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Enquiries/Recommendations Buying a new laptop? NEED RECOMMENDATIONS? V23, Please FOLLOW the FORMAT TQ~!

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vincentxiang
post Mar 24 2014, 10:34 PM

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1. preferred brand : None
2. Budget: RM 2.5-3k
3. Usage: Gaming, heavy browsing, watching drama/ movie
4. Preferred Screen size: ard 15 inch
5. Weight: 2-2.5 kg


vincentxiang
post Mar 25 2014, 02:08 AM

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QUOTE(PF T.J. @ Mar 24 2014, 11:26 PM)
15.6"
MSI
=GE60-2OC, i5-4200M + Nvidia GT750M(GDDR5) + (1920x1080; anti-glare)@RM3099, 8GB, 750GB(7200rpm), W8, steel series KB
*
No other available options? cry.gif cry.gif
vincentxiang
post Mar 26 2014, 12:53 AM

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QUOTE(raymondtong94 @ Mar 25 2014, 09:29 AM)
top up your budget RM200 and get Lenovo Y510P.

Lenovo Y510p, i7-4700MQ + Nvidia GT755M(GDDR5) + (1920x1080)@RM3399[2.7kg], 8GB, 1TB, W8.1, red backlit, swappable ODD, 120w psu, 2 yrs

negotiate with seller could get around RM3200.
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sweat.gif no so much budget for high end spec. Anyway, thanx for recommendation. Is there any option available for budget 3k and below blush.gif
vincentxiang
post Mar 30 2014, 10:07 AM

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QUOTE(PF T.J. @ Mar 30 2014, 12:13 AM)
TS's Comments:

The sifus and I have always wanted a specific section of the thread to recommend some of the more popular notebooks at a particular time, but sadly we never got the chance to do it since the lineups gets refreshed so rapidly that even we have problems catching up. Nevertheless, I would like to share my experiences with potential buyers on what you should look out for when you purchase your next notebook.

Of course, all opinions are my own, which are based on my 4 years experience here in recommending notebooks. I understand that different people have different priorities in choosing his/her notebook, and I have to admit that my priorities changed according to the years as well, so don't be surprised if yours do as well icon_rolleyes.gif

Some points that I would like to share with potential notebook buyers:
1. You get what you pay for, at least for all the mainstream notebooks. Much like everything else in the market, if you pay peanuts, all that you're going to get are peanuts. Most Malaysians tend to ask for notebooks with the best "bang-for-buck" or best performance for the price, which is not exactly a very viable option. There are many other aspects to look for in a good notebook (Point 2).
astria sifu once said: "They must've cut corners somewhere you don't see it to achieve such a low price."
lil kiasu: "Cheap no good, good no cheap."

2. Don't just look at the main specifications of the notebook (CPU, GPU and HDD). There are many other aspects of a notebook that you should look at, for example:
- do you like the design of the notebook?
- how's the warranty support for this notebook/brand?
- is the keyboard comfortable to type on?
- are the speakers good?
- is the audio/mic ports combined or separated?
- is the cooling system good?
- is it easy to access the inner parts of the notebook (For upgrades and maintenance)?
- does the touchpad suck?
- and a whole lot more etc. etc. etc.

Of course, there are a lot more points to ponder, and each person has a different priority in the features they want. Which is why we sifus always recommend potential buyers to check out the notebook before buying. If you are a gamer, don't buy a very powerful machine with a very bad cooling system! It's not going to end well...
In short, you don't need a notebook with the most powerful CPU or GPU for your budget, you need one that you like (design and ergonomics), one that fulfils your usage.

3. Don't buy based on the brand. People tend to generalize when it comes to brands- If his/her notebook sucks, then everything from that brand sucks. This is of course, inaccurate.
One has to understand that there will always be lemon units in electronic devices. Whether a notebook lasts or not depends on a little bit of luck, but a lot on user care!
Even the most premium brands out there are not free from defects.

"Is Asus or Lenovo better?", we get this kind of questions a lot.

Each brand has different lineups of notebooks, ranging from budget to premium to workstations to business notebooks etc. Of course, don't expect budget notebooks to be extremely reliable, and don't expect business notebooks to be cheap. Each lineup of notebooks were designed specifically to suit different niche of people.
Thus, know which category of notebook you are going for, and set your expectations accordingly.

4. Buy based on warranty support.  Apparently after sales service wasn't a really big thing 2-3 years back, but things have changed. People now understand how frustrating it can be to send in their faulty notebooks to the respective shops/service centres themselves, then wait for up to 2 months laptop-less for repairs. And that's not it, some might even have to put up with bad customer service or recurring faultiness. In the end they wasted a lot of time, money and effort, and sometimes the notebooks ain't even fixed  doh.gif
We are fortunate that some brands in Malaysia (Dell, Lenovo, HP, Toshiba, Fujitsu) took note of the problems we customers were facing, and provided on-site warranty support (they come to your place and fix your notebook within 1-2 business days) for certain lineups of their notebooks.
So far, only Dell offers on-site warranty to all their notebooks, with the option for warranty extension. This is a package that I would highly recommend to everyone, particularly students who do not have spare notebooks.

