Laptops Laptop questions?

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Maestro

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•What's my Budget? : 40-65k
•What will be my primary usage for the notebook : Internet/Office Apps/Casual Gaming/Music/Movies)
•What size and weight considerations do you have : Something with a 14/15" screen. As high a res as possible in this size range. Should be reasonably portable
•Any brand that you prefer, or any brand that you detest? Well, I'd rather avoid Zeniths and Compaq's. Leaning towards Dell or Apple (if feasible).
•Any other considerations? :Good battery life, Widescreen, Matte screen, discrete graphics, HDMI port a must

A couple of questions:

Is it worth getting a Blu-Ray drive on a laptop? I might in the future connect it to an external monitor eg:E2200 to watch a HD movie or two. Do the drives come with limited regional changes like regular DVD writers?

What's the major differences between LCD's and WLED's? Why should I choose one over the other? All I have so far is that the latter is more efficient and lasts much longer. Does it cost more to repair should any be required, that sort of thing?

Which companies offer international warranty, and more importantly, do they honour it in full (or at all)? Might get one sent in from Singapore and Dubai, in such a case, where a better config might very well be cheaper? Dell, Apple etc.

On a Dell lappy, is there any major difference between the onboard audio and the Creative solution they offer? I notice is says software solution, hence the question.

Thanks,
Maestro
 
*First of all i would like you to suggest dell if warranty is more important to you.

afaik, 3 yr nbd warranty automatically entitles u to avail international warranty.

got no idea of apple laptops.

*For portability point of view go for 14" rather than 15". Trust me makes a lot of difference.

*Regarding the lcd vs led display, i think led-backlighting can generally produce more even and brighter lighting, and secondly helps improve battery life.

*Regarding sound, dell laptops have terrible sounding on-board speakers, so if u dont plan to use external speakers u can save money u were think to spend on creative solution.
 
creative audigy softwware helps to increase the sound like in an equalizer.

i have a dell inspiron 1525 and without that software the sound is shit.

i was not even able to watch an movie properly.

but this software really helps.

increases sound without distortion.

then there is no need for ext speakers.

otherwise u will need one

wled is good and u can get that in ur budget.

for ur budget the dell studio 15 shud be fine

or dell studio 14 if u want a 14 incher

i wont advise u to buy a blue ray drive or writer as of know unless or until u desperately need dat!.

its too costly as of now
 
1. Your laptop's gonna be outdated before you actually get around to using Blu-ray discs on a regular basis.

2. LED>>>>CCFL (ordinary LCDs). The backlighting is stronger and a lot more even. Power consumption of the display panel goes down as well, thereby increasing battery life.

3. Apple does offer a 1 year international warranty, so does Lenovo which can be extended to 3 years or more. Dell and others, I'm not too sure.

4. Haven't got much idea about Dells but I doubt if it produces a significant difference though since most software solutions are just DSP filters tuned for make-believe better "synthetic" sound rather than a true increase in quality. Use a good pair of headphones and you could easily figure that out.
 
A Dell Studio 15 with P8600 proccy / 4GB RAM / 320 GB HDD / Radeon 4570 Gfx will cost you ~ 50k

A fujitsu Lifebook A6220 with P8600/2 GB DDR3 / Ati 3470 WITH BluRay should be ~ 68k

You can checkout some of the Asus Models too
 
jampack said:
*For portability point of view go for 14" rather than 15". Trust me makes a lot of difference.

*Regarding the lcd vs led display, i think led-backlighting can generally produce more even and brighter lighting, and secondly helps improve battery life.
Click to expand...

Well, I went back and checked out the Dell Studio 14 and 15, and the 14 just doesn't seem worth it. It costs about the same as a higher specced 15.

How much difference does it actually make? Will try and see for myself at a store or something.

Basically, this laptop will be for college use, the reason I'm going for an upper mid-range(??) is cos I'm not sure if I'm going to take my pc along with me (haven't sorted out accomodation yet)

gforce said:
Apple does offer a 1 year international warranty, so does Lenovo which can be extended to 3 years or more. Dell and others, I'm not too sure.
Click to expand...

Apple does, just looking into how much it covers. Specifically wanted to know about this because my dad wants to send me one from Dubai, (where they're probably cheaper) while I wanted to pick one up from here, solely for warranty concerns.

The blu-ray is out, just curious as to whether it was worth it.

Thanks for the info bout the displays.

manu1991 said:
A Dell Studio 15 with P8600 proccy / 4GB RAM / 320 GB HDD / Radeon 4570 Gfx will cost you ~ 50k

A fujitsu Lifebook A6220 with P8600/2 GB DDR3 / Ati 3470 WITH BluRay should be ~ 68k

You can checkout some of the Asus Models too
Click to expand...
Closer to 60k actually.

Will be calling the retailers to find out the exact cost of a specific configuration. Thanks for pointing it out, hadn't even considered Fujitsu. Though from its picture gallery, it seems a bit thick and heavy.

Few more questions

1. For those who have them, does the P8600 make a big difference vs the T6400. I've found out that it's Centrino2, has a lower TDP, is faster and has more cache, more efficient. How does this translate into real-world performance? It's a 5k upgrade, is it really worth it?

2. Should I go in for a 6-cell or 9-cell battery? What's the difference in usage?

3. Does a backlit keyboard help?

4. 256 or 512 mb Radeon 4570? Don't think I'll be doing too much gaming (if at all)? I suppose it does have Hypermem or whatever?

