Laptop budget up to £500

goldenbreast

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What is your budget?
Up to £500, ideally around the £400-450 mark

What size laptop do you want?
no less than 15.6, ideally around 17 inches.

Do you have resolution requirements?
1080p would be nice but not essential

Do you want a matte or glossy (reflective) screen?
indifferent

What will you be using the laptop for?
Surfing the net, e-mail, video and audio streaming, skype and some gaming.

If you will be gaming, what games do you need to play?
Football manager 2012, Half life 2, Counter strike source. I would also like to be able to play newer fps such as MW3, Battlefield3
How long does the battery need to last?
As long as possible

Does it need to be portable?
I don't plan to take it out of my house.

Do you require Blu-Ray?
No

Do you require HDMI output?
Yes

Do you have a preferred brand?
Not overly clued into the laptop market. Have heard good things about lenovo

Are there brands you would prefer to avoid?
I am willing to invest that little extra to ensure quality and durability. Would obviously want to avoid brands known for their poor build quality and durability.

Would you be happy with a refurbished laptop?
Perhaps but not my first choice




I am currently living abroad and will be back in London over the christmas period and will be taking advantage of being home to by a laptop. I'm not sure if the january sales will be my best bet or if its better to keep an eye out on online deals from now onwards...

I will be doing a lot of video calling on skype so an hd camera would be a bonus. I have a 1tb portable hard drive so it isn't essential that it has a big hd. Good quality speakers would be nice seeing as i don't have a TV and will be watching all videos via the laptop. a good graphics card would also be a plus so i can play gaming (from time to time). lastly, a firewire port would be useful for my external hd. I am looking to invest in a laptop that will be future proof for at least 2-3 years that allows for further hardware upgrades.


Thank you in advance for your help.

Alex
 
To get BF3 and similar games running I'd suggest a refurb from the Dell Outlet.
At the moment I can't see anything on there that'd be worth recommending but it's worth keeping an eye on, also might be worth looking in to the Dell Outlet thread to get an idea what kind of deals people have been picking up.

If you want to avoid a refurb then you could look at something like:
Lenovo IdeaPad G770 M533PUK

But it's not going to be the best for the likes of BF3. But to get 17" with dedicated graphics and a good processor that's the best you'll get.

Dropping down to 15" you can get:
Acer Aspire 5750G LX.RAZ02.136

Again not amazing but slightly better than the 17".

I still think looking in to an outlet machine is your best option.
 
Thanks for the advice. I will keep an eye out on the dell outlet site and see what happens closer to christmas time (price wise). I would appreciate continued recommendations.
 

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