Recommendation of a new notebook

[Paul]

Although a few years old now, i was spoilt with a small and light laptop in the shape of a Sharp Actius MV1214. It weighed in at 1.9 Kg, with a 12" screen and only 28mm thick. 1.4 centrino. The batteries are shot, and i get a maximum of 20 mins charge till flat, half of which it complains of battery level.

I am looking for a similar spec'd replacement.

Small, light, 10-12 inch, maybe 13" screen at a push

A speed improvement over the old laptop

Windows 7 ( must be windows based for VCDS support)

£300-400 ish

Im not bothered about internal drives.

Uses, email/internet on the sofa, VCDS out in the car

Desirables.. SSD drive, again not bothered about massive storage, Current laptop has a 40GB drive , and im using about 5!, but i do like the speed, lack of noise and heat an ssd gives.

Can i get something like this with an SSD, or am i better off getting an SSD seperatly?

What is the current specs to look for?

I am thinking along the lines of the gadget show reviewed Asus UL30A or the Samsung N140 replacment, the N150 with Win 7, but neither have the option of an ssd drive.

Thanks

Edited May 7, 2010 by Paul

[Magro101]

Havent kept up-to-date with laptops for a while, but will do my best.

SSD drives are still considerably more expensive (Unless theres cheaper laptop versions which I havent come across yet). Not sure if you'll get a laptop with one in the price-range of 300-400 (Been trying various sites I used to use but cant find any ssd laptops on those atm).

However, until I wake up later and get a decent chance to look without falling asleep... heres a few minor suggestions at a quick glance.

Asus Eee PC 1201N Netbook - Netbooks at Ebuyer

Dual core (1.6Ghz), 2GB RAM, HDMI out, Windows 7. (plus the other usual goodies, but take note of the "No Optical Drive" part. Not sure how you install/transfer files, but that may be an inconvenience if you dont use USB sticks or download install files as opposed to using CDs).

Also, heres a slight rundown of the above laptop: Asus Eee PC 1201N netbook officially announced | Netbook Choice

Secondly, Asus UL20A Laptop - Laptops at Ebuyer . Slightly more memory, but a lower CPU speed. (Depends on your preference really). UL30A you mentioned goes over £500 when you include VAT, so not sure what your stance is there.

This recommendation is a bit more fun... Acer Ferrari One Laptop - Laptops at Ebuyer ... :roflmao:Specs arent too bad, but could probably get better for that price. The whole Ferrari thing probably adds too much cost

Another a bit over the £400 mark Acer Aspire 1810TZ Laptop - Laptops at Ebuyer , but the specs would justify it. 4GB mem being the main one in my opinion, along with dualcore processor.

mid £300 range theres the Acer Aspire 1410 Laptop - Laptops at Ebuyer . Depends if your able to go over the £400 mark, or if you want to, but I would definitely go for a dual core with more memory

Right, after that lengthy post... I'm gonna go hit the sack. Will reread through this when I wake up and hopefully add to it - cant keep my eyes open atm :zzz:

[Paul]

Cheers for that, especially at 03.50 am!

I am going to PCW/ Curry's superstore later with my brother , so will keep an eye out, and have a look and feel (oooer! ) as to what they have on offer. I can live without an SSD drive. It just would have been nice.

Having slept on it, i am also leaning towards the larger of the notebook screen sizes. 11.6 to 13.3 ish.

I have also since realised, that the Asus laptop UL30A the gadetshow reviewed, and that carphone warehouse is selling for circa £350 is an older spec model, with a slower cpu. The current UL30A has a faster spec, and a bigger price to match, hence going over the budget.

[Magro101]

I'd definitely check online with anything you find in either store. Usually you'll find them cheaper on websites. (Never personally liked PCW / Curry's and have always bought online).

Gotta head out for a lil while real quick, but when I get back I'll check out some 13.3" laptops too. Wasnt sure if you wanted that large so didnt check before

[fatcat]

Glad I saw this thread, I'm in the market for exactly the same sort of thing as Paul............ keeps the info flowing - must get one quite soon !

[Paul]

I am still looking. The Asus UL30A is due an update in the shape of the UL30JT. It would seem quite a few people around the net are waiting for them to become available sometime this month. No idea on price yet, but if it looks and feels right, i may be willing to move on price.

One thing that was clear from my PCW/Currys visit, is that a 10" screen is far too small, and i am fussy when it comes to finish and the tactile feel. I wont be buying anything until i have seen it in the flesh so to speak, as i discounted many just on their looks and materials/ build quality.

Edited May 13, 2010 by Paul

[Magro101]

Sorry, I completely forgot to look back here.

I havent had the chance to look for any more as of late, as I've been busy with exams (Starting to regret my choice of course )

After a bit more digging, I found: Acer Aspire 1810TZ ? reghardware

Its a review of the laptop I mentioned in the first reply: Acer Aspire 1810TZ Laptop - Laptops at Ebuyer

I personally liked it, so had to look for a review. For 8 hour battery life, 4gb Memory, and dual-core, It seems like a great price - I just cant figure out what the catch is! Unless your planning on gaming on it, I think its pretty good in comparison to other laptops/prices.

[Philbes]

Sorry, I completely forgot to look back here.

I havent had the chance to look for any more as of late, as I've been busy with exams (Starting to regret my choice of course )

After a bit more digging, I found: Acer Aspire 1810TZ ? reghardware

Its a review of the laptop I mentioned in the first reply: Acer Aspire 1810TZ Laptop - Laptops at Ebuyer

I personally liked it, so had to look for a review. For 8 hour battery life, 4gb Memory, and dual-core, It seems like a great price - I just cant figure out what the catch is! Unless your planning on gaming on it, I think its pretty good in comparison to other laptops/prices.

Isn't the 8-hour battery life only with the optional larger capacity battery and very light use (no intensive calculation or graphics, etc.)

[Magro101]

Isn't the 8-hour battery life only with the optional larger capacity battery and very light use (no intensive calculation or graphics, etc.)

Apparently not. From the review, under intensive benchmarking, the battery life was over 4 hours, but its estimated real-world battery use would give double that time, giving the 8 hours stated by Acer.