Raymond you are right. iinm, only Civ5 and Crysis 3 is using quad core now. Just hope more games will utilise quad core.
For example, Skyrim is actually very CPU intensive, but it could only utilise 2 core iinm, StarCraft 2 as well

You mean you have SSD and HDD in the laptop. The SSD is only 3 months old.
OS in SSD. How about most of apps?
If your videos are stored in HDD, you are still bottleneck by the HDD speed when you try to access the video

If your HDD is getting full, there is another problem. The files could be very fragmented Maybe time to upgrade to larger 750G 7200rpm (only < RM200 now )

Also download HDDScan and run a test on your HDD

This post has been edited by nexus2238: May 27 2013, 05:50 PM

1. As the HDD get fill up, and files start to get fragmented, the files that you store on the HDD need to find empty space / gap to store. Doing defrag (you can use the W7 defrag) (only on the HDD, never on the SSD) will help a bit. But first run the test (HDScan) on the HDD to make sure there is no bad sector problem developing

2. SSD also need some breathing room to run optimally. Common rule of thumb is ~ 80-90% full. Some models do have more spare room built-in (Intel SSD), and performance will not drop that drastically when SSD get fill up.

3. Don't understand your question on RAM usage. 8GB RAM usually is plenty sufficient for lots of multi-tasking usage. RAM will get clog up if more and more background process get loaded. You may want to check the start up process and see what get load up
Also, sometime if app crash, it is not totally "clean up" from RAM as well.

4. Page file is a "controversial" topic In my work laptop with 8G RAM (Latitude E6430, W7P), I have disable page file all together Did the same for the Y580 that I bought last year (now with cousin, W8), and the Thinkpad E430 for my wife recently (W8P). If you have sufficient RAM, you really don't need page file any more.
Btw, if your working files and apps are on SSD, and the HDD is purely for storage, you can actually disable page file for the HDD.

Check if your laptop support it, may want to consider going for 2x8G stick (8G stick ~ RM190).

This post has been edited by nexus2238: May 27 2013, 06:18 PM

Bioshock Infinite, CoD-MW3, GTA 4

Y500, i7-3630QM + Nvidia GT750M(GDDR5) + (1920x1080)@RM2999, 8GB, 1TB, W8, red backlit, swappable ODD, 120w psu, 2 yrs
Y500, i7-3630QM + Nvidia GT750M(GDDR5) + (1920x1080)@RM3899, 8GB, 1TB, W8, red backlit, swappable GN37 exGPU & ODD, 120w+170w psu, 2 yrs

Of the games that you listed, Bioshock Infinite probably is the most GPU demanding.
Y500 is running on native FHD (1920x1080) resolution. Single GT750M, most probably you can play a low details level at that resolution. Anything medium or high details, you will appreciate the GT750M SLI.

Lenovo Malaysia don't allow customisation, that the spec that you are going to get. Any upgrade after market, you have to sort it out yourself.
The only thing that could make the machine better is by going SSD.

For your usage, i5 M and mid range GPU should be enough.
But the best for your budget is this:

Lenovo
Y400, i7-3630QM + Nvidia GT750M@RM2499, 4GB, 500GB, FreeDOS, 120wPSU, swappable ODD, 2 years warranty
Y400, i7-3630QM + Nvidia GT750M@RM2799, 4GB, 500GB, W8, 120wPSU, swappable ODD, 2 years warranty

Prices are RSP, negotiable.

Thin, ultra light - that normally mean ultrabook. But you want to run AutoCAD, which could be CPU demanding
Good after sales service - but you rule out Dell and HP Malaysia What else is left?
13" is expensive.

13" or below, thin & light, want i5 or better, want good warranty support, but no Dell and HP, and only RM2.5k.
Short answer - iinm, there is nothing in Malaysia that satisfy your criteria

This post has been edited by nexus2238: May 28 2013, 07:03 PM

The RM3899 RSP come with SLI. (a GT750M inside, and another GT750M in ultrabay).

What course? Engineering? Business? Design? Different course use different software and need different thing
Anyway, for that budget, stick to 14".

