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troy beckett
12,035 Pointswould this be a good laptop to buy
I don't know much about laptops and so I wanted to post it on here to see if anyone could advise me on what I'm buying is a good laptop.
here it is below:
http://www.johnlewis.com/asus-x555la-laptop-intel-core-i7-8gb-ram-1-5tb-15-6-black/p2013509
Any advice on other laptops would be great. Before anyone mentions it in no way can I afford a mac. The cheapest macbook pro in uk is £1000 on a 13inch screen which unfortunately is just to expensive.
13 Answers
Ethan Lane
876 PointsWhat are you looking for in a laptop? What will be your main use of it?
Ethan Lane
876 PointsWhat's your budget?
troy beckett
12,035 PointsI think this will be my top about £600, what do you think of the one I posted above
Christina Lazzara
7,142 PointsI will have to say I used to be a Windows only girl. But when I decided to change over to Mac pro, I will have to say I will never judge a computer by its name. I have found that if your programing and need a computer thats easy to understand, then it'll be best to just save up and get a Mac pro. Yes there expensive but well worth it. I honestly don't think Ill be having windows as my main computer any more. Yes I know you don't wanna hear people say "get the mac" Well theres a reason for it. With my windows computer you can add Mac software but with a mac you are able to (don't know if it just mine or all, but i think thats good). When starting my computer after downloading a all the same files and software, my mac still start up like its brand new. Download one thing for windows and its like I'm waiting forever. And downloading ANYTHING on a mac is like 3 seconds. BUT, if you must, I have to admit that ASUS is a good computer. The one your looking at seems ok. But You may want to invest in getting a External drive. You will find out that you'll need to back up everything. So i recommend you wait and just get a mac. It will be WELL worth your time and money.
Ethan Lane
876 PointsYou don't need the Mac unless you're developing for iOS. You probably just bought a bad laptop and judging the windows operating system on bad hardware. This laptop looks pretty good for your budget. With a 1.5TB HDD you won't need an external drive for a long time.
Christina Lazzara
7,142 PointsI have bought about 6 laptops in the last 2 years. This one is still going and not one problem. I think its a bad idea to go for cheap. Seems funny because I develop more then just iOS things.
Ethan Lane
876 PointsHis laptop isn't cheap though and has the specs for what he needs.
Ethan Lane
876 PointsHere are some reviews of the product http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-X555LA-DB71-15-6-Inch-Laptop-Black/dp/B00LO3K2M8/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8
Christina Lazzara
7,142 PointsHe asked for my opinion and your telling me what I need to suggest? I gave my opinion. If he wants to waste money in MY opinion then he can. If he wants to go cheap and get the bare min, them by all means good for him. But I am giving him MY opinion again. I said this was a good one from what i see. But i still will stand by getting a mac instead of windows.
Ethan Lane
876 PointsThis isn't the bare minimum. If you're going to give your opinion expect people to disagree and learn how to deal with that. When he specifically says "Before anyone mentions it in no way can I afford a mac" and the first thing you do is recommend him a mac it discredits your opinion entirely.
Ethan Lane
876 PointsTroy in my opinion, this laptop looks great and should serve well for programming and day to day use.
troy beckett
12,035 Pointsthanks a lot for your views and opinions really helps
Christina Lazzara
7,142 PointsWell thanks for that, Knowing that my opinion is not credited because I strongly believe you shouldn't limit your self and save up more to get something that won't break down in a few months or so. THANKS DAVID.
Ethan Lane
876 PointsNo problem, Christina. If all windows laptops broke down within a few months do you really think there would be a market for them? You either got unlucky or mistreated yours, but I have had an old acer for 3+ years running windows 7 and it still works fine.
Christina Lazzara
7,142 PointsHave you had a mac?
troy beckett
12,035 PointsHi Christina,
I don't think anyone needs to convince me that macs are better. It would be pretty crap if macs weren't better considering they cost £1500 in england for a decent sized one. I'm really grateful for your posts and read every single one and take on board what you said. I do think some macs users need to realise that macs are better solely because they cost a lot more, and usually the more you pay the better you get. If they were to make a £500 computer I'd doubt they would be very good.
