Looking for a performance laptop £600-£800

peterc_21

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Dec 26, 2011
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Hi all,
I work in programming and web development and I'm trying to get ideas for buying new laptop for both work and personal use. I'm sorely tempted by an SSD, but to cut down costs I want to go for an small SSD to run my OS and applications and a regular HDD for file storage. I would like to know if there are any good pre-built options or where I could get a good customised laptop from in the UK.

1. What is your budget?
£600-£800

2. What is the size of the notebook that you are considering?
Not important

3. What screen resolution do you want?
Not important

4. Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop?
Desktop replacement

5. How much battery life do you need?
2+ hours active use

6. Do you want to play games with your laptop? If so then please list the games that you want to with the settings that you want for these games. (Low,Medium or High)?
No

7. What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? (Photo/Video editing, Etc.)
I need a good multi-tasker - able to run virtual machines and multiple applications (visual studio, SQL server etc...) together smoothly

8. How much storage (Hard Drive capacity) do you need?
SSD: 64-128 GB; 2nd HDD: 500+ GB

9. If you are considering specific sites to buy from, please post their links.
N/A

10. How long do you want to keep your laptop?
3 years min

11. What kind of Optical drive do you need? DVD ROM/Writer,Bluray ROM/Writer,Etc ?
If there is space then just a DVD ROM/Writer, otherwise can get external drive

12. Please tell us about the brands that you prefer to buy from them and the brands that you don't like and explain the reasons.
For work purposes it must be a Windows machine. Have bought from Dell before and find them generally reliable.

13. What country do you live in?
UK

14. Please tell us any additional information if needed.
 
That would mean going with a 17" notebook. It's a decent choice if the size/weight isn't an issue for you.
The default 1600x900 resolution (vs 1366x768 res) is an a really nice bonus IMO.
You'll keep your overall costs much lower by buying the SSD in the aftermarket and installing it yourself.

One option:
HP ProBook 4730s £660
Core i5-2430M (2.4GHz) CPU, 4GB RAM, 640GB HDD, 17.3" 1600x900 anti-glare LCD w/ Radeon HD 6940 graphics card.
Crucial M4 64GB M4 SSD £81

 

nero912

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Nov 6, 2011
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its hd 6490 not 6940 -.-
I recomend:
http://www.amazon.com/Acer-AS7750G-6669-17-3-Inch-Laptop-Black/dp/B005J2JOEC/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1324704238&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-08622ZU-15-6-Inch-Laptop-Black/dp/B005NHPJUG/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1325083181&sr=1-1