5. Do your research before buying. If you are reading this, then good for you. It's good to read up a bit on the notebook(s) you are interested in before you make the purchase. Not every notebook is perfect, each one will have its flaws, so it'll be good to read up reviews on them as well, and decide whether the drawbacks will affect your usage and ultimately your purchase.

Words of advice: (i) Avoid buying a newly released product which doesn't have any reviews yet. You might end up getting a notebook with universal problems (as in all models suffer from the same issue) which will give you a big headache. (ii) Avoid getting limited edition notebooks that are specific to a specific region of the world (South East Asia for our case), you will have problems getting proper warranty/technical support and spare parts.

6. Always compare Apple vs. Apple, Orange vs. Orange. This will probably earn me some hate from the fanboys, but if you are going to compare an Apple against a Windows-based notebook, please compare those of equivalent price-range or niche.
Too often do the sifus hear Apple users complaining that Windows-based notebooks are rubbish because apparently their RM1000 Windows netbook suck and their current RM5000 MacBook works miraculously well  laugh.gif We sifus have no qualms with you comparing notebooks of different operating systems, as long as you are fair about it, and you are not spamming the thread with bashes and hate. However, whichever operating system/brands you choose, please do remember to take note of Point 2 and Point 4.

7. Shop people don't always know everything. In fact, I've only seen a handful of really competent and knowledgeable sellers in Lowyat plaza or during PC Fairs. Most of the shop sellers are part-timers trying to make a living, unlike the passionate forumers here who follow up on all the technological advancement just because they love it.

Some classic examples (I'm sure you've heard more if you did your research laugh.gif):
"No you are wrong, Nvidia GT730M is better than Nvidia GTX770M because its has more VRAM!"
"Sorry I don't know what is IPS, I will go and ask my superiors"

Shop people will say virtually anything, as long as you buy from them at the end of the day and the commissions go into their pockets. So make sure you do your homework first before you buy anything, unless if you don't mind being ripped off la laugh.gif But worry not, for we are here for you haha~

I guess that's all for now haha, finally some contributions to this thread laugh.gif
Hopefully the information here will help potential buyers find their ideal notebooks  icon_rolleyes.gif
*
thumbup.gif I have same thought as other forummer, we should post it in the starting thread as reference...it is gd summary to demonstrate how to choose notebook. As your advise last time, I m digging more info about MSI GE60-2OC icon_rolleyes.gif

This post has been edited by vincentxiang: Mar 30 2014, 10:08 AM
vincentxiang
post Mar 30 2014, 04:08 PM

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hi..there is offer for Asus X550D which cost 2199, free upgrade to 8gb ram, twin graphic card (can
t rmb the model as be told no leaflet shakehead.gif ), other free stuff accessories, AMD processor, 15.6in...is it a gd deal? what is cons n pros compare to MSI GE60-20C... icon_question.gif
vincentxiang
post Apr 5 2014, 04:19 PM

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QUOTE(PF T.J. @ Mar 24 2014, 11:26 PM)
15.6"
MSI
=GE60-2OC, i5-4200M + Nvidia GT750M(GDDR5) + (1920x1080; anti-glare)@RM3099, 8GB, 750GB(7200rpm), W8, steel series KB
*
Thnx for recommendation. In the end, I have bought my laptop for GP60-2OD, i7-4800MQ (6M 2.7GHZ) + Nvidia GT740M(GDDR3) + (1920x1080; anti-glare)@RM2999, 8GB, 750GB, W8, steel series KB smile.gif
vincentxiang
post Apr 6 2014, 12:21 AM

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QUOTE(PF T.J. @ Apr 5 2014, 05:34 PM)
Not a very good choice if you are into gaming, but grats on your purchase  thumbup.gif
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thnx...may i knw why it is not a vy good choice? is it bcs of graphic card? just want to learn more tongue.gif
vincentxiang
post Apr 6 2014, 01:07 AM

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QUOTE(PF T.J. @ Apr 6 2014, 12:45 AM)
Oh, don't mind me explaning ya laugh.gif
Unlike what most people think, gaming performance depends more on graphic card rather than CPU nod.gif
Since gaming is one of your requirements, that's the reason is why I've recommended the GE60 with GT750M rather than the GP60 with GT740M. The former's GPU is much more powerful than the latter- a GPU found in RM2k notebooks..

What's more, you are running on a laptop with FullHD resolution (1920x1080), that means more pixels for the graphic card to render... This is not something an entry-level GPU excels in (which is why the GT740M is mostly used in notebooks with HD (1366x768) only.. Of course, you can still reduce resolution while you game for smoother performance, but that might beat the purpose of a FullHD Screen nod.gif

On the other hand, you are only using the notebook for normal tasks, which an i5 is already more than enough nod.gif
Some might think getting an i7 will be more "future-proof", but that's not really true too, you won't need something that powerful unless you are into intensive tasks/programs nod.gif
Additionally, i7 processors can get really hot, which will kill off the notebook and battery, especially when you game  nod.gif

The GP60 is more suitable for those who uses the notebook for graphic designing, rendering, or those using calculative programs which rely more on the CPU rather than the GPU  icon_rolleyes.gif

But don't worry about it la haha, as long as you love your notebook its good enough  icon_rolleyes.gif
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Noted...thnx alot..after read thru ur explanation, it correct me something i tot was right in past thumbup.gif nod.gif

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