NewLaptopForWindowsXP3Refugee

[helen500]

Here are the specs for my new laptop, ordered in haste after learning some delay is expected with chassis deliveries to PC Specialist. I didn't really want a new laptop - I have been bullied by Microsoft out of my perfectly OK eBay purchase loaded with WindowsXP3.
So, being forced to move on, I have tried to optimise simplicity, speed and reliability. Not interested in gaming, fiddling with photos or films but would love instant loading of and switching between documents plus blinking quick internet searching.
The PC Specialist salesman, Matthew, was a great help with my questions and a major reason for ordering at once. He sorted the slight hitch of living in France but paying with gbp from a UK bank and pointed out that I could save money by replacing a dual core with a quad core Intel RAM.




Chassis & Display
Cosmos Series: 17.3" Matte HD+ LED 16:9 Widescreen (1600x900)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Mobile Processor i7-4700MQ (2.40GHz) 6MB
Memory (RAM)
4GB SAMSUNG 1600MHz SODIMM DDR3 MEMORY (1 x 4GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 740M - 2.0GB DDR3 Video RAM - DirectX® 11
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
120GB KINGSTON V300 SSD, SATA 6 Gb (450MB/R, 450MB/W)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
8x SATA DVD±R/RW/Dual Layer (+ 24x CD-RW)
Memory Card Reader
Internal 9 in 1 Card Reader (MMC/RSMMC/SD: Mini, XC & HC/MS: Pro & Duo)
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Wireless/Wired Networking
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® N-135 802.11N (150Mbps) + BLUETOOTH
USB Options
3 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT AS STANDARD
Battery
Cosmos Series 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (48.84WH)
Power Cable
1 x European Power Lead & 90W AC Adaptor
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence
DVD Recovery Media
Windows 7 Professional (64-bit) DVD with paper sleeve
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365
Anti-Virus
BULLGUARD INTERNET SECURITY - FREE 90 DAY TRIAL
Keyboard Language
COSMOS 17" SERIES UK KEYBOARD WITH NUMBER PAD
Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 2.0 MEGAPIXEL WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Insurance
1 Month Free Laptop Insurance inc. Accidental Damage & Theft
Delivery
2 DAY DELIVERY TO FRANCE (19 £)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 9 to 11 working days
Quantity
1

 

[keynes]

From your previous post you said you were a writer so I am assuming the most demanding application will be office? An i3 will suffice and do you require windows professional for a specific reason?

 

[mantadog]

When you say RAM do you mean CPU? I think you do as switching from a dual core to a quad core makes 100% sense if you had one of the higher clocked versions of the i5. I however would have advised you get an i3 as your not doing anything that requires any power at all, that i7 is way overkill unless you are a gamer, photo editor or plan to do any such things in the future.

The price bump from an i3 to an i7 is about £80, I would have advised you spend that elsewhere or just save ti all together.

if you can still make amendments to your order in your account without penalty I would do the following.

1. Drop the CPU to an i3-4000M, it will do everything you need and loads more. the i7 is a beastly chip that is for gaming and video editing really. Sorry to say but you have been upsold here when you should have been down sold, but I know exactly why he did it. it wont have been to rip you off it was more likely because you had a high clock speed i5 and the i7 gives genuinely more performance but you can get away with the i3 easily.

2. Upgrade the drive to the Kingston Hyper x 120Gb SSD, I really like this drive. The one you have is a kind of budget option, if possible the hyper x, intel 530 or the Samsung 840 is better.

Everything else looks spot on though.

 

[Stephen M]

How important are Microsoft Office and other programmes to you? If your only concern is the end of support to XP why not go for a Linux Distro, something like Zorin is designed for people migrating from Windows, plus there are many other easy to use Distros. Things like Libre Office do everything that Microsoft does but are free, although while Libre can open Microsoft document the opposite is not the case, so that could be a problem.
I would certainly consider the Linux route, there are things like WINE and some emulators that allow Linux Distros to use Microsoft stuff, plus you have the immediate saving of not having to buy an operating system.

 

[helen500]

Yes, Office is the main application. I ordered Windows 7 Pro because it has the longer support time left and because I was told I could run a virtual XP3 over it.

 

[helen500]

This all sounds useful and I will be trying to amend the order which is still at the pre production stage. But I am a bit confused now about CPU and RAM - I thought the processor was simply rated by speed and had 6 MB available to shunt its data around while the RAM was a different piece of hardware used to store the stuff sorted by the CPU while the pc was in use.

 

[helen500]

Love the sound of the Linux option, loathe the idea of spending any MORE time on learning how to use different software. I even considered Apple as a means of escaping MS but it all comes down to, "better the devil you know". I have tried Open Office as an alternative but found it really clumsy compared to the MS Office. I didn't know Linux had become more user friendly and will be taking a closer look.

