Support NeoGAF

[Hours Left]

Hey, just looking for some feedback here. I'm in the market for a new computer/laptop, and I'm seeing this on The Shopping Channel (a Canadian home shopping channel) and I'm wondering if this is a good deal.

http://www.theshoppingchannel.com/pages/productdetails?nav=R:628670&ic=HP_TS_140104_EL_Dell_628670

At a glance:
• Processor: AMD Quad-Core A8-5545M Accelerated Processor (4M Cache, 1.7GHz)
• Memory: 8GB Memory (DDR3, 1333mhZ, 2 DIMM)
• Hard Drive: 1TB 5400RPM
• Operating System: Windows 8.1
• Security: McAfee® LiveSafe™
• Display: Blue: 15.6" HD display with webcam (1366 x 768) or 17.3" HD display with webcam (1600 x 900)
• Video Graphics: AMD Radeon™ HD 8510G Graphics
• Wireless: Dell Wireless-N & Bluetooth®
• Battery: 6-cell lithium ion battery (65WHr)

Key Points:
• With 1TB of hard drive, you'll never have to worry about losing any of your precious data
• Your new Dell Inspiron laptop was built to last and has been thoroughly tested for reliability
• 8GB Ram gives you enough power to multitask and will let you get the most out of Windows 8.1
• Spill-resistant keyboard means no need to worry about accidents any longer
• Connecting to your peripherals is simple with two USB 3.0, two USB 2.0, HDMI 1.4a, RJ-45 10/100 Ethernet ports and one security slot
• Bluetooth wireless technology allows you to seamlessly integrate additional devices to your laptop such as smartphones, wireless headphones and
speakers
• Powered by Waves MaxxAudio® 4 deliver bigger, better sound, with lower lows, higher highs, and a super-wide stereo spread

Includes:
• Dell Inspiron Laptop with A8 Quad-Core Processor, 8BG Ram, and 1TB Hard Drive
• Microsoft Office Home & Student 2013
• Software (see tab)
• Laptop Bag

Warranty Information:
This product comes with a 1-year limited hardware warranty, mail-in service and 24/7 phone support through the manufacturer.

17.3"
Today's Showstopper: $779.99

Your Savings: $520.00
EASY PAY™: 9 payments of $86.66

Shipping & Handling: $11.47 FREE

I know this won't be as good as a custom built computer, but it seems to be like it's a pretty good deal. Plus, another thing that's appealing is that when you order through The Shopping Channel, you get to spread out the payments over nine months.

I want a computer mainly for web browsing and watching movies/listening to music, with some gaming and office work on the side. Basically a multipurpose unit. (And the majority of games I plan on playing aren't very graphic intense.)

Any advice would be appreciated, as I've not shopped for a computer in a long while. Just a note, I'm not looking to make a big ordeal out of buying a new computer, so the convenience of having this all put together already is a plus for me.

 

[ComputerMKII]

Seems good enough.

 

[daviyoung]

Perfectly fine I think, but if you're planning to use it as a laptop I'd check what the battery life is like because I imagine it's pretty poor. If you're not planning on using it on the move, is there any reason why you won't consider a desktop?

 

[Hours Left]

Perfectly fine I think, but if you're planning to use it as a laptop I'd check what the battery life is like because I imagine it's pretty poor. If you're not planning on using it on the move, is there any reason why you won't consider a desktop?

I don't plan on taking it out much, but I live in an apartment, so the ability to move it easily from room to room is a plus.

I'll pretty much always have access to a power outlet.

 

[triplestation]

8 gigs of mem on a fucking laptop thas that future

 

[terrisus]

8 gigs of mem on a fucking laptop thas that future

Yeah, I mean, I had 8GB of RAM on my laptop I bought in 2009.
Future!

Main things I would say about that laptop are:
1) A 5400RPM Hard Drive is painfully slow
2) Find out whether that Microsoft Office they mention is just the 60-day trial that comes with most Windows computers. If it's the full version that would be a good deal on that, but my guess is it's just the trial, which you would then need to purchase afterwards if you wanted.

 

[Hours Left]

They are running a gaming demo right now on the channel, and it looks pretty good.

