Bog Standard Laptop Spec

[cycladianpirate]

Could someone let me know if I'm overloading the case/motherboard/battery on this low end laptop with upgraded cpu/memory/disks.

Chassis & DisplayUltraNote: 15.6" Matte HD LED Backlit Widescreen (1366x768)Processor (CPU)Intel® Core™ i5 Quad Core Processor 7300HQ (2.5GHz, 3.5GHz Turbo)Memory (RAM)8GB Corsair 2133MHz SODIMM DDR4 (1 x 8GB)Graphics CardINTEL® HD GRAPHICS 610/620/630 (CPU Dependant) - 1.7GB Max DDR4 Video RAM - DirectX® 121st Hard Disk2TB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 2.5" SSHD - UP TO 5X FASTER THAN HDD!1st M.2 SSD Drive256GB SAMSUNG PM961 M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 2800MB/R, 1100MB/W)DVD/BLU-RAY DriveUltra Slim 8x SATA DVD±R/RW/Dual Layer (+ 24x CD-RW)Memory Card ReaderInternal 9 in 1 Card Reader (MMC/RSMMC/SD: Mini, XC & HC/MS: Pro & Duo)AC Adaptor1 x 65W AC AdaptorBatteryUltraNote IV Series 44WH Lithium Ion BatteryPower Cable1 x 1 Metre Cloverleaf UK Power CableSound CardIntel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone JackBluetooth & WirelessGIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-8265 M.2 (867Mbps, 802.11AC) +BT 4.0USB Options1 x USB 3.0 PORT (Type C) + 1 x USB 3.0 PORT + 2 x USB 2.0 PORTSKeyboard LanguageSINGLE COLOUR BACKLIT UK KEYBOARDOperating SystemGenuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single LicenceOperating System LanguageUnited Kingdom - English LanguageWindows Recovery MediaWindows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Supplied on DVDOffice SoftwareNO OFFICE SOFTWAREAnti-VirusNO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWAREBrowserGoogle Chrome™Notebook MouseINTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSEWebcamINTEGRATED 1MP HD WEBCAMWarranty3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)DeliverySTANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)Build TimeStandard Build - Approximately 4 to 6 working days

The main reason I want to use this case is that it has an in-built dvd drive!! Yes, I'm ancient.....

Thanks for any help.

 

[Oussebon]

I'd strongly suggest the 1080p screen - the extra resolution is extremely helpful even for basic office type work, web browsing, etc as it lets you fit a lot more onto the screen, allows documents/ web pages to be displayed side by side much more comfortably.

You haven't said what your uses are, but assuming general office type use, browsing, media consumption, the spec seems fine other than the low res screen.

 

[cycladianpirate]

Thanks for the reply. You're right about the screen res, I hadn't noticed to be honest.

I wonder if that's why it has an internal dvd drive - old stock. Back to the drawing board.....

 

[Oussebon]

You could wait for a little and see if new models come out at the lower end. The models with 7th Gen CPUs like the 7300HQ are being replaced with much better 8th Gen ones.

If 14" is suitable then this one has a 1080p screen and the i5 8250U is broadly similar to the i5 7300HQ for performance, while having a lower TDP. https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/notebooks/ultraNoteIV-14/

 

[ubuysa]

I don't recommend that Seagate Firecuda SSHD, you'll find other posts on here (such as this one) where the Firecuda has not performed well. It's backed by a 5400rpm disk and the 'up to 5x faster' seems to be true only under ideal conditions, in practice you rarely get those. It's worth noting that an SSHD can perform slower than a standard drive if there are many reads that are 'cache misses'. In particular it can be appallingly slow with Windows updates running (because of constant 'cache misses'). It's unfortunate that PCS don't sell 7200rpm drives in the 2TB size with the UltraNote, though since you're asking for a 'bog standard' laptop you'll probably be fine with a standard 5400rpm 2TB drive, it will perform as well as the SSHD under most conditions, better under some (like Windows update), and only marginally worse than the SSHD elsewhere. Buying a 2TB 7200rpm HHD from elsewhere and fitting it yourself would be a better option though.