no lah, TJ, you are doing a good job I just drop by when things are going slow, and lately it happen quite frequently

i5 Haswell vs i3 Ivy Bridge? What do you think?

Fast - CPU & GPU give the laptop the processing power, but the biggest bottleneck is the slow storage, so spend money to get SSD (128G ~ RM300, 256G ~ RM600) and replace the HDD.
With your budget, the largest screen you can get is 15" (with reasonably powerful spec)

Dell
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)@RM2449 [2.32kg], 8GB, 1TB(5400rpm), Ubuntu 12.04 , 6 cell; W8SL@RM2649

Lenovo
Y410p, i7-4700MQ + GT750M(GDDR5)@RM2899, 8GB, 1TB, W8, red backlit, 120w psu, swappable ODD, 2 years warranty
Y510p, i7-4700MQ + Nvidia GT750M(GDDR5) + (1920x1080)@RM3099[2.7kg], 8GB, 1TB, W8, red backlit, swappable ODD, 120w psu, 2 yrs

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

Prices are RSP, negotiable.

This post has been edited by nexus2238: Sep 21 2013, 07:55 AM

Lots of recent models don't have spare / blank mSATA port. iinm, there is no models that tick all your boxes
Ignore the mSATA, just grab a normal SATA SSD and replace the HDD (128G ~ RM300, 256G ~ RM600).

no-mSATA:
Asus
K46CB-WX060H, i5-3337U + Nvidia GT740M@RM2199[2kg], 2GB, 750GB, W8, 4-cell, OD

Toshiba
Satellite L40-AS109Xb/G/W, i5-3337U + Nvidia GT740M@RM2199[Onkyo], 4GB, 750GB, 3 years local warranty
Satellite L50-A100X/XW, i5-3230M + Nvidia GT740M@RM2199[Onkyo], 4GB, 750GB, W8SL; 3 years local warranty

with m-SATA:
Asus
S550CB-CJ102H i5-3337U + Nvidia GT740M + 24GB mSATA + 500GB + (1366x768; touch)@RM2499[1.83kg], 4GB, W8
You have to replace the 24GB mSATA SSD if you want to put in larger capacity mSATA SSD for storage (also need to change the setting in BIOS to turn the mSATA from cache to storage).

Prices are RSP, negotiable.

Good for you Which model?

a cache is just as its name stated. the small 24GB mSATA SSD will store a copy of frequently access data / files, and help these launch faster. As soon as you access those not in cache, back to HDD crawling. So, it's a hit or miss thingy. Better than no caching, but definitely cannot compare to having everything store on a SSD.

mSATA and SATA is just the port, nothing to do with the SSD.
Most of not all current gen SSD will saturate the bandwidth of mSATA or SATA III port (i.e. the SSD is too fast for the port ). They are just fast, and you probably will not notice the difference between them.
You could get 256G or 128G mSATA SSD, but typically they are slightly more expensive compared to SATA SSD of similar size.

(I'm talking about using the mSATA SSD for storage here, not caching).

SSD is something that you could upgrade easily. CPU and GPU, on the other hand, are something that stuck with the laptop (for models within your budget).
So the idea is just use your current budget to get the most powerful CPU & GPU you can afford, then save up to upgrade SSD later
What I was trying to say was, a laptop that has a lot less powerful CPU and GPU but spec with full SSD, will feel a lot more responsive during normal usage, since the largest bottleneck on user experience is generally due to the slow HDD.

This post has been edited by nexus2238: Sep 21 2013, 06:20 PM

You don't need powerful spec for your usage.

Asus
A450CC, i5-3337U + Nvidia GT720M@RM2099[2kg], 4GB, 750GB, W8; 4-cell
K46CB-WX060H, i5-3337U + Nvidia GT740M@RM2199[2kg], 2GB, 750GB, W8, 4-cell, OD

Dell
Inspiron 14R, i5-4200U + Nvidia GT740M@RM1849 [2.32kg], 4GB, 500GB(5400rpm), Linux, 6 cell; W8@RM2049
Vostro 5470, i3-4010U + Intel HD4400@RM1899, 4GB, 500GB(5400rpm), W8, 3-cell

Lenovo
Ideapad Flex 14, i5-4200U + Nvidia GT720M +(1366x768; touch) + 8GB SSHD + 500GB HDD@RM2299, 4GB, W8, 2 yrs
S410p, i5-4200U + Intel HD4400M@RM1699[1.8kg], 4GB, 500GB, FreeDOS
S410p, i5-4200U + Nvidia GT720M@RM1999[1.8kg], 4GB, 1TB, W8, 2 yrs

Prices are RSP, negotiable.
Spend the remaining of your budget to increase RAM (4G stick is ~ RM100), extend warranty (Dell, extend to 3 years for ~ RM300), swap SSD (128G ~ RM300, 256G ~ RM600) in for HDD.

The older S400 was 1.8kg. The newer S410P more or less has the same shell, but add touchscreen, as a result weight increase to 2.1kg. (This is applicable to all models that has regular screen and touch screen spec. The touch screen spec is always heavier by a few hundred grams. )

Brands are very well represented in Penang lah
You can also check out re-sellers who has shop (can COD) in Penang right here at LYN garage sales thread, eg. hikari85.

Laptop is expensive, especially those "gaming" stuff. Taper your expectation For your budget, if you want spec powerful enough to play GTA series reasonably, stick with 14" with HD screen only.

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

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.

