Link to home
Start Free TrialLog in
Avatar of viki2000
viki2000Flag for Germany

asked on

Best laptop for 1000€

Could you recommend the best nowadays laptop for 1000€?

Here is the story.
The budget is 1000€ or if it is relay worth it, then 1200€. The max. would be 1500€, but only if you convince me it has something special and really worth those money.
Usage:
-      Mostly Photoshop, but need very fast response.
-      Video playing, high resolution.
-      Just to make sure worth the money and is fast enough, consider video editing as option.
-      Normal office, internet browsing.
-      To be used as good for next 5-6 years.

The actual laptop is 6 years old and a renew is required.
The buyer zone is Europe, particularly Germany.

I made a small research I found:

Dell:
http://www.notebooksbilliger.de/dell+inspiron+17+7000+serie+7737+3320
Lenovo:
http://www.notebooksbilliger.de/lenovo+y50+70+59424711
MSI:
http://www.notebooksbilliger.de/msi+ge60+2pei781fd+206413/eqsqid/d614016e-3efb-4366-b301-c7f27e1d9289

MSI has such big range for laptops:
http://www.msi.com/product/nb/ 
But maybe a portable workstation is better?:
http://www.msi.com/product/workstation
What can you tell about portable workstations?
And how do you differentiate between so many models? I notice I can compare up to 5 models on MSI website, but it is still hard to choose.

Comparing Dell with Lenovo I found Lenovo the winner.
Lenovo has 4 cores 2.5GHz and Dell has only 2 cores 2.0GHz. Even more, the cache memory, which is inside the processor chip for high speed processing  is 6MB for Lenovo and only 4MB for Dell.
These aspects make a difference in the speed.

Dell looks nice and is good that has a bigger screen for video editing.
Dell has 16GB installed which also the max. Lenovo has only 8GB RAM installed out of 16GB as max.
But Dell is 999 and Lenovo only 899. For 100€ you can tell them to put 8GB RAM more in Lenovo to be the same as Dell.
The only thing would the screen size smaller 15” for Lenovo, but it is faster.
Dell is heavier 3.37Kg vs Lenovo 2.4kg.
The SSD is hybrid for both, a combination between SSD 8GB and a normal HDD 1TB. It is not a real SSD, so it is a lot slower than a SSD, but a bit faster than a HDD.
Later I would change it anyway with a pure SSD.

The video card is better in Lenovo: GTX 860M (Lenovo) is better than GT 750M (Dell):
http://gpuboss.com/gpus/GeForce-GTX-860M-vs-GeForce-GT-750M
http://www.game-debate.com/gpu/index.php?gid=2143&gid2=1734&compare=geforce-gtx-860m-2gb-vs-geforce-gt-750m-sli
I have home a Lenovo Thinkpad and sometimes runs quite hot. Seems many Lenovo are like that. What is your experience and your recommendation with Lenovo?

From my point of view, the main ideas for 1000€ are:
-      8GB RAM minimum, but better 16GB or even 32GB is the system allows that.
-      The latest CPU i7, 4th generation, 4 cores, or at least 2 cores and over 3.0GHz. AMD may be also an alternative.
-      A bigger screen size 17” for pictures and video editing with high resolution, but 15” it may be also acceptable.
-      The video card is very important. It should be at least 2GB dedicated card with its own processor and not shared with RAM.
-      If the notebook does not come with SSD, then we have to consider in the budget a good Samsung is a bit lower than 200€ for 256GB and over 350€ for 512Gb. Some laptops have SSHD, a hybrid between SSD and HDD, having 8GB SSD and 1T HDD: This hybrid is slower than a SSD, but faster than a HDD.

What would you recommend for the given budget as the best option?
It does not have to be the above mentioned brands.
Avatar of John
John
Flag of Canada image

I have home a Lenovo ThinkPad and sometimes runs quite hot. ...What is your experience and your recommendation with Lenovo?

I have a ThinkPad X230 quad core with Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit. The machine runs long term at room temperature.

I had (and still have as a spare) a ThinkPad T61p with Windows 7 Pro 64-bit. It ran (runs) a bit warmer than the X230 (larger board, bigger hard drive, LCD monitor) but it ran and worked for 5 years without any issue.

You can purchase Lenovo ThinkPad online and customize as you wish (CPU, memory, hard drive, Bluetooth and so on). My X230 was within your budget range and it does all I need (Office 2013, Adobe Acrobat, VMware, multiple machines and so on). I have Camtasia on it and it can edit video.  Newer machines would be even better.
I always buy the fast processor I can afford with a large HDD if doing video.

One consideration with a Dell is they are used a lot by tech companies.  Check and see if you can get a deal through your company.
Avatar of viki2000

ASKER

So, what exactly notebook  would you choose and why?
ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION
Avatar of John
John
Flag of Canada image

Link to home
membership
This solution is only available to members.
To access this solution, you must be a member of Experts Exchange.
Start Free Trial
>>  It is not a real SSD, so it is a lot slower than a SSD, but a bit faster than a HDD.  <<  as i understand a hybrifd drive, it will perform like an SSD for small data transfers, and like a rotating drive for large transfers, because the SSD part acts like a cache for the disk.
so - if you need a fast drive for large data transfers, i would go for a 250 or 500 GB SSD - and use an external USB 3 drive for storage
for the intended use, i recommend certainly 16 GB Ram
and personally - i always have intel CPU

also - if it is not really needed - i would opt for a desktop, not a laptop
All good advices, but why nobody points directly to a specific model?
Why nobody says: buy this specific laptop! seen online somewhere, no matter where.
Then to back up, to sustain the choice made.

