Laptop, 14-15", university, Trinity or i5?

[Peroxyde]

Hi,

I'm looking for a new laptop for my daughter who will go to University in Sept/Oct 2012. She is currently using an HP nc8430. This is a fine laptop but its fan is permanently on. No matter what I tried the fan always spins (renew thermal paste, changed bios option, change OS settings not to use 3D, blow air to fan, actually I cleaned the fan when I changed thermal paste, etc.).

Can you please recommend me a new laptop?
- Price $600 - $1000
- Brand: any
- RAM: 4GB
- 500 GB Hard drive
- Screen 14 to 15 inches
- Usage is office, web, student works.
- Must be quiet

As for the CPU, I hesitate between the upcoming Trinity or i5. The CPU must have Vitualization Technology and low energy consumption as quietness is the most important factor.

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[fralexandr]

the fan on a notebook should always be on, whether or not it is audible is the main issue

the main problem with the hp nc8430 is that it has an x1600and core 2 duo in it, which produces moderate amounts of heat.

most core i5 notebooks using intel integrated will perform rather quietly except under load
does your daughter want the notebook for portability or as a desktop replacement?
why does the CPU need virtualization if it's just for office/web/student works?

my recommendation is to get a lenovo thinkpad

 

[Peroxyde]

why does the CPU need virtualization if it's just for office/web/student works?

Because she uses Linux and when there is something that absolutely needs Windows, she runs a Windows VM in Virtualbox. She never had a desktop computer so the laptop is all she has. I suppose the criteria of portability for her would be mainly the screen size, we can sort that out.

In case you know well the mobile CPUs. Can you estimate between a Trinity and an Ivy Bridge i5 of roughly same performance, which one is more energy efficient?

 

[Sunburn74]

I personally am using an HP envy 14 which I bought on ebay for 600 dollars factory recertified. These things are easy to find if you search. It came in all sealed packaging, plastic wrapped and with all original materials. I was really impressed actually with the quality of the packing of a factory recertified laptop.

Overall I am extremely pleased with the laptop. I've been using it for about 7 months.The hardware is an i5-560m processor (arrandale released at the end of 2010) with a radeon 5650 and 4gb of DDR3 ram. The laptop is solidly built, has a backlit keyboard, and I love the touchpad. The fan is fairly quiet, but can ramp up a bit if you stress the PC (make sure you have the latest bios updated). I recently threw in a ssd for even more responsiveness. This is the first laptop I could use on a daily basis without missing my desktop too much.

Anyway just a suggestion if you like HP and are familiar with them. There are slightly newer models on sale factory recertified (I bet for hard drive issues. Hard drives in laptops are so frail) usually for around 600 bucks and personally i'd recommend them for anyone looking for a little more power than an ultrabook.

 

[fralexandr]

i would guess that ivybridge be more energy efficient than trinity.
trinity will likely have a better integrated gpu though (unimportant for the most part unless your daughter plays video games)

you'll probably want a screen with higher than 1366x768 or 1280x800 though, since those are pretty lousy for doing work on. something like 1600x900 should be okay.

 

[Peroxyde]

Thanks Sunburn74 about the HP Envy. I will definitely look that up in more details. Screen size & resolution, i5 + HD3000 looks like what we need.

So far, a quick review of other brand show that most of them offer 1366x768 screen resolution, even for $1000 model. While CPU and GPU are overkill for what we need.

 

[fralexandr]

you can customize a thinkpad T420 with a 1600x900 screen and 500gb hdd for <$900
http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/...89389E999C7AFD948ECE84C546E5&menu-id=products

 

[Peroxyde]

Ok super, so both Lenovo T420 & HP Envy 14 look OK. Thank you for your advice.

Last question: what is the type of warranty that you recommend? I am thinking of 3 Years On Site. Is it OK?

 

[RavenSEAL]

I bought a Vostro 3550(Business Machine) brand new from an AT member. It has an i5 SB and an HD6630M for $570. (DELL starts them at $800 for this config)

First, these business machines look slick and are built like tanks. I like the battery life(3-4hrs) and the power the i5-2410M offers. If i ever want to play a game, all I have to do is switch the dedicated graphics on.

I get a nice warranty for a year and a DELL tech will come out to where I live and fix whatever issues the laptop has.

However (I'm a college student too), this thing is NOT easy to carry around (1in thick/15.6" display).

So IMO, go for something around 14", under 3 pounds.

Tl;DR. Save more money($800-900), wait for the Windows Ultrabooks.