on site warranty is better since the technician go to your house / office to fix laptop for you But the Dell only has 1 year warranty, and to extend to 3 years cost you ~ RM250 more.

If you don't need the quad core, you are not only wasting money, but quad core also use more power (battery performance suffer), generate more heat. And i5 duo core is a powerful CPU already (but since you did not mention what you use the laptop for ... )

SSD definitely make a difference. Imagine laptop boot up in < 10s. Apps launch snappily. Never has to see the light blink blink for HDD disc activity ... Once you go SSD, you never go back

This post has been edited by nexus2238: Apr 25 2013, 06:52 PM

Yes, the Vostro 5460 with i5 and GT630M should handle Dota2 well.

You don't need i7 to play games. At your budget, spend money on GPU rather than i7.

Good cooling pad help for whatever specs

Changing HDD with SSD will not void hardware warranty normally as long as you don't break any of those "warranty void if broken" seal.

A45VS-VX026H, i5-3210M + Nvidia GT645M@RM2199[2.4kg], 2GB, 500GB, W8

Excellent screen display? Tough one 14" with your budget
Lagging - most of "lagging" for users like you experience is due to the slow HDD or insufficient RAM. The solution is to go for SSD and get at least 4G (8G if you multitask a lot or edit big picture or video files).

Asus
K46CM-WX090H, i5-3317U + Nvidia GT635M@RM2199[2kg], 2GB, 500GB, W8, OD

Dell
Vostro 5460, i5-3230M + GT630M@RM1,899[1.54kg], 4GB, 500GB(5400rpm), Ubuntu 12.04, 3 cell; W8SL@RM2,099

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

Prices are RSP, negotiable.
Use the remaining of your budget to increase RAM (Asus, HP) (4G stick ~ RM80), extend warranty (Dell 3 years ~ RM250, HP ~ RM300), SSD to swap out HDD (256G ~ RM600+/-, 128G ~ RM300+. Most important upgrade that you can do to address the "lagging" feel).

Vostro 5460 is a good choice.
Vostro 5460, i5-3230M + GT630M@RM1,899[1.54kg], 4GB, 500GB(5400rpm), Ubuntu 12.04, 3 cell; W8SL@RM2,099

Change the HDD to SSD (128G ~ RM300+, 256G ~ RM600+/-). And swap the 4G RAM with 8G RAM (only 1 RAM slot).
You have a slim and light laptop. Relatively good cooling for this form factor (has 2 internal fans, and you can clean them quite easily. Move to full SSD, if you do, will improve heat profile more).
The i5 M and 8G RAM will run the VirtualBox instance well (not too many instance right?).

Extend the warranty to 3 years for ~ RM250.

This post has been edited by nexus2238: Apr 26 2013, 01:31 PM

All 14" consumer laptop come with HD (1366x768) screen, so definitely can see HD movies. "Picture look nice" - this is very subjective I suggest you go and look at the real things to determine yourself

Yes, for all the models suggested, you can change HDD to SSD. Re-seller will do it for you normally. The Z400 is the most tricky one to (need to tackle 20+ screw, take out ODD, keyboard ... ), the other models is quite easy

Personally?
I am not buying Asus in Malaysia until its warranty support service improve (it is very tiring for me to resist the temptation ). The Z400 has the most powerful spec, but it is cumbersome to maintain (e.g. clean dust) so I'm not keen.
That left the 5460 & the Envy 4. Both has nice speakers + sub-woofer (I think the HP sound slightly better). 5460 is lighter, has 2 internal fans (I like). Envy 4 has better GPU. 5460 only has 1 RAM slot (I don't like). Dell has better warranty support. Envy 4 should give better battery performance (ULV CPU), but the 5460 come with 50Whr battery (even though only 3 cell) so it won't be too bad.
I will go with Dell as I am a sucker for good warranty support

You sure you want 17"?
There is only 1 17" that come close to your budget:

Lenovo
Ideapad G780, i5-3210M + Nvidia GT630M + (1600x900)@RM2299[3.0kg], 4GB, 500GB(5400rpm); W7HP

Price is RSP, negotiable.