The only thing that makes me want to get a mac is IOS development, but I honestly think buying a £1500-£1700 laptop to learn would be showing off.
Christina Lazzara
7,142 PointsIts not really showing off. Like mine yes was $1700, but for the long haul I'm building a business. So its not the show off. Honestly most people don't know i have a mac. But in the end after you learn your content, your stuck with having to buy another laptop because you got something cheap to only learn on. I really recommend you do more research then just here. Like John said its a preference. But I still feel windows is fun to play with but mac are more schooling and less complicated. Tho coming in here saying your NOT going to get a mac is not looking at all your opinions and as a person that has done things cheap and easy in the passed, I have learn the hard way. Will I buy a windows computer. Heck ya. I did have fun. BUT will i code on it or do anything thats has to do with my business. NO. So Just DONT limit your self to a budget that could be saved up more to get a good quality computer (In my opinion).
John Steer-Fowler
Courses Plus Student 11,734 PointsHi Troy,
It looks like a good laptop actually, and should serve you well if you are going to be doing web development and/or game development.
Personally, I love Macs and I would never touch a line of code on a Windows machine, but I think that is just personal preference rather than actual functionality.
I don't know if you are a student or not, but remember that you get 15% student discount off Apple products in the UK, which would bring the Macbook Pro down to £850.
You can also get a Macbook Air for £750 (£635 after discount).
Just pointing out that people think Apple products are expensive, but in reality they're not. You get what you pay for with Apple.
Back on topic, this is a good laptop spec-wise. However, I would recommend popping into John Lewis and giving it a try. One of the biggest mistakes you can make when buying a laptop is that the built-in keyboard might be awful for programming.
troy beckett
12,035 PointsThanks for your comment I'm not the best when it comes to apple products as unfortunately they are out of my range. I thought a mac book pro 15inch cost £1500 I didn't know they were £850. I totally agree you pay for what you get. Apple computers are and should be better when considering the price
John Steer-Fowler
Courses Plus Student 11,734 PointsHi Troy,
Sorry, I don't want to sound condescending, but it is a bit of a misconception about the price of Apple's laptops. People think that Macbook's are far more expensive than other laptops, but the truth is, their price is actually perfectly priced for their specs, performance and functionality.
Here is a similarly spec'd Asus to a Macbook (apart from Touchscreen ofc). Asus Laptop
The reason the laptop you are looking at is a lot cheaper is purely because it is not to the same quality as a Macbook. Asus have high quality laptops too... but you also pay for the quality.
Christina Lazzara
7,142 PointsThank you John steer. I love that answer
troy beckett
12,035 PointsLike I said I totally agree with you. But when you see I'm looking at a £600 laptop I hope you can see that at £1500 mac is way off my budget. What macbook pro costs £850 like I said I looked in the shop they started closer to £1500. I'm interested in whether you think a macbook air is better than the computer I'm looking at buying
John Steer-Fowler
Courses Plus Student 11,734 PointsAre you a student?
The £999 Macbook Pro is £850 with the student discount off it.
To answer your question, I don't think a Macbook Air will satisfy you. The laptop you are looking at has a 15inch display. A Macbook Air is great, but it's designed for people who want a compact notebook with an 11inch display.
In my opinion you would never look back from getting a 15 inch Macbook Pro, but obviously cost is the biggest issue here. With student discount, a good 15 inch Macbook Pro is £1,200 roughly.
Like in my original comment, I think you will get on fine with the laptop you are looking at. It looks like a great all-round machine.
