Here we are, part way through June and yet again another British Summer is late to arrive. Not great for your sun tan, but great for laptop retailers hoping to pursuade you to part with your hard earnt cash.
To help you make an informed decision we’ve spent some time visting the major laptop retailers and have highlighted below what we consider to be the best laptop deals available to buy in June 2012.
Best All Rounder – June 2012 »
Acer Timeline X 5830TG
What we like – i5-2430M, Nvidia GT540M Graphics, USB 3.0, Great looks
Best deal – Check price at Ebuyer.com
Details – The excellent Acer 5830TG knocks last months Inspiron 15R off the top spot thanks to it’s comprehensive specification and keen pricing. It’s pleasingly modern looks, i5 processor and the inclusion of Nvidias GT540M make it great value at just under £540.
And if you’re in any doubt about it’s credentials, the 5830TG’s smaller brother (4830T
Therefore, if you’re after a good looking, capable laptop that’s portable and bristling with the latest technology you can’t go far wrong with the Acer 5830TG.
Key features include:-
Intel i5-2450M – The Intel 2450M processor used in the Acer 5830TG is a second generation item that will provide more than enough processing power for the majority of users.
Nvidia GT540M - The Acer 5830TG features an Nvidia GT540M dedicated graphics chip. This doesn’t turn the 5830 into a hardcore gaming laptop but does mean that it has the ability to run modern games at reasonable settings.
USB 3.0 – USB 3.0 is set to become the standard for data transfer to and from external devices and is considerably faster than older USB 2.0 ports. Whilst you may not benefit immediately from the inclusion of USB 3.0 ports the number of USB 3.0 external devices hitting the market in the coming year is set to dramatically increase so it’s worth factoring this into your decision.
Best Budget Laptop – June 2012 »
Samsung RV515
What we like – Decent Performance, Smart looks, Great Value
Best deal – View Deal At Amazon.co.uk
Details – The Samsung RV515 was an easy choice for Junes best budget laptop award. It’s a smart looking, capable laptop in a price bracket that typically features noticeably cheap looking laptops.
It’s powered by AMD’s E450 APU which whilst not as powerful as Intel’s i3 and i5 processors still provides ample processing for everyday tasks such as web browsing, video playback and office tasks.
At under £320
Key features include:-
AMD E450 APU - Rather than use a separate main processor and graphics processor AMDs APU’s include both on a single chip. The resulting laptops are low in price but still perfectly capable of everyday tasks.
Also consider – If you’d rather have an Intel powered machine the closest you’re likely to get to the RV515 comes in the form of the i3 powered Fujitsu AH531.
Best Value Ultra Portable – June 2012 »
Toshiba Z830-10N
What we like – Super Slim, Lightweight, USB 3.0, Great Value
Best deal – View Deal at Ebuyer.com
Details – Now that more Ultrabooks are hitting the market and competition between brands increases we’re finally starting to see prices drop. The pick of the cut price Ultrabooks at the moment has to be the excellent Toshiba Z830-10N which is available here for just under £660.
The Z830t-10N combines a decent i3 processor with an SSD drive to produce a machine that is quick to respond and fantastically light weight. The looks might not be to everyones liking but we personally think the z830 looks great applaud Toshiba for not simply cloning the looks of the popular Macbook Air
Key features include:-
Intel i3-2367M – The Intel i3-2367M used in the Z830 runs at a relatively low 1.4GHZ but thanks to a fast SSD drive performance is fast and responsive.
USB 3.0 – USB 3.0 is set to become the standard for data transfer to and from external devices and is considerably faster than older USB 2.0 ports. Whilst you may not benefit immediately from the inclusion of USB 3.0 ports the number of USB 3.0 external devices hitting the market in the coming year is set to dramatically increase so it’s worth factoring this into your decision.
SSD Drive – Unlike traditional hard drives, SSD drives have no moving parts and as a result are far faster and far quieter. SSD equipped laptops enjoy fast load times and snappy performance.
Also Consider – If you’re on a tight budget we’d advise taking a look at the Lenovo IdeaPad S205
Most Powerful Budget Laptop – June 2012 »
Asus X53E-S1328V
What we like – Fast i7-2670 CPU
Best deal – View Deal at Comet.co.uk
Details – For a third month it’s a variant of the Asus X53E that gets our most powerful budget laptop award. The Asus X53E-S1328V features an i7-2670 CPU which is a true quad core CPU capable of processing 8 threads simultaneously and has a maximum clock speed of 3.1GHZ.
There’s no dedicated graphics card or USB 3.0 ports but if sheer processing power is your primary concern the X53E-SX1328V is a great choice.
