Asus
K46CB-WX060H, i5-3337U + Nvidia GT740M@RM2199[2kg], 2GB, 750GB, W8, 4-cell, OD

Get as good a GPU as you could afford with your budget, in this case, those models that spec with GT740M.
Need good battery running time, look for models with ULV/T CPU, plus spec with battery at least with 45 WH or above (the bigger the better).

A550C only spec with GT720M, weak GPU.
S400T only spec with HD7450M, weak GPU.
Z400 spec with GT740M, but has lousy battery running time.
S410P only spec with GT720M, weak GPU.

Asus Malaysia has not refreshed lots of models with Haswell specs yet. Wait if you can, since Haswell will generally improve battery running time quite a bit.

Can also consider these:
Acer
V5-473PG-54204G50, i5-4200U + Nvidia GT740M +(1366x768;touch)@RM2299, 4GB, 500GB,W8 *no OD
Dell
Inspiron 14R, i5-4200U + Nvidia GT740M@RM1849 [2.32kg], 4GB, 500GB(5400rpm), Linux, 6 cell; W8@RM2049
Vostro 5470, i5-4200U + Nvidia GT740M@RM2249, 4GB, 500GB(5400rpm), W8, 3-cell
HP
Pavilion 14-N059TX, i5-4200U + Nvidia GT740M@RM2099[2.03kg], 4GB, 750GB, W8
Toshiba
Satelite L40-AS125XG/B/W, i5-4200U + Nvidia GT740M@RM2299, 2GB, 750GB, W8

Prices are RSP, negotiable.

This post has been edited by nexus2238: Oct 5 2013, 08:47 AM

processors generation dont play much important part of a laptop's performance but mainly is the battery life. so in my opinion, it depends on your preferences. your options :

ASUS
A450CC, i5-3337U + Nvidia GT720M@RM2099[2kg], 4GB, 750GB, W8; 4-cell; colors: black/red/white

Dell
Inspiron 14R, i5-4200U + Nvidia GT740M + (1366x768, Touch) @RM2299 [2.32kg], 4GB, 500GB(5400rpm), W8 , 6 cell
Inspiron 14 7000, i5-4200U + Intel HD4400 + 32GB mSATA + 500GB(5400rpm)@RM2699[2.02kg], 6GB(soldered), W8SL, backlit keyboard, 58Whr, No ODD
Vostro 5470, i5-4200U + Nvidia GT740M@RM2249, 4GB, 500GB(5400rpm), W8, 3-cell

HP
Envy Touchsmart 14-K028TX Sleekbook, i5-4200U + Nvidia GT740M + (1366x768;touch)@RM2799, 4GB, 500GB, W8, ext OD

Lenovo
Z400 touch, i7-3632QM + Nvidia GT740M + (1366x768, touch)@RM2599, 4GB, 1TB, W8; 2 years warranty

prices are RRP and negotiable. use the remaining budget to upgrade RAM to 8GB (not applicable for Dell Inspiron 14 7000) and extend warranty to 3 years.

Best one is subjective
The G400s only spec with GT720M, not GT740M.
Otherwise, the rest of models you listed has similar CPU & GPU power, and sufficient for your usage considering your budget.

You should go out and look / touch / click / type / listen / play / carry all the models and see what you like.

Pay attention when you buy, make sure you get brand new unsealed unit right out of box.
Make sure the unit you buy are local set which warranty are supported by the brands SC in Malaysia.
Negotiate when you buy. Don't get distract by free gifts, as those things are normally cheap and things that you may not need, rather get more discount.
Do leg work, walk around, compare, and buy from reputable store / re-sellers.

Since you are student, and kind of "kia ci" , better get from brand that has good warranty support and return policy. Like Raymond said, Dell Malaysia has the best warranty support in Malaysia right now. 3 years on site support (which mean you call, technician will come to your place to fix laptop within 1 or 2 days) should cover you well during your course tenure.
http://www.dell.com/my/p/performance-laptop-deals
That Inspiron 14R spec apparently is currently in 2-5 biz day delivery page by Dell. You can buy online, use the chat button to negotiate deal. Can pay by credit card Dell will deliver to your place.

