Need urgent help choosing a new laptop

[iAGZzzz]

I'm just going to copy and paste my post from Notebookreviews as no one has replied to me there yet and I really need to finalise something soon.
 

 Hey there!

I haven't been around since last year when I was looking to buy a new laptop and I ended up pulling the trigger on the Clevo P650SE, a laptop many have found to be incredible.

Long story short I've been through 4 in under a year and I've now decided enough is enough and I'm not going to take a 5th replacement and I've asked for a refund. My issue is this year I'm on my year abroad and I'm studying in Switzerland, I'm home in England for a couple more weeks but then I'm off again, so I really don't have the time to mess about buying again.

Any help will be GREATLY appreciated, I have a rough idea of a few I've looked at which I'll list at the end however on to the form for now.


1) What is your budget?

£1500

2) What size notebook would you prefer?

c. Thin and Light; 13" - 14" screen
d. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen

3) Where will you buying this notebook? You can select the flag of your country as an indicator.

England

4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
a. Like: ASUS
b. Dislike: Clevo, Apple
5) Would you consider laptops that are refurbished/redistributed?

Preferably not, however potentially.

6) What are the primary tasks will you be performing with this notebook?

Mainly gaming. I'm a student and if I'm not working, then I'm playing!

7) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places, leaving it on your desk or both?

Often take to lectures and seminars, along with the library. Travel abroad a lot with it as well. I wouldn't want anything heavier than the P650SE I had.

8) Will you be playing games on your notebook? If so, please state which games or types of games?

A lot. Mainly CSGO which isn't madly demanding but I still need at least 150fps at 1080P. Also will be wanting to play The Division which I'd be content with playing on either high or medium, I don't need to max AAA titles however it's a bonus. CSGO is my main priority.

9) How many hours of battery life do you need?

2-3 is sufficient, I play most the time plugged in charging.

10) Would you prefer to see the notebooks you're considering before purchasing it or buying a notebook on-line without seeing it is OK?

Happy to purchase online or in store, I don't really mind

11) What OS do you prefer? Windows (Windows 7 / 8), Mac OS, Linux, etc.

Windows

Screen Specifics

12) From the choices below, what screen resolution(s) would you prefer? Keep in mind screen size in conjunction with resolution will play a large role in overall viewing comfort level. Everyone is different. Some like really small text, while others like their text big and easy to read. (Scroll down to see screen resolution information.)

I can't be dealing with a 4K screen and only want a 1080p screen. The P650SE didn't have a fantastic screen if I'm honest, something nicer would be very much appreciated.

13) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen? (Scroll down to see explanations.)

Not massively bothered, however as stated above a good IPS screen with better colours and viewing angles would be preferable. Not compulsory, however.

Build Quality and Design

14) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?

My laptop is normally my pride and joy. I love laptops which looks smart and sleek like the Blade 2015 (out of budget and overpriced for what it is anyway).

15) When are you buying this laptop?

ASAP. I really need to order like in the next few days to allow enough time for it to arrive and especially with the risk of something going wrong.

16) How long do you want this laptop to last?

2 years minimum, 3 would be great.

Notebook Components

17) How much hard drive space do you need? Do you want a SSD drive?

Having had my OS installed on a SSD on the last laptop I don't think I could do without at least having Windows installed on the SSD. A 1TB regular HDD is fine, but having the OS running that much faster on an SSD is almost essential.

18) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD Burner, Blu-ray Reader or Blu-Ray Burner?

Not really, just means the laptop will be bulkier than needs be.


Please state any additional features you need. It's also helpful if you can indicate how experienced you are with computers. If you're a novice and don't know much, that's alright. Everyone's a novice at some point.


I think a 970M or 960M will be sufficient for me. I'd ideally want a Skylake CPU as the P650SE was fine cooling the GPU, however the CPU side often got a little toasty. Portability is important for me, I don't want anything heavier than the P650SE (Was about 2.7kg or 2.5kg if I remember correctly?). 14" is very good for size however I'd be very happy with 15.6" as long as it is thin and light. I think most important factor will be just to have a product which isn't going to break on me after a couple of months like the Clevo did multiple times, it's a shame as said bad experience has really put me off a brand many seem to love.

My findings:

Dell XPS 15 - Looks thin and beautiful. I hated the large bezel on the P650SE and this screen makes me drool with the tiny bezel. Unfortunately configurations don't look perfect to me, only 1 model had the 1080p screen as the 3 others have 4k screens which is a big no no, and this Full HD model has only an i5-6300hq instead of the i7-6700 which is a shame. Maybe it'll still be enough for what I need it to do, but I'd have happily paid another £200 to have the full i7 CPU. Also looking on these forums people seem to be having a load of issues with their models, and the delivery time is 11-15 days on Dell's website - cutting it a little fine. Another major flaw is people are reporting that the screen has severe input lag and is causing ghosting, especially with FPS games like CSGO. If this is the case, I could not consider this laptop, despite it arguably looking the most aesthetically pleasing for me.

