Is this laptop worth buying?

Discussion in 'hardware' started by aigle, Feb 29, 2016.

  1. aigle

    aigle Registered Member

    Joined:
    Dec 14, 2005
    Posts:
    11,164
    Location:
    UK / Pakistan
    I am thinking to buy a used laptop( still not sure though) . I am getting this one in around 530 $.

    Samsung Series 7 Chronos 770Z5E
    Specs:

    - Intel Core i7-3635QM quad-core processor with a base clock speed of 2.4 GHz
    - Dedicated GPU with 2 GB of GDDR5 memory - the AMD Radeon HD 8870M
    - 8 GB of DDR3 memory
    - 650 GB HDD
    - Matte 15.6-inch display with a Full HD 1080p resolution of 1920x1080 pixels.
    - Fingerprint-proof finish (Brushed Aluminum) with underlying keyboard back lit light.

    Is this price OK for it.
     
  2. Bill_Bright

    Bill_Bright Registered Member

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2007
    Posts:
    4,041
    Location:
    Nebraska, USA
    It was a pretty pricy notebook (~$1500) when new and got good reviews. But buying used comes with its downsides. One of my concerns is the battery. Batteries wear out and need replacing and according to this review (scroll down to Verdict), that might be a problem. Otherwise, if it still works properly and has been well taken care of, the price seems reasonable. But if me, I would see what you can get new (and with a warranty) for $530 in your area.
     
  3. zapjb

    zapjb Registered Member

    Joined:
    Nov 15, 2005
    Posts:
    5,554
    Location:
    USA still the best. But barely.
    Questions. Source of purchase trusted or unknown? Do you need/want/have to have these higher end specs? As mentioned used batteries are a concern.
     
  4. Bill_Bright

    Bill_Bright Registered Member

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2007
    Posts:
    4,041
    Location:
    Nebraska, USA
    Excellent question!
    Especially since the battery on this particular notebook cannot be accessed by normal users. :(
     
  5. aigle

    aigle Registered Member

    Joined:
    Dec 14, 2005
    Posts:
    11,164
    Location:
    UK / Pakistan
    Thanks for the replies.

    As far as batteries are concerned, sooner or later they die. It will be used mainly as desktop on my table so I am not much concerned.

    I am opting for i7 as I want to run VM( one at a time).

    It is online buying like e Bay by no bids and you can call the person directly and even can go and see the laptop in person. If you like pay the cash and get the machine.
     
  6. Bill_Bright

    Bill_Bright Registered Member

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2007
    Posts:
    4,041
    Location:
    Nebraska, USA
    Then if me, I would spend the money on a desktop.
     
  7. mirimir

    mirimir Registered Member

    Joined:
    Oct 1, 2011
    Posts:
    9,252
    You don't need an i7 for VMs. I routinely run ~12 VMs on this quad i5 host with 8GB RAM.
     
  8. zapjb

    zapjb Registered Member

    Joined:
    Nov 15, 2005
    Posts:
    5,554
    Location:
    USA still the best. But barely.
    Yeah I always thought i5's were good enough & i7's were overpriced.
     
  9. aigle

    aigle Registered Member

    Joined:
    Dec 14, 2005
    Posts:
    11,164
    Location:
    UK / Pakistan
    ok, that's good to know then. :)
     
  10. aigle

    aigle Registered Member

    Joined:
    Dec 14, 2005
    Posts:
    11,164
    Location:
    UK / Pakistan
    Desktop is not an option actually. My laptop stays mostly on my table but still it moves around a lot within my house and I can't imagine to loose this portability.
     
  11. aigle

    aigle Registered Member

    Joined:
    Dec 14, 2005
    Posts:
    11,164
    Location:
    UK / Pakistan
    So I guess your VMs are snappy with even i5. Do you run one VM at a time?
     
  12. Osaban

    Osaban Registered Member

    Joined:
    Apr 11, 2005
    Posts:
    5,614
    Location:
    Milan and Seoul
    I've had exactly the same machine for almost 3 years, and it's beautifully built with a very bright display. Now the battery is incorporated in the sense that one has to undo the bottom plate to access it, which means it should be done by the Samsung service. Its battery capacity is charged with a dedicated software up to 80% which means it has a very long life, and I can vouch that after 3 years it can last up to 6 hours of use.

    I guess by charging to 100% one can expect 9 hours, but I have never tested it under these conditions as it would shorten its battery life. In that sense it would help to know who was using it. I think the price is good as I paid almost $1600 then. The only problem I had was updating to Win 8.1 which was a disaster as Samsung and MS had a kind of commercial dispute, and new drivers for Win 8.1 weren't still ready a year after the official upgrade. In the end I kept it with its native Win 8 (64 bit). One thing is different from your specifications, my HDD is 1 TB.

