My Macbook Pro was stolen, so looking to replace it with something else since I'm a bit doubtful on being able to recover the laptop. Only have around $1000 to spend on it right now as I'm a student. Would need to do both photo and video editing. Figure Windows is the cheaper option here..
My last Macbook pro had 8 gigs of ram, i7 chip and the hi-res antiglare 15".
Looking for something at least comparable if anyone has any recommendations. Would need it to be able to run Lightroom 4, PS CS 6 and possibly Premier CS 6. Both Acer and Hp look like they have some decent options. It looked like the HP models have 2 harddrives, one small ssd for system and a secondary for other files. Think it was the HP Envy?
Sorry hard to link the model I am referring to since I'm using a cell phone right now. I'll try to add it in later if I can access a computer.
Hi Chris, I got myself one of these N56VM-S4034V There are many versions of this model (N56) so be aware. I replaced the HDD with an SSD 256mb Samsung 830 Boots quick, fast machine. Did a new install of Win7, use it for LR4 and and CS5.
One negative after 3wks the battery seems to have had an internal fuse blow and had to be sent in for repair, the Laptop works fine on mains. Happy with purchase and happy to recommend.
Update: Just noticed your budget was in Dollars so may be a bit outside it.
Three weeks ago I ordered an HP dv6t Quad Edition. 15.6 inch, 8gb RAM, i7 processor, 1GB of NVIDIA discrete graphics, 1TB hard drive, and the high resolution matte screen. With several discounts, came to about $1K. Seems very nice, but I've been too busy to really get it configured the way I want, so I haven't moved over to it yet for CS5. This month they replaced this model with the Envy line. Or rather, my model is gone, leaving only the Envy line. I think you should be able to spec out an Envy for about the same price, although I'm not sure what is available in the UK.
The 17-inch HP laptops have two hard drive bays, the smaller laptops only one. The small SSD drive you are referring to is a cache drive. Right out of the box is it not accessible for use like a regular hard drive, although I think there are ways to mess with the laptop to access it directly. Probably requires system re-installs and a BIOS edit. These small drives are physically attached to the mother board, so you have to dig deep into the laptop to get to it. Not all the HP configurations are available with this drive.
I like the HPs, I'm currently using a three year old HP HDX18 attached to an HP 22-inch IPS monitor. It has been reliable, and they seem to deliver a better value than comparable Dells.
I love my Lonovo W520, which is a bit over your budget, but has been replaced by the W530, so you may be able to find a W520 for close to $1000 if you look around.
The slightly lower-end T530 may meet your needs as well. B&H has it with the 1680x900 screen and an i7-3520M for $1175 - which for me is a lot cheaper than the Lenovo website - but not sure how taxes and such would work out being in London. In the US at least, Lenovo typically releases a coupon for 20% off on its website for the weekend after thanksgiving.
Lenovos 1920x1080 (FHD) screen, which they will put in the T530 or W530, is an excellent screen as laptops go - 95% gamut. I have this screen in my W520 and my wife has the 1680x900 (HD+) screen in her T520. The FHD screen definitely has better color than the HD+ screen. The HD+ is not bad, by any stretch - I'd say it's close to the same gamut as a standard Macbook Pro (I haven't seen a retina display in the flesh yet), but the FHD is just better.
I'm slightly less worried about pricing in the UK or States, if need be I may be able to wait it out until I go back to the states in December. I have access to computers at my University for editing photos as well as just typing papers. While that would be unideal, if it means getting the better price and laptop I would rather have, it may be worth it.
Thanks for all the posts so far, I'll have to research some and see what's ideal to go for.
Unfortunately Apple appears to no longer be in a brand I can afford at the moment. Unfortunate because I was quite happy with my laptop, however pricewise I just don't know if I can justify buying another Macbook Pro even at refurbished pricing. 2nd macbook pro in 2 years is a bit pricy.
I'm liking the Acer and HP's I'm seeing. I like that they can come with up to a full HD screen depending on the model as well. Will they be updating their line ups to come with Windows 8 on them by default? I would like to have the newer OS if possible, though it does look a bit smart phone like, the performance specs are faster.
sparrks wrote:
Hi Chris, I got myself one of these N56VM-S4034V There are many versions of this model (N56) so be aware. I replaced the HDD with an SSD 256mb Samsung 830 Boots quick, fast machine. Did a new install of Win7, use it for LR4 and and CS5.
