Well that was mighty quick --> Moving on to Laptop Recommendation Thread V17

Thanks alot to everyone who helped, especially bot lee_what2004 sifu for his countless + priceless recommendations *and not to mention his efficient model, spec and price updates!

Expressing sincerest gratitude to nexus2238, Acid_ruleZz, and fJok3R for helping to recommend when I'm not around
Last but not least, thanks alot to all the others who've helped with price and spec updates!

Here are the links to the previous threads:






Laptop models and associated prices can be found here: LYN Notebook Price Catalog V3

With the help of the sifus here, we hope that you will be able to find the best laptop for your usage~
Happy Hunting!

This post has been edited by [PF] T.J.: Dec 6 2012, 10:18 PM

Reserved

I was asking for advices on previous thread, and have been recommended a few laptops: Thanks

Ideapad G780, i5-3210M + Nvidia GT630M + (1600x900)@RM2699[3.0kg], 4GB, 750GB(5400rpm)
Inspiron 15R (Special Edition), i7-3612QM + AMD HD7730M + (1920x1080; anti-glare) + 32GB SSD + 1TB HDD(5400rpm)@RM3199, 8GB,backlit keyboard optional
Vostro 3560, i7-3632QM + AMD HD7670M + 32GB SSD + 750GB(7200rpm) HDD + (1920x1080)@RM3209[2.57kg], 8GB, W7HB; colors: red/silver/bronze
N56VZ-S4079V, i7-3610QM + Nvidia GT650M + (1920 x 1080) + BluRay@RM3599[Bang&Olufsen], 4GB, 1TB, W7HP, subwoofer and backpack

I went examining the display set of these and I also run into the MSI CX70 mentioned above. I find:

1. The G780 glossy screen is distracting.
2. The Inspiron and Vostro is good, the problem is I run a lot of spreadsheet, and these model don't have num key, which means I need to bring along a num pad everywhere.
3. The Asus looks nice, but the trackpad .... I can't drag and drop, and generally have a hard time getting used to it.
4. The MSI has a nice keyboard, but does not seems to be common ... worry about support.
5. I have no problem with the weight of all models.

Really appreciate your opinions:
1. Between the Inspiron and Vostro, which one has a better specs on paper?

2. The problem is all the display set don't have spreadsheet installed, so I can't really tell. Is 1600x900 on a 17.3" display the same number of lines with 1920x1080 on a 15.6"?

Thanks for help

Welcome to the new thread
The Vostro 3560 has a better CPU, but the Inspiron 15R has a better GPU. Dell Vostros are built almost entirely of matte materials, so they'll be much nicer to use outdoors, and are not fingerprint magnets
Personally I would prefer the 3560 here because:
- matte surface, I've used a couple of 3450 before and is pretty impressed with them
- faster HDD speed@7200rpm, the performance difference is significant from a 5400rpm one, despite the fact that both has 32GB mSATA
- more color options? Personally I really like the more conserved and matured design of Vostro units

The 3560 runs on W7HB though...

In my view, 1600x900 works best on 15.6" notebooks; whereas 1920x1080 works well on 15.6" and works best on 17.3" notebooks...
Its a bit waste to only have 1600x900 on a 17.3" monster

This post has been edited by [PF] T.J.: Oct 5 2012, 11:26 AM

Thanks for your pointers All of you have been of really great help

1 last thing, will all these models be pre-installed with Win8 once it is released this month? (I am aware of the USD14.99 upgrade option, but prefer a clean version rather than upgrade
I remember the last time when Win7 was released, laptop OEM seems to switch from Vista to Win7 quite quickly.

For the question no 2,
1600x900 on 17.3'' display less lines compared to 1920x1080 in 15.6''

At this stage only one Lenovo laptop comes preinstalled with w8
but sooner or later all will be refreshed with W8
Its just a matter of whether you can wait or not

go for higher resolution if u want a larger workspace

Hi, my sis is going to get a lappy and need some recommendations

1. Preferred Brand - Asus
2. Budget - Around 1.6k
3. Usage - casual (not a heavy gamer),
4. Preferred laptop/screen size - 14-15" +-

Would prefer if the spec is abit future proof.