Dell Inspiron 15 7000 - Not researched too much but doesn't look as sleek or stylish, maybe a tad too bulky for me? Specs looks good, as does the price, just with is had the beautiful looksing InfinityEdge screen the XPS has.

Clevo P640RE - Apparently supposed to be the best in it's market from what I've read, however my past expereinces with my Clevo has really really put me off. Not sure if it's too thick for me too, and currently in the UK I can't see any sellers so maybe I wouldn't be able to get it in time.

MSI GS40 6QE Phantom - First laptop I found when looking for a replacement. Detest the logo in the back but specs look very very good and the size looks good too. Some people reporting some issues with it however. Fans are apparently volatile and noisy. I use headphones a lot however my Clevo bugged with with fan noise from time to time.


So yeah PLEASE, PLEASE, PRETTY PLEASE, spend just two minutes to help me out. I don't have too much time and I really don't want another year of trouble with a laptop. What are your thoughts on the laptops I listed above, or are there any potential laptops I've missed here?

Many thanks in advance!

 

 

[derpyapple]

 

I'm just going to copy and paste my post from Notebookreviews as no one has replied to me there yet and I really need to finalise something soon.

 

 Hey there!

I haven't been around since last year when I was looking to buy a new laptop and I ended up pulling the trigger on the Clevo P650SE, a laptop many have found to be incredible.

Long story short I've been through 4 in under a year and I've now decided enough is enough and I'm not going to take a 5th replacement and I've asked for a refund. My issue is this year I'm on my year abroad and I'm studying in Switzerland, I'm home in England for a couple more weeks but then I'm off again, so I really don't have the time to mess about buying again.

Any help will be GREATLY appreciated, I have a rough idea of a few I've looked at which I'll list at the end however on to the form for now.

1) What is your budget?

£1500

2) What size notebook would you prefer?

c. Thin and Light; 13" - 14" screen

d. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen

3) Where will you buying this notebook? You can select the flag of your country as an indicator.

England

4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?

a. Like: ASUS

b. Dislike: Clevo, Apple

5) Would you consider laptops that are refurbished/redistributed?

Preferably not, however potentially.

6) What are the primary tasks will you be performing with this notebook?

Mainly gaming. I'm a student and if I'm not working, then I'm playing!

7) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places, leaving it on your desk or both?

Often take to lectures and seminars, along with the library. Travel abroad a lot with it as well. I wouldn't want anything heavier than the P650SE I had.

8) Will you be playing games on your notebook? If so, please state which games or types of games?

A lot. Mainly CSGO which isn't madly demanding but I still need at least 150fps at 1080P. Also will be wanting to play The Division which I'd be content with playing on either high or medium, I don't need to max AAA titles however it's a bonus. CSGO is my main priority.

9) How many hours of battery life do you need?

2-3 is sufficient, I play most the time plugged in charging.

10) Would you prefer to see the notebooks you're considering before purchasing it or buying a notebook on-line without seeing it is OK?

Happy to purchase online or in store, I don't really mind

11) What OS do you prefer? Windows (Windows 7 / 8), Mac OS, Linux, etc.

Windows

Screen Specifics

12) From the choices below, what screen resolution(s) would you prefer? Keep in mind screen size in conjunction with resolution will play a large role in overall viewing comfort level. Everyone is different. Some like really small text, while others like their text big and easy to read. (Scroll down to see screen resolution information.)

I can't be dealing with a 4K screen and only want a 1080p screen. The P650SE didn't have a fantastic screen if I'm honest, something nicer would be very much appreciated.

13) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen? (Scroll down to see explanations.)

Not massively bothered, however as stated above a good IPS screen with better colours and viewing angles would be preferable. Not compulsory, however.

Build Quality and Design

14) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?

My laptop is normally my pride and joy. I love laptops which looks smart and sleek like the Blade 2015 (out of budget and overpriced for what it is anyway).

15) When are you buying this laptop?

ASAP. I really need to order like in the next few days to allow enough time for it to arrive and especially with the risk of something going wrong.

16) How long do you want this laptop to last?

2 years minimum, 3 would be great.

Notebook Components

17) How much hard drive space do you need? Do you want a SSD drive?

Having had my OS installed on a SSD on the last laptop I don't think I could do without at least having Windows installed on the SSD. A 1TB regular HDD is fine, but having the OS running that much faster on an SSD is almost essential.

18) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD Burner, Blu-ray Reader or Blu-Ray Burner?

Not really, just means the laptop will be bulkier than needs be.