One negative after 3wks the battery seems to have had an internal fuse blow and had to be sent in for repair, the Laptop works fine on mains. Happy with purchase and happy to recommend.
Update: Just noticed your budget was in Dollars so may be a bit outside it.
+2 on the Asus N56V, best laptop I have ever owned
Thanks I was looking at http://www.shopping.hp.com/en_US/home-office/-/products/Laptops/HP-ENVY/C2L40UA?HP-ENVY-dv6-7214nr-Notebook-PC
and the Asus N56VZ. Both the HP Envy and Asus seem pretty comparable, and actually having difficulty telling the difference between the two of them.
Also, VM looks to have an i5 chip, which may in the end of things be not so terrible. I would assume i7 will be faster however. Any thoughts on the differences between the Asus VZ and VM models?
The model I listed (N56VM-S4034V)is, I believe one of the few if not only one (of the Asus N56 range) with the 1920x1080 matt screen. It runs virtually dead silent, even on the occasions that the fan runs it is still very quiet. My Acer laptops were much more noisy and ran hotter. The Asus is an Alu case not plastic, It also has 4 USB3 ports one of which is a charging port. The HP Envy looks like it has a pretty good spec
sparrks wrote:
The model I listed (N56VM-S4034V)is, I believe one of the few if not only one (of the Asus N56 range) with the 1920x1080 matt screen. It runs virtually dead silent, even on the occasions that the fan runs it is still very quiet. My Acer laptops were much more noisy and ran hotter. The Asus is an Alu case not plastic, It also has 4 USB3 ports one of which is a charging port. The HP Envy looks like it has a pretty good spec
The HP does look very nice. Compared to the Pavilion I just received, it has a slightly faster i7, an extra GB of discrete graphics, an all-aluminum body, Blu-Ray, and a 2-yr warranty, all for less than I paid. I have a larger hard drive and the mSSD cache.
Tempted to send mine back and get the Envy, but probably not worth the hassle.
Matte screen would be a pretty big plus, glare just outright sucks. I'll have to figure out between the HP and Asus which is the better choice, though I really feel like they are spec'd so similarly that I won't regret either.
There are som,e nice i7 laptops there now with similar specs to teh above for $700 to $750. It looks like a lot of the 1080 screens run to $1,000 though.
Thanks all, it looks like if I go for a laptop while in the UK it'll be the Asus. If I go back to the states and wait til December, I'll get the HP. Unfortunately in the UK HP's offerings aren't as extensive, at least right now. I suspect part of that may have to do with the release of Windows 8.
I have the G73 version and am chomping at the bit to upgrade to this. Just have to convince my wife of the 'need'. It's a little over your budget but you won't need to upgrade for a while...
Thanks for the recommendation, I had a look at it, but I don't really like carrying 17" laptops around with me. 15" is about as big as I really like to carry. It looks like a very nice laptop though.
Being a home Mac user for 5 years now, I am certain I couldn't go back to the Windows platform for home use.
If you will look at the refurbished section on Apple's website (as someone else suggested too), you will see a number of MacBook Pro's within your budget. For example, there is a Jun 2012 13" MacBook Pro with a 2.5GHz i5, 4GB RAM and 500GB h/d for $1019. There are a variety of other configurations under the $1K price point.
I've never bought any refurbished item from Apple, but I know several who have and their experience has been positive (ex: occasionally, systems will show up with extra RAM, etc., although not always). YMMV
Thanks all for the help, I wouldn't have minded picking up another mac so I don't have to relearn windows but to be honest it just wasn't in my budget. In particular because a macbook pro 13" pricing is just far less spec'd as I would prefer than a PC right now. I grew up on PC's and only in the past 5-6 years have I used Mac. Going back won't be the end of the world for me.
Went with the Asus 15" N56VZ and am pretty happy with it. Just currently taking some time to pick up on how to use Windows 8 at the moment.
Will probably swap out the current 1TB HD for a SSD soon to really increase the speed of the computer.
