Budget 31-40k Complete Non-Techie Needs Help Picking A Laptop

L

lovelyricha1

Novice
Hello,
I have completed college and am now going to start with my job in another city within next 2 months. So I want to buy a laptop and I went to croma, ezone, vijay sales and there were so many options and all the salesmen confused me. In croma, they wanted me to buy lenovo while at ezone they were pushing sony vaio. Please help me pick out a laptop good enough for my needs as I am confused.

What's your Budget? Maximum Rs. 40000

What will be your primary usage for the notebook be? (e.g. web surfing/office apps/Casual Gaming) [BI will use Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook on a daily basis. I will watch a lot of videos and do a lot of google search as part of my job as I have to gather data and make reports. I will work on it for atleast 8 hours a day constantly emailing and sometimes, chatting. On my off days, I also plan to watch movies on DVD/ vidreel.com and listen to songs and download mp3. I will chat with my family via skype and use webcam for same. I don't play games other than occasional angry birds, bedazzled, road rash, solitaire. I will also read ebooks. So I think all this is covered in really basic tasks? That is why I am confused because I see no sense in going for high end core i7 stuff![][/B]

What size and weight considerations do you have? - 15-16" (because i will be watching videos and movies)

Any brand that you prefer, or any brand that you detest? -No preferences personally but 10 of my friends have recommended Dell, 4 Acer, 2 Toshiba, 2 Asus. I personally have never used a laptop so I don't know. I have heard 2 very bad experiences with Lenovo and Compaq so I am a bit wary of them. Again, no personal experience.

Any other considerations? (e.g Battery life; Widescreen/non-widescreen; Glossy/Matte screen etc.)

While I am a complete non-techie and have no idea about what is meant by graphics card, dedicated versus integrated graphics-I did have a desktop which helped me all through my college and I used it for 6 years and in the end the motherboard gave up & hard drive crashed, but its ok because it ran nicely for 6 years!. I am looking for similar long lasting good stuff.
So I want a laptop which will be stable and sturdy (because I will travel with it), should not have heating issues (because i will run it for 8-9 hours everyday), should have good support (ASS!), pretty good visual and audio (Music, Movies and Videos are a HUGE part of my life and job) and should not give up on me within 1-2 years! I am NOT into great looks. I want good, reliable stuff. And I don't want to unnecessarily pay for something that I am not gonna use. I mean, why pay for some high-end gaming rig when I am NEVER ever gonna play call of duty or whatever the latest high end game is? I would rather have longer battery life!
 
I don't mean to be rude by asking you this, but are you a girl ? :)

Actually I ask as the reply would depend on whether or not you're a girl.

If you are a girl then I'd suggest you get a Sony Vaio. If you're a guy, then we can suggest you other alternatives. :p
 
And if you are a girl...then god help TE as i forecast this thread to go on and on. Always a case when a girl asks for help on this forum.
 
lol let the epic thread begin :bleh:
well for what it's worth, your friends are right. I'd suggest you go with dell. Buy the cheapest dell you can get from their site itself (get someone to help you out buying if you're not too familiar with how) get complete cover for as long as you can afford Depending on if you're studying or working, you should get discounts too. - if anything goes wrong - they will come to your house and fix it - for free. No one else does that. You really dont want to be roaming around in a city you don't know looking for a service center, and then wait n weeks for a replacement if something goes wrong
 
Your requirements are very much similar to my sister's and I think I'm going to get the Lenovo Thinkpad Edge E430 for her mainly due to durability, build quality and the keyboard.
You could look at the Edge E530 model for a 15.6" screen.
Thinkpads usually don't require ASS but even when they do it's still good in India.
 
i will second kestrel here.

for my sis,having same requirements as yours,first time user of laptop and moving to other city.
I picked up vaio for 30750.

SONY VAIO SVE14112ENB, BLACK / CORE i3 SG / 2 GB / 320 GB / WIN 7 HB | eBay


it has core i3 second gen with 2gb RAM and 320 gb Hard disk along with 14 inch screen.
its light weight and fits perfectly in her bag.

I took extended warranty for 2000.

it has all usual stuff like webcam bluetooth and nice screen.
she loves the laptop and I would recommend same to you also.

---------- Post added at 11:33 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:30 AM ----------

regarding lenovo ,
My cousin do have thinkpad edge bought last yr at back to school sale in USA .
its top line core i5 model but its bulky and not as slick as vaio .and their service in India is not good by any measure.
indian service standards are still not good.
so I would refrain from lenovo also.
 