Sorry we got off on a bit of a tangent, I am guessing you have discovered that Mac owner's are extremely passionate :P
Christina Lazzara
7,142 PointsAs long as you know your paying for what you get (which seems to be in everything) your going to be "Paying" for it later. Why couldn't you save up. Are you with out a computer. If so its still better to hold off and get something thats worth the time and money to invest in because thats what your doing. Your investing your time and efforts. But If you must, an Asus will be more with it then ANY other windows computer. Just don't let it get broken or you'll have to pay for a repair that is going to cost you more then the laptop started off
Christina Lazzara
7,142 PointsJohn theres a reason why we are :P Here is my computer MacBook Pro 13-inch with Retina display http://www.apple.com/macbook-pro/
John Steer-Fowler
Courses Plus Student 11,734 PointsSame machine I have Christina,
Although I upgraded the RAM and Processor.
Recently got myself a Thunderbolt Display to go with it on my desk. Best decision ever, it's fantastic for what I need it for.
troy beckett
12,035 Pointssee I couldn't bring myself to buy a 13inch screen, I don't like that whole set up. I would have to get the 15inch screen. I've never used the 13inch screen, but when I saw it in the shop it instantly felt like it needed an external monitor if your going to be working long hours on it. That will cost another £150 or so. What are peoples views on refurbed macs.
John Steer-Fowler
Courses Plus Student 11,734 PointsOnly buy refurbished Mac's through the Apple Refurb Store. I got my first macbook through the refurb store and it was awesome. In perfect condition, not a scratch on it and it ran like it was new.
I got my newest Macbook brand new, but only because I wanted to upgrade the specs, otherwise I would have purchased through the refurb store.
I think you would be surprised with a 13 inch display. Amazing for taking around with you compared to 15 inch.
If you are looking at setting your laptop up on a desk for long periods of time, then you should probably question why you're looking at a laptop and not a desktop machine.
Christina Lazzara
7,142 PointsIt does seem to me like you want bigger and better but only for a cheap price. Yeah you have to buy all these parts. But again, What are you doing in the long run. I feel its smart to go with a laptop that can run both apple and windows where you can do both and not have to worry about a whole other laptop to carry around. I want to have a bigger screen but I to had a budget I needed to follow. But the only real way to know is to just open your mind and experience them both. Had a windows? Try a mac. Compare your self personally
Geoff Parsons
11,679 PointsFirst question would be what are you looking to use the laptop for primarily? If all you want to do is surf the web, send emails, and write code then just about anything will meet your needs (though personal preference to larger displays, etc may come into the picture). If you want to work with the Adobe Creative Suite then you'll likely need a bit more RAM and maybe a beefier processor. If you want to do video editing you'll definitely need more RAM and a large hard drive.
With this laptop in particular i'd definitely suggest the first thing you do is ignore all the paragraphs of marketing and focus on the specifications. At face value the specs are pretty nice. Large hard drive (though not a solid state drive which is becoming more common in laptops), plenty of RAM for just about anything but gaming or high-end graphics work, and a decent processor. The graphics chipset is an integrated Intel chipset. They're not terrible but you won't be playing many games on it if that's your thing. All in all the specs are decent, especially for the price.
The only other thing i'd take into consideration is the reputation of the manufacturer and warranties / tech support. ASUS has a pretty good rep from my understanding but I'm not familiar with their repair and replacement policy.
Lastly, unlike Macs these days, I assume ASUS is still somewhat upgradable. If you're comfortable with replacing components and allowed to configure this laptop you can often save a bit of cash by lowering the RAM and hard drive size initially and upgrading those yourself. Just an option to consider.
Also, just 'cause i'm a recovering Apple fanboy, I'd also point you to the Apple refurbished store where you can probably find a machine in your pricepoint. That being said it will be a little older and may not meet the specs of what you're already looking at.
troy beckett
12,035 PointsI've looked in the refurb store before and I only ever see 13inch screens, that just sounds to small to me and will probably require me buying a big monitor at home. Then the cost goes up another £200.
Geoff Parsons
11,679 Pointstroy beckett I noticed that as well. They used to have all models in there, no clue why only the 13" ones are showing up lately. Maybe everyone snatches up the 15" machines as soon as they show up? Either way, it sounds like you've been doing your research which is the most important part of making a big purchase like this. :)
troy beckett
12,035 Pointstroy beckett
12,035 Pointsweb design, developing I thought this laptop look good for it's price