Buying A Laptop

Jobs & Careers
1527
Hi puys !!!!
I'm new to this thread but i have got something very interesting to you all....now u can configure ur lappy more easily & with great comfort...
jst chk this site:-

On this site u can filter ur search on almost 15 parameters...like:-
Price range
processor speed
Manufacturer
Screen size
Processor type
Weight
Hard drive size
OS
Interface type
installed memory
video chipset..........etc..etc....
Hope it will help You all....
1528

vivek.2119 ,

kindly check your PM.

regards

1529
Hi all
Many of my friends who will soon be joining MBA courses and have no prior knowledge about computers have been asking me how to go about buying a laptop. hence the origin of this post
I would try to explain the various things you need to know before you buy your laptop in as simple a terminology as possible. I wont however be able to comment on diff laptop configurations or models of companies as I am no Laptop expert, just a guy like you all who happens to be an IT engineer by fate
Lets start with the major things which u must know before u zero in on a laptop (i.e zero in on the basic configuration of a laptop ) :
1) Processor: Intel is world leader in this field. There are 3 basic processors you will hear :
a) Intel Core 2 Duo
b) AMD Turion 64 bit
c) Intel Dual Core
The best among these is Intel Core 2 Duo in terms of performance and heat generated in the laptop(least for Core2Duo) however it is also the most expensive .AMD 64 bit is slightly lower in performance than Core 2 Duo and also generates more heat .However as it is cheaper so AMD 64 bit is the most economical choice as it offers you good performance at about Rs5000 less than what you will need to shell out for Core 2 Duo. For people who would use the laptop only for light applications and browsing, even Intel dual core will work finehowever its an old technology and the newest one is Core 2 Duo. The difference btw Dual Core and Core 2 Duo is about Rs8000 atleast and btw Core 2 Duo and AMD 64 bit is 4k-5k atleast.
Now comes the Processor speed. In my opinion anything above 1.7 GHz is gud enough
2) OS Operating system, as most companies nowadays give you Windows Vista, there is not much to be said about the OS except that go for a Windows Vista Home Premium rather than Vista Home Basic
3) RAM it is the most important part of your laptop. RAM is a place where your computer stores data for immediate and fast use. The RAM will determine how fast your notebook really works.It comes in following configuration : 1 GB,2 GB,3 GB and 4 GB.
For running Windows Vista efficiently, I would advice you to go for a 2 GB RAM atleast though Vista will also run with 1 GB. Anything more than 2 GB would be a plus but dont go in for less than 2 GB RAM unless you have budget issues.running of multiple applications/music/games simultaneously can use more than 1 GB RAM and then performance will be surely affected so 2 GB is a safe bet
4) Screen/Display and Weight the smaller the size of the screen, more would be the cost as the weight would decrease. Decide your basic needs for a laptop, for students I would suggest 14 inch or 15 inch screen (weight of laptop alone will be btw 2.4 kgs to 3 kgs incase u go for 14 or 15 inch screen while for a 12 inch screen it is 2 kg max) If you're mainly going to keep your laptop at one place and hardly ever use it on-the-go, a screen size of 15-inches is fine. But if you plan on moving around a lot, 12-inches or 14 inches is the way to go. However, some people who watch a lot of movies on their laptops might find 12-inches to be too small for viewing, so my suggestion is to opt for a 14 inch screen.
5) Hard Disk - The hard disk is really dependent on how many photos, music and movies you plan to store on your system. Most laptops come with 120 GB atleast, you can go in for 160 GB or 250 GB incase you need to store lot of data.120 GB should be more than enough
6) Graphics Card - This determines your display quality and which games you can play.
For serious gamers,256 MB (dedicated memory) graphic card is essential however it will add up to the cost. Most laptops come with 256 MB (shared memory) graphic card or 128 MB (dedicated )graphic card which enables you to play most of games and also have a very good display quality and enjoy movies etc
These 6 were the most basic parameters which you need to deicide before buying a laptop based on your requirements and your budget

