I have been looking to get a new laptop for a long time now and it has proved quite tough as I am no aficionado!

I saw this laptop at a local store and it is a very good looking machine.

http://www.johnlewis.com/231497028/Product.aspx

However I know it is missing a Blu-ray drive and the screen is apparently not excellent?

Could anybody offer any insight into the value or quality of this machine? Would really be appreciated.

I can't speak very well to the price/value as I'm in the US, but as far as the specs:

• The CPU is from the previous generation but still an exceptional desktop replacement quad-core mobile chip.
• The display res is 1600 x 900, which is reasonable for a 15" and somewhat standard. 1920 x 1080 is better but can drive the cost up a ways.
• 8GB RAM is good. I'd prefer to know what speed it is (1600 vs 1333), but that's a minor thing
• No blu-ray is a consideration
• 1 TB mystery drive/no SSD, also pretty common

I mean it looks alright but there's nothing really exceptional about it other than the CPU, and even then there's a somewhat improved new generation of mobile i7 chips out now. Looking at this you should be comparing prices against similar notebooks, and then against those that have maybe a newer i7-3610 chip, blu-ray, or better res.

The first one I looked at on Dell UK seems to have better specs all the way around for less money (the Inspiron 15R SE, has new i7, 8GB 1600 RAM, a 1080 screen for £930). I'd expect the Samsung to be better built than a common Dell Inspiron though.

That's just a quick glance but the one you're looking at appears overpriced.

I wouldn't say it's a good deal because the newly released updated version has around that price in sweden (new ivy brigde processors). Guess it should be about the same in the UK? Model numer is 700Z5C. Still only 1600x900 res.

The new 17" version has full hd resolution, blue-ray and displayport. Still relatively light-weight at 3 kg. That looks more attractive to me. Model numer is 700Z7C.

A similar machine to the one you posted worth checking could be the Asus N56VZ. It has a matte full HD screen, blueray and new processor. Asus is highly regarded for their mainstream computers.

Dell is also soon releasing the L521x which looks sick from pictures i have seen.

That's great info thanks guys.

Can I ask what your experience of Dell laptops are though? I have had lower budget Dells in the past and for each I have had to replace the battery and the thing has eventually died completely.

Also one thing about this Samsung which I like is that it feels substantial without being too heavy. A lot of the Dells which I have seen feel as if some of it's interior is not completely packed out if you know what I mean- giving it a slightly tacky feeling.

Also- I have been reading a lot of dissatisfaction around the 5400rpm hard drives- which at a £1000 budget seem to be relatively common. Is this really likely to be an issue- will it drag the rest of the system down?

I haven't seen too many 7200 rpm and the SSD's seem to drive the price up crazy- plus they don't hold a great deal.

For example the recommended ASUS seems to be a kickass machine with a 5400 rpm hard drive. I'm not sure if you can get them replaced easily- as I have been led to believe that laptops are fine-tuned and meddling with the interior could lead to difficulties further down the line.

You don't buy SSDs from laptop manufacturers, if you do you'll get scalped for some mediocre drive. Buy one yourself and swap it out. Usually it's just a few screws with an access panel (varies by model). It's silly easy once you've done it.

I use them for casual everyday things. If I needed a mission critical notebook I wouldn't choose a cheap Inspiron for the job though, XPS's are a lot nicer. Dell covers a lot of ground with the various models and for the most part you get what you pay for. They're pretty consistent... with their $500 models you will generally get a couple of quirky things and questionable longevity.

Hello, fellow UK'er here We recently bought one from asuslaptops.co.uk and were very happy with it, they seem to be by far the best value. Take a look at this one:

£838
http://www.asuslaptop.co.uk/proddeta...3SD-SX101V-SSD

No blu-ray but you should be able to buy an external one for the money you save. SSD is a LOT better than HDD. This one is 17" as well.

The asus has an access panel for the HDD/RAM but the samsungs don't. It is possible to change on the samsungs too if you remove the complete bottom cover.

As mentioned previously bying SSD's from laptop manufacturers is a ripoff. Is simple to change yourself and then you can also choose a better drive. Crucial m4 and samsung 830 is very good deals in Europe right now, good and stable drives.

Another laptop that got my interest recently is the Sony vaio SVS15. I will probably get this one myself but will wait for reviews to see if they fixed the fan noise problem from previous generation. It's a 15" full hd laptop at only 2 kg. If the fans aren't OK I will get the samsung 700z7c.

Thanks guys- great advice. Gullanian I really like the look of that Asus except for the screen- was hoping for at hd+ at least.

The Samsung 700z7c sounds almost ideal but I can't find it anywhere- does anyone have a link to an english language website?

http://www.samsung.com/us/computer/l...NP700Z7C-S01US

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...l/-/B006MX0WPW

US though, maybe if you search for NP700Z7C instead.