 

[terrisus]

Also, regarding the monthly payments, without checking I'm going to assume that's by applying for financing through them, which you might not necessarily get. So, unless you know you will/have gotten it already, don't necessarily count on that as part of the deal until you get it.

Also, there are many stores out there which offer credit for periods of no-interest financing (which is the same thing essentially)

 

[daviyoung]

Just noticed the display isn't full HD, so not sure if that's a dealbreaker since movie/TV watching is one of your priorities.

 

[Deleted member 22576]

Everything seems on the up and up except for that harddrive. Get the cheapest solid state option and get a mechanical drive in an external closure later. The resolution is a little low, but for 700$ what can you do. Just the one Night and Day upgrade you can make to that config is solidstate storage.


I'm seriously talking about a night and day difference hear. Its not an incremental upgrade, and the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks of small internal space.

 

[Finaika]

Just noticed the display isn't full HD, so not sure if that's a dealbreaker since movie/TV watching is one of your priorities.

1600 x 900 is more than enough for a small laptop screen imo.

I have an 18.4" laptop with 1680 x 945 and its really sharp.

 

[Hours Left]

Main things I would say about that laptop are:
1) A 5400RPM Hard Drive is painfully slow
2) Find out whether that Microsoft Office they mention is just the 60-day trial that comes with most Windows computers. If it's the full version that would be a good deal on that, but my guess is it's just the trial, which you would then need to purchase afterwards if you wanted.

1. Like, slow to a really bad degree? Or just compared to custom built CPUs? As I said above, I know it's not gonna be a top of the line unit, but I think for the price and the convenience, it seems pretty good.

2. They still haven't mentioned if the MS Office is a trial or not. I'm still watching the presentation.

Also, regarding the monthly payments, without checking I'm going to assume that's by applying for financing through them, which you might not necessarily get. So, unless you know you will/have gotten it already, don't necessarily count on that as part of the deal until you get it.

Also, there are many stores out there which offer credit for periods of no-interest financing (which is the same thing essentially)

They just spread the payments out over months and automatically charge your card. You don't have to apply for anything.

Just noticed the display isn't full HD, so not sure if that's a dealbreaker since movie/TV watching is one of your priorities.

I have an HDTV for movies and TV, this is more for streaming videos online and catching up on shows that I've missed. I'm a pretty big proponent of physical media, so I own the majority of my movies on DVD and Blu-ray.

Everything seems on the up and up except for that harddrive. Get the cheapest solid state option and get a mechanical drive in an external closure later. The resolution is a little low, but for 700$ what can you do. Just the one Night and Day upgrade you can make to that config is solidstate storage.


I'm seriously talking about a night and day difference hear. Its not an incremental upgrade, and the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks of small internal space.

Believe me, it cannot be worse than my current HD, which sound like it may explode at any second. But I'll consider looking into an external one in the future.

 

[Chumpion]

It's a piece of shit. Shop around until you find something nice with a Full HD screen and Haswell.

 

[Deleted member 22576]

1. Like, slow to a really bad degree? Or just compared to custom buolt CPUs? As I said above, I know it's not gonna be a top of the line unit, but I think for the price and the convienience, it seems pretty good.

Yes. 5400rpm is slow even for a mechanical drive. OP, I'd say buy any computer you can find with 8gigs of ram and an ssd. Those are the only two things.

 

[Crimsonclaw111]

I've never had good experience with AMD CPUs in laptops... but that might just be me. Everything else looks pretty good.

But the real deal there is the laptop bag. That deal + the fedoras from the other thread = a successful man walking.

 

[Volotaire]

OP this would be a great place to ask!

"I Need a New PC!" 2014 Part 1. 1080p and 60FPS is so last-gen and your 2500K is fine Thread

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=745567

Very detailed, willing to help and friendly!

EDIT oops misread , you're looking for a laptop then there is another thread.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=504567

It's focused on gaming, but they should be able to help and it says you're looking for a bit of gaming capabilities.

 

[terrisus]

1. Like, slow to a really bad degree? Or just compared to custom built CPUs? As I said above, I know it's not gonna be a top of the line unit, but I think for the price and the convenience, it seems pretty good.

