£600 Laptop configuration help

[javthrower]

Hi guys, i know the basics about computers but I’m no expert.
I need a new laptop for general use and maybe a bit of light gaming, unfortunately being a student money is fairly tight and budget isn’t great. I have roughly £500-£550, with £600 being my absolute maximum, and was wondering what kind of configuration you, more experienced, guys would recommend.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you in advance,
Dan

 

[Music Guy123]

This is a start:

Chassis & Display
Enigma III 540: 15.6" Matte HD LED Widescreen (1366x768)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5 Dual Core Mobile Processor i5-2450M (2.50GHz) 3MB
Memory (RAM)
4GB SAMSUNG 1333MHz SODIMM DDR3 MEMORY (2 x 2GB)
Graphics Card
nVIDIA® GeForce® GT 540M - 2GB DDR3 Video RAM - DirectX® 11
Memory - Hard Disk
500GB SEAGATE MOMENTUS, SATA 3 Gb/s, 16MB CACHE (7200 rpm)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
8x SATA DVD±R/RW/Dual Layer (+ 24x CD-RW)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 3 in 1 Memory Card Reader (SD, MMC, MS)
Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Bluetooth & Wireless
ENIGMA GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS 802.11N + BLUETOOTH 3.0
USB Options
1 x USB 3.0 PORT + 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS AS STANDARD
Battery
Enigma III Series 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (5,100/5,200 mAh)
Power Lead & Adaptor
1 x UK Power Lead & 120W AC Adaptor
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£79)
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Keyboard Language
INTEGRATED UK KEYBOARD
Notebook Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 1.3 MEGAPIXEL WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£5)
Insurance
1 Month Free Laptop Insurance inc. Accidental Damage & Theft
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 4 to 6 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £585.00 including VAT and delivery.

Configure Here: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/notebooks/enigmaIII-540/

 

[javthrower]

thanks for the quick reply, very helpful.

 

[Music Guy123]

No probs, does it look ok to you, anything you want to change?

 

[javthrower]

From my limited knowledge it looks pretty good, I have only done configurations myself, on the Xenon and Genesis III, so this is an option I haven’t yet come across myself, so you've been very helpful. I would like to know more on the warranty, I know it’s only £5 but I really have to save money where I can, so I was wondering what use will the silver warranty be? Would I be likely to have need of it?
Thanks

 

[javthrower]

I also made the following configuration myself, and was wondering how much of a difference there would be between this and your suggestion. I know the display is smaller, but I can live with that, I was more interested in the actual performance difference?

Chassis & Display
Xenon: 14.1" Glossy HD LED Backlit Widescreen (1366x768)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5 Dual Core Mobile Processor i5-2450M (2.50GHz) 3MB
Memory (RAM)
4GB SAMSUNG 1333MHz SODIMM DDR3 MEMORY (2 x 2GB)
Graphics Card
Intel® HD Graphics 3000 Video Memory Technology up to 1.7GB
Memory - Hard Disk
500GB SEAGATE MOMENTUS, SATA 3 Gb/s, 16MB CACHE (7200 rpm)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
8x SATA DVD±R/RW/Dual Layer (+ 24x CD-RW)
Memory Card Reader
Internal 9 in 1 Card Reader (MMC/RSMMC/SD: Mini, XC & HC/MS: Pro & Duo)
Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS 802.11N CARD INC. BLUETOOTH 3.0
USB Options
3 x USB 2.0 PORTS AS STANDARD
Battery
Xenon Series 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (48.84WH)
Power Lead & Adaptor
1 x UK Power Lead & 65W AC Adaptor
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£79)
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Keyboard Language
INTEGRATED UK KEYBOARD
Notebook Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 1.3 MEGAPIXEL WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Insurance
1 Month Free Laptop Insurance inc. Accidental Damage & Theft
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 4 to 6 working days


Thanks again

 

[Music Guy123]

For £5 it covers a lot more, well worth it! The coverage it offers is worth more than the price. I really would recommend it.

 

[Music Guy123]

The main difference in that spec will come in gaming, as the graphics is integrated, it isn't anywhere near as good as a standard gpu card. However, if you don't game then that will be fine.

 

[javthrower]

Okay thanks for clearing things up for me! I do do a bit of gaming so think i will go with your suggestion, thanks for your help.

 

[javthrower]

Does anyone else have different views and opinions?? Please share

 

[PCS]

I agree with Music Guy123 - the spec he has put together has more powerful graphics and overall will be better for your requirements, especially gaming/video editing.

 

[Rakk]

I would like to know more on the warranty, I know it’s only £5 but I really have to save money where I can, so I was wondering what use will the silver warranty be? Would I be likely to have need of it?

It extends the collect and return to a year from a month, which means if you have a problem in the first year (after the first month) then you won't have to pay for the courier charges for any replacments/fixes under warranty.
Obviously only a small amount of the PC's that PCS send out require any warranty fixes/component replaces, but a fiver is dirt cheap to cover that.

 

[javthrower]

Fair enough, thanks for all the help.