machines)

This, 1000000% - McAfee sucks donkey balls

06-30-2015, 04:42 AM	#1
RCUK Lieutenant Colonel 100 Rep 1,672 Posts Drives: 911 Turbo Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Orpington, Kent iTrader: (4)	Work Laptop... any ideas? Folks, I need a new laptop for work and will be using it for heavy number crunching. Been years since i bought my own laptop but thinking the minimum spec i need would be: 16gb ram Intel 5th gen i7 processor I'm currently looking at offerings from Dell and HP and really want something portable but usable so 15" screen. Not too bothered about SSD, or should i be?? Any thoughts gratefully received. __________________ Been there, done that, driven the 'Ring
	Appreciate 0 Tweet Quote

06-30-2015, 04:46 AM	#2
un1eash Captain 500 Rep 973 Posts Drives: M235i Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Midlands, UK iTrader: (0)	100% you will want an SSD.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

06-30-2015, 04:48 AM	#3
RCUK Lieutenant Colonel 100 Rep 1,672 Posts Drives: 911 Turbo Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Orpington, Kent iTrader: (4)	Ok utterly basic question... 'why?' Not trying to be funny here - truly dont know why __________________ Been there, done that, driven the 'Ring
	Appreciate 0 Quote

06-30-2015, 05:34 AM	#4
dakhu1 love the 'GT ROAD'....bruuuaaah! 34 Rep 449 Posts Drives: 320D M Sport & 118D M Sport Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: London iTrader: (2)	Def get SSD - I am a qualified accountant and work in decision support/FP&A and have found building financial models etc far quicker since I switched over to a laptop with SSD
	Appreciate 0 Quote

06-30-2015, 05:41 AM	#5
RCUK Lieutenant Colonel 100 Rep 1,672 Posts Drives: 911 Turbo Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Orpington, Kent iTrader: (4)	OK...so SSD def on the list.. Now wondering if i do need i7 and 16gb of ram? Dell latitude machine i like is top spec, but i5 and 8gb of ram with 256SSD for abotu £1k. (looks nice too ) __________________ Been there, done that, driven the 'Ring
	Appreciate 0 Quote

06-30-2015, 06:12 AM	#6
Icekube Captain 46 Rep 891 Posts Drives: E87 130i Join Date: May 2013 Location: Livingston iTrader: (3)	have a look at the Dell Outlet, you get some awesome spec machines for a very decent discount, and they still come with decent warranty etc this looks good: http://outlet.euro.dell.com/Online/S...&puid=cff9b715
	Appreciate 0 Quote

06-30-2015, 07:09 AM	#7
RCUK Lieutenant Colonel 100 Rep 1,672 Posts Drives: 911 Turbo Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Orpington, Kent iTrader: (4)	Good shout on the factory outlet call!! __________________ Been there, done that, driven the 'Ring
	Appreciate 0 Quote

06-30-2015, 08:24 AM	#8
Waspo Lieutenant Colonel 93 Rep 1,568 Posts Drives: E90 330i M Sport, Silver Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: Southampton, England iTrader: (5)	I own an IT Company and sell to Businesses. Dell are over priced at the moment as this time of year no one's really buying so their pricing is not competitive, after the summer holiday season is over (October onwards, then Dell put effort into their pricing and marketing. What are good at the moment are ACER and Lenovo, with some knock out prices to be had. Both have 'Upped' the quality of their components and their design and build, so you should seriously look at these When you have used a SSD, then you will wonder why you ever put up with the delay on a spinning disk. The difference can be measured and equated to Dial up www and ADSL www. GET ONE, but do look at read and write speeds, as i am sure you may know the SD cards we get for our camera's and phones etc etc, are all different speeds, no difference to SSD's, get a cheap slow read/write SSD and you will wonder why i recommended one!! Faster drives are coming onto the market like the m.2, but have not made into core Laptops yet, but these buggers are 3 times the speed of SSD!! Sites to shop at.... Hmmmm, as i said i supply to businesses so i am not up on the retail market, but window shop at PC World and buy from online like Ebuyer or Amazon or Laptop-Direct. These have good return policy if things go awry! HTH Wasp0 __________________ Understeer is when you hit the wall with the front of the car, oversteer is when you hit the wall with the rear of the car. Horsepower is how fast you hit the wall and torque is how far you take the wall with you"
	Appreciate 0 Quote

