Choosing a laptop was a pain for me.

After working out which brand to buy from, things got even more complicated. There came the choice of processors with weird numberings. Whaddya mean the P9500 is slower than X9000, number bigger kan? Graphics adapter/cards/integrated/dedicated ?? Why lowyat ppl scold me when I say ATI x1300 1024Mb better than nVidia 9600GT 512Mb ?

The least I needed was google-ing and reading a long,boring review about a particular laptop. Most of the time, I'll be guilty in skipping to the Conclusion bit . Hence, I'm writing this for those who want a quick overview of the better buys in the market and hopefully it'll help point them towards a platform that suits their needs best.

The laptops will be sorted in Order of Screen Size. Generally, the smaller the screen, the lighter and more portable the laptop.


13 " Or Smaller


14 "


15.4 " - 16.9"


17 "


19 " & Larger


Netbooks
As requested, here appears a small section on Netbooks
Whether you're getting one of these little boys just to surf the web or even make them your primary workstation.. I hope this list can be of some help.

Last Edit : Nov 08

Updating : 11 July 09


I aim to include all major lappie brands which are available within Malaysia and provide Servicing / Customer Support. Taken into consideration are the price, specs, design , build quality and heat issues etc if any.

As per the title, this is just a Quick Guide, where people can see what's good and available on the Malaysian market. Uber technical discussions should be left for other threads. (RAM timming, FSB speed, etc) We're interested in average Battery Life, not the wattage or Power Consumption of each component

If you're proud and happy with your laptop, please leave a reply with the model and rough price so we can spread the joy!


*[size=1]The above laptops are what I would recommend to people. There's no "the best one" but I Iike those in the Recommended section as they bring along a little extra, be it spec or design wise, for the price thats paid . Those in the Others section are still much much better than the compeition and are worth a thought as well. This guide is meant to evolve over time, and I'll gladly base it on forumers opinions.


replying to PM's : the 1st paragraph is styled to keep the reader's attention, and meant as a joke.

This post has been edited by corad: Aug 31 2009, 04:40 AM

wat about compaq V3000 series and the compaq CQ40 and CQ45? V3000 hv been discontinued, it carries the overheat issues with it due to the faulty design of the nvidia chipset.

CQ40 and CQ45 equipped with the new AMD platform, AMD puma and AMD lion with a decent integrated graphic processor, ATi HD3200, and it also support the external graphic card, XGP

is that information enough?

I like the CQ45 as an all rounder but the screen reso is abit of a let down at 1280 x 800 considering the Asus sports 1440x900 and a ATI HD3650. I heard of ATi's XGP, but I din't know it was already on the market.

still waiting for word on Asus's XG Station and MSI's Luxium too

may i recommend the 15.4 inch..

Sony Vaio FZ38GU

Intel Core 2 Duo Processor(2.5 GHZ)
2GB DDR2 Ram
Geforce 8600M
300GB HHD
i buy it like a years ago and it promotion that time..cost me like 5.9k somink...
and it available in all sony outlet

so far ntn problem wit it...
but went it full wit all the software like office, photoshop, msn, ym, games,...the reboot time become slower and slower...
but so far that it... dont hav serius problem yet....

but my tecra consider the best !

hmm. you might wanna seperate out the notebooks from netbooks. the hp mini 1000 is a netbook and is far less powerful than the notebooks you listed under the 13.3in category.

14" - BenQ S42, comes with GeForce 9600M GT

13" - Sony Vaio Z, 16:9 monitor, 9300M GS

15" - HP dv5, MSI (i think) GX600 series, both comes with 9600M GT

true, but this thread is just a very rough guide. Just so people can walk into a store and ask the shop assistant to recommend something like :" xxx laptop"

thanks man !

lol, 17" of course Dell XPS M1730 and Studio 17...

u might wanna throw in Zepto as well...

17" - Zepto Hydra, 9800M GTX

15" - Zepto Nox and Mythos, 9650M GT

and perhaps a separate section for Netbooks???

This post has been edited by astria: Oct 31 2008, 09:36 AM

Wow bro looks like u've gone through quite some work to compile all these
Mind to add-on something with 16:9 screen?

I think this thread should be pinned.

Thats some really detailed guide.

haha, slowly getting there

would have added the Zepto's but I dont know if they have support teams in Malaysia onot . it's just a overall guide, so you wont see much of the exotic brands here. unless they set up base in m'sia


16" laptops eh? i'm havent played with one of those yet ... but if i drop by a show room i'm be sure to look out for one


it's not completed yet we'll see how it goes ... plan to finish it properly over the weekend .


it all depends on your opinions as well guys , so please tell me if i've missed an awesome laptop that should be in that list (or should be recommended)

Thanks in advance !

