Hi, been researching around for a laptop. I want most bang for buck in terms of performance and williamngwl recommend the ASUS M51 series.

I will make a final purchase only a few months from now if i go overseas (around june-august) or perhaps ride on the PCFair prices (April or is there PCFair again around june-august?) So any future updates on technology released around that time would be a factor.

I've pretty much narrowed down to the DELL XPS 1530 and now have taken in ASUS M51 series.
seeing that now the XPS have now included the new penryn processors T9500 like the Asus M51 series and the NVIDIA 9500 GS card that the Asus M51 has does not have much if any performance advantages in real life (forgot to add source sorry but did my research off google from "Asus M51sn" and found some forums)

So now... between XPS m1530 and ASUS M51 now which is more powerful ? (esp graphics & Proc wise) which is cheaper/better value? future potential/future proofing? (eg

Or is there another laptop i should consider ?

My budget is actually 5k but the AsusM51 that williamngwl quoted is about rm6k ? if 6k it's still a lil stretchable. But it would be great if it goes below 6k or even at 5k would be great.

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A guy from the forums managed to get this specs for ASUS M51



- I would like that specs minus the blu-ray drive and i want the T9300 proc (2.5Ghz instead of the 2.6 from T9500), how much would that cost me ? (Ignore the free gifts+extras)
and with that spec vs XPS specs which is better (value and performance)

Thanks in advance ! do let me know your expert opinions =D


editL:: sorry forgot to add- should i consider the the toshiba Sli's too ? with the 5k-6k(6k being max max) budget
how do they fare in regards between XPS 1530 and Asus M51 for the specs like above ? Thanks again!

This post has been edited by chronic_blade: Mar 31 2008, 06:35 PM

thanks for the reply , im not buying in Australia but here that is but to be used most likely in the UK (so yes, warranty, policies, customer service and service centers do matter) Some say Asus service centers are non-existent in the UK (correct me if im wrong tho) and that perhaps sounds like choosing the lessor of two evils between asus and dell seeing that a substantial amount of ppl complain about the service and products of dell.

things in order that i place an importance in this order::

#1 - Best performance for the value of around RM5k plus minus but no more than 6k. (proc, graphics card and ram my piority)

#2 - Warranty, after market services etc..

#3 - Build quality & screen

#4 - Aesthetics, weight and form factor. (last on the list, not top priority but gives an edge)

although battery life is important, im mostly looking to plug this in most of the time as a desktop replacement.

thanks again. Do keep them coming, new techs or news of new releases of new laptops, upgrades to current line-up (eg. the penryn t9000 series intel proc in laptops and the new 9500 nvidia card) , or other laptops to consider .. so far in the battle of the 2 in my narrowed down list is the DELL XPS 1530 vs ASUS M51sn

following up, i found another contender... the Acer Aspire 6290 & 8290 (Blue Gemstone) how much are these 2 laptops and how do they fare compared to the Asus and XPS ? The Acer after sales service + warranty any good ? thanks!

if dell is the best after sales in msia how about in UK ? the free upgrades are from the authorized dell retailers or from resellers ?

the new acer spec look good and they look nice as well... not sure about the price although i don't have a good perception of ACER branding for some reason i can't explain, more of a vibe and what ppl like u as well tell me. any explanation may help. Perhaps this one may be a good turn for the better? let me link the acer gemstone for you guys to see, it does look quite pretty and with really awesome specs to boot although at what price i do not know, unless perhaps someone can enlighten us =]


LINK - Acer Gemstone BLue

Check it out and let me know what you guys think. I like the fact that this laptop and the asus one has a NUMPAD too which is really helpful for me =P

the new Acer Gemstone Blue 16" which i mentioned earlier released not long ago and already sold out in lowyat when i checked..

RM4500 you get

T8100 proc i think 2.1Ghz C2D
2GB ram upgrade to 4gb + rm150
Hd screen
Blue ray drive
320gb HDD
GF9500 512mb

looks great... but then ppl say acer sucks? anyone owns this laptop now ? i go lowyat look they have in brochures all but when i wanna see the model to test all ran out of stock everywhere, even the official Acer exhibition placei n the center court that time.... 0__0




the pic is the 18 inch one the diff with the 16 inch besides the slight diff in specs is the keyboard not having the numpad. both have the touch sensitive cinedash thingy which is quite cool ... what do you guys think ? any owners care to review them? =)

anyone heard about the new HP Dv7t , Dv5t and elite book series laptops ? are they out already? what is their pricing range ah ? heard Dell also launching new inspirons soon too... around this month or next... about the same time as The Voodoo Envy 133 laptop launch... damn i wish i got $$ to afford that =P

HP Pavilion dv5-1039TX @ rm5350 or Sony SR series @ rm4488 + (cost of upgrading ram, it has 1gb stock) ??

the sony SR is cheaper and has better batt life but lacks a good gpu, the dv5 is more expensive but the specs are spot on for me but has some heating issues or so i've heard..

which should i choose ?

ok guys, going to need your help, about to pull the trigger and buy the laptops now..



HP Pavilion dv4-1039TX Entertainment Notebook PC--RM 4,398.00 (from Here)
-Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium;
--Intel® Centrino2 Core™2 Duo Processor P8400 (2.26 GHz, 1066MHz FSB, 3MB L2 Cache);
--14.1" WXGA High-Definition Anti-Glare Display (1280 x 800) with flushed glass;
--3072MB (800MHz)/max to 8GB* DDR2 Memory (2042 x1 pcs) &(1024 x 1 pcs);
--320GB (5400rpm);
--LightScribe/SuperMulti 8X DVD�R/RW with DL;
--Bluetooth;
--802.11 a/g/n;
--integrated 10/100/1000 Ethernet LAN;
--5-in-1 intergrated digital media reader slot;
--Comes with remote control, integrated Pavilion Webcam, Microphone and FingerPrint Reader;
--NVIDIA GeForce 9200M GS discrete 256MB;
--Free Nylon Carrying Case;
--One year International Limited Warranty (parts/labor/carry-in)

OR

Sony Vaio SR
SPECS HERE
rm4.488 with free 1gb upgrade (total 2gb) , free overseas vaio repair service 1yr, and sony vaio cleaning kit, plus other free stuff like cooler, bag, mouse .. (@ Sony Vaio Roadshow)

or any laptop within the 4.5k budget or even slightly under 5k that you think its better than these 2 models ? (not only specs but things like design and build quality and the features - on laptop not the specs)

I personally like the looks of both of these models, and esp like the keyboard of the Sony. The Hp has better specs but i hear heat issues esp on load, is this going to be a problem?

I'm planning to bring this laptop to UK , going to do some basic word processing, presentations, video editing and some casual gaming - would like to be able to play the likes of Fifa2008 or even 09 later, Team Fortress 2 and CoD 4 .. (i don't mind gaming on med settings as long as its smooth)

Which would be better ? Warranty and tech support would be quite important for me as well.. esp in the UK.

thanks and cheers!

so you're saying that the sony is sturdier than the HP ? thanks for replying btw =D