2. They still haven't mentioned if the MS Office is a trial or not. I'm still watching the presentation.


They just spread the payments out over months and automatically charge your card. You don't have to apply for anything.

1. Like, slow to a bad degree. Especially on start-up time and time from start-up to actually being able to load anything. Fortunately hard drives on laptops are generally user-replaceable, but still, better to at least find something with a 7200RPM hard drive, if not a hybrid SSD or a SSD with a secondary hard drive.

2. I'm guessing it's just the trial.

3. So they just charge your regular card $86.66 and send you the laptop? And then just trust you to have the money on your card to cover the payment each month?

 

[Hours Left]

Thanks for the advice everyone, I'm gonna think about it for a little bit.

But I am leaning toward getting it, and then maybe just buying an external HD down the line.

 

[lenovox1]

3. So they just charge your regular card $86.66 and send you the laptop? And then just trust you to have the money on your card to cover the payment each month?

That's how those home shopping flexpay/easy pay things work. They may do credit checks per their own terms, but they likely won't.

 

[Hours Left]

3. So they just charge your regular card $86.66 and send you the laptop? And then just trust you to have the money on your card to cover the payment each month?

Yes. It's one of this channel's hallmarks.

 

[Hulud]

CPU and HDD seem slow.

 

[Bomber Bob]

get an SSD

 

[Water]

What matters for how nice the computer is for miscellaneous / light work is 1) display quality, 2) keyboard and trackpad quality, 3) having a SSD instead of a mechanical hard drive. Processors, etc. have all been fast enough for a long time. Gaming capability is, essentially, solely determined by the GPU.

The resolutions on those displays are bad, the displays are bound to be bad in other regards as well. GPU also not so hot. In your shoes I'd hunt for a deal for a good brand like Lenovo. Either find one of their older models like Ideapad Y400 on sale, or buy an used machine that still has warranty left.

 

[rrs]

Seems fine but 5.4K drives are slow, throwing an SSD in later will make it faster. I'd also expect some flaky build quality.

 

[Hours Left]

The just mentioned that the MS Office is the full version, not a trial. That's good.

I think I'm gonna go for it and upgrade to an SSD later on. Thanks everyone.

 

[terrisus]

Yes. It's one of this channel's hallmarks.

That's how those home shopping flexpay/easy pay things work. They may do credit checks per their own terms, but they likely won't.

Ah, wasn't aware.

So, hypothetically, what if one made the initial payment from an account that one just opened with $90, and put nothing into afterwards, and so there was nothing there for any following payments?

 

[Nander]

Yuck at that screen resolution (1366 x 768). It seems to otherwise be a capable computer that should be able to play games at at least 1080p, so it's a shame the display doesn't have a higher resolution.

And 17"+ is way too large for a laptop, if you ask me.

 

[Hours Left]

Ah, wasn't aware.

So, hypothetically, what if one made the initial payment from an account that one just opened with $90, and put nothing into afterwards, and so there was nothing there for any following payments?

It's through a credit card. It's not a direct deposit from your bank account.

 

[terrisus]

It's through a credit card. It's not a direct deposit from your bank account.

Well, what if it was a credit card which only had $90 available on it?

 

[Hours Left]

Well, what if it was a credit card which only had $90 available on it?

I guess they'll sue you? XD

(They'd contact your creditors/bank I imagine.)

 

[th3dude]

You will not be happy with that hard drive in the long run.

The big thing right now is to offer a huge, painfully slow hard drive and advertise how big it is.

A poster above was correct. Put a small SSD in that thing and throw the 1TB into a USB enclosure and life will be great.

I don't have a lot of experience with the new AMD CPU/GPUs, but overall seems OK.

Edit: In case it wasn't clear, the small (64 - 128GB perhaps) SSD will run your Windows and applications, and the enclosure can hold your large data, like music and movies.

 

[Nander]

Well, what if it was a credit card which only had $90 available on it?

That's not really how a credit card works. You will just increase your credit debt each month and pay more and more interest, and various fees for missed payments on top of that. If you don't pay at all, you will eventually go bankrupt. And believe me, no computer is worth that...

 

[Hours Left]

You will not be happy with that hard drive in the long run.

