Discussion
I was silly enough to buy a NetBook or 'ultra-book' in January for about £250 and it has been the worst purchase ever, it is stupidly slow, so much so that I use my phone for everything now, which isn't ideal.
If I get a laptop it needs to be fast for basic things such as browsing the internet, emails and Microsoft word.
I was looking into a MacBook Air because of the battery life, the retina display and also because i think it'd be the best choice for photography which is something that I want to get into.
It'd also be nice if it could run basic games with ease and could store all my films on.
Price doesn't really concern me as long as it's under £800 as I'd rather not have to get a new laptop for 5 years+ after this purchase
Thanks!
If I get a laptop it needs to be fast for basic things such as browsing the internet, emails and Microsoft word.
I was looking into a MacBook Air because of the battery life, the retina display and also because i think it'd be the best choice for photography which is something that I want to get into.
It'd also be nice if it could run basic games with ease and could store all my films on.
Price doesn't really concern me as long as it's under £800 as I'd rather not have to get a new laptop for 5 years+ after this purchase
Thanks!
TheCarFather said:
I was looking into a MacBook Air because of the battery life, the retina display and also because i think it'd be the best choice for photography which is something that I want to get into.
A Macbook Air is a good shout and a very nice machine but it doesn't have what Apple calls a retina display although it is rumoured to be coming soon as a 12".FlossyThePig said:
What will you want to do on your new machine?
What are you trying to do on your current machine that is too slow?
On my current laptop browsing the net, opening word, opening films opening apps such as netlfix, it's all painfully slow, even opening photos just to look at them is slow. On my new one id do all I done before but also play some basic games and edit / upload photos etc.What are you trying to do on your current machine that is too slow?
tim0409 said:
A Macbook Air is a good shout and a very nice machine but it doesn't have what Apple calls a retina display although it is rumoured to be coming soon as a 12".
Oh I must be getting confused with the pro, if I go for a mac id want the retina because it is such a crisp picture.If you want to go down the route of a new machine I personally suggest a Lenovo Thinkpad. Your budget will easily get you an brand new L Series Thinkpad, I5 processor and a lightening fast solid state drive. All this will easily meet your requirements and should easily last 5+ years.
You might want to think about an external hard disk if you want the speed of a solid state disk as it would not give you the capacity you need for lots of films.
We currently a thinkpad L412 ( 3 / 4 years old ) , an R500 ( 5 years old ) and an old r60e( 7 years old). My dad has my old r61e also. All the machines were used ex business laptops when I bought them and still work perfectly today , I'm on my R500 now.
The battery in my old r61e lasted over 1000 cycles and over three years of daily use and my wife tested the spill resistant keyboard with a hot coffee! Brilliant machines for the money imo.
You might want to think about an external hard disk if you want the speed of a solid state disk as it would not give you the capacity you need for lots of films.
We currently a thinkpad L412 ( 3 / 4 years old ) , an R500 ( 5 years old ) and an old r60e( 7 years old). My dad has my old r61e also. All the machines were used ex business laptops when I bought them and still work perfectly today , I'm on my R500 now.
The battery in my old r61e lasted over 1000 cycles and over three years of daily use and my wife tested the spill resistant keyboard with a hot coffee! Brilliant machines for the money imo.
Edited by nickofh on Monday 11th August 23:09
nickofh said:
If you want to go down the route of a new machine I personally suggest a Lenovo Thinkpad. Your budget will easily get you an brand new L Series Thinkpad, I5 processor and a lightening fast solid state drive. All this will easily meet your requirements and should easily last 5+ years.
You might want to think about an external hard disk if you want the speed of a solid state disk as it would not give you the capacity you need for lots of films.
We currently a thinkpad L412 ( 3 / 4 years old ) , an R500 ( 5 years old ) and an old r60e( 7 years old). My dad has my old r61e also. All the machines were used ex business laptops when I bought them and still work perfectly today , I'm on my R500 now.
The battery in my old r61e lasted over 1000 cycles and over three years of daily use and my wife tested the spill resistant keyboard with a hot coffee! Brilliant machines for the money imo.
Wasn't really aware of the brand but searched them up and will definetly look into it more, Crazy how tough some of the laptops on there are and I like how secure they seem, a contender vs a MacBook. Thanks!You might want to think about an external hard disk if you want the speed of a solid state disk as it would not give you the capacity you need for lots of films.
