No. OS mostly are NOT installed on the 32G mSATA SSD on factory setting. It is generally used for caching.
For certain models, you can go into BIOS and turn the caching off and make the small mSATA SSD available for storage.

Ivy Bridge - the generation of Intel CPU that carry i3/5/7-3xxxx.
Haswell - the newer generation of Intel CPU that carry i3/5/7-4xxxx. Main feature - improve battery running time a lot.

Do you mean this one?
N56VB-S3070H, i5-3230M + Nvidia GT740M@RM2899[/b][2.7kg][B&O], 4GB, 750GB, W8

1 thing I forgot to mention, gaming performance depends a lot on the resolution that you play in.
For Guild Wars 2, if you play at FHD (1920x1080), at medium setting, you need a really powerful GPU.
If you play at HD (1366x768), at medium setting, you can make do with a lot less with GT740M, can expect ~ 40fps.

You are right, Asus G series Haswell spec still not pop up in Malaysia. But expect them to be slightly more expensive than current Ivy Bridge G series when it land in Malaysia (MYR really depreciate a lot lately)

edit:
GE60-2OC, i5-4200M + Nvidia GT750M(GDDR5) + (1920x1080; anti-glare)@RM3099,8GB, 750GB(7200rpm), W8, steel series KB

my apology. the RM3.1k GE60 is spec with i5-4200M. Good enough to pair with GT750M for gaming purpose.

This post has been edited by nexus2238: Aug 23 2013, 12:11 AM

Intense rendering for extend period of time - Need very good external cooling for laptop (e.g. cooling pad, table fan ... ) or you may find a dead machine when you get back
Detach the battery and run on AC is good to preserve battery charging cycle, but if AC power get cut off, say bye bye to your simulation. So it is a pro / con that you have to consider.

All brands has international warranty, just that some come standard, some you have to pay to upgrade

Asus (please confirm it is 2 years International warranty)
PRO45VJ-V0049X, i7-3520QM + Nvidia GT635M@RM3099[2.4kg], 8GB, 750GB, W7P
N550JV-CN077H, i7-4702MQ + Nvidia GT750M + (1920x1080; IPS matte) + Bluray@RM3699[2.7kg], 4GB, 1TB, W8, backlit keyboard

Dell (extend standard 1 year warranty to 3 years for ~ RM300, it become international warranty)
Inspiron 15R (Special Edition), i7-3612QM + AMD HD7730M@RM2799, 8GB, 1TB(5400rpm); backlit keyboard optional, W8
Inspiron 15R (Special Edition), i7-3612QM + AMD HD7730M + (1920x1080; anti-glare) + 32GB SSD + 1TB HDD(5400rpm)@RM3199, 8GB, backlit keyboard optional, W8

Prices are RSP, negotiable.

This post has been edited by nexus2238: Aug 23 2013, 12:28 AM

Huh? don't understand.
For those mSATA SSD, you either use it for caching or use it for storage.

caching - Intel Rapid Storage. Automatically create a copy of most frequently access data / files / apps on the ssd, so that when these data / files / apps get called, they are accessed faster. Problem is when trying to access files that are not cached, go back to HDD crawling. Also since the 32G ssd size is so small, even cached data could get push out once you stop accessing them a while replacing by other frequent access data / files / apps. In this mode, you will not even see the SSD in OS file manager.

storage - once user go into BIOS and turn off caching, the SSD just become another drive. Of course you could install apps or store files on it.

This post has been edited by nexus2238: Aug 23 2013, 03:50 PM

GE70-2OE, i7-4700MQ + Nvidia GTX765M + (1920x1080; anti-glare)@RM4499,8GB, 750GB(7200rpm), W8, backlit keyboard
GX70-3BE, AMD A10-5750M + AMD XT HD8970 + (1920x1080; anti-glare)@RM4899, 8GB, 750GB(7200rpm), W8, steel series & backlit KB

GX70-3BE has more powerful GPU, but is seriously capped by the weak A10 CPU.

