Going to the UK: Need advice on buying laptop

[sarath1983]

Hello Tech Enclaveans,

I am new to the world of laptops. I have always preferred desktops and never had any need for portable computing. I will be going to Europe (UK and then Portugal) for my Phd studies where a laptop would be absolutely necessary.

I have tried comparing the prices of laptops in the UK and India and they don't seem to be very different. I am not sure though and would like to hear from somebody who knows about this.

Anyway, On the assumption that the prices are not very different, I thought it would make more sense buying a laptop in the UK as I am going to be in Europe for 3 years and I am much more likely to find a deal which has a warranty suited to this duration and location in the UK itself. From what I gather, it is not easy, cheap, or wise to take an international warranty with a laptop from India. The cost-benefits might not make any sense.

I wanted to take a little time to save for and identify a high-config durable machine before I decide on investing in a laptop. This might take sometime (I don't want to rush into getting a laptop as soon as I am in the UK as I want to be sure that I would like to have THIS machine for at least 3 years). So I was wondering whether I should get an inexpensive low-config laptop from India to serve me thru the interim period before I get a worthy machine. I did not like the benchmarks given out for the the dual core atom processor and thought that a normal dual core series laptop would be a better idea.

There is a online deal for:
Toshiba Satellite C Series C660-P5012 Notebook
Price: 19000 INR
Processor Pentium Dual Core
Variant P6200
Chipset Intel HM55

Clock Speed 2.13 Ghz
Cache 3 MB
System Memory 2 GB DDR3
HDD Capacity 320 GB
Operating System No OS

Screen Size 15.6 Inch
Resolution 1366 X 768 Pixel
Screen Type HD LED CSV Display
Graphic Processor Intel HD Graphics

Battery Backup 3 hours
Battery Cell 6 Cell

I wanted to find out whether this is a good deal. I gravitated towards this system as I have heard good things about Toshiba and its durability. Not sure whether this would match up to that reputation though. I also heard that the P series dual core processors had problems with running Windows 7. How true is this? Does this apply to the P6200? Is this processor good for semi intensive tasks like word processing, photoshop, playing movies, etc? What Linux OS would be best for this processor and the tasks mentioned above?

Please feel free to advice me on any of my assumptions. What makes the best sense given my situation.

Thanks and Regards,

Sarath

 

[DarkAngel]

I also heard that the P series dual core processors had problems with running Windows 7. How true is this? Does this apply to the P6200? Is this processor good for semi intensive tasks like word processing, photoshop, playing movies, etc?

Not true at all. I have a P6100 2GHz and it handles all the above tasks with ease. P6200 is basically the i3 330M without the Hyperthreading and Virtualization support and is slower while encryting files in certain formats(AES-NI etc... IINM)

Review Toshiba Satellite C660 Notebook - Notebookcheck.net Reviews

 

[pratikb]

I suggest you take Dell or Toshiba which has international warranty.

it depends on your Phd program,

if you have a lot of analytical work,you should opt for i5 or so.

more core will be beneficial over hyperthreading.

 

[sunny27]

If you prefer durability go for any of the Thinkpads. Similarly HP's Probook and Elitebook are rugged portable computing solutions. Both these are rugged and powerful business laptops with international warranty. Kindly mention your budget so that we can provide you with more inputs.

 

[titana]

you might also want to know if your Phd program entitles you to student discount which many of the laptop brands offer