HDD hardware warranty has nothing to do with software installed on it

USB thumbdrive normally work better/faster than DVD.
Depends on what software you use to do the backup, some let you backup to external HDD or networked drive.

This post has been edited by nexus2238: Sep 23 2013, 11:09 AM

number of "cell" in a battery is not an accurate measurement
We use it for easier understanding by people that is not very technically oriented, and serve as a very rough approximation
The proper measurement for energy in this case will be Wh (watt hour).

Suppose brand A has a laptop model, and THAT model can use either a 4 cell or a 6 cell battery, then yes, you can rest assured that the 6 cell will give much longer battery running time compared to the 4 cell.

Suppose brand A and brand B both has 4 cell battery, you cannot be sure both battery has the same Wh (eg. we have seen 3 cells that carry ~ 50Wh, and 3 cells that carry ~ 30+ Wh ). So if we just know the number of cells, we cannot be 100% sure that a 6 cell from 1 model has larger Wh than a 4 cell from another.

The Lenovo models that were listed for you earlier are quite new in Malaysia. But I think they are quite easy to find, and if you do some googling, you could find lots of details about them already.

The Z400T and Z500T has more power spec than you need; its battery running time are short, and thermal profile is not good.

The Z480 is old model that Lenovo Malaysia has stop supplying for ~ 4-5 months, also not very good battery running time, and if you decide to go for it, please make sure it is properly sealed brand new set and not some leftover display unit.

The G400s is more budget oriented model. Again, battery running time is worse than the S410P.

Anyway, all the Lenovo models that you mentioned has good enough spec for your usage requirement.

This post has been edited by nexus2238: Sep 23 2013, 01:48 PM

"Trusted brand" is very controversial
If you want good warranty support, opt for Dell (extend to 3 years on site), Lenovo (upgrade to 3 years on site), Acer (extend to 3 years), illegear (extend to 3 years) ... . If you go with Asus, just avoid the SC at LYP if need warranty service ...
I think you will appreciate 15" with FHD screen.
Make sure you get good external cooling solution (cooling pad, table fan ... ).

Acer
V7-582PG-74508G52k, i7-4500U + Nvidia GT750M + 24GB mSATA + 500GB HDD + (1920x1080 IPS; touch)@RM3399[2.2kg], 8GB, W8 (CPU on duo core, GPU is spec with DDR3, but goo enough for your usage)

Asus
N550JV-CN077H, i7-4700HQ + Nvidia GT750M + (1920x1080; IPS matte)@RM3699[2.7kg], 4GB, 1TB, W8, backlit keyboard (GPU is spec with DDR3, but good enough for your usage requirement).

Dell
Inspiron 15R (Special Edition), i7-3612QM + AMD HD7730M + (1920x1080; anti-glare) + 32GB SSD + 1TB HDD(5400rpm)@RM3199, 8GB, backlit keyboard optional, W8 (CPU is of older Ivy Bridge, GPU also not as powerful, but enough for your usage requirement)

Lenovo
Y510p, i7-4700MQ + Nvidia GT750M(GDDR5) + (1920x1080)@RM3099[2.7kg], 8GB, 1TB, W8, red backlit, swappable ODD, 120w psu, 2 yrs (screen not as nice)

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

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]

Prices are RSP, negotiable.

This post has been edited by nexus2238: Sep 23 2013, 02:15 PM

It is good that you go out and look at the real thing to see what you like Make sure you don't just "browse". Type / poke / click / touch / listen / look / carry whichever models you fancy. Those things could be subjective, and can't be decided on specs alone.

If you could not find S410P for example, looking at the S400 is pretty close to get a feel. Then you could buy from 1 of the re-sellers at LYN garage sales thread (they may be able to COD or courier to your location).

That Inspiron 14R is in the "in stock 2-5 biz days delivery" page:
http://www.dell.com/my/p/performance-lapto...en&s=dhs&~ck=mn

Why are you asking about Toshiba warranty service in KL when you are in Ipoh?
Anyway, Toshiba warranty service in Malaysia is handled by Tele-Dynamic. For the L40, need to send to SC, which is located at LYP or Shah Alam. Service level is quite ok (at least has a service order number and a site for you to keep track of it )

13" gaming?

Sony
Vaio SVS13135CV, i5-3230M + Nvidia GT640M LE@RM3199[1.72kg], 4GB, 1TB, W8
This is not a gaming laptop per se, but has sufficient GPU to play games at medium details. Please make sure you get good external cooling solution (cooling pad, table fan ... )

This is a proper 13" gaming laptop
www.illegear.com
Illegear RE-13 Pro, i7-4700MQ + Nvidia GTX765M + (1920x1080 IPS)@RM4299[2kg][Onkyo, SoundBlaster Cinema], 8GB, 500GB 7200RPM, Backlit Keyboard, FreeDOS, [CPU Options: i7-4700MQ - i7-4900MQ]

Prices are RSP, negotiable.

This post has been edited by nexus2238: Sep 23 2013, 08:00 PM

Make sure you use the chat button on Dell Online website to negotiate deal

Notebook hardware warranty typically will not be impact by the software user install on the notebook (unless you install some software that aim to control the hardware (eg. overclocking) and somehow fried it

1. Big difference.
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Graphi...List.844.0.html
(btw, don't tell us you don't know how to understand the benchmark, just look at the numbers and see the difference, ok? )

2. No.

3&4. https://forum.lowyat.net/topic/2851949
ytlay sifu has very nicely put up all the Lenovo pamphlet on the 1st post. Read and pick it up lah.
Alternatively, go to the garage sales thread to ask the re-sellers.