Asus
A45VS-VX026H, i5-3210M + Nvidia GT645M@RM2199[2.4kg], 2GB, 500GB, W8
K46CM-WX177H, i5-3317U + Nvidia GT635M@RM2199[2kg], 2GB, 750GB, W8, OD

Dell
Inspiron 14R (Special Edition), i5-3210M + Nvidia GT640M(28nm Kepler)@RM2049[2.38kg], 4GB, 500GB(7200rpm), W7HP/W8
Vostro 5460, i5-3230M +Nvidia GT630M@RM1899[1.54kg], 4GB, 500GB(5400rpm), Ubuntu 12.04, 3 cell; W8SL@RM2099

HP
Envy4-1238TX, i5-3337U + AMD HD8750M@RM2099[Beats][1.75kg], 2GB, 500GB(5400rpm), W8

Lenovo
Z400, i5-3230M + Nvidia GT740M@RM2099, 4GB, 1TB, W8; 2 years warranty
Z480, i5-3230M + Nvidia GT640M@RM1999, 4GB, 1TB(5400rpm) W8

Prices are RSP, negotiable.

Z400 is thinner.
But judging from the type of games you play, you seems to be the type that may play a session for a long stretch
Go with Y400, has better ventilation.
Anyway, please get external cooling solution when you game (cooling pad ~ RM80, table fan ... ).

Based on your criteria, that's the only one you can afford

A55VD-SX471/472/473, i3-3110M + Nvidia GT610M@RM1599[2.52kg], 2GB, 500GB

Whether it is good enough for your light gaming for not, won't know unless you tell us what game titles you play. But GT610M is barely better than Intel HD4000

Looking at your usage, don't see why you need 15".

TJ, is your girl using Vostro 5460 now?

Lucky girl Once they go Thinkpad / Latitude / Precision / Elitebook, there is normally no going back (I finally succumbed and bought my wife an Edge E430 )

Yup, the Vostro 5460 is a winner. Still wonder though why Dell go with the Vostro branding instead of Inspiron, it really look and feel like (good) consumer laptop Don't even have those fingerprint reader (not that anyone I know really like them) found in entry level business laptop. The greyish aluminium shell look somewhat professional, but the red (or was it pink ) when I first saw it I really mistook it for Inspiron

This post has been edited by nexus2238: May 29 2013, 11:00 AM

Haswell won't show up in laptop in Malaysia NEXT WEEK
Haswell over Ivy Bridge - lower power consumption which mean slightly better battery performance, much better integrated graphic which mean lesser need to get GPU from Nvidia / AMD.
Depend on usage requirement, lots of people will not notice the different.
As for price drop, unfortunately, for laptop, the CPU is not very customisable. Laptop brands give us the specs, you either take it or leave it. You may see some good deals here and there to clear old laptop stocks with Ivy bridge, but that's about it though And judging from past experience, price drop won't be much in Malaysia

This post has been edited by nexus2238: May 30 2013, 09:34 AM

There is generally no compatibility issues on HDD / SSD with any laptop models. Just whether it will fit into the slot. As long as it is mSATA port, you are good to go.

Intel SSD has solid built, and Intel wrote their own SSD firmware which is top notch.

Intel 525 is a lot more expensive than Crucial M4 mSATA for the same capacity.
Try to look for Crucial M4 mSATA in LYN garage sales, lots of resellers there carry it. Another alternative is Plextor M3M.

This post has been edited by nexus2238: May 30 2013, 09:41 AM

Z400, i5-3230M + Nvidia GT740M@RM2099, 4GB, 1TB, W8; 2 years warranty; colors: chocolate
Good: Spec is good enough to run your stuff. You can upgrade warranty to 3 years on site for extra ~ RM250.
Bad: 14", not 13" or below. Awful battery performance due to small battery.

