Need help finding a new laptop in the UK. $800-1200. Form copied inside with more info.

[Turkeygoblin]

1. What is your budget?
£600-850 or about $806 - $1054

2. What is the size of the notebook that you are considering?
13' or 15' - preferably 15'

3. What screen resolution do you want?
On the higher end. Bad eyesight even with glasses and will be using it quite a bit for GIMP/Photoshop to tinker with my artwork. So a good display/vibrance is important. Full HD display.

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

5. How much battery life do you need?
Not super important. Will mostly be using it at home, where it can remain plugged in.

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)?
Yes, but mostly Blizzard games like Hearthstone/Diablo 3 etc. But also games like Skyrim on Medium+

7. What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? (Photo/Video editing, Etc.)
GIMP/Photoshop

8. How much storage (Hard Drive capacity) do you need?
500GB+ SSD + HDD (Preferably SSD, but not absolutely necessary)

9. If you are considering specific sites to buy from, please post their links.
Mainly Amazon.co.uk atm, but the prices seem to be dreadful at the moment.

10. How long do you want to keep your laptop?
2+ Years

11. What kind of Optical drive do you need? DVD ROM/Writer,Bluray ROM/Writer,Etc ?
Not necessary. DVD Drive optional

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.
No preference.

13. What country do you live in?
UK

14. Please tell us any additional information if needed.
I will likely only have a year in the UK where I can physically get it repaired from any local dealer. After that USA. I've had my eye on this one for a while https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01HIWOOWM/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE but it has some bad reviews? And it seems a bit pricey for what it can do. Is there a better alternative? Should I try to wait until I can buy one in the USA? How much more expensive will it be to buy one now? Right now my laptop barely works and has to be plugged in at all times. And household needs another PC/laptop of some sort for the next year.



Thank you so much for the help! It's been a while since I've bought a new pc/laptop and I am so out of the loop. Really appreciate the help

 

[sn0zb0z]

Sounds like you're looking for something pretty similar to me. I've been searching Amazon too so I know what you mean about the prices! lol.

The ASUS one you linked too have a U processor which is personally something I'm avoiding.

For around the same price as the laptop you linked to there is this ASUS Vivobook https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Computers-Accessories/ASUS-VivoBook-N552VX-FY304T-i5-6300HQ-1920x1080/B01LZ5CW70/

It has very good reviews on Amazon, but I haven't looked up reviews elsewhere so worth doing that. However, it is a proper Intel Core i5 processor and it has an SSD plus more storage.

Nearer the top of your budget there is the HP Omen. https://www.amazon.co.uk/HP-15-ax202na-i5-7300HQ-GeForce-Dedicated/dp/B01MU2LTL0/

Keyboard letters are red though which some people dislike. One HP Omen I read a review about said the screen was a little dull, but I don't know if that applies to that specific one.

At the very top of the budget is an MSI GL62 for pre-order (out 17th Feb) https://www.amazon.co.uk/MSI-1672UK-Gaming-Laptop-Black/dp/B01NAP5GO3/

Or for less there's this MSI https://www.amazon.co.uk/MSI-484UK-15-6-Inch-Gaming-Notebook/dp/B01M0JMEPM/ but like with the laptop you found there are some bad reviews.

Just a case of reading through the bad reviews and seeing what issues people have and deciding whether or not it's actually a genuine reason for a bad review and if so whether it's something that bothers you.

If you want to be certain they'll run the games you listed on them settings, you can often find information on them in reviews or with a quick search.

 

[velo3100]

Have a look a Scan pc. They are based in the UK and they are very reliable. I don't know how the support will be when you go to the US.

 

[Seaweed Monster]

I've found two laptops that would be suitable for photo-editing, gaming as well as everyday tasks.

1#

MSI GL62 7QF - £849.00 - Released on February 17th 2017:

+ 15.6 inch 1920 x 1080 Full HD, Anti-glare, Vivid Colour display

+ 7th Gen i7-7700HQ 2.8Ghz Quad core with Boost to 3.8Ghz - Kaby Lake (Latest) - More than capable of handling games and editing.

+ 16GB's DDR4 RAM (Latest; DDR4) - Brilliant for photo and video editing.

+ 128GB SSD

+ 1TB Hard drive - Plenty of space for anything and everything.

+ GTX 960M - Upper mid-range graphic card. Definitely good for some gaming.

+ Slim DVD Writer, Bluetooth 4.2

+ Weight : 2.4KG

At the top range of your budget but something that will continue to rock out the performance.

Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/MSI-1672UK-Gaming-Laptop-Black/dp/B01NAP5GO3/ref=sr_1_2?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1486907993&sr=1-2




2#

ASUS ROG GL552VX-CN239T - £749:

+ 15.6 inch 1920 x 1080 Full HD display

+ i5-6300HQ 2.8Ghz Quad core with boost to 3.0Ghz; (two cores only) - Skylake - Still very capable for all your tasks.

+ 8GB's DDR4 RAM

+ 128 GB SSD

+ 1 TB hard drive

+ GTX 950M - Still very capable of playing games

+ CD/DVD optical drive, 2 in 1 card reader (SD/MMC), Bluetooth 4.0

+ Weight: 2.4 KG

The specifications are reflective of the lower price, however still a powerful system.

The difference between the two is essentially the MSI model obtaining a better and the latest i7 kaby lake Processor, 16GB's instead of 8 and finally the better graphics card; GTX 960M.

It just depends on how much you want to spend? Another £100 will provide you with better hardware for the value/price i.e, £100 more = Better Processor, More Ram, Better Graphics card.


Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/ASUS-GL552VX-CN239T-i5-6300HQ-Processor-Graphics/dp/B01HIWOOSG/ref=sr_1_4?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1486907993&sr=1-4


Hope this helps,

Regards,
SM

 

[Turkeygoblin]

Hi

Thanks for your answers and recommendations, really appreciate your help.

I did pre-order the MSI GL62 7QF but alas, the estimated delivery date has been pushed back until 1 April, which is too late for me. Shame, really, as it seemed perfect. Amazon seems to be out of stock of the other suggestions too...!

I'm eyeing up the HP Pavilion - 17-ab200na (http://support.hp.com/us-en/product/HP-Pavilion---17-ab200na/13810159/model/15234620/document/c05373642) now. It's bigger than I wanted and over-budget, but at a push it's OK for me at £949.99.

What do you guys think? Again, really appreciate your expert advice!

Update: store link is http://store.hp.com/UKStore/Product.aspx?hpproduct=Z9E10EA%23ABU plus a 5% discount.

 

[velo3100]

The hp will be good for photoshop and skyrim.

 

[starscream27]

hello,

here's the options within your budget with current gen Pascal based GPU, which i would recommend
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Razer-Laptop-Computer-Discrete-Graphics/dp/B01LZTCMPA/ref=sr_1_12?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1487746047&sr=1-12

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Asus-FX502VM-AS73-HID2-15-6-i7-7700HQ-2-8-3-8GHz/dp/B01NCZH5QV/ref=sr_1_2?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1487748942&sr=1-2

Regards