Will this laptop adequately replace my desktop?

BerryH
BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
edited October 2024 in Chit-Chat
I currently have a gaming spec Dell PC in a tower the size of a small house. Having once been state of the art, it's getting weary and unreliable. Despite my best efforts with Norton Utilities, it takes forever to boot up. If I attempt to use it before it's ready (a good 10 minutes!) it crashes. If I flip between applications too quickly, it crashes. Working to tight deadlines, I can't waste an hour getting it running again each time it dies on me.

I'm thinking about taking advantage of sales offers to replace it with a laptop. I no longer need it for gaming, so it will just be for work (Office suite, website editing, Photoshop etc.) and home (browsing, music, DVDs).

Can you tell me whether this laptop will fulfil my needs and is good value for money, please. It has an processor and 6Gb RAM. At a £150 discount (and a pretty colour!) it looks like a good buy to me, but I don't know laptops that well.

Thanks! :flowerforyou:

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/hp-pavilion-g6-1244sa-15-6-laptop-blue-11361580-pdt.html

Replies

  • billsica
    billsica Posts: 4,741 Member
    Yes. The ram is way over kill, but hey who cares.

    Ok, the only issue might be photoshop. Are you going to be doing just a little, or a lot?

    I would get the laptop, then work on getting some sort of WACOM tablet, and an external hard drive.

    What I usually do with the old PC is turn it into a server. But if its not reliable, then I'm not sure I'd trust it then.
    Movies and music? maybe you do want to turn your PC into a mythtv box and connect it to your TV?

    Also, get rid of Norton.
  • gatorflyer
    gatorflyer Posts: 536 Member
    You can never have too much RAM so I think this will work well for you, especially with programs like Photoshop. If you do alot of work with Photoshop, make sure you will be comfortable using the smaller screen of the laptop for that kind of work. It al depends on what you're comfortable with. If not, consider adding an external monitor for those times you might need the big screen. Monitors are pretty cheap these days.

    My main computer is a laptop with similar specs - its even an HP :).

    I couldn't tell if this was a 64 bit system, but if it is, just make sure that the version of Photoshop you have is compatible with 64 bit.

    Norton is horrid, so I would replace that with AVG or Kaspersky. Just make sure you have some kind of virus protection.
  • helenium
    helenium Posts: 546 Member
    Don't throw away your old PC. It just sounds like it could do with a fresh clean re-install and then it'll be good as new (when you got it, rather than today's standards). Doesn't sound like there's anything physically wrong with it.

    6 GB RAM is overkill but not going to harm anything. People's strategy for slow computers is to add more RAM until you're up to the eyeballs in the stuff, but usually memory space is NOT the issue and it's usually too slow a CPU. Unless you're my girlfriend who has 500 (literally) tabs open on Firefox and does actually benefit from more memory.

    Personally I think HP has a good build quality but I am NOT happy with the crap they install onto the computer before you get it - takes ages just to clean the computer of all the rubbish HP updating stuff they put on there. AND the trial copy of Norton Antivirus which will slow down the computer massively. Go for a free, slightly less restricting antivirus and get rid of Norton ASAP if you want your computer to boot quickly. (Note: Norton grips with strong claws to computers :P)

    MY MAIN WORRY WITH THIS LAPTOP is that it isn't dual core processor. That 2.4 GHz is all you've got. You'd really want a dual core processor with 2+ GHz. Otherwise it's going to get slower as technology progresses & it won't be able to keep up with newer applications, etc.
  • ScatteredThoughts
    ScatteredThoughts Posts: 3,562 Member
    Overall, I would say the laptop would be a suitable desktop replacement. 6GB of ram is not overkill for Photoshop, which can use a lot when you are doing extensive editing.
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
    Thanks everyone, great input all round. Believe it or not, I have an IT degree, but as I graduated in 1989 and am now a journalist, everything I know is invalid! Helenium, I'll give re-installing a go and will think a bit longer about whether I need the laptop before I panic-buy in the sale, especially given the state of my finances.

    I believe though it doesn't say as much in the product description, the processor is dual core:
    http://ark.intel.com/products/53450/Intel-Core-i5-2430M-Processor-(3M-Cache-2_40-GHz)
  • stayxtrue
    stayxtrue Posts: 1,186 Member
    I just had a quick look, looks reasonable for the price... for photoshop though and editing photos I would maybe look for a higher screen resolution maybe.. But it seems to be decent value
  • TheGoktor
    TheGoktor Posts: 1,138 Member
    I like Pavillions - my last one was the best laptop I've had....until I got my current one, which is a Samsung RV511:

    2.53GHz Intel Core i3-480M
    15.6in (Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
    6GB (1 x 4GB, 1 x 2GB) DDR3-1066 RAM
    640GB 2.5in SATA HDD
    nVidia GeForce 315M with 1GB RAM
    HDMI and VGA
    3 x USB 2.0
    gigabit ethernet
    802.11b/g/n
    tray-load DVD±RW drive
    SD card slot
    48Wh removable li-ion battery
    stereo speakers
    audio in/headphone out jacks
    382 x 256 x 31-34mm
    2445g

    http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews/laptop/3283027/samsung-rv511-review/?tab=verdictTab#top

    You can pick them up for around £350-ish now. I am really impressed with how even almost a year later, this laptop is still 99% as fast as the day I bought it. I *do* have a gazillion Chrome windows open at once, and run lots of programmes simultaneously, and I've never had a problem with it slowing down. It's also on and in constant use between around 7am until way after midnight, seven days a week. It gets a huge amount of heavy usage!

    I don't have a TV service so I use an HDMI cable to hook up to my TV (although I could also use it with my 360 as a Media Centre) to watch programmes on iPlayer. Perfect! And I use Photoshop on a daily basis and have no issue with the screen res.

    The only negative thing is the CD tray - as with every laptop I've ever come across, it's flimsy. Also, sometimes it's a bit grindy, but as I said, I've found this to be true with all laptops, so certainly not a peculiarity of this particular one.

    I never thought I'd find anything to replace my last HP (at a price I could afford at the time) but honestly, this one is just as good, perhaps even a little better! However, if you're set on getting the Pav, then you'll not go far wrong. I completely agree with the earlier comments about getting rid of the evil that is Norton. AVG is my go-to antivirus (I pay about £26 a year for complete protection but the free versions are just as good but perhaps a little basic). I also agree about getting rid of the HP pre-installed stuff - most of it you'll never need. I always lose all the free trial software, esp. Office 2010, which is probably what you'll find on your new machine.

    As for your desktop - I bet you'll find that even if you do a reinstall, once you start using a laptop, you won't want to use the desktop any more!
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