To summarize, My Best buy configuration is : atleast 14 inch screen,1.8 GHz AMD 64 bit processor, atleast 2 GB RAM,120 GB hard disk,128 MB graphic card
(this is a laptop configuration which will serve almost all your needs and work fine for atleast 2 years till some new technology crops up)
The above configuration will cost anything between 37-40 K depending on your bargaining abilities .:poketounge:...cost shoots upto 45 K if u buy same config as above but change the processor to Intel Core 2 Dual and cost falls to 35 K if u use Intel Dual Core
One important thing you must keep in mind apart from all the above is how long is the warranty period(I strongly suggest you not to compromise on this aspect ) and the service/repair centers available in your city incase the laptop gives trouble.
I would narrow down my options to 4 best firms in the business :HP, DELL ,IBM/LENOVO and SONY which have a good presence in all parts on India
After you are over with the first part of deciding your laptop configuration, go to computer retailers in our city and they will show you all models which come in the same config or a matching one.
Once you know the various model names which come with your configuration you can use the following sites to read their reviews (just type in model name by visiting these sites or
Google review MODEL.NO
The top 5 sites which offer you all pros and cons of models you choose are :
1) Notebook and Laptop Reviews
2) Laptops & notebooks: Laptop computers, notebook computers. - CNET
3) Find reviews, top products, technology deals and more at ComputerShopper.com - Prestitial
4)Electronista | Gadgets, Mobile Phones, DVR, GPS, Camera, Music product reviews
5)Notebookcheck: Notebook & Laptop Reviews and News
Hope you have got basic know how of how to buy a laptop after reading this post :detective:
Cheers !!! :)
Thanks for having the patience to read such a long post
PS : I am no Laptop expert and hence wont be able 2 reply to PMs or posts or scraps asking me about particular laptop models all views expressed above are personal views and this is info collected from my friends and the web and talking to few ppl who are in the business of selling laptops
this was just a starters course for ppl going to buy a laptop and who are not from Computer background.hope this helps :
1530

Hope you have got basic know how of how to buy a laptop after reading this post :detective:
Cheers !!! :)
Thanks for having the patience to read such a long post
PS : I am no Laptop expert and hence wont be able 2 reply to PM's or posts or scraps asking me about particular laptop models all views expressed above are personal views and this is info collected from my friends and the web and talking to few ppl who are in the business of selling laptops
this was just a starters course for ppl going to buy a laptop and who are not from Computer background.hope this helps :

Thanks for that wonderful post!! :cheerio: I have been trying to find a model that suits my needs for over a month now.. Thanks to you, now atleast I have a direction to proceed in.

Just one more thing that I thought was missing, for all those like me who love listening to music n watching movies on their lappies.. There's no matching the sound quality and volume of DELL. Many of my friends who have DELL proudly boast about this fact.
1531

I completly agree.

I have been doing a lot of research on laptop. I am planning to open a website which will sell laptops online. And during my finding I think any one who dont want to use it as gaming machine or wont use it very for heavy graphics can buy a laptops ranging from 30k+. There is no upper limit but with 30k you can buy a good laptop.




If anybody wants to buy a laptop at his own, toshiba is the best buy in the market.
Its quite cheap and also value for money.
Also, dere's no need of buying p-4 laptop as a pentium processor finds hardly any applications in a laptop( u r not buying it for playing games i suppose!!!)

So, dere's no need of spending bout 75 k for a laptop.
A gud celeron toshiba laptop vill cost u only bout 40k
1532

i dont have much experience with AMD processors so i need the puys opinion on this config ...

HP DV6855

-AMD Turion64 x2 2.5Ghz3GB RAM / 320GB HDD

-256MB Dedicated NVidia GeForce card

-DVD WRITER MULTIRECORDER

- 15.4" WIDESCREEN LCD

-Built - in web cam / mic / speaker

-Finger print sensor security...

1533

Plz mention Cache of AMD Turion64 x2 2.5Ghz processor .... as cache plays a imp role in overall system performance

1534
xcoolaryan Says
Plz mention Cache of AMD Turion64 x2 2.5Ghz processor .... as cache plays a imp role in overall system performance

AFAIK, the Turion has 512k of L2 cache. Probably one of the reasons why its cheaper than Core 2 Duo. Core 2 Duo comes with atleast 1 MB (and goes all the way up to 6 MB:shocked:)
1535

hi..
i went to Lamington Road, Mumbai to check out few laptops. These are my shortlist
Sony Vaio CR-35G- MRP 54,990 available for 51-53 at lamington road.
Config: C2d 2.1 GHz(8100)
2 GB RAM
200 GB HDD
Vista Premium
Battery : 4Hrs backup.
ATI Mobility Radeon X2300 (128 MB)
Comment: Not to costly considering its a Vaio. Super cool looks

HP DV6767TX:MRP No Idea available for 53-55 at lamington road.
Config: C2d 1.83 GHz(5450)
3 GB RAM
250 GB HDD
Vista Premium
Graphics Nvdia 256 MB
Battery : 2Hrs backup.
Comment: Entertainment. Super cool looks

Dell XPS 1530 Available for 47000.
Config : Standard as available on net.

Dell XPS 1330 Available for 49000.
Config : Standard as available on net.

Both the XPS models are very cool. But one first inspection it looked a little delicate.

Dell 1420 : Standard config as available on net 37K (without OS)
with OS 40K
Comment: Value for money and not the worst looking laptop either.