The big thing right now is to offer a huge, painfully slow hard drive and advertise how big it is.

A poster above was correct. Put a small SSD in that thing and throw the 1TB into a USB enclosure and life will be great.

I don't have a lot of experience with the new AMD CPU/GPUs, but overall seems OK.

Edit: In case it wasn't clear, the small (64 - 128GB perhaps) SSD will run your Windows and applications, and the enclosure can hold your large data, like music and movies.

That's what I plan to do, thanks. Unfortunately I can't spring for the SSD now, but I will definitely be looking into it down the road.

 

[Bel Marduk]

Why would anybody want a 17.3 in laptop? That's crazy. Why not just get a more powerful desktop?

 

[th3dude]

That's what I plan to do, thanks. Unfortunately I can't spring for the SSD now, but I will definitely be looking into it down the road.

No problem. Keep an eye out on SlickDeals and Amazon/Newegg (or equivalent north of the border) for sales. SSD's are now selling for <$1/GB, and in many cases, less than 50 cents per GB, so finding a good small SSD for cheap shouldn't be too hard.

When the time comes to throw the SSD in, you'll face a challenge. It is not trivial to port a Windows install to a smaller hard drive. You'll need the original installation discs that the laptop hopefully comes with, or you'll need to create them from Windows when you get it.

Google and GAF should be able to help when that time comes.

Happy laptop-ing!

Edit again: I should also mention that my first gut reaction to seeing this was that the cost seemed a bit high to me. I feel like something like that should be more in the $500 range. I don't have any evidence to back this up, but check around online (amazon, newegg) to double check with the same specs.

 

[Hours Left]

No problem. Keep an eye out on SlickDeals and Amazon/Newegg (or equivalent north of the border) for sales. SSD's are now selling for <$1/GB, and in many cases, less than 50 cents per GB, so finding a good small SSD for cheap shouldn't be too hard.

When the time comes to throw the SSD in, you'll face a challenge. It is not trivial to port a Windows install to a smaller hard drive. You'll need the original installation discs that the laptop hopefully comes with, or you'll need to create them from Windows when you get it.

Google and GAF should be able to help when that time comes.

Happy laptop-ing!

Thanks. I've been waiting to get a new computer for an abominable amount of time, so I'm pretty pumped

Though when it's time, I'll probably just pay/bribe one of my friends to do the SSD swap for me.

 

[th3dude]

Thanks. I've been waiting to get a new computer for an abominable amount of time, so I'm pretty pumped

Though when it's time, I'll probably just pay/bribe one of my friends to do the SSD swap for me.

Good idea haha. Check my edit above for my last comment.

 

[terrisus]

That's not really how a credit card works. You will just increase your credit debt each month and pay more and more interest, and various fees for missed payments on top of that. If you don't pay at all, you will eventually go bankrupt. And believe me, no computer is worth that...

Well, you'll owe more and more to the credit card company, but, if you don't have any available balance, the shopping network won't be able to get any more money off the card.

Spoiler

And trust me, I know far more than I ever wanted to know about credit card debt

I was just asking the original question as a hypothetical anyway, since it was curious to me that a company would give you a product without you paying the company themselves the full amount at time of purchase (short of a Rent-a-Center style of arrangement I suppose)

 

[Hours Left]

Good idea haha. Check my edit above for my last comment.

Well, all of the software are full versions and it comes with a year warranty, a (nice) carrying case and lifetime tech support, so I'm okay with the price.

The fact that you can spread the payments over 9 months is also a big plus for me, especially right after the holidays, and The Shopping Channel are usually pretty competitively priced on their products.

 

[wanders]

Am I missing something?

Aren't laptops with A8 apu usually around $400-$500?

 

[Nander]

I was just asking the original question as a hypothetical anyway, since it was curious to me that a company would give you a product without you paying the company themselves the full amount at time of purchase (short of a Rent-a-Center style of arrangement I suppose)

Oh, alright then! I guess it might be a cultural difference, if you don't do it that way in the States. Here in Europe (Sweden), almost all electronics are advertised with prices like "$500 (or $25/mo for 24 months)".