I bought a lenovo G5550 for my sister, and its sound croaked within 6 months. the service center sat on their request for 6 months claiming there were no parts, and when the warranty ran out, the parts magically surfaced, and they lost her original claim, and offered to fix it for some 8k.
I fell asleep on my Inspiron in a train last year, got the screen replaced for free. I'm a fan!
 
Well , first of all you will have to make up your mind with the brand name i.e. which brand you want to buy. Let me tell you in this way..

DELL, SONY, Toshiba, Samsung and Lenovo all these brands are good and will work for you easily upto 4-5 years and you knlwo after 4-5 years technology upgrades and one need to buy the new product.

You make up your mind which brand you want to buy then go for a i-5 CPU model of that particular brand and it will come below 40000 rupess easily. and then after deciding the brand name you can know the latest and updated price of all these models laptops from Laptop Price List in Nehruplace- Latest Dell, LENEVO, Samsung, Sony Laptop Price List in Nehru Place Market today and then you can comare the price and decide better.

Please do not get confused in this thing that DELL is much better or Sony is less or whatever... because these days these top 4-5 companies are having good and equally matched quality and after sales service.

Thanks...... Happy buying...
 
Yes I am a girl :p But I don't like showy/ flashy/ pretty/ girly/ pinky/ overpriced for no reason things :p I am a non-techie in the sense I don't know how to fix things myself, how to pull the screws apart and upgrade a RAM on my own-but I can partition my hard disk on my own so I am not a useless bum girl :p :p :p
 
Thank you everyone for replying.. I checked out the lenovo model, it looks good, so does the sony vaio model..For now I am inclining more towards Lenovo. I have asked some of my friends and have zeroed down on Lenovo, Dell, Toshiba and Asus. So a big part of confusion is over. If anybody would like to suggest any more models in these brands, it would be helpful :) Thanks a lot once more :)
 
lovelyricha1 said:
Thank you everyone for replying.. I checked out the lenovo model, it looks good, so does the sony vaio model..For now I am inclining more towards Lenovo. I have asked some of my friends and have zeroed down on Lenovo, Dell, Toshiba and Asus. So a big part of confusion is over. If anybody would like to suggest any more models in these brands, it would be helpful :) Thanks a lot once more :)
Click to expand...
Just in case you have not yet purchased your laptop. I'd suggest you also verify that the hardware is Linux friendly. Then I would suggest installing Ubuntu, currently 12.04 LTS (Long Term Support), you will save yourself additional money over the long term, as will not need any of the additional software, Anti Virus/antimalware etc that you will, need for windows, and... all of the software you need will already be installed, when you install the Ubuntu OS. In addition it will automatically update itself to the latest LTS version of Ubuntu in 5 years time, or if you wish, you can set it to update automatically to Ubuntu 12.10 then 13.04, 13.10 etc for as long as you choose to run with that laptop. All of this at no extra cost, as Ubuntu is Free (as in Freedom) Software, and 99% of the software running on it will also be Free (as in Freedom) and Free (as in Cost). The perfect Budget set up.
 
lovelyricha1 said:
Yes I am a girl :p But I don't like showy/ flashy/ pretty/ girly/ pinky/ overpriced for no reason things :p I am a non-techie in the sense I don't know how to fix things myself, how to pull the screws apart and upgrade a RAM on my own-but I can partition my hard disk on my own so I am not a useless bum girl :p :p :p
Click to expand...
Dont like flashy things, partition your hard disk yourself :hail:
One question. where are you from and where can i find more girls like you! :lol:

tracyanne said:
Just in case you have not yet purchased your laptop. I'd suggest you also verify that the hardware is Linux friendly. Then I would suggest installing Ubuntu, currently 12.04 LTS (Long Term Support).
Click to expand...
Good thought but i would vote for Linux Mint (based on ubuntu). I have seen it become a resource hog and unstable distro over the past year and a half. Also Mint probably more girl friendly :p
 
tracyanne said:
Just in case you have not yet purchased your laptop. I'd suggest you also verify that the hardware is Linux friendly. Then I would suggest installing Ubuntu, currently 12.04 LTS (Long Term Support), you will save yourself additional money over the long term, as will not need any of the additional software, Anti Virus/antimalware etc that you will, need for windows, and... all of the software you need will already be installed, when you install the Ubuntu OS. In addition it will automatically update itself to the latest LTS version of Ubuntu in 5 years time, or if you wish, you can set it to update automatically to Ubuntu 12.10 then 13.04, 13.10 etc for as long as you choose to run with that laptop. All of this at no extra cost, as Ubuntu is Free (as in Freedom) Software, and 99% of the software running on it will also be Free (as in Freedom) and Free (as in Cost). The perfect Budget set up.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestion! I haven't bought my laptop yet but have checked out Ubuntu and it does look good :) Another friend of mine also suggested Linux, and he is a software engineer, so I am quite sold on it already :D

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guptavis said:
Dont like flashy things, partition your hard disk yourself :hail:
One question. where are you from and where can i find more girls like you! :lol:


Good thought but i would vote for Linux Mint (based on ubuntu). I have seen it become a resource hog and unstable distro over the past year and a half. Also Mint probably more girl friendly :p
Click to expand...

