DELL

[fred scuttle]

Intel Core i5 2430M 2.4GHz,do all these processor's come with turbo cache to
3 ghz,or do they only have turbo cache if it say's it does in the spec's.
I asked this of a Dell assistant about the inspiron 15 N5050 notebook,the refurbished version of this model say's it has turbo cache but the New notebook spec's doesn't mention it,was he telling the truth.
Also asked if the 4gb dual chanell memory was one single chip so i would be
able to just buy another 4gb dual chanell chip to get max. memory.He also
said yes,how do i know he's telling the truth.Today there was a 1 beside
where it said 4gb, now there is a 2 beside it tonight.
Also he said they now only do a one meter power cord with their notebook's,
how cheapskate is that
Can anyone advise me on buying the best i5 notebook for £450-£500.
should i go for the dell inspiron 15 N5050 notebook or steer clear of Dell,do
they have a bad reputation.
Can anyone recomend a good notebook,i live in UK. Thank's

[Midknyte]

Intel Core i5 2430M 2.4GHz

I think you mean Turbo Boost, not turbo cache.
You need to check the specific chip since there are different i5 cores.
The 2430M is a sandybridge cpu so it has Turbo Boost.
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-C...r.53435.0.html

Also asked if the 4gb dual chanell memory was one single chip so i would be
able to just buy another 4gb dual chanell chip to get max.

No. Dual channel requires 2 chips.

I don't know about UK retailers, so someone else would have to chime in for that.

[SuperSparks]

What is your budget, and what you you mainly want to use the laptop for?

[fred scuttle]

£400-500,maybe £600.
Not sure about going with a dell,they seem to change deal's,spec's on a daily
basis,still not clear how to work out what ram they're offering,they dont tell
how many bank's,max mem etc.Would like to have 8gb dc or 4gb dc and be able to upgrade to 8gb dc.But im not clear when they say 4gb dc is it a single
4gb dc chip in one bank and i just have to buy another 4gb dc chip to upgrade to 8gb dc on the 2nd bank.Or does 4gb dc mean they are giving you 2x2 gb dc
chips in 2 bank's.
My uses would be net surfing,downloading and watching dvd's,music-ipod,itunes,google earth,family photo storage,daughter's Uni work backup,
maybe play an odd game but not too bothered about that as i have PS3.
I thought I5 would cover me but i dont mind going lower,i've alway's tryed
to get highest spec for money but find it so confusing to work out,they
seem to give spec with one hand and take spec away with the other hand.
Like bluetooth,HDMI,decent quality video,would pay more if there's Blueray
but not that important. Thank's
SAMSUNG RF511 15.6" Laptop Was looking at this what you think.

[SuperSparks]

My neighbour bought a Samsung last year, it is a fine laptop, and very reasonably priced. I'd buy one in preference to a Dell in that price bracket, though the high-end Dell laptops are nice. I think a Core i5 sounds like a good choice for what you want.

My neighbour and I bought our laptops from here, and we'd both recommend them:

http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/

And I always recommend Amazon as well:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/b/ref=sa_men...node=514938031

[Midknyte]

But im not clear when they say 4gb dc is it a single
4gb dc chip in one bank

No. I said that dual channel requires TWO chips. If it says 4GB, then it's 2 2GB chips. If you want to upgrade to 8GB, you'd need to buy 2 4GB chips.

[fred scuttle]

The dell spec's said 4gb dual chanel(1 dimms)when i chatted to the dell assistant he said all i need to buy is one chip 4gb dual chanel dimm for slot
2,of that model to make it 8gb dual chanel.They cant add it to the order and
he gave me a link to buy the ram separately.Surely their laptop's have 2 memory slot'snever seen a laptop with 1 dimm
As long as both dimm's are the same speed,he said.

[Midknyte]

The HM67 chipset can run in single channel mode if only one DIMM is present. You need to have 2 DIMMs to run in dual channel mode. They should also be a matching pair.

[ceh383]

As you stated in the first post, the Dell you are looking at is "refurbished". Dell sells several configurations when you buy a new machine. Refurbished machines are usually sold as configured by the original purchaser, as such, available configurations can change daily.
My recommendation is to buy the *best* you can afford.
Personally I would go with either a i5 or i7 processor and as much RAM as possible. Also, since you mentioned occasional gaming, I'd go with an upgraded graphics card.
There are several good laptops out there. The Samsung previously mentioned looks good, but there are others.
I'm not sure about availability in the UK, but, Sager makes some nice machines at reasonable prices...Look here
I've owned several Sony laptops over the years, and, have never been disappointed. Right now, I own a dell XPS17 mainly for the sound system in it. For me, when I travel and I do that a lot, I want music and movies to sound good. This is the best sounding I have ever heard.

*Best* Remember what is best for me or anyone else may not be the best for you. List what features are most important to you, and go from there.