Forum Home
Press F1
 
Thread ID: 118321 2011-05-30 07:44:00 laptop - this one any good ? globe (11482) Press F1
Post ID Timestamp Content User
1205635 2011-05-30 07:44:00 www.playtech.co.nz

Seems good value compared to the prices I've seen at other shops. Would want it for light photoshop, web, email and occasional gaming (something like GTA4).

Cheers
globe (11482)
1205636 2011-05-30 08:00:00 Looks good, an i5 for that price is a bargain, especially an Asus.

:pf1mobmini:
jwil1 (65)
1205637 2011-05-30 08:56:00 So these are the specs for the laptop

1 Year Global Warranty
Win7 Home Premium 64Bit
Intel® i5 2410M 2.3GHz (Turbo up to 2.9GHz, 3M)
1x DDR3 1333 4GB
640G 5400rpm SATA
DVD-SuperMulti
Bluetooth V2.1+EDR
6 Cell / 5200mAh
15.6" LED 1366 x 768
Intel® HM65 Chipset
NVidia GT540 1G DDR3 VRAM
0.3M Webcam
Altec Lansing® speakers, SRS Premium Sound
802.11 b/g/n, Gigabit LAN
90W adaptor
2.62kg, 38.0(W) x 25.5(D) x 3.40
3.56 (H) cm
Card Reader (SD, MMC, MS)
3x USB 2.0
1x Microphone-in jack, 1x Headphone-out jack, 1x RJ45 LAN Jack for LAN insert, 1x VGA Port (D-Sub), 1x HDMI

all up $1120.

Now I have a quote to build this desktop for $1275

AMD Phenom II X2 555 Black Edition 3.2Ghz
ASUS M4A87TD/USB3 AMD870 AM3 DDR3 USB3 PCI-E
2x Corsair VS2GB1333D32GB Value Select
LG GH-22LS50 22X LightScribe Black SATA DVD Writer
Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB SATA III
Gigabyte nVidia Geforce GT430 1GB GDDR5 PCI-E
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64Bit OEM
Antec NSK4482B Black Mid Tower Case w/ 380W PSU
Standard Hardware installation and configuration + OS install
LG W2353V-PF 23" 2ms 1080P Full HD Monitor

or this desktop for $1460

AMD Phenom II X4 840 Processor 3.2Ghz AM3
ASUS M4A87TD/USB3 AMD870 AM3 DDR3 USB3 PCI-E
Kingston HyperX 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3-1600 Kit CL9
LG GH-22LS50 22X LightScribe Black SATA DVD Writer
Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 32MB 7200rpm SATAII
ASUS Geforce ENGTS450 DirectCU OC 1GB GDDR5 PCI-E
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64Bit OEM
Standard Hardware installation and configuration + OS instal
Microsoft Wired Desktop 600
LG W2353V-PF 23" 2ms 1080P Full HD Monitor


So my question is this if some one could help.

Is the laptop a significant drop in performance on the lower priced desktop ? And is the more expensive desktop worth the extra $200. I was hoping not to spend that much on a desktop but if it is way ahead in the game then i'd consider it.

One last question is are the two desktops easily upgradable ? i.e. do they have plenty of room to add better graphics cards etc if i chose to at a later date or are they pretty much maxed out on this build.

Thanks in advance.
globe (11482)
1205638 2011-05-30 09:32:00 One last question is are the two desktops easily upgradable ? i.e. do they have plenty of room to add better graphics cards etc if i chose to at a later date or are they pretty much maxed out on this build.


Desktops are always upgradable, easily you can change the GPU later. It's the whole point of desktops.
Laptops - you're stuck with it and if it becomes lame later - well you throw it away and buy another.

Desktops - mine just evolve - I haven't bought/built an entire machine in years and years - I just change stuff every now and then.

The biggest upgrade is CPU - you generally have to do CPU, motherboard and RAM in one go. But so? You can, so of course why not.

The one thing I would avoid - bundled with case PSUs. Make sure it's a decent reliable brand and grunty enough for future parts, not just enough to cover whats in it.
pctek (84)
1205639 2011-05-30 10:10:00 If you use the code ptbday10 you can get 10% off a laptop.
Deal ends 31/5/2011!

:pf1mobmini:
CYaBro (73)
1205640 2011-05-30 10:25:00 If you use the code ptbday10 you can get 10% off a laptop.
Deal ends 31/5/2011!

:pf1mobmini:

yeah I saw that just now - makes it a pretty good deal.

But in terms of spec is the cheaper desktop considerably better than the laptop ? cheers
globe (11482)
1205641 2011-05-30 20:33:00 Considerably? Hugely? No.
Some? well, yes. Because it's a desktop and not mobile chips.
But 6 months later - which will be the better idea? 1 year later?
pctek (84)
1