13.3" Lafite

[fowler26]

Hi am looking to buy this model for my daughter.

Any more reviews about this laptop?

She will be using it mainly to watch 1080p films and videos.

Also YouTube internet browsing etc.

Maybe minecraft & if graphics can handle possibly SIM city.

Now am going to go with 8gb of ram or will 4gb or ram will be ok to run the stuff I put above?

Also going to go with normal 1tb hard drive as she got loads of videos to put on & need loads of memory space.

I noticed it only has 1tb available but ultranote you can have 2tb hard drive could I get 2tb hard drive in this one?

Am thinking basic cpu will be enough for 1080p videos. Or should I get I3 or I5 cpu just incase?

Many thanks.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Recent review HERE

I would personally go for a minimum of an I3 processor as anything under that will be clunky for general use.

4Gb will probably do for your uses currently, it's easy to add more later if you want to.

The reason you can only get 1tb is because they're 7mm discs which are a bit harder to come by. That being said, I think you could probably source your own 2tb 7mm from elsewhere and put it in yourself.

 

[Maksy13]

Yes what he said above will probably run videos pretty well and 1TB hard drive is enough will last her couple of years putting loads of films on it and you can always replace it if it's not enough and also the processor will also run most games maybe not like Battlefield 4 but Garry's mod, Minecraft, Sim city will run really good.

 

[fowler26]

Yeah 1tb hard drive it is then for now.

So 4gb is enough & good to go for 1080p videos etc.

What's the Intel graphics like on this laptop?

I maybe daft but what is gary's mod?

So I3 with 4gb of ram 1tb hard drive will be minimum spec I'll get. Depending on cost may just get the 8gb anyway.

Anything more I should know?

Oh I have my own Windows 7 & Windows 8 discs.

Now of course this don't have a DVD drive.

So can I just plug in an external DVD drive & install Windows of my choice that way. Or will it not recognise the usb external drive?

It's not worth buying Windows 8 again if I don't need too.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Yeah 1tb hard drive it is then for now.

So 4gb is enough & good to go for 1080p videos etc.

What's the Intel graphics like on this laptop?

I maybe daft but what is gary's mod?

So I3 with 4gb of ram 1tb hard drive will be minimum spec I'll get. Depending on cost may just get the 8gb anyway.

Anything more I should know?

Oh I have my own Windows 7 & Windows 8 discs.

Now of course this don't have a DVD drive.

So can I just plug in an external DVD drive & install Windows of my choice that way. Or will it not recognise the usb external drive?

It's not worth buying Windows 8 again if I don't need too.

It should recognise the external dvd drive, failing that you can create a bootable usb key with windows 7 usb download tool (what a mouthful)

8gb ram would definitely be preferential long term.

Integrated graphics are fine for media and football manager, but when you start getting to minefield and others, a dedicated graphics card is needed really.

 

[fowler26]

Hopefully it will recognise my external DVD drive and insta'll via disc.

I will go with 8gb of ram then.

I don't see the need to have a higher cpu than a I3 to play mainly 1080p videos.

I think maybe wrong but getting an I5 or I7 cpu for 1080p videos will be overkill.

Also the graphics are standard so having I5 or I7 will be more than I need as the graphics are standard anyway.

What would a I5 or I7 cpu benefit me over an I3 cpu say.

Thinking just extra power which not needed?

 

[SpyderTracks]

Hopefully it will recognise my external DVD drive and insta'll via disc.

I will go with 8gb of ram then.

I don't see the need to have a higher cpu than a I3 to play mainly 1080p videos.

I think maybe wrong but getting an I5 or I7 cpu for 1080p videos will be overkill.

Also the graphics are standard so having I5 or I7 will be more than I need as the graphics are standard anyway.

What would a I5 or I7 cpu benefit me over an I3 cpu say.

Thinking just extra power which not needed?

I think an i3 would be ample, keep it future proofed a little whilst not going overboard. Agreed, no need for an i5, but I think it's much better to have an i3 than a celeron or other format.

i5's allow for more RAM usage, not necessary and higher clock speeds, again not necessary for your usage. i7's start adding more cores and virtualisation etc, really they're more for business use or software that needs multi core processing such as a few games or media programs.

