plan to buy new laptop, either acer or asus,
1) screen size doesn't matter, 14" & smaller, i will hook up to 22" LCD via HDMI
2) no heating issue, will on the laptop overnight downloading
3) i play dota2 and some gaming(not heavy)

Thanks sifu

Hi,
I need to get a laptop mainly for stock market trading. I will need to open up at least 5 windows displaying real time share price simultaneously. Therefore, I expect this laptop to be able to do multi-tasking efficiently.

My main requirement:
1. Speed, speed, speed - launching program, switch between windows.
2. 15" screen - normal display quality will do.
3. Budget - 3K.

Asus UX31 comes with 2 year warranty

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Added on December 2, 2012, 12:27 pmhp envy ~

This post has been edited by devour: Dec 2 2012, 12:27 PM

[quote=nexus2238,Dec 2 2012, 08:16 AM]
Good morning to you too
Ya, kids need milk around 6.30am
Ok, will do my best

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Added on December 2, 2012, 8:23 am
Lenovo
14"
G480, i5-3210M + Nvidia GT635M@RM1899, 4GB, 1TB (5400rpm), W8, 2 yrs warranty
Z480, i5-3210M + Nvidia GT640M@RM2299, 4GB, 1TB(5400rpm) W7HB, colors: grey/red/blue
15"
Ideapad G580, i5-3210M + Nvidia GT630M@RM1699, 2GB, 500GB, freeDOS, 1 yr warranty
Ideapad Z580, i5-3210M + Nvidia GT640M@RM2299, 4GB, 750GB(5400rpm), W7HB, white

Dell
14"
Inspiron 14R (Special Edition), i5-3210M + Nvidia GT640M(28nm Kepler)@RM2049[2.38kg], 4GB, 500GB(7200rpm), W7HP/W8
15"
Inspiron 15R (Special Edition), i5-3210M + AMD HD7730M@RM2199, 4GB, 1TB(5400rpm); backlit keyboard optional, W7HP/W8

Asus
14"
A45VS-VX026H, i5-3210M + Nvidia GT645M@RM2199[2.4kg], 2GB, 500GB,



Is the z580 with white color old stock? Any idea where to get it in penang? Do u think it worth to add extra 400 to get z580 compared to g480. Sorry just wanna make sure which is the best deal.

As for the asus a45vs, the gt645m very attractive. But i only see gt640m in asus catalog. Is it latest model?

Hi, I'm interested in the Lenovo G480 & Dell 14R.

Anyone can provide some input to which one is better? I'm only using it for web development and multimedia.

Also, what is the difference between 2nd and 3rd gen Intel processor? Thanks.

more advanced manufacturing process, thus a cooler, less power hungry CPU, better integrated graphic performance...

performance gain on CPU is minimal...

@coffeebean1

The z series should be slightly better than the G series in terms of built quality and reliability.
Well, if you have the money to spare, I would advice going for the Z480/Z580 instead of the G480/G580 since you do get a GPU performance boost apart from quality

The A45VS is running on Nvidia GT645M according to devour; there seems to be something wrong with the Asus product catalog.

This post has been edited by [PF] T.J.: Dec 2 2012, 03:22 PM

But seems like mainstream Ivy Bridge processors are just as hot as their predecessors

Both are good enough, its all down to personal preferences on the design, keyboard/touchpad ergonomics, speakers etc.
Imho, the Lenovo G480 is better in terms of design and keyboard; whereas Dell is better in terms of warranty support

not too sure abt the mobile ones, for desktop it's due to the low quality heat spreading metal used (ie the piece of metal on the CPU with the laser engraving)

so even though the cores of Ivy Bridge consumes less power (it does consume less power compared to Sandy Bridge), heat gets trapped inside the CPU due to the low quality material used...

1 way to alleviate this issue is to use better quality thermal paste, lapping the CPU should help too, but both are difficult, if not impossible, for laptops...

This post has been edited by astria: Dec 2 2012, 04:12 PM

really appreciate your response. I've now narrowed down my option into the following:

I can now go to LYP (or forthcoming PC Fair in KLCC?) with peace of mind focusing on those brands only . A friend of mine was saying that Lenovo is quite reliable brand and most of on-site TM installer are using it. Pros: heavy duty and it comes with mother board protector. is it true? how about their after sales?
Unfortunately, mine now is pirated version. recently had problem with it on couple of occasion where my reports gone haywire.... formatting all gone and file got corrupted. thats why i thinking of using genuine version for my new ultrabook. the old Acer can be used a 'desktop' at home

You are right about the thermal paste part sifu haha, notebookcheck did review that Intel used pretty lousy thermal paste (or perhaps the paste were not properly applied), leading to (only) slightly higher temps in mobile CPUs

You might want to skip Lenovo's U310 and U410, those suffer from weak WiFi reception..
If you really want to go for Lenovo, then perhaps the Lenovo S400 or the THinkPad Edge ultrabooks would be a better pick

Can consider these
14"
Asus
[Ultrabook]K46CM-WX090H, i5-3317U + Nvidia GT635M@RM2199[2kg], 2GB, 500GB, W8, OD
[Ultrabook]K46CM-WX060V, B987 + Nvidia GT630M@RM1799[2kg], 2GB, 500GB, W8, OD

Although a bit overkilled (especially the graphic card ), the FullHD screen will come in handy for your stock trading (you can see more in one screen):
15.6"
Dell Inspiron 15R (Special Edition), i7-3612QM + AMD HD7730M + (1920x1080; anti-glare) + 32GB SSD + 1TB HDD(5400rpm)@RM3199, 8GB,backlit keyboard optional, W7HP/W8

*you can easily get below RM3k after bargaining.

