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LeeM

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 I need a cheap new laptop, as mine is dying a gradual death

 I don't use it much, so I only need it for doing weekly invoicing, printing capabilities (with a cord attached, as wireless drives me nuts!), watching Youtube and occasionally surfing the net. Don't care if it doesn't have wifi or bluetooth, as I prefer it being plugged into the modem.

Budget, under $600, so what do people recommend I should look at buying? Have an Intel Celeron which has done the job pretty well for me

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I'm a Mac sort of guy. because they're very reliable. my 2011 build pro gets used every day petty heavily, and works flawlessly. But i understand not your budget. 

From my experience.. I've had a HP and my sister had the same one. Both had issues and didn't last long. Also have a toshiba satalite pro probably from 2008 (mum has the same one). It still works (both), just the processor has had enough and doesn't operate as quick as it first did. currently reformatted as use to use it for trading.

Check out these Dell ultra books. I use a Dell desktop at work (a quite powerful one) and support from them when i needed it is great. 

they're smaller than the average laptop at 11.8 inches. but it may interest you?

http://www.dell.com/p/laptops.aspx?c=au&cs=audhs1&l=en&s=dhs&~ck=mn

Or maybe something like this Asus? I like asus as they make most of their own parts.

http://www.harveynorman.com.au/computers-tablets/computers/laptops/asus-f540sc-xx030t-15-6-laptop.html

or a smaller one

http://www.harveynorman.com.au/computers-tablets/computers/laptops/asus-e402sa-wx060t-14-1-laptop-white.html

 

Or just rock up to harvey norman and have a browse. 

 

Realistically most cheap laptops these days are powerful enough to do a lot of things. to run programs like MS word or excel, you really don't need much processing power at all. I just don't like some brands for no real reason.  

 P.S Printing wirelessly is pretty easy if your printer is connected to your WiFi router. Just like a wired connection. I do it on a daily basis. All you need to to is spare 5-10 mins and go though the printers menu and connect it to the wifi. If it uses WPS, Even easier. All you need to do is push the WPS on your router and it'll connect. 

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What ever you get make sure it has an SSD (Solid State Drive) - not an older mechanical drive..

SSD's are so much more reliable and much, much faster..  Don't go to Harvey Norman's..!

Don't go for a Celeron or Atom class processor, they just won't cut the mustard.  Go for an i3 at least for what you want it to do

Oh..  And did I mention, make sure it has an SSD installed..!  Typically the entry models don't and you would have to request that it be installed / swapped out for the existing mechanical drive.  So worth it.

Lenovo B50-80 Notebook PC
* Intel Core i3-5005U (2.0 GHz)
* 15.6" HD LED Display
* 4GB DDR3L 1600MHz Memory (1 slot used, 1 slot available)
* 240GB SATA SSD
* SuperMulti DVDRW Drive
* 2 x USB 3.0, 1 x USB 2.0
* VGA, HDMI, Gigabit Ethernet
* 802.11b/g/n+ac Wireless, Bluetooth 4.0
* SD Card Reader
* Full size keyboard and Numeric Keypad
* Microsoft Windows 10 Professional Licence 
* 1 year parts and labour warranty

~ $690.00 Inc

 

 

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SSD's are as cheap as chips nowadays (pun intended)

Kingston UV400 120GB SSD ~ $55.00 

Kingston UV400 240GB SSD ~ $95.00   

Pretty reasonable considering the performance and reliability gains.! 

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@LeeM, we buy all of our CAD workstations from Leader Computers.  Our computers are pretty high spec, but they'll build whatever you want.  At the moment I'm using a Leader laptop with Intel i7 2.1 GHz processor, 32 GB RAM, & a Samsung 500GB SSD hard disk, running Windows 7 64 bit OS. It easily drives multiple sessions of my design software simultaneously, as well as allowing me to run my spreadsheets & other stuff at the same time.  If only it would support 3 monitors.  My desktop machine is a beast.

Out your way the reseller is 

IT Warehouse Marion
SUBURB: MARION SA
ADDRESS: Shop 1/838 Marion Road
PHONE: 08 8296 3211
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JB have a 15% off computers sale on currently. The Toshiba I purchased for my daughter at Christmas was just a touch over your budget, core i5, 8gb RAM, intel 5500 onboard gfx. Quick enough for her homework, runs windows 10 and office.

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Watching this with interest ; my Dell 2009 is slowing down as the software men taketh away functionality , but still functional for what I need :). You all know how I prefer cave paintings to holographic heads up virtual reality digital displays, so no comments chaps.

The big plus for me came with cheap external HDDs to backup aeons of useless shite. Oh wait  , there's a pluffy cloud to store them in I hear? Thank god for that!

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Lee,

This is actually a pretty good deal for a US import ($658 delivered) for an i5 with SSD:

https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/275360

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1263206-REG/acer_nx_gg5aa_004_15_6_aspire_e5_575_521w_notebook.html

However, keep in mind that imports are generally frowned upon compared to Australian delivered markets and the market seems to reflect this. If converted with quality parts I would have no reservations owning an imported model and it's kind of a bit Outlaw. I would certainly recommend a PPI before proceeding.

[you would need a US adapter for the power cord and take a punt on international warranty etc..]

 

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