value for money laptop, low budget

[danlightbulb]

My laptop is in dire need of replacement. It won't even play a video file now without jumping around and the sound cutting out. the screen flickers green and white because it's fcked, and the thing gets red hot when in use. I estimate it's between 7 and 9 years old. I did ditch windows and install linux in an attempt to lighten the system load, which didn't work. The thing is screwed.

I use it for watching video, office applications, internet browsing, the odd basic game. Sometimes I have to encode video into an alternate format to play on the xbox, sometimes I manipulate some images in a basic way. So whilst I don't need anything overly powerful it would still be nice to have it a little future proof as I will want to keep it 5 years or more.

Although I want a laptop, it never moves, so I want a 17" screen with a decent keyboard and in built mouse pad. Weight is not important.

Regarding the budget, I really don't want to pay much. I just can't justify it given that I am trying to save for a house. So I'm looking for value for money, the best I can get for my buck, in the sub £500 range and ideally sub £400. I have heard reconditioned suggested but not sure about this nor where to get them from.

Does anyone have any value for money budget suggestions? There are so many suppliers all offering slightly different spec variations I am not sure where to go. Its also so tempting to keep looking at the next model or two up even though they exceed my desired budget.

I'm also thinking having it on finance would be better, as I'd rather pay £20 a month than outlay £500 in cash. Does anyone offer finance on laptops any more?


EDIT 2nd May - updated requirements

My original sub £500 budget was unrealistic for what I want. So I am now looking for a laptop around the £600 mark that meets these requirements:

• full HD resolution 15.6" or 17.3" screen
• minimum i5 processor
• geforce 940 graphics or higher (want to run flight sims)
• SSD storage preferred but ability to add one later if standard HDD equipped.
• decent sound

Edited by danlightbulb on Monday 2nd May 14:29

[danlightbulb]

l354uge said:

A used/refurb Thinkpad W series or HP elitebook.

Not very portable but very powerful and sturdy.

Any links where to get refurbished kit from?

[danlightbulb]

Not sure if the link is correct but the description says its 1920*1080 display? It is a good price though, but I did really want 17" screen as it only ever lives in my living room.

I'm also wondering whether I should be looking for a graphics card.

[danlightbulb]

RobDickinson said:

You want a laptop that doesnt travel , ever?

Yep. I don't have room in my house for a desktop. So the laptop lives on a small coffee table near my sofa when I'm using it, and folded up on the sideboard when I'm not.

[danlightbulb]

Know of anywhere that might offer low rate or 0% finance? I looked at pcspecialist but their finance is 29% APR. At 0% over 3 years I could get something in the £500+ range for less than £20 a month which I wouldn't really miss. I thought Dell did finance but it would seem they don't any more.

I could potentially find a 0% credit card to put it on.

What would be the best option if I was to budget £500?

Edited by danlightbulb on Wednesday 27th April 00:20

[danlightbulb]

My current 7 to 9 year old laptop has a screen res of 1440x900. I really dont want to go lower than this nor for a smaller screen size as its going backwards. I only paid about 500 for that one so im kind of surprised at the prices currently around for decent screen resolutions.

[danlightbulb]

Gonna have to increase budget i think. Circa 500 to 550. I want at least hd resolution and a 17" screen with an i5. Preferably some graphics capability either the integrated intel or a budget card.

Dell are looking about the best at the moment. Went in john lewis earlier , selection poor.

[danlightbulb]

Space is the constraint im afraid. I dont have room to keep a permanent table with a desktop on it, and i dont want to tie up the tv with a box that uses that.

[danlightbulb]

wizzard67 said:

There's some refurbished ones at Laptops Direct within your budget - http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/st/17-to-19-inch-la...

These dont seem good value to me. Savings from new are only between 10 and 20%, and they seem to only come with 3 months warranty. Alot to risk on a small price reduction.

[danlightbulb]

Any quick thoughts on acer e5-773 in pc world £529.99? Sorry cant link from phone.

Its 17.3 screen full hd. I5 6200u. 1tb hdd. 8gb ram. Intel hd 520 graphics.


Link added: http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/la...

Edited by danlightbulb on Wednesday 27th April 21:28

[danlightbulb]

Decided against the acer. Am now looking at a bit of a budget increase to around the £630 mark and this has revealed two options so far:

1. Toshiba Satellite P50-C-18K: 15.6" IPS display, i5-6200U, 16GB ram, 930M graphics, 256GB SSD. http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/la...

or

2. PCspecialist Cosmos IV: 15.6" IPS display, i5-6300HQ, 8GB ram, 940M graphics, 250GB SSD. http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/notebooks/cosmosIV-1...


Anyone got a view on which is better for the money, or any alternatives now Ive upped my budget a bit?

[danlightbulb]

dmsims said:

HP Envy 17

These are 800+ i dont want to spend that much, and prefer new.

The dell link doesnt work but ill take another look at the outlet. I dont know which will be better, a 17" hd screen or a 15" hd ips screen.

