Which of these laptops is the best for me and why?

Question

I have £380 of Argos vouchers and I'm looking to buy a new laptop and have narrowed it down to these models:

PACKARD BELL TM81-RB-023UK - £379.99

Technical specifications
Brand: PACKARD BELL
Screen size: 15.6 inches
Processor: AMD Athlon
Intel Processor Star Rating: tbc
Processor model number: P340
Processor speed: 2.2 GHz
Processor bus: 1066 MHz
Processor cache: 1 MB
Memory (RAM): 3 GB
Storage (hard drive): 500 GB
Storage (hard drive) Type: SATA
Operating system: Windows 7 Home Premium
Optical drive: Plays & records CDs and DVDs
HDMI output
Wireless networking standard: 802.11b/g/n
Gigabit LAN
USB 2.0 slots: 3
Media card slots: 5-in-1
Built-in webcam:
Speakers: Standard
Battery life: 3.3 hours
Power Consumption: 14 / 0.6 watts
Laptop weight (kg): 2.6 kg
Shared Graphics type
ATI HD radeo Graphics detail

http://www.comet.co.uk/p/Laptops/buy-PACKARD-BELL-TM81-RB-023UK-Laptop/686077

or

ACER ASPIRE 5742-I3 - £379.00

Technical specifications
Brand: ACER
Screen size: 15.6 inches
Processor: Intel Core i3
Processor model number: I3 370M
Processor speed: 2.4 GHz
Processor bus: 2.5
Processor cache: 3 MB
Memory (RAM): 4 GB
Storage (hard drive): 250 GB
Operating system: Windows 7 Home Premium
Optical drive: Plays & records CDs and DVDs
HDMI output:
Wireless networking standard: 802.11b/g
Gigabit LAN:
USB 2.0 slots: 3x 2.0
Media card slots: Multi
Built-in webcam:
Speakers: Stereo
Battery life: 3.5 hours
Power Consumption: 16 / 0.8 watts
Laptop weight (kg): 2.6 kg
Supports Double layer & Dual Format +/- recording
Mobile wireless 3G
Dual Number of Cores
Intel HM55 Chipset
1366 x 768 Resolution
HD
Cinecrystal Panel features
46 x 29.5 xmm Dimensions (D x H x W)
Ethernet
Wireless LAN
Express Card Slot
Headphone jack
Microphone Jack
Built-in microphone
Black Outercase
Shared Graphics type
Intel 128MB Graphics detail
6 cell battery

http://www.comet.co.uk/p/Laptops/buy-ACER-ASPIRE-5742-I3-Laptop/688410#

I am looking for a fast enough, reliable laptop and my main uses will be watching HD movies, burning some CD's, DVD's, general web browsing and listening to music etc. Any advice and information as to which is the better option for my requirements will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Answer 1

The Acer is the winner hands down. As you have seen yourself, the spec lists are very similar in most things. Slo the most important thing to consider in this case is the processor and the newer, faster, cooler, more power efficient Core i3 Intel processor is best without question - don't let anyone tell you otherwise.



The only thing that I could see that is "against" the Acer is the fact that it doesn't have the latest ratified standard for wi-fi, and that is 'n' which brings a huge increase in the maximum, theoretical, connection speed - it only has 'b' & 'g'. This isn't a problem right now as your internet connection can barely max out the current 'g' standard when it comes to speed on the fastest of services. And if it ever were to become a necessity, you can add this functionality by using a USB wireless 'n' dongle.



The other thing is the storage - the Packard Bell has 500GB whilst the Acer 250GB. This can be a disadvantage but again when this needs to be sorted, you can simply get yourself a 1TB (1,000GB) external USB hard drive to compensate. So both "problems" are non-starters.



The Acer has more memory though which helps multi-tasking & speeds up Windows 7 if it's the 64bit version.



All in all though, get the Acer. Out of the two, it's definitely the one that I would get.

Answer 2

i would recomend anything intel, its just my preference, one becasue they can multitask ALOT better than any AMD processor. intels have hyperthreading with allows 2 processes to each core. the i3 has a graphics processor in it, when the AMD's do not. you will get more battery life out of any intel than any AMD. as for burning DVD's and CD's and watching HD movies, the intel will preform alot smoother and nicer than the AMD processor. The Acer also has 4 GIGs of ram which is very nice. Personally, if i had to choose between these 2 laptops i would definetly go with the Acer, hands down.

Answer 3

I recommend you to buy ACER ASPIRE 5742-I3 as it has 4gb RAM and i3 processor

Answer 4

Google is your friend.