P.S: No customization are done when you buy from a shop. If you want to buy a customized laptop then you have to buy directly from dell( which will be a little costly). Only customization is possible in RAM. You can increase it to what ever the laptop permits.

for details you can PM me.
links :
Sony India : VGN-CR35G (VGNCR35G) : Details
HP Pavilion dv6700 Thrive Special Edition Entertainment Notebook PC series overview - HP Home & Home Office products
HP Pavilion dv6700 Thrive Special Edition Entertainment Notebook PC series overview - HP Home & Home Office products
Dell Laptops/ Notebooks - Home & Home Office


All the prices are inclusive of all kind of taxes and will be made available within an hour.
You cna get finance for most of the laptops, but for details you have to contact te vendors only (i think its financed through Bajaj Allianz)

1536
nagendra_s_1983 Says
AFAIK, the Turion has 512k of L2 cache. Probably one of the reasons why its cheaper than Core 2 Duo. Core 2 Duo comes with atleast 1 MB (and goes all the way up to 6 MB:shocked:)

if it has only 512KB Cache ... I would rather ding it .... no matter how much cheap it will get ...

See, cache is one of the most imp. but again most neglected part that should be considered while buying the system ....

More the cache better the system performance, 512KB is way too low .. min. you should look for is 2Mb
1537
Sony Vaio CR-35G- MRP 54,990 available for 51-53 at lamington road.
Config: C2d 2.1 GHz(8100)
2 GB RAM
200 GB HDD
Vista Premium
Battery : 4Hrs backup.
ATI Mobility Radeon X2300 (128 MB)
Comment: Not to costly considering its a Vaio. Super cool looks

HP DV6767TX:MRP No Idea available for 53-55 at lamington road.
Config: C2d 1.83 GHz(5450)
3 GB RAM
250 GB HDD
Vista Premium
Graphics Nvdia 256 MB
Battery : 2Hrs backup.
Comment: Entertainment. Super cool looks
going by above configuration, HP sounds costly as it offer only 1Gb additional Ram & additional graphics memory, also it offer low battery backup compared to Viao
1538
xcoolaryan Says
going by above configuration, HP sounds costly as it offer only 1Gb additional Ram & additional graphics memory, also it offer low battery backup compared to Viao


yup hp is bit costlier...maybe because it's an entertainment pc...
i think if you want an "as it is" system then VAIO is the best one...plus no one can beat it when it comes to looks (except maybe apple, but we are not discussing that here)
1539
I finally received my xps 1330 and I have one word for it... Neat!
Only problem, It takes about 3-4 full min to get a video/movie to start playing... Performance wise, very slow considering the fact that my machine has 4GB RAM.
1540
I finally received my xps 1330 and I have one word for it... Neat!
Only problem, It takes about 3-4 full min to get a video/movie to start playing... Performance wise, very slow considering the fact that my machine has 4GB RAM.

There must some pbm with setting ... other any new laptop especially with 4Gb Ram should not take 3 mins.

have u made any changes to settings?
1541
yup hp is bit costlier...maybe because it's an entertainment pc...
i think if you want an "as it is" system then VAIO is the best one...plus no one can beat it when it comes to looks (except maybe apple, but we are not discussing that here)

agreed 100% .... nothing comes closer to VIAO than Apple ....

But my point is an entertainment pc does not justify price increase ... only additional system performance can justify it
1542
I finally received my xps 1330 and I have one word for it... Neat!
Only problem, It takes about 3-4 full min to get a video/movie to start playing... Performance wise, very slow considering the fact that my machine has 4GB RAM.


must be the bloatware that comes installed with dell lappies...

read this guide...might help you 😃

Dell Vista Laptop Reformat and Bloatware Removal Guide - Notebook Forums and Laptop Discussion
1543

I would also suggest, all user of Windows XP to go for SP3 asap. It enhances security as well as make system faster by almost 30%

1544

Puys please do comment on this config... Almost finalised on this one, but just wanted to hear other opinions also...

HP Pavilion DV series

Config: Core2duo 2.1 GHz
3 GB RAM
250 GB HDD
Vista Home Premium
Graphics Nvdia 256 MB - dedicated
Altec Lansing speakers
+ other basic additions like WiFi, DVD writer etc etc...

price - 45K

1545

sounds kool...


does it have built in cam and bluetooth...

whats the DV series no.

1546
Puys please do comment on this config... Almost finalised on this one, but just wanted to hear other opinions also...

HP Pavilion DV series

Config: Core2duo 2.1 GHz
3 GB RAM
250 GB HDD
Vista Home Premium
Graphics Nvdia 256 MB - dedicated
Altec Lansing speakers
+ other basic additions like WiFi, DVD writer etc etc...

price - 45K


hi this is sunil and i think u r spending too much becoz the configuration with which u r going is too much and it woun't be in use
like 3 gb ram and 250Gb hard disk,if u have extra money then u can go for it other wise it is goin to be blocking of money.
and i want to chat about MBA with u reply if u have time
send reply