Technical help needed

B

Baileyshambles

Member
Joined
Jun 2, 2014
Messages
10
Reaction score
0
Points
0
I am looking for a new laptop circa ?400-?600 preferably with no more than 14" screen. is there any reason the below wouldn't be suitable?? I ask as this is very much sold as a "business laptop"

I keep being told get an i3 or i5 but many of these in my price range are only 1.6 or 1.8 ghz and thus under the recommended 2.2ghz spec.

Product DescriptionAcer TravelMate P243-M - 14" - Core i5 3230M - Windows 7 Pro 64-bit / 8 Pro 64-bit downgrade - 4 GB RAM - 500 GB HDDSystem TypeNotebookOperating SystemWindows 7 Pro 64-bit / 8 Pro 64-bit downgradeProcessorIntel Core i5 (3rd Gen) 3230M / 2.6 GHz ( 3.2 GHz ) / 3 MB CacheMemory4 GB DDR3Storage500 GB HDDOptical DriveDVD-WriterDisplay14" LED backlight 1366 x 768 / HDGraphicsIntel HD Graphics 4000Networking802.11n, Bluetooth 4.0 HS , Gigabit EthernetBattery6-cell - up to 3.5 hoursDimensions (WxDxH)34.2 cm x 24.5 cm x 3.41 cmWeight2.2 kg
 
Note: i only run 3/4 leagues, large database and only use the laptop or movie watching and FM, future proofing would be ideal! thanks
 
That i5 travelmate would run FM fine, but the newer version (i5-4200/4300M) would be nicer if you can find anything within budget. Also if you're looking at 13-14" most will have the U versions, the i5-4xxxU and i7-4xxxU will run FM perfectly fine as well (with several leagues), 8GB RAM might be nice if its not expandable although 4gb should be enough (more of a 'nice to have' and also thinking about the future a bit), feel free to post some links if you find any more and I'll let you know
 
 
The Acer travelmate would probably edge the others, but the U processors tend to run cooler and have better battery performance, there is this:
HP Pavilion TouchSmart 14-n055sa Refurbished 14” Touchscreen Laptop Deals | Pcworld

Which is the same as one of the above links but refurbished (and ?100 cheaper than the 'new' version) and I believe the memory is expandable to 8GB if that becomes an issue in the future.

Or there is this for ?50 more:
HP ENVY TouchSmart Refurbished 14" Touchscreen Sleekbook 4-1203sa Laptop Deals | Pcworld
Not really much difference between the two performance-wise, but they look quite different

BTW how much was the Acer travelmate?
 
The last one you suggested is pretty good value too, definitely stick with an i5/i7 3xxx/4xxx M/U
 
The acer is ?510. So if I get an I5 or I7 should I go off the turbo boost speed, as the Asus says it's only 1.7ghz and fm needs 2.2ghz. Thanks
 
The i7 3517u is dual-core 1.9ghz and will boost up to 3ghz automatically when required so it will have plenty enough power for FM, as would the i5 3230m, you should be able to run 8 leagues (if not more) comfortably with either. I've listed the processors that you should look to buy, any of which will run FM comfortably (I've put them approximately in order of performance) - but the U processors have the longer battery life (particularly the 4th gen) and tend to be more common in sub-14inch laptops, your more likely to find the top 4 in a 15.6 inch laptop.

i7 4xxxMQ
i7 4xxxM
i7 3xxxM
i5 4xxxM
i7 4xxxU
i7 3xxxU
i5 3xxxM
i5 4xxxU
i5 3xxxU

But like I said, the i5, i7, U laptops will run FM fine even though it might only be 1.7 or 1.9ghz
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

FMBase

Beta

Resources

Top