Gaming in general is not restricted by the CPU (i5), it is more capped by the GPU (GT630M).
Can't tell you if it is enough for you unless you share what are the game titles you play?

I won't say the "recommended brand would be Lenovo", since there is only 1 model in the market that suit your budget

Care to share why you need such a big screen? (Heavy for you to lug to uni ... )

Asus
A45VS-VX026H, i5-3210M + Nvidia GT645M@RM2199[2.4kg], 2GB, 500GB, W8

Dell
Inspiron 14R (Special Edition), i5-3210M + Nvidia GT640M(28nm Kepler)@RM2049[2.38kg], 4GB, 500GB(7200rpm), W7HP/W8
Alienware M14x R2, i5-3210M + Nvidia GT650M (1GB) + (1600x900)@RM3999[2.92kg][Klipsch], 8GB, 1TB(5400rpm); [CPU Options: i7-3630QM - i7-3840QM], W8, 2 years warranty

Lenovo
Y400, i7-3630QM + Nvidia GT750M@RM2799, 4GB, 500GB, W8, 120wPSU, swappable ODD
Z400, i5-3230M + Nvidia GT740M@RM2099, 4GB, 1TB, W8; 2 years warranty

Prices are RSP, negotiable.

Egypt? You need laptop with International warranty. Also please check the brands that give International Warranty has service centre at the area that you are going (check online).
Whether it is "durable or less problem" depends on your luck All laptop models has lemon unit

Asus
K46CM-WX090H, i5-3317U + Nvidia GT635M@RM2199[2kg], 2GB, 500GB, W8, OD

Lenovo
S400, i5-3317U + Intel HD4000 + 24GB mSATA + 500GB(5400rpm)@RM1999[1.8kg], 4GB, W7HB; AMD HD7450M/W8@RM2199

Prices are RSP, negotiable.
Use the remaining of your budget to increase RAM (Asus, 4G stick ~ RM80), buy SSD to swap with HDD (256G SSD ~ RM600+/-).

Sorry, RM4k will not get you too far in the "high end" laptop gaming world
Razer Blade is not officially sold in Malaysia.

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

Dell
Alienware M14x R2, i5-3210M + Nvidia GT650M (1GB) + (1600x900)@RM3999[2.92kg][Klipsch], 8GB, 1TB(5400rpm); [CPU Options: i7-3630QM - i7-3840QM], W8, 2 years warranty

In terms of performance, both beaten by these:
Lenovo
Y400, i7-3630QM + Nvidia GT750M@RM2799, 4GB, 500GB, W8, 120wPSU, swappable ODD
Ideapad Y500, i7-3630QM + Nvidia GT650M + (1920x1080)@RM3799, 4GB, 500GB, W8; GN36 exGPU, 120W & 170W AC adapter (new model with GT750M SLI is coming out in May2013)

Also suggest you look at these Clevo barebone:
www.illegear.com
Illegear RE-15, i5-3210M + Nvidia GTX660M + (1920x1080)@RM3299, 4GB, 500GB(5400rpm), FreeDOS [CPU Options: i5-3210M - i7-3840XM][/color]
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.

Vostro 5460, RAM and HDD is not soldered. Only 1 RAM slot.

Errr ... didn't you look at the real thing first before you buy it?
Anyway, if you really don't like the design, it is best for you to quickly return the laptop and get money back (14 days from date of invoice, with original packaging) (I am not sure how to tell Dell Malaysia though since I don't have experience in return to Dell using "I don't like the design" line )
As to the RE-15, it is a bit over-kill for programming and general usage but if you like the design and has the budget, by all mean go for it (but make sure you like the design this time )

This post has been edited by nexus2238: Apr 28 2013, 08:25 AM

RE-15 is definitely more solid than Inspiron 15R SE. On the screen, since RE-15 is customisable, please please make sure you get the screen you like In fact, please make sure you get the proper spec you want for all the customisable components.