U410, i5-3317U + Nvidia G610M + 32GBSSD + 500GB(5400rpm)@RM2699, 4GB, W7HP
U310, i5-3317U + Intel HD4000 + 32GB SSD + 320GB(5400rpm) HDD@RM2599, 4GB, W7HP, Free HDMI-VGA converter; color: Grey, 2 years international warranty
Good: Light enough. Battery performance is decent.
Bad: GPU may not be powerful enough to run AutoCAD (depend on your usage). Current gen is notorious for its wireless connectivity issue.

K46CM-WX177H, i5-3317U + Nvidia GT635M@RM2199[2kg], 2GB, 750GB, W8, OD
Good: Spec is decent enough for your usage.
Bad: Not really that light at 2kg. And you must be joking if you expect good warranty support service from Asus Malaysia

If you don't rule out Dell or HP, there are these:
Dell
Vostro 5460, i5-3337U + Nvidia GT630M + (32GB mSATA SSD + 500GB(5400rpm))@RM2199[1.54kg], 4GB, W8SL, 3 cell
HP
Envy4-1204TX, i5-3337U + AMD HD8750M + 32GB mSATA +500GB(5400rpm)@RM2399[Beats][1.75kg], 2GB, W8
Envy4-1238TX, i5-3337U + AMD HD8750M@RM2099[Beats][1.75kg], 2GB, 500GB(5400rpm), W8

Upgrade to 3 years on site warranty and you are good (~ RM250). For the Envy 4, get more RAM as well. Vostro 5460 only has 1 RAM slot so you need to swap the 4G stick with 8G stick if you want to upgrade.

If you are looking for high end gaming laptop in Malaysia, basically Alienware, Asus, MSI, illegear is the one to go.
But those laptops are expensive, more so at 17", and your budget is NOT enough Stick with 15".
14" don't have FHD screen, so you won't be able to see 1080p movie at FHD resolution on screen (will be scaled down), has to connect to external display that support FHD resolution.
Non-glare screen, then you can count Alienware out as well, iinm, they only has glossy screen in Malaysia.
All gaming laptop heat up, just a matter of degree. Not a good idea to get thin/light gaming laptop as the small space will make it heat up more (that's why I think MSI GE series is really not a good idea). Always get good external cooling solution (cooling pad, table fan ... ) while you game.
All gaming laptops models have backlit keyboard.
If you want Killer network card, you need to find those that allow you to customise or come with standard spec. So you could count out Asus Malaysia as well (unless you get Asus from illegear).
32G mSATA SSD is NOT generally used as OS drive (more for caching). Get a proper mSATA or SATA SSD (128G ~ RM300+/-, 256G ~ RM600+/-). Don't skimp on SSD when HDD normally is the biggest bottleneck for snappy performance.

With your budget, you can only afford these current models:
Asus
G55VW-S1216H, i7-3630QM +Nvidia GTX660M (2GB) + (1920x1080)@RM3999[3.78kg], 4GB, 1TB(5400rpm), W8
MSI
GX60, AMD A10-4600M + AMD XT HD7970 + (1920x1080; anti-glare)@RM4799 8GB, 750GB(7200rpm), W7HP, MSI backpack, gaming mouse, HDMI cable, 2 years warranty
GE60-OND, i7-3630QM + Nvidia GTX660M + (1920x1080; anti-glare)@RM3899, 8GB, 1TB, W8, 2 years warranty, MSI gaming mouse & backpack
GE60-ONC, i7-3630QM + Nvidia GTX660M + (1920x1080; anti-glare) + 64GB SSD + 500GB@RM4099, 8GB, W8, 2 years warranty, MSI gaming mouse & backpack
GE70, i7-3630QM + Nvidia GTX660M (2GB) + (1920x1080; anti-glare)@RM4299, 8GB, 1TB, W7HP, 2 years warranty, gaming mouse & backpack
www.illegear.com
Illegear RE-15, i5-3210M + Nvidia GTX660M + (1920x1080)@RM3299, 4GB, 500GB(5400rpm), FreeDOS [CPU Options: i5-3210M - i7-3840XM][/color]
Illegear RE-17, i5-3210M + Nvidia GTX660M + (1920x1080)@RM3499, 4GB, 500(5400rpm), FreeDOS [CPU Options: i5-3210M - i7-3840XM

Not high end by any stretch of imagination

This post has been edited by nexus2238: May 30 2013, 10:10 AM

Don't understand you question.
Vivobook, iinm, come standard with 2 year warranty for 13", 14", 15" model, and only 1 year warranty for 11" model.
Asus Malaysia don't give out extended warranty for free you know

if you move around a lot, then why are you going with a 17" monster?

