Opinion on Laptop?

[neddy]

I'm looking at getting a new laptop, and would really appreciate your opinions please.

The one that takes my fancy is the new Dell Vostro 3750 - 17.3 inch screen.

http://www.dell.com/au/business/p/vostro-3750/pd?oc=u5203d3au&model_id=vostro-3750

It's on special for a few days @ $1098 delivered.

Any thoughts, opinions or other recommendations please?
.

 

[djuqa]

Laptop == TOSHIBA
No other maker comes even close.
Satellite P750/02L similiar specs (15.6in screen only difference)
also on special 1099$ at WOW superstores
(Disclaimer: This is being typed on TOSHIBA i5 Laptop)

 

[Nova]

Laptop == TOSHIBA
No other maker comes even close.

Ha, the two Toshiba's I've owned have both died after about 18 months of very standard usage.

Asus is now my preferred brand and I've since never had an issue (touch wood).

NB: neddy, I think that laptop is a good price for the specs it has.

 

[Link]

Hey Ned,

I have used a Dell Studio for 2.5 years and it's still going really well. I use it as my office computer all day every day. The specs on that model look very good for the price.

There was an issue in the early days with my screen so they sent a tech to my office to fix it - I was impressed!

If you do buy it, Dell is one of our partners on SchoolBuy.com.au. You still get the special price and you can nominate your favourite school to receive 4.5% of the purchase amount. Based on $1,099 it will be about $50 - so a decent donation for a school while you are getting a great deal

It's all cool if you don't use SchoolBuy, I just wanted to give you the option. Enjoy your new laptop!

Luke

 

[neddy]

If you do buy it, Dell is one of our partners on SchoolBuy.com.au. You still get the special price and you can nominate your favourite school to receive 4.5% of the purchase amount. Based on $1,099 it will be about $50 - so a decent donation for a school while you are getting a great deal

It's all cool if you don't use SchoolBuy, I just wanted to give you the option. Enjoy your new laptop!

Hi Luke - very happy to do that. That is a great project of yours, and it is win / win / win!

However, I tried to buy, but that product doesn't seem to be available on your link? It just has home and home/office - no Vostro's. Maybe because the model I want is on super special already?

Can you have a look please and tell me if I'm doing something wrong?

Cheers, Ned

 

[Chris.C]

Ha, the two Toshiba's I've owned have both died after about 18 months of very standard usage.

Asus is now my preferred brand and I've since never had an issue (touch wood).

My current Asus is also about 2 years old and going strong, it's the second asus I have bought, prior to my first one I had a samsung.

Asus in my experience seems to offer good value for money.

I too opted for a 17" but in hindsight I might move back to something closer to 15" in the future due to the fact that big screen normally means poor battery life (and asus aren't generally known for their battery life to begin with).

Otherwise the laptop you are looking at looks pretty reasonable.

 

[Link]

Hi Luke - very happy to do that. That is a great project of yours, and it is win / win / win!

However, I tried to buy, but that product doesn't seem to be available on your link? It just has home and home/office - no Vostro's. Maybe because the model I want is on super special already?

Can you have a look please and tell me if I'm doing something wrong?

Cheers, Ned

Hi Ned, thanks for supporting the concept We're starting to get schools on-board and people using it which is great.

If you have already nominated the school you want to support and clicked from the SchoolBuy site to Dell, then:

• Click the Dell logo in the top left corner to go back to the Dell homepage
• Go to the Small and Medium Business option in the navigation menu up the top
• Select "Popular Deals"
• You'll see your Vostro 3750 on super special for $1,099
• Go ahead and purchase whenever you're ready

Hope that makes sense, if you have any more questions, let me know!

Cheers,

Luke

 

[sp@rky13]

Neddy is there a reason you're going for a 17" I mean honestly (my opinion) if you need something portable, 17" is too big to do that and if you want something for home use then why get a laptop. This is my feeling.

