A fast laptop for work use

[todd89]

Hi people,

I want a laptop that is fast (boots fast and can load and run many programmes at once without a sweat). I do not care for gaming or watching films; however, I would like a large screen that is pleasing on the eye. Excellent build quality is also a must.

MS Office will be the prime programme run whilst using the Internet to read information and watch videos.

My current system is 4mb ram and intel core 2 duo, and I find this very slow.

Thanks

Todd

 

[todd89]

Thanks guys, really appreciate no responses.

 

[keynes]

Thanks guys, really appreciate no responses.

Without a budget it is difficult to give a suggestion.

Excellent build quality is also a must.

What are your requirement in terms of the chassis? Clevo chassis are pretty robust but not sure what you are expecting in terms of quality.

 

[todd89]

Without a budget it is difficult to give a suggestion.

What are your requirement in terms of the chassis? Clevo chassis are pretty robust but not sure what you are expecting in terms of quality.

I want very good quality - screen, and chassis.

Surely you can build a pc to fit my requirements so that I can see the budget I need to spend.

 

[keynes]

I want very good quality - screen, and chassis.

Surely you can build a pc to fit my requirements so that I can see the budget I need to spend.

For your requirements you probably could spend around £600-700 but I am not sure on the quality of the chassis, I only have a vortex which to me is pretty good but since gaming is not required then it would be a waste for you.

 

[SmokeDarKnight]

Chassis & Display
Genesis IV: 15.6" Matte HD LED 16:9 Widescreen (1366x768)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5 Dual Core Mobile Processor i5-3230M (2.60GHz) 3MB
Memory (RAM)
4GB SAMSUNG 1333MHz SODIMM DDR3 MEMORY (1 x 4GB)
Graphics Card
Intel® HD Graphics 4000 Video Memory Technology up to 1.7GB
Memory - Hard Disk
500GB WD SCORPIO BLACK WD5000BPKX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 16MB CACHE (7200 rpm)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
8x SATA DVD±R/RW/Dual Layer (+ 24x CD-RW)
Memory Card Reader
Internal 9 in 1 Card Reader (MMC/RSMMC/SD: Mini, XC & HC/MS: Pro & Duo)
Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® N135 802.11N (150Mbps) + BLUETOOTH
USB Options
2 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT AS STANDARD
Battery
Genesis Series 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (48.84WH)
Power Lead & Adaptor
1 x UK Power Lead & 65W AC Adaptor
Operating System
Genuine Windows 8 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£79)
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365
Anti-Virus
BULLGUARD INTERNET SECURITY - FREE 90 DAY TRIAL
Keyboard Language
INTEGRATED UK KEYBOARD WITH NUMBER PAD
Notebook Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 1.3 MEGAPIXEL WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£5)
Intel Anti-Theft Technology
FREE 90 Day Intel Anti-Theft Trial - Prevent Data Access upon Theft
Insurance
1 Month Free Laptop Insurance inc. Accidental Damage & Theft
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 9 to 11 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £513.00 including VAT and delivery.

Unique URL to re-configure: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/quotes/genesisIV/JKSyYK85Wj/

 

[Karnor00]

As others have mentioned, without a budget it's a little difficult to know how to go, but I'd suggest the following as a starting point.

Normally I'd think an i5 and 8GB of RAM would be overkill for MS Office, web browsing and watching videos, but given that you mentioned your existing system seems slow for these I've gone with these. I've also gone with an SSD which should help speed up the system, and nothing in your post indicates you would need a lot of storage space.

You also mentioned wanting a large screen so I've gone with the maximum possible. None of the uses you mentioned indicate that a GPU is needed.