Consider this one instead:
GS70-2OC, i7-4700MQ + Nvidia GTX765M + (1920x1080; anti-glare)@RM4699[2.66kg][Dynaudio], 8GB, 750GB(7200rpm), W8, steel series multi color backlit KB
(check out the weight)
(I thought your friend is leaving the country today? )

Still need reasonable GPU if need to do rendering

Dell
Vostro 5460, i5-3230M +Nvidia GT630M@RM1899[1.54kg], 4GB, 500GB(5400rpm), Ubuntu 12.04, 3 cell; W8SL@RM2099
Vostro 5460, i5-3337U + Nvidia GT630M + (32GB mSATA SSD + 500GB(5400rpm))@RM2199[1.54kg], 4GB, W8SL, 3 cell
Prices are RSP, negotiable.

The M CPU spec has Ubuntu spec right out of the box, the ULV CPU spec has better battery running time, but only spec with W8 (but you can at least be comforted that its sibling work with Linux)

Anyway, for any brands / models of laptops, it is typically up to users to make Linux work

If budget is a concern, it is definitely cheaper to buy in Malaysia and upgrade to get International Warranty. Just make sure the brand / model has SC in UK.

Acer
V7-582PG-74508G52k, i7-4500U + Nvidia GT750M + 24GB mSATA + 500GB HDD + (1920x1080 IPS; touch)@RM3399, 8GB, W8

Asus
N550JV-CN077H, i7-4702MQ + Nvidia GT750M + (1920x1080; IPS matte) + Bluray@RM3699[2.7kg], 4GB, 1TB, W8, backlit keyboard

MSI
GE60-2OC, i5-4200M + Nvidia GT750M(GDDR5) + (1920x1080; anti-glare)@RM3099,8GB, 750GB(7200rpm), W8, steel series KB
GE60-2OC, i7-4700MQ + Nvidia GT750M(GDDR5) + (1920x1080; anti-glare)@RM3599,8GB, 750GB(7200rpm), W8, steel series KB
GE60-2OE, i7-4700MQ + Nvidia GTX765M + (1920x1080; anti-glare)@RM4299,8GB, 750GB(7200rpm), W8, backlit keyboard
GE70-2OE, i7-4700MQ + Nvidia GTX765M + (1920x1080; anti-glare)@RM4499,8GB, 750GB(7200rpm), W8, backlit keyboard
GS70-2OC, i7-4700MQ + Nvidia GTX765M + (1920x1080; anti-glare)@RM4699[2.66kg][Dynaudio], 8GB, 750GB(7200rpm), W8, steel series multi color backlit KB

www.illegear.com
Illegear RE-15, i7-4700MQ + Nvidia GTX765M + (1920x1080;matte)@RM3599[Onkyo], 4GB, 500GB(5400rpm), FreeDOS [CPU Options: i7-4700MQ - i7-4900MQ][/color]
Illegear RE-17, i7-4700MQ + Nvidia GTX765M + (1920x1080)@RM3799[Onkyo], 4GB, 500(5400rpm), FreeDOS [CPU Options: i7-4700MQ - i7-4900MQ

Prices are RSP, negotiable.

instead of pondering, why don't you go out and look at the real thing to decide?

www.illegear.com
Illegear RE-15, i7-4700MQ + Nvidia GTX765M + (1920x1080;matte)@RM3599[Onkyo], 4GB, 500GB(5400rpm), FreeDOS [CPU Options: i7-4700MQ - i7-4900MQ][/color
https://forum.lowyat.net/topic/2613184
Good thermal dissipate, opt for NTSC 95% gamut screen + calibration for top notch colour reproduction (good for photoshop, and all the glorious games). Spend remaining budget on SSD.

All depends on level of usage
MS Office - just don't open too many apps, it should be fine.
Eclipse - should be fine, just don't expect too much, ok?
Tomcat - if server is not for CPU intensive stuff (eg. only file, email, etc that kind of things), should be ok.
MySQL - just don't put too much server side computation.

Both are GT740M (GT740 is a desktop GPU, big difference )

No backlit keyboard.

Check out the re-sellers at LYN garage sales threads

Both has the same CPU+GPU.
It's up to your preference on other stuffs (screen, keyboard, touchpad, speakers, look, ... ). Go out and check on the real things to decide

Don't need powerful CPU or discrete GPU.
For fast boot - opt for SSD. If laptop don't come standard spec with SSD, you could swap in SSD to replace the HDD aftermarket, normally will not void laptop hardware warranty. SSD 128G ~ RM300, 256G ~ RM600.