Otherwise, the HP / Toshiba / Sony all has carry-in warranty. The Toshiba has a slight edge since at least it come with 2-3 years warranty period. Carry in warranty mean you need to send laptop to SC, leave it there if necessary, and wait and bite your fingers and pray that they fix it quickly so that you could do assignments ...

This post has been edited by nexus2238: Oct 5 2013, 09:13 AM

Hi guys...I'm going to further my degree (architecture) in the beginning of 2014 so have to get a new powerful but budget laptop...

1. Preferred Brand: MSI
2. Budget: 5k
3. Usage: Architectural 3D modelling and rendering, GAMING !!!
4. Preferred laptop/screen size: 17"

Any recommendation??

MSI
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

Illegear
RE-17, i7-4700MQ + Nvidia GTX765M + (1920x1080)@RM3999[3.2kg][Onkyo, SoundBlaster Cinema], 8GB, 500GB 7200RPM, FreeDOS, [CPU Options: i7-4700MQ - i7-4900MQ]

ASUS
G750JX-T4059H [3D], i7-4700HQ + Nvidia GTX770M + (1920x1080 3D) + Bluray@RM5599[4.5kg], 8GB, 1TB, W8, 3D kit (negotiated price max RM52xx)

prices are RRP and negotiable except ASUS.

I see...how about the price of MSI GT70 20D?

This post has been edited by nzonex: Oct 5 2013, 10:50 AM

beautiful price tags

GT70-2OD, i7-4700MQ + Nvidia GTX780M + (1920x1080; anti-glare)@RM6999[Dynaudio], 16GB, 750GB(7200rpm), W8, steel series multi color backlit KB
GT70-2OD, i7-4700MQ + Nvidia GTX780M + (1920x1080; anti-glare)@RM8499[Dynaudio], 16GB, 2X64GB SSD, 750GB(7200rpm), bluray, W8, steel series multi color backlit KB

This post has been edited by raymondtong94: Oct 5 2013, 10:58 AM

sifu out there, with this spec

Inspiron 17 7000, i5-4200U + Nvidia GT750M (GDDR5) + (1600x900, Touch)@RM3499 [3.3kg], 6GB,

can i play Crysis or some other demanding games ? I need a laptop for both work and sometimes games.

or you guys have better suggestion for
1. Preferred Brand - Any brand
2. Budget - below RM4000
3. Usage - mostly for programming, should be able to run one or two virtual machine at a same time, some games
4. Preferred laptop size - preferred 17" or a bit bigger

and this laptop will not become hot since i will be using it many hours everyday

thanks.

I'm a full time student with many projects. Need recommendations on which laptops to get. Personally inclined to Lenovo Y410P but here's my some of the things I need

1. Preferred Brand - Any brand, good after sales service
2. Budget - below RM3000
3. Usage - mostly for games, lots of graphics editing, song editing
4. Preferred laptop size - preferred 14" or 15"

Thanks sifus!

instead of getting premium line laptops, i suggest you go for a better and higher performance laptop. the dual core i5 in the Dell Inspiron 17 7000 is power efficient but lacks of processing powers. if you play any games that required intensive processing, your gaming performance will be bottlenecked. you could opt for this or smaller laptops, as 17" laptop options are quite less :

Illegear
RE-17, i7-4700MQ + Nvidia GTX765M + (1920x1080)@RM3999[3.2kg][Onkyo, SoundBlaster Cinema], 8GB, 500GB 7200RPM, FreeDOS, [CPU Options: i7-4700MQ - i7-4900MQ]
Illegear RE-15, i7-4700MQ + Nvidia GTX765M + (1920x1080)@RM3799[2.6kg][Onkyo, SoundBlaster Cinema], 8GB, 500GB 7200RPM, FreeDOS, [CPU Options: i7-4700MQ - i7-4900MQ]

Lenovo
Y510p, i7-4700MQ + Nvidia GT750M(GDDR5) + (1920x1080)@RM3099[2.7kg], 8GB, 1TB, W8, red backlit, swappable ODD, 120w psu, 2 yrs
Y510p, i7-4700MQ + Nvidia GT750M(GDDR5) + (1920x1080)@RM3999[2.7kg], 8GB, 1TB, W8, red backlit, GN37 exGPU & ODD, 120w+170w psu, 2 yrs

prices are RRP and negotiable.