06-30-2015, 08:29 AM	#9
RCUK Lieutenant Colonel 100 Rep 1,672 Posts Drives: 911 Turbo Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Orpington, Kent iTrader: (4)	Thanks very much for that... i think im going for a Lenovo T 450s ... now to find one at the best price with a backlit keyboard, i5 chip and an SSD! __________________ Been there, done that, driven the 'Ring
	Appreciate 0 Quote

07-01-2015, 03:39 AM	#10
djgandy Colonel 146 Rep 2,337 Posts Drives: E93 M3 Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: London iTrader: (0) Garage List 2011 M3 [0.00]	The missus just brought home a Lenovo for work. Looks like the T450s. Very nice laptop. As others have said, SSD is a game changer, especially for laptops. The other thing is screen resolution. This is still dogshit on so many laptops it's a joke. If you can get a 1080p+ screen do it. You'll have a lot more work space.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

07-01-2015, 04:42 AM	#11
dakhu1 love the 'GT ROAD'....bruuuaaah! 34 Rep 449 Posts Drives: 320D M Sport & 118D M Sport Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: London iTrader: (2)	I have a Dell Precision M 6700 - an absolute monster of a machine - especially as we specced it up - I think it cost around £3k but company paid
	Appreciate 0 Quote

07-01-2015, 06:07 AM	#12
RCUK Lieutenant Colonel 100 Rep 1,672 Posts Drives: 911 Turbo Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Orpington, Kent iTrader: (4)	Guys ... Is this a good deal?? Bar the SSD ... it looks like it has a LOT of kit and power, and i could put an SSD in there down the line?? Thoughts? __________________ Been there, done that, driven the 'Ring
	Appreciate 0 Quote

07-01-2015, 06:30 AM	#14
RCUK Lieutenant Colonel 100 Rep 1,672 Posts Drives: 911 Turbo Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Orpington, Kent iTrader: (4)	shit this: http://www.dell.com/uk/p/inspiron-15...15-7548-laptop __________________ Been there, done that, driven the 'Ring
	Appreciate 0 Quote

07-01-2015, 07:10 AM	#15
Waspo Lieutenant Colonel 93 Rep 1,568 Posts Drives: E90 330i M Sport, Silver Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: Southampton, England iTrader: (5)	That looks very nice, and despite what i said yesterday Dell have offered a huge discount on this for a very good spec. __________________ Understeer is when you hit the wall with the front of the car, oversteer is when you hit the wall with the rear of the car. Horsepower is how fast you hit the wall and torque is how far you take the wall with you"
	Appreciate 0 Quote

07-01-2015, 07:40 AM	#16
RCUK Lieutenant Colonel 100 Rep 1,672 Posts Drives: 911 Turbo Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Orpington, Kent iTrader: (4)	Cool!!! I ordered one Wanted to make sure i didnt buy some random crap - so that u think its good!! And you can never tell re discounts - 1st of the month clearing old stock im imaging, hence cant upgrade anything. __________________ Been there, done that, driven the 'Ring
	Appreciate 0 Quote

07-01-2015, 08:13 AM	#17
djgandy Colonel 146 Rep 2,337 Posts Drives: E93 M3 Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: London iTrader: (0) Garage List 2011 M3 [0.00]	That's a steal. Just add SSD after if you feel the need. 256GB goes for sub £100 these days.
	Appreciate 1 Quote

07-03-2015, 01:00 PM	#18
Dannyrado Lieutenant 12 Rep 444 Posts Drives: A big gold navara Join Date: May 2009 Location: N Wales iTrader: (0)	I have the same. Bought it a few months ago, from the dell outlet, with the better processor and the ssd option. It's amazing. I also put a 3year next day onsite warranty on it. This is my third dell with the same warranty, they've been great. Learnt from buying shit at comet, and being 2 weeks without a laptop when it failed...
	Appreciate 0 Quote

07-03-2015, 05:42 PM	#20
RCUK Lieutenant Colonel 100 Rep 1,672 Posts Drives: 911 Turbo Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Orpington, Kent iTrader: (4)	I paid £749 in the end (i think??) with 1yr NBD and 36 months Mcaffee as well. Stupidly i didn't think the order went through... and have another coming with the same spec! If your looking for one... happy to sell it on to you at what i paid for it. __________________ Been there, done that, driven the 'Ring
	Appreciate 0 Quote

07-17-2015, 06:20 AM	#21
misterS3 Lieutenant Colonel 70 Rep 1,733 Posts Drives: X70 on the way Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Glasgow iTrader: (0)	Get rid of MacAfee! That is like putting your machine on go slow! Use Microsoft Security Essentials (on my cheapie) or AVAST (this is what i use on more powerful machines)
	Appreciate 0 Quote