Computer Science student - 14" Ultranote II

[Dannan]

Hello everyone,

I am a fresh computer science student. I was hoping to delay buying a laptop, hopefully waiting for broadwell or skylake processors but it seems I can't anymore!

I have a limited budget and I have decided 14" is the perfect size.

I will be programming in Java / C++ / C# / Python in my first year as far as I am aware of.

The basic specs of my built laptop are:

i5 4210M
8GB Ram
500GB WD Scorpio 7200RPM
No O/S

Would this be sufficient? Also I was thinking of skipping out the hard drive for the money and just getting an SSD instead (250GB for £70-80, I have a £60 voucher elsewhere) Does anyone know how much I will get refunded if I do not get a HDD?

Also, how much time would the battery last? I may consider buying an additional battery as I am in from 9 till 5 on some dates.

I am on a student budget, so I am trying to spend as little as I can, but this laptop needs to last 4 years!

Thanks everyone.

 

[mrducking]

for programming i wouldnt go below 14", it gets lethal trying to read and correct code in a small screen
the i5 4210m for programming should last you perfectly fine for 4 years, 8GB ram i would say is perfect and maybe i would go with SSD instead of HDD
no idea how skipping on the HDD would work, you should call them
battery... you better find a place to recharge during the day or get an aditional battery because whichever you chose is not gonna last you 8 hours, or at least is reaaalllyyy hard that it will last you that much in permanent use

check the following

Chassis & Display
UltraNote: 14" Glossy HD LED Backlit Widescreen (1366x768)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5 Dual Core Mobile Processor i5-4210M (2.60GHz) 3MB
Memory (RAM)
8GB KINGSTON SODIMM DDR3 1600MHz (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
INTEL® HD GRAPHICS MEDIA ACCELERATOR 4600
Memory - Hard Disk
500GB SERIAL ATA II 2.5" HARD DRIVE WITH 8MB CACHE (5,400rpm)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
UltraNote Series: 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 802.11N CARD INC. BLUETOOTH 3.0
USB Options
2 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT AS STANDARD
Battery
2 x UltraNote Series 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (£49)
Power Lead & Adaptor
1 x UK Power Lead & 65W AC Adaptor
Keyboard Language
ULTRANOTE SERIES UK KEYBOARD
Operating System
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Notebook Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 2.0 MEGAPIXEL WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Insurance
1 Month Free Laptop Insurance inc. Accidental Damage & Theft
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 11 to 14 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £454.00 including VAT and delivery.

this is with 2 batteries

 

[Dannan]

for programming i wouldnt go below 14", it gets lethal trying to read and correct code in a small screen
the i5 4210m for programming should last you perfectly fine for 4 years, 8GB ram i would say is perfect and maybe i would go with SSD instead of HDD
no idea how skipping on the HDD would work, you should call them
battery... you better find a place to recharge during the day or get an aditional battery because whichever you chose is not gonna last you 8 hours, or at least is reaaalllyyy hard that it will last you that much in permanent use

Hey there,

Thanks for the advice - I was previously thinking a MBA 13.3", but I believe that the screen was slightly too small in addition to the ridiculous prices of storage.

Do you know if you can purchase the batteries after your purchase of the laptop?

E.g. I purchase the laptop with just 1 battery, but in a month, I was wanting to have another one spare? Would I just have to contact them?

 

[mrducking]

yes you can which if you are unsure is the right move
you can simply buy another battery in a later date

also when you can, try to use bigger screens or multiple screens, i assure you will note the difference

 

[Dannan]

yes you can which if you are unsure is the right move
you can simply buy another battery in a later date

also when you can, try to use bigger screens or multiple screens, i assure you will note the difference

I have a 24" Monitor on my desktop PC, this 14" is just for portability and for lectures, etc. I thought that 15.6" was too big and 13.3" was too small so I went for in between haha!

Thank you for your advice - ordering it now!

 

[mrducking]

happy to help

 

[GeorgeHillier]

What's your budget? And will the laptop be used for anything other than coding and general use? Such as gaming?

I wouldn't rule out 15.6" laptops, mine is great and fits well in a standard size bag.

 

[Dannan]

What's your budget? And will the laptop be used for anything other than coding and general use? Such as gaming?

I wouldn't rule out 15.6" laptops, mine is great and fits well in a standard size bag.

Hello, I doubt I will be gaming as I have a proper desktop at home. This laptop is for lectures etc.

The lecture tables are very small so that's why I was just thinking a 14".

 

[Dannan]

Hey guys, I've ordered the laptop now but I'm thinking, should I upgrade the WiFi card? I have gotten a refund from the HDD, but I am not sure if it's worth upgrading the WiFi card? Is the stock one fine or does it drop out a fair bit?

 

[mrducking]

Hey guys, I've ordered the laptop now but I'm thinking, should I upgrade the WiFi card? I have gotten a refund from the HDD, but I am not sure if it's worth upgrading the WiFi card? Is the stock one fine or does it drop out a fair bit?

maybe get the n 7260 of 300MB/s, is better than the stock one and almost same price, they say the stock one gives some problems

 

[Dannan]

maybe get the n 7260 of 300MB/s, is better than the stock one and almost same price, they say the stock one gives some problems

Hmm, I have a BT HomeHub 5, so a dual band router. Do you think I'd see any improvement between the single and dual band one?

 

[mrducking]

if you use the 5GHz band, yes, you will notice, otherwise no, and you will mainly use it to stream HD video, so i dont know if it's really worth it in a laptop your are planning to use only for uni