I would recommend going with a 15" and if you want a bigger monitor for home use then get an external monitor for home/work.

What are you actually wanting to do with it? I mean, I presume the usual domaining stuff but what features would be good. Note: The battery life on a 17" will be woeful.

 

[neddy]

Neddy is there a reason you're going for a 17" I mean honestly (my opinion) if you need something portable, 17" is too big to do that and if you want something for home use then why get a laptop. This is my feeling.

Thanks Sparky - all good points that you make.

With my advancing years, I prefer to have a bigger screen.

I'm also going to be doing some travelling, so I won't being using my PC. I don't imagine I will be ever too far away from a power point.
.

 

[sp@rky13]

No problem then Only issue with 17"s is that they are rather heavy and annoying to lug around though if you want the bigger screen then go for it. Also, a site to check out is lfo (laptop factory outlet)

EDIT: You're in Melbourne so scratch that though I think it's $25 shipping so still may be cheaper. I'll have a look now

 

[sp@rky13]

Ok, from the quick look I had, you may be able to find something cheaper with the same specs but you'll be looking at a brand such as Samsung which I would only recommend for a netbook.

The only suggestion I have would be to head into a store that has one of these laptops or any 17" to be honest, to ensure 17" will be fine.

Another thing is, the computer you are looking at will do every thing you need multiplied by 10 (that's only a slight exageration). You haven't given much indication as to what you'll use it for but you could easily go with an i5 with 4GB of ram and a 320GB HDD (unless you store a lot of stuff). The reason I say this is that that $200 you'd save would probably mean that you could fund the case etc. The other thing to consider is that in 1 years time your laptop will be worth like 30% of what you bought it for. Buy for what you will need for the next year and maybe next 2 and then buy a new laptop. It may not be as cheap but laptops are not built to last anymore.

Sorry for the long post. I'm gonna have a look on the dell site for a bit and see if I get anywhere.

EDIT: Had a look on the dell website and that's the cheapest 17". The other brand I would recommend looking at is HP as they often have slimmer designs whereas Toshiba is really good but normally chunkier.

 

[neddy]

The other thing to consider is that in 1 years time your laptop will be worth like 30% of what you bought it for. Buy for what you will need for the next year and maybe next 2 and then buy a new laptop. It may not be as cheap but laptops are not built to last anymore.

Sorry for the long post. I'm gonna have a look on the dell site for a bit and see if I get anywhere.

EDIT: Had a look on the dell website and that's the cheapest 17". The other brand I would recommend looking at is HP as they often have slimmer designs whereas Toshiba is really good but normally chunkier.

Thanks Sparky. All good advice again.

I had a look for a Toshiba, and found this on eBay. http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=360379446603&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

The seller says it is the latest model, but I think it has been discontinued. Not that I really care about that - it still has warranty and seems cheap @ $845 including delivery. That's about $250 cheaper than the Dell. It is also a 17" screen / i5.

Would you mind giving me your opinion please Sparky (in comparison to Dell)?

Thanks!

 

[sp@rky13]

No problem.

To start with, the CPU (processor) is much slower. Firstly it is an i5 as opposed to an i7. Also, it is 2.26GHz though is 2.53GHz with turbo boost. Everything else is fairly similar though the graphics is different. This CPU also (I believe though can't guarantee) is one generation old, aka first generation which means it may be slower because of that as well. In terms of the CPU this is a similar CPU to what's on this computer if not the exact same.

Another thing to note is that this computer's 3.2kg as opposed to 3.

I can't find this computer on the Toshiba website so I can't be definite about the graphics. I'm guessing that it's slower even though it has more memory.

Overall, saving $200 on this computer may well be worth it. Basically, you are ending up with a slower CPU but unless you plan to do much video or photo editing or gaming or anything intense this shouldn't be an issue. You definitely are getting a slower computer with this but saving $200 may well be worth it.

I hope this helps. I really don't know which one I would recommend going with but there's some thoughts