We currently a thinkpad L412 ( 3 / 4 years old ) , an R500 ( 5 years old ) and an old r60e( 7 years old). My dad has my old r61e also. All the machines were used ex business laptops when I bought them and still work perfectly today , I'm on my R500 now.
The battery in my old r61e lasted over 1000 cycles and over three years of daily use and my wife tested the spill resistant keyboard with a hot coffee! Brilliant machines for the money imo.
Edited by nickofh on Monday 11th August 23:09
Been very pleased with my samsung, so I'd deffo look into that if I was looking for a new one, they've got something for nearly every budget.
As for the MBA, it's a nice packaging and an ok machine, though mainly nice packaging. The MBPR (Macbook Pro Retina) is worth considering, IMHO if you're going down the Apple route it's the only one worth considering (I'd go for the 13", but that's your pick).
Lenovo is a very robust brand, a lot of businesses trust in them and that's saying something as these are the "people" that often go through hundreds of laptops a year. Their machines are quite pricey (still sub Apple most of the time though), and not as slim in packaging. But they make up for that in excellent performance (a lot better cooling than most ultrabooks), and a large number of connections compared to other ultrabooks. I've recently had my hands on a batch of T440s, 14" ultrabook and these are a couple of key points compared to the competition for me:
If you chose to go down the Apple route keep in mind that there's a bit of a learning curve, but the same goes if you move to windows 8.1 (though less).
Oh, and if you like the look and screen of Macbooks, have a look at the Asus laptops.
As for the MBA, it's a nice packaging and an ok machine, though mainly nice packaging. The MBPR (Macbook Pro Retina) is worth considering, IMHO if you're going down the Apple route it's the only one worth considering (I'd go for the 13", but that's your pick).
Lenovo is a very robust brand, a lot of businesses trust in them and that's saying something as these are the "people" that often go through hundreds of laptops a year. Their machines are quite pricey (still sub Apple most of the time though), and not as slim in packaging. But they make up for that in excellent performance (a lot better cooling than most ultrabooks), and a large number of connections compared to other ultrabooks. I've recently had my hands on a batch of T440s, 14" ultrabook and these are a couple of key points compared to the competition for me:
- the keyboard is the nicest you'll find on a laptop
- it's pretty compact and feels like it'll last ages and won't scratch easily like my alu Samsung or Macbook
- Got 3 USB ports, while a lot of ultrabooks come with only two
- Got a full network port (other brands require an adaptor or USB port)
- Full size VGA AND full size displayport (again, otherwise you'll be using adaptors)
If you chose to go down the Apple route keep in mind that there's a bit of a learning curve, but the same goes if you move to windows 8.1 (though less).
Oh, and if you like the look and screen of Macbooks, have a look at the Asus laptops.
TheCarFather said:
Wasn't really aware of the brand but searched them up and will definetly look into it more, Crazy how tough some of the laptops on there are and I like how secure they seem, a contender vs a MacBook. Thanks!
Happy to make a suggestion! If it makes you feel a bit better about the brand , the Thinkpad line of laptops used to be owned my IBM many years ago and were pretty much the best made laptops in the world. Lenovo bought them out but in my experience they seem to have kept the brand to its high standard. If they are good enough for NASA .....................
Good luck with your choice.....
Thanks for all the feedback, after looking at specs etc it looks like if going apple the macbook pro with retina looks the best bet and at well over £1000 I'm not sure if I can justify that for what will be predominately home use, I'll take look at Samsung as well but at the moment I'm leaning towards the lenvo think pad range
TheCarFather said:
Thanks for all the feedback, after looking at specs etc it looks like if going apple the macbook pro with retina looks the best bet and at well over £1000 I'm not sure if I can justify that for what will be predominately home use, I'll take look at Samsung as well but at the moment I'm leaning towards the lenvo think pad range
Don't forget Asus, quality stuff as well.A good shout is this refurbished one from asus themselves: http://eshop.asus.com/en-GB/refurbished/refurbishe...
Also, the Macbook comes with an SSD, which imho is a must-have. The minimum 13" MBPR to have is the one with 256GB hdd, wich starts at £1200 iirc.
Cheaper Macbook air: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B00DCR3SP...
I'm told that it's safe to buy as Amazon wait weeks before passing on your money to the third party so no delivery disputes
The machine may have a US keyboard but Apple's warranty is world-wide - so not an issue.
But:
- Machines come with 4Mb RAM (not upgradeable). You might want to get an 8Gb machine from Apple for future proofing.
- SSD is only 128GB but this *is* upgradeable at reasonable cost.