Well,it looks good now.

Keep up with the good work.

i thot the Acer aspire Turions (14.1") works so speedy with Vista.

(based on my experience with 2 different aspire laptops)

Erm actually 16:9 screen is not 16" screens... It's a ratio
Normally lappies come with 16:10 screens which produces 2 black bars on top & bottom of screen when viewing movies but 16:9 ratio screens does not have this...

corad,personally,i dont recommend M1530 now.

Not that it suxs or anything but it's pretty old now.The new replacement model or at least a refresh model should be released in November or December.

It's an old and going to be obsolete model,i really dont recommend anyone to buy that laptop as there are better options out there.Especially,for gamers who likes to run demanding games on it.8600GT DDR3 isnt enough for todays and the games in future.

Im not really sure of the pricing,compare to other 15.4 laptops,though.Spec wise,i dont recommend.

I think it's kinda hard to differentiate by screen size cuz it covers all type...
Probably by section??? ie - business, entertainment, gaming, casual use etc etc
Kinda like the one u did on 15-16"
Just my 2 cents

This post has been edited by sordanny: Oct 31 2008, 11:32 AM

noted

yeap, but 16:9 ratios usally come on 16" screens no? and weird resolutions of 1366x768 I did come across a Samsung R610 and MSI VR630 but I don't think either are on sale in Malaysia

Agree that the XPS M1530 is abit outdated , and list has been admended to reflect that (ie, removed) . Thanks for the input! the gamming section looks kind of empty now tho ...

can't seem to get the formatting to display correctly. espeically d colours... anybody know why ?

the price for the sony is abit high that's why you don't see many VAIO's in that list. will be adding more to the "fashion line" soon, but apart from that...I doubt many people are willing to pay the extra price. No offense meant


there's an idea . but where would you put ..say the Apple MacBook Pro? gamming , fashion , business or casual ? this list is meant to change and will be based on user opinions. not just what's in the list, but how its laid out as well so keep the ideas comming ! we'll base it on what suits most people

This post has been edited by corad: Oct 31 2008, 12:30 PM

Not all 16:9 screen lappie are limited to 16 inchers... Although most are 16 inchers in Msia
Some of the ones I know:
Acer 6935G
HP HDX16 & HDX18
MSI EX620 & EX630

This post has been edited by sordanny: Oct 31 2008, 12:54 PM

I think for gaming.A laptop with 9600GT will do as cheap gaming laptop.Gaming needs a better GPU than CPU.Still,the CPU cannot be too crappy till it become a bottleneck.

How about BenQ S42? It comes with a 9600GT but im not sure is it DDR2 or DDR3.It has Centrino 2 too.Price is about 3-4k.Perfect for gamers but quality,im not sure.

already in the 14" list and it's DDR3 .

continuing to put more stuff in now

to everyone reading, this is just a small list of good laptops to help people narrow their choices down. I won't be putting down every single laptop model there

great job there.

it will come handy when i wanna upgrade in future

This post has been edited by vhs1: Nov 1 2008, 01:38 AM

xps 1530 outdated? >.< just thought of getting that lappy soon. but anyway im wondering how much xps 1530 with 8600gt costs when it was newly released? has it drop now? or the price remain the same all the while. I hv no idea coz b4 this i didnt even noe what does laptop mean -.- any idea when is the replacement of 1530 coming out? how soon?

any recommanded gaming laptop which cost 3500-4000 beside benq s42? its hard to find any laptop with class 2 graphic card at this price range..

This post has been edited by blackmarket: Nov 1 2008, 05:03 AM

how about the HP Pavilion dv5t or Toshiba Qosmio F50 as mentioned in the 1st page? with an nVidia 9600GT both almost touches Rm4k.

This post has been edited by corad: Nov 1 2008, 05:16 AM

Hp pav dv4t i found one in garage sale costs about rm4600 . considerable.. and i coulnt find any toshiba f50 in garage sale.. tried google it, although no price given but i believe it cost most than rm5k.
n sry for getting out of topic

This post has been edited by blackmarket: Nov 1 2008, 06:22 AM

you want to buy the laptops online? I would suggest Dell for that

and the dv4t is a 14" while the XPS m1530 is a 15.4" . i'm quite sure the HP dv5t goes for slightly less than RM 4k without the blue ray drive. you can go for the cheaper dv5z too, it comes with an AMD proc. you could ask a few shops for quotes on the toshiba since some of them offer better discounts.

M1530 is almost a year old.I dont think it's a good idea to get it now as the new model is coming out soon at end of the year.