 

[Cadwah]

Yeah, definitely seems like an upsell... I see no requirements for a graphics card at all and I'm not sure what your budget is but something like this would be better, you could even make it cheaper by moving away from the i7 and having just one main HDD.

Chassis & Display
UltraNote: 15.6" Matte Full HD LED Backlit Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Mobile Processor i7-4702MQ (2.20GHz) 6MB
Memory (RAM)
4GB KINGSTON HYPER-X GENESIS 1600MHz SODIMM DDR3 (2 x 2GB)
Graphics Card
INTEL® HD GRAPHICS MEDIA ACCELERATOR 4600
Memory - Hard Disk
750GB WD SCORPIO BLACK WD7500BPKX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 16MB CACHE (7200 rpm)
mSATA SSD Drive
120GB INTEL® 525 mSATA MLC SSD (upto 550MB/sR | 520MB/sW)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
UltraNote Series: 8x SATA DVD±R/RW/Dual Layer (+ 24x CD-RW)
Memory Card Reader
Internal 9 in 1 Card Reader (MMC/RSMMC/SD: Mini, XC & HC/MS: Pro & Duo)
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND (£9)
Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® N-7260 (300Mbps, 802.11BGN) + BLUETOOTH
USB Options
2 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS AS STANDARD
Battery
UltraNote Series 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (62.16WH) (Up to 7 Hours)
Power Lead & Adaptor
1 x UK Power Lead & 65W AC Adaptor
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence (£79)
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Keyboard Language
ULTRANOTE SERIES UK KEYBOARD
Notebook Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 2.0 MEGAPIXEL WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£5)
Insurance
1 Month Free Laptop Insurance inc. Accidental Damage & Theft
Delivery
2 DAY DELIVERY TO FRANCE (19 £)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 8 to 10 working days
Quantity
1

Price: 782,00 £ including VAT and delivery.

Unique URL to re-configure: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/quotes/ultraNoteII-15/hE_pPzYPmv/

 

[mantadog]

This all sounds useful and I will be trying to amend the order which is still at the pre production stage. But I am a bit confused now about CPU and RAM - I thought the processor was simply rated by speed and had 6 MB available to shunt its data around while the RAM was a different piece of hardware used to store the stuff sorted by the CPU while the pc was in use.

The processor is rated by speed to a certain extent, but even that doesn't tell you everything you need to know these days. The 'RAM' you are referring to is actually CPU cache and it is fairly irrelevant for you needs. When you said RAM in your post I though you were just referring to the CPU, which I guess you were. For basic use the amount of cache has little impact, if you would rather have the £80 in your pocket then you will be easily able to downgrade to the i3. if you don't mind keeping the i7 for £80 it wont do any harm at all.

if you can clarify this point then it will clear thing up for me anyway, maybe im just being an idiot (happens a lot) but I don't want to give you naff advice due to a misunderstanding.

replacing a dual core with a quad core Intel RAM.

Im guessing you meant to say CPU?

 

[helen500]

Perhaps the way the specs are presented after pasting is causing some confusion. Is it clearer like this:

Processor (CPU) - Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Mobile Processor i7-4700MQ (2.40GHz) 6MB

Memory (RAM) - 4GB SAMSUNG 1600MHz SODIMM DDR3 MEMORY (1 x 4GB) ?

Anyway, I changed the i7 Quad Core to the i3 you described and saved £84. This surprised me because I was told the i7 would be cheaper than the i3 because of some techy/special deal I don't remember.

I also switched to the hyper version of the Kingston ssd you recommended for an extra £16 so overall I am quids in.

 

[Kuniva]

I ordered Windows 7 Pro because it has the longer support time left

Windows 8.1 should be in support longer than windows 7, I never liked it at first, but now I do. It's more personal in my opinion. Also mantadogs advice is sound advice in regards to the processor. I take it you don't do a lot of storage, your files don't take up a lot of space? SSD's can require more maintenance, I had 1 fail on me, an older model, but the newer ones are more reliable, so if you are set on having an SSD I would also take mantadogs advive and upgrade it to a hyper x as it will have a much greater life span. regards.

 

[mantadog]

I think we are on different wavelengths here. Can you clarify this 1 section of your post.

The PC Specialist salesman, Matthew, was a great help with my questions and a major reason for ordering at once. He sorted the slight hitch of living in France but paying with gbp from a UK bank and pointed out that I could save money by replacing a dual core with a quad core Intel RAM.

That, as it stands, does not make any sense to me. The dual core and then quad core refers to the CPU, the RAM refers to the RAM as in random access memory...