I'm told that it's safe to buy as Amazon wait weeks before passing on your money to the third party so no delivery disputes
The machine may have a US keyboard but Apple's warranty is world-wide - so not an issue.
But:
- Machines come with 4Mb RAM (not upgradeable). You might want to get an 8Gb machine from Apple for future proofing.
- SSD is only 128GB but this *is* upgradeable at reasonable cost.
[quote=ZesPak]
Don't forget Asus, quality stuff as well.
I also share this opinion. If I wasn't so pleased with thinkpads or indeed if the price were right I would be on an Asus. I have had their component parts before - mainly motherboards , in the past when I used to build my own desktops and they never failed me even though they ran night and day for many years.
If you didn't want to go brand new you could easily get a solid thinkpad for £250 that will last a good few years and meet your requirements.
Don't forget Asus, quality stuff as well.
I also share this opinion. If I wasn't so pleased with thinkpads or indeed if the price were right I would be on an Asus. I have had their component parts before - mainly motherboards , in the past when I used to build my own desktops and they never failed me even though they ran night and day for many years.
If you didn't want to go brand new you could easily get a solid thinkpad for £250 that will last a good few years and meet your requirements.
TheCarFather said:
I was silly enough to buy a NetBook or 'ultra-book' in January for about £250 and it has been the worst purchase ever, it is stupidly slow, so much so that I use my phone for everything now, which isn't ideal.
If I get a laptop it needs to be fast for basic things such as browsing the internet, emails and Microsoft word.
I was looking into a MacBook Air because of the battery life, the retina display and also because i think it'd be the best choice for photography which is something that I want to get into.
It'd also be nice if it could run basic games with ease and could store all my films on.
Price doesn't really concern me as long as it's under £800 as I'd rather not have to get a new laptop for 5 years+ after this purchase
Thanks!
As much as I like Apple stuff, I'm not sure a MacBook Air would be the best for what you want. Under £800 you'd be looking at the 11" screen, which isn't thebest of editing and it doesn't have a lot of storage for films etc.If I get a laptop it needs to be fast for basic things such as browsing the internet, emails and Microsoft word.
I was looking into a MacBook Air because of the battery life, the retina display and also because i think it'd be the best choice for photography which is something that I want to get into.
It'd also be nice if it could run basic games with ease and could store all my films on.
Price doesn't really concern me as long as it's under £800 as I'd rather not have to get a new laptop for 5 years+ after this purchase
Thanks!
Craikeybaby said:
As much as I like Apple stuff, I'm not sure a MacBook Air would be the best for what you want. Under £800 you'd be looking at the 11" screen, which isn't thebest of editing and it doesn't have a lot of storage for films etc.
You can get a 13" from the refurb store for less than 800 - £679 for the mid 2013 model, £719 for the 2014 model.If you know anyone going to the US, you can get the same refurb 13" with change from £500.
As an aside, having the base model (128GB) isn't really an issue if you have a 13" - a 128Gb Jetdrive Lite is $80 (or £64 in the uk), sits in the SD slot permanently and has 95mb/s read and 60mb/s write speed, so a very cost effective method of media storage / expansion.
I am no apple fanboy, but the macbook air as a whole package is hard to top - battery life and (lack of) weight is a massive factor.
Edited by GCH on Wednesday 13th August 12:06
I got an Ultrabook last year, didn't want a macbook so got one of these:
http://www.dinopc.com/shop/pc/Pegasus-13-3-GTX-765...
Albeit i specced with an mSata SSD which is a must. It's been fantastic, and there's a new model out now Clevo W230SS but they seem to sell more in the US than here.
http://www.dinopc.com/shop/pc/Pegasus-13-3-GTX-765...
Albeit i specced with an mSata SSD which is a must. It's been fantastic, and there's a new model out now Clevo W230SS but they seem to sell more in the US than here.
GregK2 said:
I got an Ultrabook last year, didn't want a macbook so got one of these:
http://www.dinopc.com/shop/pc/Pegasus-13-3-GTX-765...
Albeit i specced with an mSata SSD which is a must. It's been fantastic, and there's a new model out now Clevo W230SS but they seem to sell more in the US than here.
Sorry, but that doesn't look like an Ultrabook, how thick is that?http://www.dinopc.com/shop/pc/Pegasus-13-3-GTX-765...
Albeit i specced with an mSata SSD which is a must. It's been fantastic, and there's a new model out now Clevo W230SS but they seem to sell more in the US than here.
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