Chassis & Display
Voyager: 17.3" Matte Full HD LED Widescreen (1920x1080) (£49)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5 Dual Core Mobile Processor i5-3230M (2.60GHz) 3MB
Memory (RAM)
8GB KINGSTON HYPER-X GENESIS 1600MHz SODIMM DDR3 (2 x 4GB)
Graphics Card
Intel® HD Graphics 4000 Video Memory Technology up to 1.7GB
Memory - Hard Disk
240GB KINGSTON V300 SSD, SATA 6 Gb (450MB/R, 450MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
8x SATA DVD±R/RW/Dual Layer (+ 24x CD-RW)
Memory Card Reader
Internal 9 in 1 Card Reader (MMC/RSMMC/SD: Mini, XC & HC/MS: Pro & Duo)
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® N135 802.11N (150Mbps) + BLUETOOTH
USB Options
2 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT AS STANDARD
Battery
Voyager Series 6 Cell Lithium-ION Battery (48.84WH)
Power Lead & Adaptor
1 x UK Power Lead & 90W AC Adaptor
Operating System
Genuine Windows 8 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£79)
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Keyboard Language
INTEGRATED UK KEYBOARD WITH NUMBER PAD
Notebook Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 1.3 MEGAPIXEL WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£5)
Dead Pixel Guarantee
30 Day Dead Pixel Guarantee Inc. Labour & Carriage Costs (£12)
Intel Anti-Theft Technology
FREE 90 Day Intel Anti-Theft Trial - Prevent Data Access upon Theft
Insurance
1 Month Free Laptop Insurance inc. Accidental Damage & Theft
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 9 to 11 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £740.00 including VAT and delivery.

Unique URL to re-configure: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/quotes/Voyager/HE4C7bNFQn/

 

[todd89]

Thanks for the suggestions. Definitely prefer an SSD, but I would not need 240gb though (current set up totals 180gb, and I haven't even used 25% of it!), so which SSD - Kingston 120gb, Intel 335 or 520 series?

 

[SmokeDarKnight]

I would go the 520. I don't fully understand the differences but this chart suggests its faster in some aspects. I think

http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/solid-state-drives/solid-state-drives-ssd.html

 

[todd89]

I would go the 520. I don't fully understand the differences but this chart suggests its faster in some aspects. I think

http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/solid-state-drives/solid-state-drives-ssd.html

Thanks.

Is the operating system an oem version or full version?

 

[keynes]

thanks.

Is the operating system an oem version or full version?

oem

 

[Rakk]

Thanks.

Is the operating system an oem version or full version?

The OS's provided by PCS are OEM versions - thus the reason they are cheaper than the retail versions of the same OS's

 

[todd89]

Thanks.

What about drivers. Do the computers come with drivers preinstalled? I'm just curious because I have the windows 7 iso file on a bootable usb. Might sound unnecessary putting this on if it will already have the purchased OS with the pc. Just if I did ever use the bootable usb instead of the discs, would I get a driver disk or would I just ask you guys where find the drivers?

 

[keynes]

If you order it without an OS it will come with a trial version of windows and all the drivers for the laptop installed.

 

[todd89]

What I'm saying is that does pcs need to install any drivers themselves with my spec above, or will windows update find everything necessary? So if I ever reboot my system with the windows disc it comes with, I'll only
need windows update to find everything for my system to function properly.

 

[steaky360]

You should always go to the manufacturers website (imo) for driver updates, but I might just be a bit cynical and not trust windows update too much haha.

 

[todd89]

Is it possible to get the windows disc for me to install myself? Also, does pcs create a hidden recovery partition or just one drive and if I want to recover it, I use the disc?

 

[steaky360]

I don't think PCS typically create a hidden partition but you could discuss that with them (they might be able to do it for you). You always get a disc with windows on it for performing a clean install in the future if required.

EDIT: But if you wanted the disc to install yourself then you'd need to talk to PCS about it. They will need to install a version of windows to test the computer during QC prior to shipping but typically ship the computer before activating your version of windows.

 

[todd89]

Due to the OEM version having some bloatware, I intend to install the ISO file of windows 7. Therefore, does it sound logical for me to ask PCS to not install the copy of windows I will purchase, and for me to install it myself using the product key and driver disc provided?

However, steaky360 has said PCS will need to install a version of windows anyway, and the drivers I guess, to test everything out.

 

[keynes]

Due to the OEM version having some bloatware, I intend to install the ISO file of windows 7. Therefore, does it sound logical for me to ask PCS to not install the copy of windows I will purchase, and for me to install it myself using the product and driver disc provided?

However, steaky360 has said PCS will need to install a version of windows anyway, and the drivers I guess, to test everything out.

For testing purposes PCS has to install Windows, not sure they can sell you one without it. What sort of bloatware?