The GC is a bit too slow for today's games,if you are a gamer who play demanding games,find a laptop with 9600GT.

oops.. i didn't mean dv4t, it was a typo, should be dv5t didnt know that they allow change the blue ray room to a dvd room. thanks for the help anyway! most probably will make the decision at end of Nov , looking forward for the new model of 15 inch xps!

This post has been edited by blackmarket: Nov 1 2008, 06:52 AM

13" MacBook

It may have a few more features here and there, but design and price aside there's nothing much to set it apart from the rest of the 13" already in the list. The MacBook Air however, is in a class of it's own .... for the time being

any good recommendation for 14" with budget 3k?

I suggest you refer to the 1st post ? good and 3k for 14" don't really go togther. The best i can come up with is the Dell Inspiron 1420

8600m gt is a bit slow? i dont think so. at least the gc can handle such games maybe i can say for another 1 year?

I think the reason Cheesenium said that is because this thread is meant to give you the better buys of the market. The XPS M1530 is still a good laptop, but it no longer qualifies as a recommended gamming laptop There are newer laptops out there within the same price range that boast better stuff.

It's slower compare to 9600GT.If you are a gamer,you should be always try to get a faster GC,if the price is the same.

Since 9600GT is out for a few brands,might as well buy a laptop with 9600GT or wait for Dell to release new models.

No doubt that M1530 is a good laptop but it isnt the best option for a gaming laptop now.

Yeap,thats what i say.

Netbooks should be in separate category. They're a whole other playing field compared to regular notebooks.

I should think seperating them by screen size would suffice after all , only a few netbooks are avaible in malaysia, and it's not that hard making a decision on which one to get yet.

Nearly all the netbooks can obtained here. Only the obscure names you can't like Everex Cloudbook. Acer, Dell, ASUS, Lenovo, HP,etc. are available here.

i think vostro 1310 can fitted into your 13 inch laptops for those who are using the laptops for assignments or project use.
what do you think??

trying to keep the list from being cluttered up but once netbooks variations start increasing, we might see the need for a whole new section for them

the vostro is alright when it's outfitted with basic specs. But when you start upping the numbers, it's price comes close to the XPS 1330 (or even exceeds it, depending on what you choose to put inside). The vostro's build quality also comes across as being abit flimsy and plasticky .

what do you all have to say about the macbook13'? is it value for money? or are there other computers with almost the same or better specs around the same price.
i feel that it's a bit overpriced.

Superb Guide. something that answers users frequently asked questions over this section.

Thread Pinned

what do you think of the compaq cq40? i think for a small budget it represents the best value.. or are there better ones around within that price range?

and btw, i too agree that netbooks should be separated. as stated above, there are already several variants offered here by different manufacturers. IMO at least..

there's the Acer 4530 at almost the same price. Depends on what you use it for. spec differences are minor , the acer comes with bluetooth while the cq40 does not. but the acer has a slightly lousier graphic card.

hmmm ... many requests for netbooks eh? expect a small small section to come up soon then

i still can't differentiate those graphic card...juz like u said, isn't bigger number means better performance?
then i hear sum1 saying nvidia wif 256mb ddr3 is better than those 512 wif ddr2??

more i hear, more i confuse...

may some1 briefly explain this to me? coz i'm planning to buy a laptop for high graphic gaming...

PLEASE don't giv me link(s) to those long, boring review...

Whats the difference between HP HDX16t and dv5t? They seem to have similar specs other than the 16 in screen for hdx. And they are going for the same price of rm5999

this would probably help you. just search for the model of the graphic card and see it's ranking



the HDx16t has a better build quality than the already solid dv5t think of the HDx16t as the big brother, better proc, higher screen reso and nicer design imho. dv5t has the advantage of a higher capacity batt however. Hard to comment on the price since it depends on your own config, but the HDx16t is usally more expensive.

From what i know, HP in malaysia is not customizable? From the price list i got they are going at the same price but the dv5t has slightly better specs lol

if they're going for the same price, just get the 1 you like the most

btw : netbook sections has been added. hope it helps abit

I think you should add these popular CQ40 models in 14" budget category:
http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/786771

thanks for the input

considered that laptop, but thought the BenQ S42 was better. Last I checked their prices were about 1k different ?

EDIT: the dell studio 14 also just came out. waiting to see if its good

This post has been edited by corad: Dec 22 2008, 11:55 AM

Studio 14 using old CPU.. not centrino 2.. expensive furthermore.. suggestion u get studio 15(centrino2, Cheaper).. both using same graphs hd 3450

The Benq S42 is in a different league, it's definitely better but it's definitely not for budget users. It's in the RM3500+ range.
CQ40-133AX is RM2099, CQ40-125AX is RM1999.

sorry for leaving this idle for so long.

yeap, that is a worthwhile buy i'll be adding in a budget section in a few weeks ... exam period now

hope this thread continues to be helpful.