Dell currently has the best warranty service in Malaysia.

Inspiron 14R, i7-4500U + Nvidia GT750M (GDDR5) @RM2499[2.32kg], 8GB, 1TB(5400rpm), Ubuntu 12.04 , 6 cell; W8SL@RM2699
Inspiron 15R, i7-4500U + AMD HD8850M (GDDR5) @RM2499[2.32kg], 8GB, 1TB(5400rpm), Linux, 65WHr; W8SL@RM2699

Prices are RSP, negotiable.
Use the remaining of your budget to extend warranty (to 3 years ~ RM300).

I'm giving my HP DV6-6001TX to my sister and therefore I need a new laptop. I've got my eyes on Envy series and some Ultrabooks. Though I'm not really sure if my choices are exactly good ones.

Budget below 4k.
Please not any of those dull looking laptops. I actually like having a nice exterior.
Usage mostly for entertainment such as music, movies and gaming.
Some work such as AutoCAD, Solidworks, Creo.
15" and beyond. FHD preferred.

Hope you guys can help
Thank you sifus

the best you can go for is the larger Y510P. smaller laptops lacks of cooling, so it may not be a good choice for your gaming sessions.

Lenovo
Y510p, i7-4700MQ + Nvidia GT750M(GDDR5) + (1920x1080)@RM3099[2.7kg], 8GB, 1TB, W8, red backlit, swappable ODD, 120w psu, 2 yrs

best suggested option for you. price is RRP and negotiable.

How does the GT750 and HD8850 compare? About the same I'm guessing?

Get more RAM for VM. 4G stick ~ RM100, 8G stick ~ RM200.
17" in Malaysia are mostly expensive stuff. You probably should consider getting 14" or 15", and connect to external display when you need to.

The Y series that Raymond mentioned run hot.
The illegear (based on Clevo) has better thermal design.

benchmark wise, about on par.
Nvidia Optimus is probably still better than AMD Enduro

GO for Lenovo
Y510p, i7-4700MQ + Nvidia GT750M(GDDR5) + (1920x1080)@RM3099[2.7kg], 8GB, 1TB, W8, red backlit, swappable ODD, 120w psu, 2 yrs awesome..

ya indeed and tested friend's unit .. damn freakingly fast

www.illegear.com
Illegear RE-15, i7-4700MQ + Nvidia GTX765M + (1920x1080)@RM3799[2.6kg][Onkyo, SoundBlaster Cinema], 8GB, 500GB 7200RPM, FreeDOS, [CPU Options: i7-4700MQ - i7-4900MQ]
https://forum.lowyat.net/topic/2851949
Can paint the exterior to any colour you like

Nice exterior is very subjective. Can check out these:

Acer
V7-582PG-74508G52k, i7-4500U + Nvidia GT750M + 24GB mSATA + 500GB HDD + (1920x1080 IPS; touch)@RM3399[2.2kg], 8GB, W8
Asus
N550JV-CN077H, i7-4700HQ + Nvidia GT750M + (1920x1080; IPS matte)@RM3699[2.7kg], 4GB, 1TB, W8, backlit keyboard
Dell
Inspiron 15 7000, i7-4500U + Nvidia GT750M (GDDR5) + (1920x1080; Touch)@RM3599[2.6kg], 8GB, 1TB(5400rpm), W8SL, backlit keyboard, 58Whr

Prices are RSP, negotiable.

This post has been edited by nexus2238: Oct 5 2013, 11:45 AM

its starting to get better.
but the HD8970M is the main culprit of slower performance than GTX780M.