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-SAMSUNG...30335732?pt=Laptops_Nov05&hash=item232a1c08f4
     
  13. aigle

    aigle Registered Member

    Joined:
    Dec 14, 2005
    Posts:
    11,164
    Location:
    UK / Pakistan
    Thanks for the input. Did you try to install win 10.
     
  14. Mrkvonic

    Mrkvonic Linux Systems Expert

    Joined:
    May 9, 2005
    Posts:
    10,213
    Personally, I would not. I'd rather go for a new machine.
    Mrk
     
  15. Osaban

    Osaban Registered Member

    Joined:
    Apr 11, 2005
    Posts:
    5,614
    Location:
    Milan and Seoul
    After the issues I had trying to upgrade to Win 8.1, I didn't even try Win 10 as it really works very well with Win 8. Maybe in your case the upgrade has already been done...I've read somewhere that the whole dispute with MS is over, therefore there shouldn't be any more problems with upgrades.
     
  16. aigle

    aigle Registered Member

    Joined:
    Dec 14, 2005
    Posts:
    11,164
    Location:
    UK / Pakistan
    Last edited: Mar 1, 2016
  17. aigle

    aigle Registered Member

    Joined:
    Dec 14, 2005
    Posts:
    11,164
    Location:
    UK / Pakistan
    Actually I did remember seeing some body selling it with windows 10 at even cheaper price , I missed that chance.
     
    Last edited: Mar 1, 2016
  18. Mrkvonic

    Mrkvonic Linux Systems Expert

    Joined:
    May 9, 2005
    Posts:
    10,213
    Tell me what you NEED and I'll try to find one for you. Your price range/budget?
    And what are you must/must not have? Aesthetics seem to be important I guess?
    Mrk
     
  19. mirimir

    mirimir Registered Member

    Joined:
    Oct 1, 2011
    Posts:
    9,252
    Nope, all ~12 :) Typically, I'm running 4-6 pfSense VPN-client VMs, 1-3 Linux workstation VMs, and 2-3 Whonix installs (each comprising a Debian Tor gateway VM and a Debian workstation VM). Once everything is up, there's not much CPU activity (10-20%) unless I'm doing something intensive on one of the VMs. RAM is stable at 85-95%. I'm running six SSDs in RAID10, so disk access isn't an issue, even if I get a little swapping. But I've set swappiness quite low. My VMs would be snappier with i7, for sure. But I'd still be stuck waiting on network, given that latencies with VPN chains are 200-300ms, and as much as 1-2s with Tor via VPN chains.
     
  20. aigle

    aigle Registered Member

    Joined:
    Dec 14, 2005
    Posts:
    11,164
    Location:
    UK / Pakistan
    Aesthetics are really important for me. I can never buy an ugly looking laptop. Let me see the local market more and then if needed I wil ask about more help. Thanks for your kind help and all others too who contributed to this thread. :)
     
  21. whitedragon551

    whitedragon551 Registered Member

    Joined:
    Sep 30, 2008
    Posts:
    3,264
    Location:
    USA
    We bought a few of those for an MSP for the techs to carry around. They are ok machines, but I wouldnt spend $550 on one even new. Id be more inclined to find a Lenovo T440S for that price used.

    You can replace the battery. The bottom plate comes off, but it snaps into place plus has screws. Its made of a thin metal. If you pry to much you will bend it and wont get the crease out.
     
  22. roger_m

    roger_m Registered Member

    Joined:
    Jan 25, 2009
    Posts:
    8,627
    @whitedragon551 I agree, that the Lenovo would be a much better choice.
     
  23. Osaban

    Osaban Registered Member

    Joined:
    Apr 11, 2005
    Posts:
    5,614
    Location:
    Milan and Seoul
    I agree completely. Design and finish are very important in my opinion with something that one is going to use every day for many hours. One thing that I would like to stress is its display. When I bought it, its brightness (which is controlled by ambient light) and colours were easily the best among the different brands that I was considering. It would also be interesting to find out whether it is the 'touch screen' version. Not very important though.
     
    Last edited: Mar 2, 2016
  24. aigle

    aigle Registered Member

    Joined:
    Dec 14, 2005
    Posts:
    11,164
    Location:
    UK / Pakistan
    For a 15.6 inch laptop I don't care for touch screen by I do agree that display is extremely important. Unfortunately it seems that vendors are not putting much effort to improve laptop displays. I have taken a look in the market and most of the laptops had un-impressive displays.
     
  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.