Asus
G55VW-S1216H, i7-3630QM +Nvidia GTX660M (2GB) + (1920x1080)@RM3999[3.78kg], 4GB, 1TB(5400rpm), W8

MSI
GX60, AMD A10-4600M + AMD XT HD7970 + (1920x1080; anti-glare)@RM4799 8GB, 750GB(7200rpm), W7HP, MSI backpack, gaming mouse, HDMI cable, 2 years warranty
GT60-ONC, i7-3630QM + Nvidia GTX670MX + (1920x1080;anti-glare)@RM5799[Dyaudio], 8GB, 750GB(7200rpm), W7HP, 2 years warranty, MSI backpack, HDMI cable

www.illegear.com
Illegear RS-15, i5-3210M + AMD HD7970M + (1920x1080)@RM5299, 8GB, 500GB(5400rpm), FreeDOS [CPU Options: i5-3210M - i7-3940XM][GPU options: GTX680M]

Prices are RSP, negotiable.

Acer
Aspire V3-471G-53212G75d, i5-3210M + Nvidia GT630M@RM1899[2.3kg], 2GB, 750GB W8

Asus
A45VS-VX026H, i5-3210M + Nvidia GT645M@RM2199[2.4kg], 2GB, 500GB, W8
K46CM-WX059V, i3-3217U + Nvidia GT635M@RM1899[2kg], 2GB, 500GB, 4-cell battery, W7HP, OD

Dell
Vostro 5460, i3-3120M + Nvidia GT630M@RM1949[1.54kg], 4GB, 500GB(5400rpm), W8SL, 3 cell
Vostro 5460, i5-3230M +Nvidia GT630M@RM1899[1.54kg], 4GB, 500GB(5400rpm), Ubuntu 12.04, 3 cell; W8SL@RM2099
Inspiron 14R (Special Edition), i5-3210M + Nvidia GT640M(28nm Kepler)@RM2049[2.38kg], 4GB, 500GB(7200rpm), W7HP/W8

Lenovo
G480, i5-3230M + Nvidia GT635M@RM1699, 4GB, 500GB(5400rpm), FreeDOS
G480, i5-3230M + Nvidia GT635M@RM1899, 4GB, 1TB (5400rpm), W8, 2 yrs warrant
Z480, i5-3230M + Nvidia GT640M@RM1999, 4GB, 1TB(5400rpm) W8

Prices are RSP, negotiable.

15" screen is heavy, unless the hinge is really strong, not a good idea to go pokey pokey on touchscreen

Acer
V5-471P, i3-3217U + Intel HD4000 + (1366x768; touch)@RM1899, 4GB, 500GB, W8
V5-471G-53334G50, i3-3227U + Intel HD4000 + (1366x768; touch)@RM1899, 4GB, 500GB, W8

Asus
VivoBook S400CA-CA006H, i5-3317U + Intel HD4000 + 24GB mSATA + 500GB + (1366x768; touch)@RM2299[2kg], 4GB, W8
S300CA-C1033H, i5-3317U + Intel HD4000 + (1366x768;touch)@RM2399, 4GB, 500GB, W8

Dell
Inspiron 14R, i3-3217U + Intel HD4000 + (1366x768;touch)@RM1888[2.33kg], 4GB, 500GB(5400rpm), W8
Inspiron 14R, i5-3337U + Nvidia GT730M + (1366x768;touch)@RM2099[2.33kg], 4GB, 750GB(5400rpm), Linux; W8@RM2399

Lenovo
Z400 touch, i5-3230M + Nvidia GT740M + (1366x768, touch)@RM2399, 4GB, 1TB, W8; 2 years warranty

Prices are RSP, negotiable.