I do not need recommendations what to have inside. That was quite clear from beginning.
I need help in filtering the variety of options and to reduce to 1 specific model, eventually to be able to compare with what i proposed in the beginning.
When you customize a model (at least for Lenovo) there is NO specific model. That is because a customized model is one of a kind.

If you want a specific recommendation, tell us if you want an on-board DVD Writer or not and if you want a large 14 inch screen or a small 12 inch screen, From there we can give you a recommendation.
Screen size: 15"-17"
DVD Writer - Yes
8GB RAM min, preferable 16GB RAM or more
i7 4th generation, quad core, min 2.5GHz per core with 6MB cache
2GB or more dedicated video card
Hard drive: min hybrid 8GB SSD+1T HDD, or preferable pure SSD min 256GB or bete´ter 512GB
Secondary: Bluetooth, Webcam, lighted keyboard, battery life min 4 hours
SOLUTION
Link to home
membership
This solution is only available to members.
To access this solution, you must be a member of Experts Exchange.
Start Free Trial
Not good.
It is only 14".
And the prices on Germany are higher than Canada:
http://shop.lenovo.com/de/de/laptops/thinkpad/t-series/?menu-id=t%C2%A0serie
http://shop.lenovo.com/de/de/laptops/thinkpad/t-series/t440p/
If I take 15" and I choose i7, then I jump over the budget:
http://shop.lenovo.com/de/de/laptops/thinkpad/t-series/t540p/

I have nothing against the Lenovo, if you say that the new models i7 are not running hot, as my i5 T410 does, as long as we are in budget.
14 inch and 15 inch can work at the very same resolution. I chose the one I did for the enhanced graphics.

Try the 15 inch with i5 CPU. I have a couple of i5 machines and they are great. i7 can add $400 - $500 and is a pricey option.
If you speak about Lenovo website where I can make the wanted configuration for the laptop, then seems definitely not the good side when we speak about price-performance.
I am not saying that Lenovo are not good machines, I just is not the best price where to buy from.
And then is difficult to choose.
My statements are based on the next observations:
- assuming that you speak about Lenovo 15" or above, then I compare i5 with i7, lets say T540p.
- then if I compare the price is 1.189,26 € for i5 vs 1.857,42 €  for i7.
- Now we look at the processors:
i5-4210M - http://ark.intel.com/products/81012/Intel-Core-i5-4210M-Processor-3M-Cache-up-to-3_20-GHz
 i7-4710MQ - http://ark.intel.com/products/78931/Intel-Core-i7-4710MQ-Processor-6M-Cache-up-to-3_50-GHz

Then I look at my first 2 links:
Dell 17" , sold out in mean time, with  i7-4510U - http://ark.intel.com/products/81015/Intel-Core-i7-4510U-Processor-4M-Cache-up-to-3_10-GHz
Lenovo Y50-70, 899€, with i7-4710HQ - http://ark.intel.com/products/78930/Intel-Core-i7-4710HQ-Processor-6M-Cache-up-to-3_50-GHz

http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Core-i7-4710MQ-vs-Intel-Core-i5-4210M
http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Core-i7-4710HQ-vs-Intel-Core-i7-4510U

Up to now Lenovo Y50-70, 899€, with i7-4710HQ is still the winner.

Who bids a better one in the given budget range?
At this point, purchase the best one you see in the above post. I have said what I like and why. Also, you can check configurations on the Lenovo site which you have done.

So at this point, pick what you see as best.
SOLUTION
Link to home
membership
This solution is only available to members.
To access this solution, you must be a member of Experts Exchange.
Start Free Trial
Maybe I am a bit tired and I do not observe proper, but where is the "Compare" button after I select what I want to compare as in the screen-shot below?
http://www.asus.com/Notebooks_Ultrabooks/

And where is the price list?
They do not even have the 4th generation i7?

User generated image
probably that depends on the selctions made
ii's unlikely they don't have one
as for the prices - you'll have to look for a vendor in your own country
The compare button is right up corner near the search icon; seem hidden to me.
Then next model looks OK:
http://www.asus.com/Notebooks_Ultrabooks/N56VV/overview/
Then comparing different processors:
http://ark.intel.com/compare/71459,64899,78930,81015,78931,81012

 i7-4710HQ is the winner.
SOLUTION
Link to home
membership
This solution is only available to members.
To access this solution, you must be a member of Experts Exchange.
Start Free Trial
Thank you for your advices.
Unfortunately they did not help too much.
A colleague of mine wanted a second opinion before spending the money. Was ready to pay 1600€ for a laptop that uses only Photoshop beside multimedia.
Did not like/trust Asus.
The Lenovo is OK, but fear of high heat.
MSI seems good but too expensive.
HP is also not so good.
There is also Dell and Toshiba to consider.
Sony is too expensive and Apple too.
When we compare price vs. components inside, known and appreciated brand Lenovo seems the best so far
Thanks and good luck with your choice. Newer Lenovo computers do not seem to suffer from high heat and so may be worth another look.
>>  Did not like/trust Asus  <<  that i cannot change; only that i consider them good for performance / price
--------
The Lenovo is OK, but fear of high heat.
 MSI seems good but too expensive.
 HP is also not so good.
 There is also Dell and Toshiba to consider.
 Sony is too expensive and Apple too.
--------
there's not so much left then - but when looking in business class ones, all should be "good"