 

[Gannef]

As for the external dvd, it will probably work just fine. Anyways if it doesn't work you can also try the zotac winusb maker to make a bootable usb stick. This means that you have to make a iso file of the original windows installation disk.

 

[atifjaved]

i am also keen to buy the lafite, but im concerned with the track pad and the keyboard.

is the track pad a glass track pad ? it looks like glass in the pics but looks can be deceiving.

Also, what is the keyboard like. i will be using the laptop for a lot of writing so want a comfortable keyboard

 

[atifjaved]

Do you also know how large the power brick is ?

is it something that can be carried around with ease ?

 

[kajjot]

Keyboard is very nice to type on. I even find it comfy to play counter-strike on.
I'm comparing it to 13" macbook retina and it has very similar feel.
Trackpad isn't as bad as people make it sound. I don't think it's glass but moving pointer is very precise and smooth.
Best way to use it for me is to remove the trackpad software and manually install driver via device manager.
This way you get smooth pointer and can use edge scrolling. 2 finger right click also works without software.
Power brick is very small (a little flimsy almost). I also found that power brick from my mums Asus X401A works on Lafité.
I'm thinking of buying an asus power pack as it's sturdier and has "L" shaped jack.

 

[atifjaved]

I just received my Lafite yesterday and the trackpad is not very good.

I uninstalled the driver and reistalled it from the CD. However the trackpad is showing up as a PS/2 compatible device pointer. I do have all the gestures now but it still not very good.

Are you still having this issue ?

 

[student]

Hi atifjaved
When did you order your lafite? I'm waiting for 3 weeks now and its still "in building"

 

[atifjaved]

Hi atifjaved
When did you order your lafite? I'm waiting for 3 weeks now and its still "in building"

Processed Date 30-03-2015
Pre-Production Date 31-03-2015
Build Date 13-04-2015
Test Date 14-04-2015
QC Date 15-04-2015
Awaiting Dispatch Date 15-04-2015
Dispatch Date 15-04-2015

So, in building took only a day for me. However, if there are parts missing it will take longer.

 

[student]

I don't quite understand why they say that it usually takes 4-6 working days when this is clearly not the case.
At some point, only slightly more than 10% of laptops were shipped within 7 days and currently the majority takes >7 days.

 

[keynes]

Those are only estimates and based in the last 4 or 2 weeks. If you want to have a quick update on your order you should try giving PCS a call

 

[arvis]

Yeah 1tb hard drive it is then for now.

So 4gb is enough & good to go for 1080p videos etc.

What's the Intel graphics like on this laptop?

I maybe daft but what is gary's mod?

So I3 with 4gb of ram 1tb hard drive will be minimum spec I'll get. Depending on cost may just get the 8gb anyway.

Anything more I should know?

Oh I have my own Windows 7 & Windows 8 discs.

Now of course this don't have a DVD drive.

So can I just plug in an external DVD drive & install Windows of my choice that way. Or will it not recognise the usb external drive?

It's not worth buying Windows 8 again if I don't need too.

It should recognise external DVD driver. If it does not you can use rufus to make bootable usb key or memory card. I instaled windows 8.1 using memory card without problems.

 

[audiodud]

I ordered a Lafite on the 30th March and by this morning it was still in "pre-production/16th working day". I called this morning for the first time since ordering, and within three hours the status has moved to "in testing". So worth chasing up if things are a little slow. They did say that they were in the process of moving to another building which presumably explains why they are not quite up to speed.

 

[audiodud]

Referring to my post above, I made my phone call on Tuesday, 21st and as of lunchtime today, Thursday 23rd, I am now in posession of my Lafite, and very lovely it is to. So with a little prompting, PC Specialist have been very swift. Thank you.

 

[EL Commadore 64]

I had a similar experience. I placed an order for a lafite on the 1st of April, 2 weeks later I'm still in pre-production so I send them a message, the next day I get a response and I get notification after notification as the order moves through production, I'm told I'll have it on Monday as well. I'm quite impressed!