14-06-2014, 08:05 AM
Andy, that HP laptop will comfortably run everything you mentioned including as Ian said ChessBase12. The latest 64-bit chess engines will use any amount of memory you can give it so if you see a model with 8Gb memory it would be worth the additional cost. 4Gb memory is enough though and your chess engines will be strong enough to beat Magnus Carlsen :-)
A couple of other things to perhaps consider...
Its not 'that' portable - 15.6 screen is nice but weighing in at 2.3kg not recommended for travelling. Perfect for home use when you can tidy it away easily.
Like all laptops, take the quoted 5Hrs battery life with a pinch of salt especially if running a Chess engine - divide by 4 :-o
Microsoft Office (Word, Excel etc) is the 2013 trial version. Although it should comfortably run an older version of MS Office if you plan to transfer from an older PC etc.
Windows 8.1 is great but without a 'touch screen' is not everyone's taste. It is quite different from XP (start button has limited functions - although there are plenty of free downloads to give you XP style back). As an alternative, consider Windows7 which should be zero learning curve coming from XP (most come with Win8 licence so you can choose to upgrade for free later). Similar spec laptop with Win7 installed: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.pcworldbusiness.co.uk/catalogue/item/P181257P?from=category&heat=title">http://www.pcworldbusiness.co.uk/catalo ... heat=title</a><!-- m -->
The latest version of ChessBase 12 works great on Win7, Win8 or Win8.1 but if you have an older version of Chessbase, and perhaps older versions of other software, consider sticking with Win7 instead.
Overall both laptops are a good buy and with Intel i3 processor on a branded HP, Dell, Lenovo - you can't really go wrong. Hope that helps you decide and if you need more info/help - email me (or Ian).
A couple of other things to perhaps consider...
Its not 'that' portable - 15.6 screen is nice but weighing in at 2.3kg not recommended for travelling. Perfect for home use when you can tidy it away easily.
Like all laptops, take the quoted 5Hrs battery life with a pinch of salt especially if running a Chess engine - divide by 4 :-o
Microsoft Office (Word, Excel etc) is the 2013 trial version. Although it should comfortably run an older version of MS Office if you plan to transfer from an older PC etc.
Windows 8.1 is great but without a 'touch screen' is not everyone's taste. It is quite different from XP (start button has limited functions - although there are plenty of free downloads to give you XP style back). As an alternative, consider Windows7 which should be zero learning curve coming from XP (most come with Win8 licence so you can choose to upgrade for free later). Similar spec laptop with Win7 installed: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.pcworldbusiness.co.uk/catalogue/item/P181257P?from=category&heat=title">http://www.pcworldbusiness.co.uk/catalo ... heat=title</a><!-- m -->
The latest version of ChessBase 12 works great on Win7, Win8 or Win8.1 but if you have an older version of Chessbase, and perhaps older versions of other software, consider sticking with Win7 instead.
Overall both laptops are a good buy and with Intel i3 processor on a branded HP, Dell, Lenovo - you can't really go wrong. Hope that helps you decide and if you need more info/help - email me (or Ian).