Well, whether a laptop lasts long or not depends on a little bit of luck (electronic devices will tend to break down regardless of how expensive it is) and of course, on how well you take care of your laptop
But I think it will be fine for you since you have had a good record with your old laptop
Still, unfortunately its not possible to get something "future proof" with your budget.. in fact, everything is not future proof with technology haha

Perhaps you could consider this one?
14"
Dell Inspiron 14R, i5-3210M + Nvidia GT630M@RM1899[2.38kg], 4GB, 500GB(5400rpm) *and use the remaining money to extend warranty to 3 years on-site for peace of mind
If you have more budget to spare, try to go for this one as it has a better GPU (Photoshop etc will run smoother), and most importantly, a faster HDD (files and programs will load significantly faster)... and try to extend warranty to 3 years on-site too

As for future upgrades, you can consider upgrading to SSD after the HDD starts to get old and slow, probably around 3 years or so

15.6"
Lenovo Ideapad Y580, i7-3630QM + Nvidia GTX660M + 1920x1080 @RM2999[JBL], 4GB, 500GB(5400rpm), W7HBasic, backlit keyboard, 2 yrs warranty; *W8 (white) version upcoming

Can rec a good laptop for a college student??

1. Any brand except HP(had bad exp with hp)
2. <2k.??
3. mostly for surfing, watch video and maybe little gaming(not major)
4. lightweight <2kg. ultrabook if there's any less than 2k?? 13-15'' which ever I don't really mind about the screen size.
5.Processor i5 if possible with 4-6gb ram.

Thank You.

Woah that's a very good advice. Thanks a lot.
Was looking at Dell Inspiron 14R too. Looks good and light enough.
But I have been hearing that Dell spoils really fast.
Is it true?

Not sure about what you hear, caused all the Dell that I came across are pretty okay.
Anyway, T.J. recommended that you take 3yr on-site warranty. Basically, any hardware failure, you call and tell, Dell technician go to you (your home, your office ... ), fix the problem on the spot. Best peace of mind you can get for IT purchase in Malaysia

Can consider these:
14"
Asus [Ultrabook]K46CM-WX090V, i5-3317U + Nvidia GT635M@RM2099[2kg], 2GB, 500GB, 4-cell battery, W7HP, OD
Lenovo [Ultrabook]S400, i5-3317U + Intel HD4000 + 24GB mSATA + 500GB(5400rpm)@RM2099[1.8kg], 4GB, W7HB

+1, I've also "heard" people complaining about Acer, Asus, Toshiba etc. spoils pretty easily yo
Like what nexus2238 said, at least with Dell's warranty, IF there is any hardware failures, you can still get your laptop fixed within 1-2 working days rather than having to send the entire laptop back to the service center by yourself and wait up to 2 months for repairs

Help my friend to buy a laptop....

Preferred brand :Asus or Toshiba
Budget :Rm2500-2800
Usage :Multimedia purpose(edit video)
Laptop size :any

If can, i7 cpu and less that 2.2kg

Thx

This post has been edited by william930: Oct 20 2012, 11:23 PM

14"
Asus A45Vm-SX029v, i7-3610QM + Nvidia GT630M (2GB)@RM2899[2.4kg], 4GB, 750GB(5400rpm), W7HP

Toshiba Satellite M840-1009XG/XP/XQ, i7-3612QM + AMD HD7670M@RM2799[2kg], 4GB, 750GB, W7HP; colors: Gold/Pink/Blue

Sifus, can u recommend some models with below req?

Intel i5
4gb ddr3 1600
Nvidia gt630
128gb ssd
Screen reso at least HD+ (900p), 13-14inch
Lightweight
Budget around rm3k

i do not think u can get such spec with 3k

Hi boss z580 has DOS version? planning to buy the 2.3k model.if can save on the genuine windows to upgrade other parts or save the penny..

Hi to all Sifus..

I need a laptop with the requirements below:
1)Around 2.5k - 3k
2)2KG +- (Below is better)
3)Not opt for gaming, a normal graphic card will do.. Better with optimus tech cz can longer battery life? (maybe can play CS:Go and LOL and DoTA..)
4)Able to do light photo editing
5)Can support HDD and SSD(By putting a caddy bay) (I am not sure whether it is possible to have that anot..)
6)Above moderate battery life while not on gaming/editing (approx 3 hours and above maybe)
7)can support wins 8 (i think most of the recent released laptop can..)
8)USB 3.0
9)Optical Drive not a main concern.
10)Try not to go for ASUS.. headache with the warranty experience...

thanks

Sifus,

Is it worth upgrading from HP dm1 Netbook (E450, 4GB DDR3, 500GB HDD, 11.6") to a 13.3" ultrabook (eg S300)- usage only office works, presentation and no games?

1. Preferred Brand - any one will do.
2. Budget - around RM3k, but preferablly around the 2.6k range.
3. Usage - anything other than gaming, must be reliable
4. Preferred laptop/screen size - 15"

it is for mah old man, he wants to get a macbook air for I dont know what reason. the laptop need to be as light as possible, cos he is always going round places and something like a macbook air lah.

devour is right, you won't be able to get a laptop with that stock specs like that at that price.. closest is Dell XPS 14 which is close to RM5k
Perhaps you can get a laptop with HD+ resolution, then upgrade the HDD to 128GB SSD?

Ideapad Z580, i5-3210M + Nvidia GT640M@RM2299, 4GB, 750GB(5400rpm), W7HB, white
Ideapad Z580, i7-3612QM + Nvidia GT640M@RM2499, 4GB, 500GB(5400rpm), freeDOS, white
Ideapad Z580, i7-3612QM + Nvidia GT640M@RM2699, 4GB, 500GB(5400rpm), W7HB, white

Even though the i7 variant does come with FreeDOS, but you still don't need the i7 processor

---

Added on October 21, 2012, 9:05 pmThis one perhaps?
14"
Toshiba [Ultrabook] Satellite U940-1001X, i5-3317U + Nvidia GT630M + 32GB mSATA + 640GB HDD@RM2899[1.7kg], 4GB, W8, backlit keyboard, upcoming


This post has been edited by [PF] T.J.: Oct 21 2012, 09:05 PM

Nope, the performance gap is not big at all
Save your money for something else
And if its screen size that is hindering your work on the dm1, get an external montior instead

Get him the MBA if he really likes it la haha
There are no lightweight 15.6" notebooks unfortunately...

he is like those kind of nuthead that is yknow..apple everything apple the best.
I've just did some research and found Asus K43 suits him pretty well, any comments on it?

what's your take on a MBA? I think worst to worst I might just get that for him.