The toshiba i posted above has a few bad reviews about screen going black, so im leaning toward the cosmos iv now. Has anyone any experience with pc specialist?

[danlightbulb]

Hmm im unconvinced tbh. Thats alot of money for second hand equipment. 740m graphics vs modern 940m? Presumably an older gen i7. Software installed with no licence keys available dodgy too. May have been dropped at some stage who knows.

[danlightbulb]

Jesta - i only installed linux to try and speed up my aging laptop. It didnt work and i dont really like it either, so back to windows for sure.

Thanks to the poster above for the links. Back to 17" is a positive, but there are sacrifices in other areas. I dont know which way to go. For the sake of £50 I dont mind but all these little additions are meaning im now considering 700 laptops instead of 500 ones.

I take it there is not much experience with the pcspecialist brand?

I think the core of the issue is screen size. I wanted 17 because it is essentially a psuedo desktop, but maybe i could live with 15.6". Its hard to tell by looking at them in the shop whether i will find that too small later.

[danlightbulb]

AyBee said:

Your main complaint with the Lenovo was the screen size, so now you've increased your budget and both those examples above are the same size as the Lenovo?

Initially yes, but then i found out about ips screens and was swayed towards needing that.

Then i found out about ssd drives and was swayed that way.

Then i wondered whether integrated graphics was good enough so swayed again. Lol.

[danlightbulb]

boxxob said:

Unless you find a clearance laptop on amazon, or argos etc... or move to an allinone, then 600-700 seems like the area.

Its trying to get the best spec for that 600 to 700 though isnt it.

For a 17.3" ips screen (optimus vii) on pcspecialist im up at 750 ish, but that also includes the 960m graphics which is higher than i probably need. Still no ssd. Id rather have it with a lower graphics card and an ssd but thats not an option. The lower spec cosmos iv 17" is not ips.


The hp envy £700 that someone above linked to does have an ips screen but a lesser and older processor and a lesser graphics card. The pc specialist one therefore seems better value for money even though its £50 more.

Do i need an ips screen?

Edited by danlightbulb on Friday 29th April 13:53

[danlightbulb]

boxxob said:

...the best spec for your needs, yes

Have made your mind up about either what you need or the budget?

I think the problem is that id like a mixed combination favouring the screen and drive. But the models at this end come with better graphics by default increasing the price over what i really need.

Id like:

17" ips screen. Ssd drive. I5 quad core, 940m graphics.

[danlightbulb]

Difference between at 17.3" IPS screen and a 15.6" IPS screen is about £160.

1. 15.6" IPS Cosmos IV, i5-6300HQ, 8GB ram, GT 940M graphics, 250GB samsung SSD - £645

2. 17.3" IPS Optimus VII, i5-6300HQ, 8GB ram, GTX 960M graphics, 250GB samsung SSD - £805

3. 17.3" IPS Optimus VII Pro, i5-6440HQ, 8GB ram, GTX 965M graphics, 250GB samsung SSD - £850


or if i go for non-IPS displays:

4. 17.3" non-IPS Cosmos IV, i5-6300HQ, 8GB ram, GT 940M graphics, 250GB samsung SSD - £739


Its quite annoying actually, that if you look at item 2 and item 4, its only £65 more for both the IPS screen AND the better graphics card. All these little increments. Then its only another £45 more for the pro, although I don't think the spec increase there is worth the extra. So I would top out at item 2 I think. However item 1 may do just fine and is £160 cheaper - but the screen size is the only thing! If I add the GT 950M graphics to item 1 that makes it £725.

Ive been using a 17" screen running 1440x900 for years, would a 15.6" screen running 1920x1080 be that much of a difference for me? Its hard to tell when in the shop looking at them.


In comparison, the HP envy in pc world is a 17.3" IPS screen with an i7-6500U, GT 940 graphics, 12GB ram and a 1TB drive, and is £899.

Edited by danlightbulb on Friday 29th April 22:02

[danlightbulb]

wilbo83 said:

The only other branded alternatives I was recommended to look at (from a thread on here) were Dell 7559 with 6700hq or lenovo y50-70 i7 4720hq. 16gb ram, ssd and a 4k display both with a gtx 960m.

From a quick google search these appear to be a few hundred pounds higher than our rough price range?


It's very difficult to gauge what the good buys are. The market is flooded with branded stuff that is lower spec for the money. The toshiba I was looking at has some bad reviews also. I'm liking the look of pcspecialist in terms of spec and price but do I trust the brand?

[danlightbulb]

wilbo83 said:

You may have found this already but I found the below a good balanced review. Its never going to win any beauty awards but the spec is hard to beat at the price.

http://www.rsbport.com/pc-specialist-cosmos-iv-rev...

Thanks for the link, i hadnt found that one before. A mix of pros and cons though, but of a shame especially about the sound.


Thanks also to those posting links above. I just think a 2nd hand laptop for 120 quid with stated damage or wear is a bad idea.

There are some good laptops on dell outlet but i wouldnt say it is that cheap really. Plus i still have the issue about them not being ips displays. I cant decide whether i need this or not.