On the free monitor, come on lah, common logic tell us there is no free lunch

I supposed you mean the FHD screen in 15R SE? I have seen a few, and they seems quite alright.
Being matte screen, it will not be as bright as the glossy screen in Y500, otherwise I don't think it is any worse than the screen in Y500 (in fact, the FHD screen in Y500 really is only so so But FHD in 15" is always nice )
But if you go for the HD screen in 15R SE, that's another story

Asus
A45VS-VX026H, i5-3210M + Nvidia GT645M@RM2199[2.4kg], 2GB, 500GB, W8
K46CM-WX090H, i5-3317U + Nvidia GT635M@RM2199[2kg], 2GB, 500GB, W8, OD

Dell
Inspiron 14R (Special Edition), i5-3210M + Nvidia GT640M(28nm Kepler)@RM2049[2.38kg], 4GB, 500GB(7200rpm), W7HP/W8
Vostro 5460, i5-3337U + Nvidia GT630M + (32GB mSATA SSD + 500GB(5400rpm))@RM2199[1.54kg], 4GB, W8SL, 3 cell

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

Prices are RSP, negotiable.

Most new laptop units come pre-installed with W8. The G480 FreeDOS let you install whatever OS you want, but of course you have to get your own copy of W7.

Brightness you can adjust in the laptop power profile. Normally you have power saver, balanced, high performance. Just adjust the screen brightness for each profile (battery and AC power) to level that you like.

The 15R SE that you have come with i7 quad core It run hot.
Normally there are a few things that we can do to improve heat profile: apply good thermal paste (something to consider after using a while when you open up the laptop to clean dust), change HDD to SSD, cooler pad (~RM80 should be fine) help, table fan too

This post has been edited by nexus2238: Apr 28 2013, 02:55 PM

Aiyo, that thing is branded Ultrasharp for a reason

Eeee ... I thought you are returning the 15R SE?

You need to clean dust eventually, otherwise the laptop will be clogged with dust and start to give you all kind of headache
If you are really scare of opening it up, get a technician to do it for you later (and re-apply good thermal paste).
Alternatively, get a can of compressed air from hardware store. Take out the battery, unplug the power, discharge all the power (by pressing the power on button). The use the air to blow out the dust, and then use vacumm cleaner to suck the dust out. Not the best method, but better than nothing.

On your SSD plan, you need to think about a few things.
Do you want to keep the 1TB internal since you have lots of large files and hate to carry an external HDD around?
Do you want to improve the heat profile of the laptop as well?

If you go the mSATA route, you can get mSATA 256G Crucial M4 at around RM650+/-. Replace that with the 32G mSATA SSD you have. Go into BIOS and change the setting for mSATA SSD from caching to storage. Change the boot sequence to use the mSATA SSD 1st. Then install OS and all your apps on the mSATA SSD. This way, your laptop will be fast, (don't worry about the mSATA port is SATAII or SATA III. It will still be very quick even if it is only a SATAII port, just that your mSATA SSD will not be utilise to the max speed wise), and you still have plenty of room in the mSATA SSD for important / frequently used files, and keep a 1TB HDD for big files. The drawback is that the HDD will remain as a heat source within your laptop.

Alternative is that you get the SATA 256G Crucial M4 (~RM600+/-) and replace the HDD. You can be sure that the SATA port is SATA III. Again, go into BIOS to change the setting for mSATA SSD from caching to storage (you don't need to cache anymore). Now, if you want to keep OS on the mSATA SSD and keep apps and files on the SATA SSD, you need to change boot sequence, otherwise left the boot sequence alone. This way, you will have 256+32G of SSD for storage. Laptop will be responsive, and heat profile will improve. Get a external HDD casing and turn the 1TB into external HDD.

Btw, since Crucial release the M500 SSD, the stock for M4 seems to dry up, I suspect it is going to be discontinued

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