Choice Between Two Notebooks

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The Adonis

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Hi, I've been looking around for a good notebook costing around R4000-R6000. I'll be using it mainly for word-processing etc at varsity and I'd like it to be small/light and quite fast, with a decent battery and a comfortable keyboard. If possible, some decent graphics wouldn't hurt (within the limits of a notebook of course!) :)

At this stage, I've brought it down to 2 devices:
-The Sony Vaio VPC-YB35AG (http://www.sony-asia.com/product/vpcyb35ag?site=hp_en_ZA_i)
-The HP Pavilion dm1-4051si (http://www8.hp.com/za/en/products/laptops/product-detail.html?oid=5204619)

The Vaio goes for R4285.00 and I can't find the price of the HP (but I imagine it should be similar- can anyone find a price for this please?)

Does anyone have any history with these devices? What do you guys suggest? Do you have any other notebooks in mind that you think are better than the ones mentioned above? Please let me know!
 
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Don't forget to take weight into account.

I decided not to listen and go for a 17" i7 monster and regret the decision everyday I have to take my laptop in. Varsity = lot of walking and for that you want to go as light as possible within your desired specs.
 
The E-450 CPU isn't that great when you compare it with like an Intel i3 380M CPU. Like on Monday DionWired had a special on a LG 15.6" laptop (Intel Core i3-390M, 2GB RAM, Windows Home Basic, 320GB HDD) for R3000.

Unfortunately I can't find that HP laptop, that you're interested in, locally. It would probably cost you like R5k or more.

I'm not fond of the Windows Starter Edition that comes with the Sony VAIO. It also lacks digital video outputs. Otherwise it seems like a good option.

15.6" laptops are still fairly small. If you're after weight, size and speed, then you're going to pay a premium.
 
What uni are you registered at? A group of SA universities gave negotiated really cheap rates in certain models. PM me if you'd like to know more.
 
Ipwn 4 said:
Don't forget to take weight into account.

I decided not to listen and go for a 17" i7 monster and regret the decision everyday I have to take my laptop in. Varsity = lot of walking and for that you want to go as light as possible within your desired specs.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the advice- yes, I totally agree. Although a large notebook would be great, a smaller one would definitely be more convenient for varsity and I always have my home pc to give me what I need reg. high specs :P

Pada said:
The E-450 CPU isn't that great when you compare it with like an Intel i3 380M CPU. Like on Monday DionWired had a special on a LG 15.6" laptop (Intel Core i3-390M, 2GB RAM, Windows Home Basic, 320GB HDD) for R3000.

Unfortunately I can't find that HP laptop, that you're interested in, locally. It would probably cost you like R5k or more.

I'm not fond of the Windows Starter Edition that comes with the Sony VAIO. It also lacks digital video outputs. Otherwise it seems like a good option.

15.6" laptops are still fairly small. If you're after weight, size and speed, then you're going to pay a premium.
Click to expand...
I agree about the E-450, it's def not in the league of an i3...my only issue is the size/weight of most Pentium processors out there within my price range...I guess 15.6" isn't too big, but they're def quite a bit heavier. That's a great price for the LG- I see they now have it for R3599.00 (but then again, it weights 2.49 kg, as opposed to the Vaio's 1.46Kg) :(

Hmm, for 5 grand or more, doesn't really seem worth it for the HP with it's specs...Think I'll pass on that one then...

It's a really tough call for me now...The Starter Edition is not an issue though- I have an unused Win7 Professional Licence. I guess not having the digital output is not the end of the world either. Thanks for all your help, man! If you can think of anything else, please let me know.

Ghost29 said:
What uni are you registered at? A group of SA universities gave negotiated really cheap rates in certain models. PM me if you'd like to know more.
Click to expand...
Thanks! PM sent :)

If you guys have any other suggestions for notebooks up to R6000, I'd really appreciate it! If not, I guess I'll go for the Vaio. Thanks again for all your trouble- I really appreciate it!
 