Acer
V5-131-10074G50, 1007U + Intel HD@RM1149, 4GB, 500GB, W8SL
V5-132P-3322Y6G50b, i3-3229Y + Intel HD4000 + (1366x768)@RM1799, 6GB, 500GB, W8
V5-171-53312G50s, i5-3317U + Intel HD4000@RM1799, 2GB, 500GB, W8
S3-371-53334G50, i5-3337U + Intel HD4000@RM1999, 4GB, 500GB, W8

Asus
VivoBook S200E, i3-3217U + Intel HD4000 + (1366x768; touch)@RM1699[1.38kg], 4GB, 500GB, W8; colors: Grey/Pink/White, 2-cell, 1 year
S300CA-C1050H, i3-3217U + Intel HD4000 + (1366x768;touch)@RM1999, 4GB, 500GB, W8

Dell
Vostro 5460, i3-3120M + HD 4000@RM1,549[1.54kg], 4GB, 500GB(5400rpm), Ubuntu 12.04, 3 cell; W8SL@RM1,749

Lenovo
Yoga 11s, i3-3229Y + Intel HD4000 + 128GB SSD + (1366x768, IPS touch)@RM2599, 4GB, W8, 2 years; colors: grey/orange
S300, 1007U + Intel HD @RM899[1.8kg], 2GB,500GB(5400rpm), freeDOS; W8@RM1099

Prices are RSP, negotiable.

huh?
There got to be some misunderstanding here
Just to make this clear.
An i7 that has a U suffix is only duo core.
An i7 that has MQ (or QM) suffix is quad core.
i7-4700MQ and i7-4702MQ both are quad core.
i7-4700MQ run slightly faster (2.4GHz turbo to 3.4GHz) compared to i704702MQ (2.2GHz turbo to 3.2GHz), but draw more power (47W TDP vs 37W TDP). Pro - better peak performance (if temp is under control and no throttling). Con - shorter battery running time.

There are so many wrong with this

That LYP salesman either is a delusional AMD CPU fan, or an ignorant moron
Yes, the A8-5550M has 4 cores, i5-3230M only has 2 cores. But the performance of each A8 cores is low compare to each Intel i-core. And even if an application is written to able to take advantage of all 4 cores, the A8 will be just hanging with an i3 M Ivy Bridge.

And no, more cores does not make better multi-tasking. If an apps is not written for multiple cores, even if you run on a multi-cores CPU, it will only utilise 1 core. And if you use an i7 quad core but pair it with 2G RAM, try multi-tasking and you will cry

On the other hand, the AMD HD8570M is NOT a bad GPU compared to Nvidia GT720M. They are on par.
And no, AMD GCN GPU does not "easily get overheating problem".

Anyway, if those are you only choices, take the G400s. And slap in more RAM for your multi-tasking

This post has been edited by nexus2238: Aug 26 2013, 02:51 PM

what do you mean by "flip screen"?

Acer
S3-371-53334G50, i5-3337U + Intel HD4000@RM1999, 4GB, 500GB, W8
V5-471P, i3-3227U + Intel HD4000 + (1366x768; touch)@RM1899, 4GB, 500GB, W8
V5-471G-53334G50, i3-3227U + Intel HD4000 + (1366x768; touch)@RM1899, 4GB, 500GB, W8
V5-473PG-54204G50, i5-4200 + Nvidia GT740M +(1366x768;touch)@RM2299, 4GB, 500GB,W8 *no OD

Asus
S300CA-C1033H, i5-3317U + Intel HD4000 + (1366x768;touch)@RM2299, 4GB, 500GB, W8
S300CA-C1050H, i3-3217U + Intel HD4000 + (1366x768;touch)@RM1999, 4GB, 500GB, W8
K46CB-WX060H, i5-3337U + Nvidia GT740M@RM2199[2kg], 2GB, 750GB, W8, 4-cell, OD
S400CA-CA006H, i5-3317U + Intel HD4000 + 24GB mSATA + 500GB + (1366x768; touch)@RM2199[2kg], 4GB, W8

Prices are RSP, negotiable.
Spend the remaining of your budget to swap out HDD with SSD (128G ~ RM300, 256G ~ RM600).