Please state any additional features you need. It's also helpful if you can indicate how experienced you are with computers. If you're a novice and don't know much, that's alright. Everyone's a novice at some point.

I think a 970M or 960M will be sufficient for me. I'd ideally want a Skylake CPU as the P650SE was fine cooling the GPU, however the CPU side often got a little toasty. Portability is important for me, I don't want anything heavier than the P650SE (Was about 2.7kg or 2.5kg if I remember correctly?). 14" is very good for size however I'd be very happy with 15.6" as long as it is thin and light. I think most important factor will be just to have a product which isn't going to break on me after a couple of months like the Clevo did multiple times, it's a shame as said bad experience has really put me off a brand many seem to love.

My findings:

Dell XPS 15 - Looks think and beautiful. I hated the large bezel on the P650SE and this screen makes me drool with the tiny bezel. Unfortunately configurations don't look perfect to me, only 1 model had the 1080p screen as the 3 others have 4k screens which is a big no no, and this Full HD model has only an i5-6300hq instead of the i7-6700 which is a shame. Maybe it'll still be enough for what I need it to do, but I'd have happily paid another £200 to have the full i7 CPU. Also looking on these forums people seem to be having a load of issues with their models, and the delivery time is 11-15 days on Dell's website - cutting it a little fine. Another major flaw is people are reporting that the screen has severe input lag and is causing ghosting, especially with FPS games like CSGO. If this is the case, I could not consider this laptop, despite it arguably looking the most aesthetically pleasing for me.

Dell Inspiron 15 7000 - Not researched too much but doesn't look as sleek or stylish, maybe a tad too bulky for me? Specs looks good, as does the price, just with is had the beautiful looksing InfinityEdge screen the XPS has.

Clevo P640RE - Apparently supposed to be the best in it's market from what I've read, however my past expereinces with my Clevo has really really put me off. Not sure if it's too thick for me too, and currently in the UK I can't see any sellers so maybe I wouldn't be able to get it in time.

MSI GS40 6QE Phantom - First laptop I found when looking for a replacement. Detest the logo in the back but specs look very very good and the size looks good too. Some people reporting some issues with it however. Fans are apparently volatile and noisy. I use headphones a lot however my Clevo bugged with with fan noise from time to time.

So yeah PLEASE, PLEASE, PRETTY PLEASE, spend just two minutes to help me out. I don't have too much time and I really don't want another year of trouble with a laptop. What are your thoughts on the laptops I listed above, or are there any potential laptops I've missed here?

Many thanks in advance!

 

 

 

So.. you want something that thin and light eh? Go for my PC you can see it down below its a laptop dont worry it runs great with 4GBs of DDR3L and a 1TB HDD 

[iAGZzzz]

So.. you want something that thin and light eh? Go for my PC you can see it down below its a laptop dont worry it runs great with 4GBs of DDR3L and a 1TB HDD 

I travel far too much for a PC to be feasable until I finish my education. Between traveling around the city for my University classes, and traveling from England to Switzerland and vice versa, I can realistically only use a laptop.

[derpyapple]

I travel far too much for a PC to be feasable until I finish my education. Between traveling around the city for my University classes, and traveling from England to Switzerland and vice versa, I can realistically only use a laptop.

My computer is a Laptop it was actually on a top 10 list for best laptop for school!

[GarnetDevil]

Dell XPS 15 is probably your best bet here

[iAGZzzz]

My computer is a Laptop it was actually on a top 10 list for best laptop for school!

 

 

Congratulations, you keep going champ.

 

Dell XPS 15 is probably your best bet here

 

It's my favourite in terms of how it looks, and means I can keep a 15.6" screen yet cut off some weight and thickness, however I'm just very worried with the number of issues people have had with it, especially such as the FHD screen showing bad response times. I'd rather not get a 4K screen as I wouldn't use it for gaming and I feel I'd be overpaying for something I don't want/need, and then I could still encounter scaling issues when gaming.

[exercutor5]

That is the first time I hear that someone is not happy with a Clevo. I think you were just down on your luck.

[Maximoose]

This is thin, light, has decent integrated graphics (although not amazing, better than average), an SSD, and is very stylish, I get a lot of compliments on it when using it at school, and people mistake it for a Macbook Air.

 

http://store.hp.com/us/en/ContentView?storeId=10151&langId=-1&catalogId=10051&eSpotName=spectre-new&jumpid=cp_r163_us/en/pc_cons/nextgen/premiumlaptops/shopspectrex360

[Djole123]

They say this is one of the thinnest and lightest 15.6" notebooks, so let's trust them...

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/MSI-Ghost-15-6-Inch-Laptop-Windows/dp/B012KJHURE/ref=sr_1_2?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1450278211&sr=1-2&keywords=laptop