 

[terrisus]

Oh, alright then! I guess it might be a cultural difference, if you don't do it that way in the States. Here in Europe (Sweden), almost all electronics are advertised with prices like "$500 (or $25/mo for 24 months)".

Yeah, when stuff like that is advertised like that over here (which does happen), it usually means "Apply for our credit card, which has no interest on purchases $500 and up if the balance is paid in full within 24 months, which breaks down to $x.xx per month!" but with you still needing to apply for the credit card and pay for the item in full with the card, and so having a debt of $500 on the card.

 

[Keyouta]

If it had an SSD, then I wouldn't worry as much about losing data, but that line on 1TB and never having to worry is wrong. If you get a laptop, put an SSD in it. Throw the larger storage onto an external bay.

 

[Cerity]

Steep price for the specs IMO. You're paying more for the ram and the hdd, both of which you can swap out yourself later if you feel you need an upgrade.

 

[Nephtis]

At a glance:
• Processor: AMD Quad-Core A8-5545M Accelerated Processor (4M Cache, 1.7GHz)
• Memory: 8GB Memory (DDR3, 1333mhZ, 2 DIMM)
• Hard Drive: 1TB 5400RPM

The AMD processors haven't been that great lately. I would definitely go with a Haswell. 8GB of ram is pretty good, but the hard drive is painfully slow. Any place that doesn't bother with a 7200 RPM hard drive is worth it in my opinion.

• Display: Blue: 15.6" HD display with webcam (1366 x 768) or 17.3" HD display with webcam (1600 x 900)
• Video Graphics: AMD Radeon™ HD 8510G Graphics

Dedicated video card is a plus. Resolution is not.

17.3"
Today's Showstopper: $779.99

Your Savings: $520.00
EASY PAY™: 9 payments of $86.66

Shipping & Handling: $11.47 FREE

Wait, this is a bit confusing. $520 savings? So they retail the laptop at $1,300 or so? LOL. For what they offer? GTFO. For that price, not putting a SSD in, and even worse, putting a freaking 5400 RPM drive, they must think their consumer base stupid. Even Best Buy will offer better for that price.

OP, you can find better deals out there. For the set up listed, I'd pay no more than $500 at absolute max. I would check sites like www.techbargains.com, www.tigerdirect.com, and www.newegg.com just to start. I would definitely not buy from them.

 

[Waaghals]

Yes. 5400rpm is slow even for a mechanical drive. OP, I'd say buy any computer you can find with 8gigs of ram and an ssd. Those are the only two things.

5400rpm was the standard for laptop drives for years, and still is for the cheaper variants. It's not some kind of bottom of the barrel 1970's tech, but it isn't very spectacular either.

That being said, I fully support your suggestion that he get a laptop with an SSD, even if he has to get one with a low capacity drive.

 

[terrisus]

5400rpm was the standard for laptop drives for years, and still is for the cheaper variants. It's not some kind of bottom of the barrel 1970's tech, but it isn't very spectacular either.

56.6k dial-up was the standard for internet connections for years, and still is for the cheaper variants. It's not some kind of bottom of the barrel 1970s tech, but it isn't very spectacular either.

 

[Joel Was Right]

Battery life and SSD are the arguably the most important elements to any potential laptop purchase in my opinion. Forget gaming and the screen res (unless you're editing photographs), if you just want to browse and work on your laptop, focus on those two areas and you're good.

 

[Waaghals]

56.6k dial-up was the standard for internet connections for years, and still is for the cheaper variants. It's not some kind of bottom of the barrel 1970s tech, but it isn't very spectacular either.

Well aren't you clever.

My point was that most people has ever only used 5400rpm drives in their laptops, even until very recently. They still function quite well for most normal tasks, but I would never recommend one. I guess this is where your 56k analogy breaks down.

If he could have gotten the pc for cheap, I would have said go for it, he could have swapped it out at a later date. Given that it is a rather expansive laptop he should shun it like the plague.

I'm not sure what you think you are contributing with posts like this.

 

[terrisus]

I'm not sure what you think you are contributing with posts like this.

He was asking if it was a good laptop. A number of people in this thread have been pointing out that, with far better technologies out there, a 5400RPM HD isn't very good.