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Hey guys, I've thought about it and I'm willing to go up to R7000 for the notebook...Preferably, I'd like the device under 2kg though- that's more important than screen size for me :) Please let me know if you have any advice!

Edit: I found a Lenovo X201 for R6,299...What do you guys think? Specs are as follows:
-Intel Core i5 560M Processor (2.66 GHz)
-12.1 inch Display
-320 GB Hard Drive (7,200 rpm)
-Has Optical Drive and Card Reader
-4GB DD3 Ram (max up to 8)
-Usual Bluetooth, Wifi Specs.
-2MP Built-In Webcam and microphone
-6 Cell Battery (apparently approx 7h18m life)
-Kensington Lock
-Fingerprint Reader + Facial Recognition
-Physical Dimensions: Width 295 mm Depth 210 mm Height 35 mm Weight 1.47 kg
-Apparently it runs quite hot though...not a big deal I don't think

Lenovo_Thinkpad_X201.jpg


Do you think I should go for this Lenovo, for the Vaio, or for something else within my price range? Like I wrote before, I'd like it to:
-cost no more than R6000,00
-be small (no larger than 15.6")
-be light (under 2Kg)
-be as fast as possible
-have a decent battery life
-have a comfortable keyboard
-have decent graphics (within limitations of an ultrabook/notebook)

Thanks for all the trouble guys!
 
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Thanks, the Lenovo it shall be then. One question though- can you please tell me why the price is so low for it? Is there a particular reason/issue with the device that has resulted in it being sold for so much less than the original value?

teraside said:
I have this Lenovo on promo until 23 December: http://shop.doctorit.za.net/laptops-notebooks/124-lenovo-thinkpad-b570-i5-notebook.html

Might save you a bit of bucks?
Click to expand...

Thanks, that's a great deal too man...what is the weight of that Lenovo you have there please?
Edit: I see that it's around 2.2kg-2.4kg...that's a little too heavy for me unfortunately. A def option if it was a little lighter...
 
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Another option is the Asus 1215B. It also has an E-450 CPU though.

The question, what do you need that would really tax an E-450?

If you are doing software development, I would go for something with at least a core i3. If not, the E-450 will be fine.
 
They both look great, but im not so sure about AMD processors, the best AMD gets beaten by i3 2nd-Gen. Any of those laptops should be fine.

The HP warranties are scary, only 1 year.
 
I would go for the AMD before the i3 - the Llano CPU / APU has way better Graphics, give Intel a bit of HD and watch them fall apart
 
Another option would be something like this

Lenovo Thinkpad Edge E420 Series NZ14AZA (1141-4AG) Black Notebook,
Intel Core i3 Sandy Bridge Dual Core i3-2310M 2.1Ghz 3MB L3 Cache Processor,
4096MB DDR3-1333 SO-Dimm Memory (1x4096),
500GB 7200rpm SATA Hard Drive, DVD Writer optical drive,
14" WXGA HD (1366 x 768 resolution) Non Gloss Type LED Backlit Display, Intel HD graphics,
802.11b/g/n Wireless Lan, 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN,
Bluetooth, Webcam, 6 Cell Battery, Fingerprint Reader, HDMI output,
1.9 kg, Microsoft Windows 7 Professional Edition 64bit, 1 Year Carry in warranty
 
Lifebook T1010

Fujitsu Lifebook T1010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYP0QRrf5qM

I think this laptop would be perfect for a student. It's not a log to carry around.
It has a 13.3" TFT non-glare screen.

Sometimes you want to lay back and study after a long day or just read through material which might be on your laptop.
This laptops ability change into a tablet makes this more comfortable.

PM me if you want a good deal on this. It falls within your budget.
 
Thanks for all the points guys. I eventually decided on the Lenovo x201 and purchased it on the 16th- the great price was indeed due to the discontinuation of the model. I received it 2 working days after placing my order and I love everything about it- it's light, fast, and has a great warranty to match. Thanks for the other offers posted- I have a few friends also looking for some notebooks in the same price-range, so I'll let them know what you guys have available. Cheers!
 
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