Perhaps time for a thread update? I might be getting a lappy soon

haha ... will do !

check back after this weekend

any update on the netbook part?

just wanna ask.. is that true Kingston RAM contribute to laptop overheating? coz some guy at lowyat inform me like that when i survey laptop at his shop.. he said if want to upgrade RAM, better to choose transcend etc rather than kingston.. is that true? or he just BSing?

more opinions needed on this issue..pls clarify

using KVR 2GB x2... no problem with heat at all...

imo, if u dun take care of ur laptop, watever parts/brands can also make it overheat...

i think he BS-ing...i'm been using Kingston RAM 2GB, no heat at all..

This post has been edited by miahahaha: May 7 2009, 04:40 PM

well, maybe he experiencing overheating in his lappy and he doubt if it is due to the RAM..
he seeks clarifications, he didnt say confiirm..

Bro,

Its time to update. 6 months seen Nov 2008. Thanks.

guys i need help asap!i just received my gateway notebook from overseas and just found out the adapter's power cord has the U.S plug(2 flat legs and 1 round leg) which i think cannot use in malaysia?i need to know whether i can use my spare acer power cord with the gateway adapter.the gateway's power cord is rated 7A/125V while my acer's plug is rated 2.5A/250V.fyi,the gateway adapter's input is rated at 100-240V/2.0A.

just remembered this thread updated the 13" section, will go through the rest tonight.

if you go to a hardware store, they'll change the head for you. should cost ~rm5 . otherwise just use a socket adapter.

lol time to add the K40AB to the list?

yeah, TS should add it to the list since K40AB quite famous dy.

This thread is cool, TQ, TS.

many thanks guys !

not been looking for a laptop for almost a year now, hence slower to update

p/s: once i've gone through the whole list, i'll changed the "Last Edit" at the bottom. Right now it's still at July's recommendation

This post has been edited by corad: Aug 31 2009, 04:45 AM

i always see that as KEBAB. wonder why, Lolz.

hungry maybe ?...

or u like kebab soo much...

forget about dell studio xps 16??

what the best laptop for design mode.. autocad etc.. strictly for design.. budget below 8k
any suggestion?

hi, I would like to ask for some guidance on HP Pavilion DV3-2111tx and Dell Studio 15 (RM2,699)... and is there any differences between Screen size and pixel?

dv3 is 13'' with 1366x768 and studio 15 is 15'' with 1366x768 and up to 1920x1080
words will be larger in studio 15 compared to dv3 if resolution 1366x768

This post has been edited by lee_what2004: Nov 15 2009, 03:49 PM

is it true if we leave the laptop charging 24hours, the battery will not last longer after that?

yes. u should have a habit of unplug the AC after the battery is fully charged of take out the battery and use AC only

got any facts for that? i google'd but found none.. maybe wrong searched..

here:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread...846#post1696321

wow, i didnt knew that, thanks so much... really informative

guy,

i wan to reformat my HP DV3 but hp do not provide me with bootable disc and just give me the sticker.
where can i get the bootable disc of windows media??

its should be in the recovery partition on your harddrive and you need to burn it yourself using backup software from hp.

budget 2.5k
what is the best suggestions?

Asus K40AB [RM 1999 freedos]..

but ..what is your main requirement..?

hi all,

plan to buy studio 15, but it's kinda in the market for a period of time. so just wanna know that will Dell change some spec or refresh this model soon?

thanks!

the new i5 and i7 dual core release in jan 2010. pls wait awhile.

i5 and i7 release already ~

I have read one of the closed thread that says Core i7 are not for gamers, but Core i5 is for gamers.

Is that statement still hold truth today, since there are many laptops coming out with Core i7, Core i5 and even Core i3?

I am looking for an affordable laptop that can play HD movies (1080p), which after searching the internet and forums, I could only find a handful (Dell, Toshiba so far that I've found).

Would appreciate if someone can fill me up on this question. A laptop for watching 1080p movies, and also play some first person shooter such as Left 4 Dead II, Assassin's Creed II etc.

Many thanks for everyone's reply

Yes it is still true until today unless the tech has changed already.

Play 1080p movies?Get a laptop with a 1080p screen first-this will be a real hassle

Secondly,get one with a decent GPU which you can easily get in the region of 2k-3k

This post has been edited by -kytz-: Mar 10 2010, 03:01 PM

What do you think of Asus laptops? Such as the G71Gx or G50 series?
Which one do you think will be good for computer games and also playing 1080p movies?

I read the specs, but their screen did not specify any resolution. Also between Quad Core 2 or Core 2 duo, which has more powerful performance?