Ha ha :D I come from a place famous for a certain politician eating up cows' fodder :D Growing up, girls there weren't quite allowed to be as tech-savvy as guys were..by the time I came to college, out of that god-forsaken place, all the guys were already tech wizards...so I learnt whatever I could on my own..software wise I am ok..its the hardware that gets my goatee :D I think you may find more such girls in the above-mentioned area..and now its quite safe to go there too since the fodder-eater is out of the picture :D :p
 
hookey...am up for a GO of train/plane/whitewater's tickets to "that" place...where miss richa comes from...although for me its a few hours ride :bleh:
NOW on topic...
check out this model from anywhere...
HP 2005AX...should be around 33-34K..and works good.....am using it...till now survived two kid brothers...a cricket match with lappy as bat....one or two smacks...:p
and performance wise....i just wish HP gave customized bios with MOAR Options..cant really OC d thing:annoyed: but takes anything i can throw at it..literally...
 
lovelyricha1 said:
Ha ha :D I come from a place famous for a certain politician eating up cows' fodder :D Growing up, girls there weren't quite allowed to be as tech-savvy as guys were..by the time I came to college, out of that god-forsaken place, all the guys were already tech wizards...so I learnt whatever I could on my own..software wise I am ok..its the hardware that gets my goatee :D I think you may find more such girls in the above-mentioned area..and now its quite safe to go there too since the fodder-eater is out of the picture :D :p
Click to expand...

Dont you worry, you're probably better than about 98% of girls outside of that fodder-eater's place.
For such a possibility i would bravely venture to the fodder-eater's place or even the elephant lady's place.

sumonpathak said:
hookey...am up for a GO of train/plane/whitewater's tickets to "that" place...where miss richa comes from...although for me its a few hours ride :bleh:

HP 2005AX...should be around 33-34K..and works good.....am using it...till now survived two kid brothers...a cricket match with lappy as bat....one or two smacks...:p
Click to expand...

sign me in for the GO, how many do we need for the deal to go through? :p
The only bother about HP G6-2005ax , is HP! Are there any heating issues? How long have you been using it?
Cm'mon Asus give us some trinity love.
 
sumonpathak said:
hookey...am up for a GO of train/plane/whitewater's tickets to "that" place...where miss richa comes from...although for me its a few hours ride :bleh:
NOW on topic...
check out this model from anywhere...
HP 2005AX...should be around 33-34K..and works good.....am using it...till now survived two kid brothers...a cricket match with lappy as bat....one or two smacks...:p
and performance wise....i just wish HP gave customized bios with MOAR Options..cant really OC d thing:annoyed: but takes anything i can throw at it..literally...
Click to expand...

I did look at it..its awesome, really liked the keypad and audio quality..if only you can confirm it does not have any heating issues? Everyone keeps talking about HP heating..otherwise its perfect..

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guptavis said:
Dont you worry, you're probably better than about 98% of girls outside of that fodder-eater's place.
For such a possibility i would bravely venture to the fodder-eater's place or even the elephant lady's place.



sign me in for the GO, how many do we need for the deal to go through? :p
The only bother about HP G6-2005ax , is HP! Are there any heating issues? How long have you been using it?
Cm'mon Asus give us some trinity love.
Click to expand...

You both are most welcome to the famous fodder place :p In fact, it has been a few years since I myself went back so we can probably make a vacation out of it :p apart from, ofcourse, doing the most crucial task of finding more richas :p :p :p
 
Go with this Dell New Inspiron 15R 3rd Gen Ci5/ 4GB/ 500GB/ Linux Laptop: Flipkart.com: Compare, Review Dell Notebook
you can add extra RAM later on as it is dirt cheap. It won't void warranty.
Why Dell inspiron?
1. One of the best after sales service.
2. Laptop is more than powerful for your needs.
3. I have used various models from dell and in my experience their cooling system is damn good.
I refrain from getting that HP 2005 as it will run really hot as compared to this intel counterpart. That laptop is recommended for people who want a basic gaming machine in low budget. If you want peace of mind, go with Dell
You will have to install windows 7 as this one comes with linux.
 
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