Thanks.

maybe this with more color option + decent spec (freedos though),
A43Sd- VX426/427/428/429/430, i3-2350M + Nvidia GT610M@RM1599[2.4kg], FreeDOS, 2GB, 500GB(5400rpm), colors: black/blue/red/white/pink

or topup a bit more for portability,
[Ultrabook]S46CA-WX021R, i3-2317U + Intel HD4000 + 24GB mSATA + 500GB HDD@RM1799[2.1kg], W7HB, 2GB

in 15" only one fit your budget, also freedos but come with 3rd gen cpu, so maybe it falls within ur definition of future proof
A53SD-SX1263/2369/1270, i3-2370M + Nvidia GT610M@RM1599, 2GB, 500GB, FreeDOS; colors: black/blue/red

Hi, thanks for the recommendation, but i just found out about how poor asus's aftersales services are >< is there any other brand which has a decent aftersales service?
Heard toshiba and dell is quite good but im not sure about the models. cheers.

btw what do u guys think about this?
http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/2535178

This post has been edited by franstormer: Oct 5 2012, 04:00 PM

The G480 and G580 are pretty decent machines for the price, as long as you don't mind installing an OS yourself
14"
Lenovo G480, i5-3210M + Nvidia GT630M@RM1799, 4GB, 500GB(5400rpm), FreeDOS, *no USB3.0

15.6"
Lenovo Ideapad G580, i5-3210M + Nvidia GT630M@RM1699, 2GB, 500GB, freeDOS, 1 yr warranty

yeah no problem with installing OS anyway she's decided to get the lenovo g580, thanks alot for the infos cheers.

Preferred Brand = anything
2. Budget = less than 4k, prefer 3.5k i possible
3. Usage = office/surfing, VMWare for backtrack 5, no games AT ALL
4. Preferred laptop/screen size = either 14 or 15, 15 prefered

weight = less than 2kg( actually this is the most important part )
and also need AT LEAST HD+(my eyes spoiled by my n55sf ready :crying:)

So, great sifus, is there anything out ther that fits my criteria?

Checked out Spectre, but too bad I cant really upgrade the RAM and SSD( can but must dismantle a huge part of the lappy )

15.6" notebooks that are less than 2kg are very rare at this time

how about 14 inch?

Pretty much the Spectre 14 which you have already tested
Not many notebooks have HD+ resolution and are still light I guess...
Closest would be:
14"
Dell
[Ultrabook]XPS 14, i5-3317U + Nvidia GT630M + 32GB SSD + 500GB(5400rpm) HDD + (1600x900)@RM3799[2.1kg], 4GB, 8-cell, backlit, spill resistant keyboard
[Ultrabook]XPS 14, i7-3517U + Nvidia GT630M + 128GB SSD + 500GB(5400rpm) HDD + (1600x900)@RM4299[2.1kg], 8GB, 8-cell, backlit, spill resistant keyboard

Otherwise the Asus ZenBook (13") with FullHD, spoil your eyes

This post has been edited by [PF] T.J.: Oct 5 2012, 05:14 PM

is the XPS 14 user replaceable for the RAM and SSD?

According to here, the HDD/SSD can be upgraded as long as the casing size is compatible...
It din't say anything about the RAM though
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Dell-X...ok.79716.0.html

However, according to users in notebookreview, the RAM can be upgraded
http://forum.notebookreview.com/dell-xps-s...s-lounge-3.html

it does look pretty good, but I wonder how significant is the difference in lightness compared to my n55(this is 2.6kg iinm)

500 grams
hmm, maybe I should wait for win8 to release first? severely limited in terms of choices right now