Laptop buying query

PostLaptop buying query by **Ecno** » Wed Jul 20, 2022 2:21 pm

My Laptop has gotten very slow to turn on, load programmes etc(I assume it's probably bloatware related). So I've decided to buy a new one. I have a £200 voucher for John Lewis so it needs to come from there, but I'm looking at the Laptop I bought in 2013 compared to what you can buy now

What I bought in 2013

Samsung NP510R5E-A01 Laptop, Intel Core i5, 2.6GHz, 8GB RAM, 1TB, 15.6”, Bare Metal

What I can buy now for say £650

Acer Swift 3 SF316-51 Laptop, Intel Core i5 Processor, 8GB RAM, 1TB SSD, 16.1" Full HD, Iron

https://www.johnlewis.com/acer-swift-3- ... n/p5846309

It's basically the same laptop as I bought 9 years ago? I guess maybe it's cheaper than I paid back in 2013. £550 in 2013 vs £650 now. But I'm not actually getting a better laptop?

Can anyone recommend what I should be looking for spec wise? I only really want to use it to play Rome 2. Hearts of Iron IV and maybe FM with as many leagues as possible.

PostRe: Laptop buying query by **OrangeRKN** » Wed Jul 20, 2022 2:26 pm

If your previous laptop wasn't SSD that'll be a noticeable difference at least. But if you're going to end up with something similar to what you already have, have you considered (after backing anything important up) going for a fresh OS install on your current laptop? That might speed it back up.

PostRe: Laptop buying query by **rinks** » Wed Jul 20, 2022 2:33 pm

OrangeRKN wrote:If your previous laptop wasn't SSD that'll be a noticeable difference at least. But if you're going to end up with something similar to what you already have, have you considered (after backing anything important up) going for a fresh OS install on your current laptop? That might speed it back up.

That was to be my suggestion too. If you really think it is slowed down because of bloatware, give it a fresh install. Could work wonders. Worth a try.

And you could try installing an SSD before you start. (Using the John Lewis voucher to fund it.)

I'm not massively technical but although both laptops have i5 processors the newer one will be faster and more efficient. Same for the ram, again this is likely to run at a faster speed despite both being listed at 8gb. I would also assume the integrated graphics is superior to the one on your old laptop.

The screen on the new one you've posted also has a higher resolution and I assume will have a higher pixel density as well.

Also the 1tb hard drive is a solid state drive so more reliable than a stand one that would have featured on your old laptop.

PostRe: Laptop buying query by **BID0** » Wed Jul 20, 2022 2:38 pm

CTRL + SHIFT + ESC
startup tab
right click each item and select "disable"
restart

see what it runs like after that

PostRe: Laptop buying query by **Jenuall** » Wed Jul 20, 2022 2:45 pm

"i5" is just the family of CPU, they've been making new versions of them every year for over a decade now so it won't be the same as the old one, but a newer iteration.

As far as I can tell that new laptop has a i5-11300H which released in Q1 2021 so not bleeding edge but also almost certainly significantly faster than what was in your old machine which from some Googling looks like it would have been a i5-3230M. Looking on CPU compare gives the following stats:

So yeah, it's definitely a better chip. Combine that with an SSD and you've definitely got a better machine in the offering. Only thing I would be wary of is the 8GB of RAM - depending on what you are doing with the machine that might start to be a limiting factor as time rolls on.

PostRe: Laptop buying query by **Ecno** » Wed Jul 20, 2022 2:51 pm

Thanks all, I've found the receipt for the computer I actually currently use which is (bought back in 2017)

LENOVO - 80XL03FVUK 15.6" Laptop - Platinum Grey

Achieve: Fast computing with the latest tech
Windows 10
Intel® Core¿ i5-7200U Processor
RAM: 8 GB / Storage: 2 TB HDD
Full HD display
Up to 6 hours battery life

The battery has absolutely gone, maybe 20-30 minutes of charge left. Can I just buy a new one?

PostRe: Laptop buying query by **Jenuall** » Wed Jul 20, 2022 2:56 pm

You might be able to get a replacement battery, although finding one for older machines can be more difficult. You will probably have more luck finding a "generic" replacement rather than an official Lenovo one and that opens the door to potential compatibility issues...

PostRe: Laptop buying query by **Red** » Wed Jul 20, 2022 3:56 pm

I've given my old laptop (2016) a new lease of life with a new battery (£30 off amazon, just bought a reasonably well rated one that fitted this model, never heard of the brand before). I couldn't unplug it before so it had just become a gooseberry fool desktop PC. It's been a great move and the investment was so little it doesn't really matter if it fails in the future.

PostRe: Laptop buying query by **kerr9000** » Wed Jul 20, 2022 6:31 pm

I went from a 2012 to a 2016 both i5 laptops the newer one was so much quicker the main differences the 2016 has DDR4 ram and a SSD...

I really can recommend SSD's they are great.

PostRe: Laptop buying query by **Ecno** » Mon Jul 03, 2023 11:24 pm

A year later and I finally might actually buy one. Can anyone advise whether there's any plus or minuses on the below?

In my (simple) mind the £800 one looks like the best value? I'm only going to play games from probably about 2014 and prior- but perhaps like the option of doing something more interesting later.

https://www.johnlewis.com/browse/electr ... os?chunk=2

Edit: I think my cookies drives the compare tab.

I was looking at these 4 (the 3rd one is the one I'm thinking of getting)

https://www.johnlewis.com/acer-aspire-5 ... p110507725
https://www.johnlewis.com/msi-pulse-15- ... p110506364
https://www.johnlewis.com/acer-aspire-v ... p110411224
https://www.johnlewis.com/acer-nitro-5- ... p110522832

PostRe: Laptop buying query by **Carlos** » Mon Jul 03, 2023 11:39 pm

What sort of applications are you running? In terms of power and battery an M1 MacBook Air is as close to the sweet spot as possible. If you only need office and suchlike then the ARM version of Windows 11 runs on it under virtualisation like a dream.

PostRe: Laptop buying query by **Ecno** » Mon Jul 03, 2023 11:49 pm

Carlos wrote:What sort of applications are you running? In terms of power and battery an M1 MacBook Air is as close to the sweet spot as possible. If you only need office and suchlike then the ARM version of Windows 11 runs on it under virtualisation like a dream.

Runescape, Rome 2 Total War, Excel, Word. May branch out into one of the Warhammer Total War games or Hearts of Iron IV eventually.

Laptop buying query

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