Or if you would like to save money, perhaps going for a smaller notebook (12-14") then connect to an external monitor would be a wiser, and cheaper choice..

Brand: Asus/Lenovo or other also can but no Acer
Screen: 14" or 13"
Usage: Websurfing, assignments, music and movie(plug to samsung tv)
Budget: 1800 or below; cheaper better

* Might slot in a ssd myself

Cheapest you can get
13"
Lenovo [Ultrabook]S300, Pentium 997 + Intel HD3000 @RM1199[1.8kg], 2GB,500GB(5400rpm), freeDOS; W7HB/W8@RM1399, no ODD, 1 yr warranty

*seems like the i3 variant of the S300 will be coming soon

Can consider these as well:
14"
Dell [Ultrabook]Inspiron 14z, i3-3217U + Intel HD4000@RM1799[1.87kg], 4GB, 500GB(5400rpm), W7HB/W8, *no VGA port, OD

HP
[Ultrabook] Envy4-1009TU/1019TU, i3-2367M + Intel HD3000 + 32GB mSATA+ 500GB(5400rpm)@RM1899[Beats][1.75kg], 4GB, W7HP
[Ultrabook] Pavilion Sleekbook 14-b010TU/b013TU, Pentium 987 + Intel HD@RM1199[1.8kg], 2GB, 500GB(5400rpm), freeDOS, 4 cell 37WHr, no ODD, W8@RM1399
[Ultrabook] Pavilion Sleekbook 14-b012TU/b008TU, i3-3217U + Intel HD4000@RM1799[1.8kg], 4GB, 500GB(5400rpm), W8, 4 cell 37WHr, no ODD, black/red

Smart choice throwing in an SSD, it will boost the overall speed by alot


This post has been edited by [PF] T.J.: Dec 2 2012, 09:23 PM

sifu can the k46cm do some normal duty gaming?

For example, starcraft 2, dota 2, online games ,etc..

[quote=nexus2238,Dec 2 2012, 07:27 AM]
Lenovo warranty support is generally good in Malaysia, but sorry I can't comment for Kuching (I am from KL).
Y580 is a popular gaming machine, so you have strength in number
Anyway, Lenovo offer on site warranty (not the standard warranty that come with Y580). Ask the seller if they could do it for you or Lenovo offer it in Kuching. 3yr onsite extension from the standard 2 year warranty will cost you RM250+, I think.

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Added on December 2, 2012, 7:38 am
Well thanks to Intel, everyone is confused what is "ultrabook" now
Intel's original definition for ultrabook state it should NOT have discrete GPU that drain battery life, but recently after much protesting from brands, Intel relent.

Seriously though, the HD4000 in 3rd gen icore (ivy bridge) processor is a significant improvement over the HD3000 in 2nd gen (sandy bridge). HD4000 can let you play some games (eg. star craft 2, etc) in low setting reasonably well
So it can definitely handle "light" photoshop or corel draw, just don't expect miracle when you start doing 3D design or modeling

Ultrabook aim for portabilty and battery life. Those ultrabook that has discrete GPU, once the GPU kick in, battery drain fast.

Asus Malaysia warranty support is "iffy" to put it nicely. No doubt Asus design and quality for consumer line is pretty good, but there bound to be lemon Warranty support service, from what we see and heard, is inconsistent.

The Sony Vaio "sheet battery" is a very thin battery, the diameter is almost the full size of the laptop, (like a sheet of paper (but thicker) hence the name) that could be attach to the bottom of the laptop.

All ultrabook that use Intel ULV processor has decent battery life (anyway they are your best bet already, no other option give better battery performance ). If the model use SSD (no HDD), don't have discrete GPU, then battery could last 5-6 hours under "normal" usage.

If you still looking for ultrabook, and worry about Asus warranty:

Dell
XPS13, i5-3317U + Intel HD4000 + 128GB SSD@RM3299[1.36kg], 4GB, W8, backlit
HP
Envy SpectreXT 13-2018TU, i7-3517U + Intel HD4000 + 128GB SSD@RM3399[1.39kg], 4GB, W8, 4 cell 45WHR, no ODD, backlit keyboard
Samsung
9 series NP900X3C, i5-3317U + Intel HD4000 + 128GB SSD + (1600x900)@RM4799[1.16kg], W7HP

These are great ultrabook, and the brand offer good warranty support. Dell of course standout, since you can extend the warranty (if you willing to pay) to longer period, and they offer NBD on site service (you call, they come to your place to fix it on next business day).

TJ suggested Asus Zen because it has the best screen (IPS panel) and best resolution (FHD) among ultrabook.

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Added on December 2, 2012, 7:46 am

Hi..

Thank you for the detailed explanation. I understand better now. I went to try check out some laptop models today and manage to find out only some models. Asus zen series were not available at the place I check out. Only samsung, hp envy 4 and asus models. I might need to check out other shops for the models. I manage to find this more less similar model which TJ recommended. It's asus S56CM-XX140H.

This model is core i5 3317u with 200GB 5400 r sata + 24 G SSD. 2GB ddr3 ram 1600. graphic is nvidia geforce gt635 2GB. 15.6" HD color shine led. genuine window 8 64 bit with 2 year warranty.

what do you think of this model? the shop keeper said will free upgrade the ram to total 6gb. is is can last for normal usage ? seems light since made of aluminium. not that heavy and got dvdrw also. other models, i will check out tmrw. any other recommendations?

Definitely THe Nvidia GT635M is no slouch yo