 

[Kuniva]

I think we are on different wavelengths here. Can you clarify this 1 section of your post.



That, as it stands, does not make any sense to me. The dual core and then quad core refers to the CPU, the RAM refers to the RAM as in random access memory...

Maybe this guy walked in and asked what am I while the sales call was ongoing

 

[helen500]

Thank you for your patience. You are quite right, I did mean the CPU and I was the clot who misread the lines of the specifications.

 

[helen500]

I'm interested to hear that it is possible to learn to love Windows 8.1. I disliked the original idea of pawing at a touch screen like a toddler and I would take some convincing that a hasty conversion fix for grownups who can type is an efficient adaptation.

I haven't any experience with solid state drives but I read that they are more reliable than a spinning disk and are quieter. I have gone ahead with the suggested upgrade to a hyper Kingston and now hope that if it is long lasting it will be able to cope with Windows 8+ and beyond, supposing I am ever tempted.

 

[helen500]

I know I'm baa-king mad, and in danger of being fleeced, don't rub it in.

 

[Kuniva]

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I think windows 8.1 is just as or better than windows 7 with resource consumption (with aero), but it ill make little to no difference for you if it does use more resources. My SSD that failed was an old low budget model, OCZ PETROL, don't let that failure alter your desire for one as they are very good in terms of loading and for switching between applications that are currently open, and I have ordered one with my new build which I am currently waiting for to be delivered. I don't use a touch screen, my current laptop has Windows 8.1, the main difference you would notice is the start button takes you to a panel screen where you can put all your favourite apps or shortcuts or documents on, completely customizable, then there's another click at the bottom left of the screen that comes up when you hover near it, it arrows down and that takes you to another menu that has all the menu options you would find in a start menu. I also believe that you can change it to the windows 7 layout and I'm sure there will be a guide on Youtube on how to do it.

I would really recommend Windows 8.1, there is a few new features, but nothing overly significant that it will take a great deal of time learning, just basically an alternative layout of applications and programs, and once you grasp the new concepts after a few days of light use you will find it quicker/easier to navigate to certain things.

Another thing I also like it the ability to have certain things open that cascade on the left side of my screen like skydrive and photos as to not clutter up my taskbar. So far I've only noticed it happens when I choose a program though my customized apps page when I click the windows start button, and you can right click them for more options and to close.

 

[Rakk]

I'm interested to hear that it is possible to learn to love Windows 8.1. I disliked the original idea of pawing at a touch screen like a toddler and I would take some convincing that a hasty conversion fix for grownups who can type is an efficient adaptation.

Well, I begrudgingly decided to go for Win 8 in the middle of last year, mainly cos I thought I should really try and keep up with the latest tech.
So the first few days were interesting as I couldn't find a thing and I decided I didn't like the metro interface at all and I wasn't convinced I'd made the right choice at all about my OS.
However, now I've got used to it its all good, and I've upgraded to Win 8.1 which has a really night right-click start menu type thing which has everything I can never find on the metro interface - ie the system options

So yes you can get used to it, even if you hate change like I do and don't want a load of touchy-feely stuff.

Win 8 on my SSD boots very quickly indeed.

 

[mantadog]

Thank you for your patience. You are quite right, I did mean the CPU and I was the clot who misread the lines of the specifications.

Don't worry about it, I was fairly sure that's what you meant - even if you weren't. Just needed to be completely sure to avoid any confusion.

Re windows 8, yes its fairly simple to learn. I still use windows 7 because im too cheap to upgrade, my brother has 8.1 on his laptop and I use that sometimes which has kind of led me in gently. You can, with a bit of work at least, make it work much like windows 7 which isn't too far from XP. if it were me buying a rig right now I would plumb for windows 8 and take the first few days to just play with it. if it were me I would then probably do a clan installation of the OS and upload only the things i wanted back onto it from my days of testing. But as you are probably somewhat less interested in reinstalling windows than I am, just take a few days to play with the various features and get used to it. I'm sure you will learn it really quickly, because its supposed to be use friendly after all.

 

[helen500]

Ah yes, but what sort of user is it supposed to be friendly with? If you're a folder, file, document organiser type like me you simply hate some programme sorting and labelling things for you. Most of my friends, family and acquaintance don't even recognise the concept "organise" (you can tell because their desktop screens are smothered with icons) and of course MS markets for this majority.

I've hopped along when MS said frog from the days of Windows 97 and I've never seen such a major swerve as this [no swearing please ]effort with tiles. What on earth is wrong with a directory tree - simple, direct, intuitive, flexible? Sometimes the innovators should just remember, "if it works, don't fix it."