5. Intel WiFi 5100 vs 5300? Which one to select?

6. Also considering adding a 3yr complete cover plan. Will up the total cost by approx 10k. Is it worth it? As I see it, in 3 years this laptop will be pretty much obsolete and parts should be cheaper to come by than they are today, so would a 1 yr warranty suffice instead?

Thanks,
Maestro
 
Well, for starters, you'll lose a lot in resale value by getting the Arabic+English keyboard that's standard spec on all laptops sold in the middle east.

Second, the Mac in Dubai is more expensive than a comparable unit from the U.S.. I know this myself since I had shopped around for Macs back when I lived in the middle east. EmiratesMac forums has a lot of info on current prices out there. There's a reason why most Mac owners in the ME get their notebooks via Aramex from the U.S. rather than buy one from Jashanmal or Jumbo.

Maestro said:
Few more questions

1. For those who have them, does the P8600 make a big difference vs the T6400. I've found out that it's Centrino2, has a lower TDP, is faster and has more cache, more efficient. How does this translate into real-world performance? It's a 5k upgrade, is it really worth it?

2. Should I go in for a 6-cell or 9-cell battery? What's the difference in usage?

3. Does a backlit keyboard help?

4. 256 or 512 mb Radeon 4570? Don't think I'll be doing too much gaming (if at all)? I suppose it does have Hypermem or whatever?

5. Intel WiFi 5100 vs 5300? Which one to select?

6. Also considering adding a 3yr complete cover plan. Will up the total cost by approx 10k. Is it worth it? As I see it, in 3 years this laptop will be pretty much obsolete and parts should be cheaper to come by than they are today, so would a 1 yr warranty suffice instead?

Thanks,

Maestro
Click to expand...

1. The P8600 runs very cool compared to my T9400. Sorry, I have no idea about the T6400.

2. 6 cell for portability and weight; 9 cell for long battery life. It's your call really since nobody can predict your usage pattern. If you're always on the move like me, get 2 6-cell batteries rather than 1 9-cell for the optimal balance of battery life vs mobility.

3. Perhaps; perhaps not. Never really used any backlight unless I'm working through the night on an airplane.

4. For general usage, both should work fine. Pick whatever is cheaper.

5. I was going to get the 5100 in my T400 but went with the 5300 simply because of the # of antennas. The latter supports upto 3 antennas which helps in latching onto weaker signals and better speeds at close range.

6. In all my years of owning laptops, I've noticed that some component usually starts crapping out after one or two years of usage. Sometimes its the optical drive, sometimes the keyboard (if you type a lot). I've even had a motherboard die on me, (no) thanks to some ESD from a bloody iPod and all these things are quite expensive, especially due to the proprietary design or connectors. It helps to have some peace of mind for 3 years. However, if your laptop is only going to be used occasionally, I wouldn't recommend getting it.
 
gforce said:
Well, for starters, you'll lose a lot in resale value by getting the Arabic+English keyboard that's standard spec on all laptops sold in the middle east.

Second, the Mac in Dubai is more expensive than a comparable unit from the U.S.. I know this myself since I had shopped around for Macs back when I lived in the middle east. EmiratesMac forums has a lot of info on current prices out there. There's a reason why most Mac owners in the ME get their notebooks via Aramex from the U.S. rather than buy one from Jashanmal or Jumbo.

2. 6 cell for portability and weight; 9 cell for long battery life. It's your call really since nobody can predict your usage pattern. If you're always on the move like me, get 2 6-cell batteries rather than 1 9-cell for the optimal balance of battery life vs mobility.

6. In all my years of owning laptops, I've noticed that some component usually starts crapping out after one or two years of usage. Sometimes its the optical drive, sometimes the keyboard (if you type a lot). I've even had a motherboard die on me, (no) thanks to some ESD from a bloody iPod and all these things are quite expensive, especially due to the proprietary design or connectors. It helps to have some peace of mind for 3 years. However, if your laptop is only going to be used occasionally, I wouldn't recommend getting it.
Click to expand...
Are standard English keypads not an option over there?

Huh. Didn't know that. The reason I'm considering a Mac is because of warranty. Their prices make me balk when compared to other companies offerings.
This is a concern. Your idea is a good one.

It might be my only system, depending on circumstances, so it'll probably be used a lot.

Had a look at a few from Lenovo. The IdeaPad Y650 seems nice, good size, though the keyboard looks too small and the 16" LCD is larger than I need. Not sure if it's been released here though. THe same lapop with a smaller 14/15 inch screen would be perfect, I think.
 
arre bhai get the dell studio 15 with p8600 only

its very good.

and u wont regret!!

see nothing is perfect.

u have to compromise on a few certain things and finally get the best suited fro u.
 
Maestro said:
Are standard English keypads not an option over there?

Huh. Didn't know that. The reason I'm considering a Mac is because of warranty. Their prices make me balk when compared to other companies offerings.
This is a concern. Your idea is a good one.

It might be my only system, depending on circumstances, so it'll probably be used a lot.

Had a look at a few from Lenovo. The IdeaPad Y650 seems nice, good size, though the keyboard looks too small and the 16" LCD is larger than I need. Not sure if it's been released here though. THe same lapop with a smaller 14/15 inch screen would be perfect, I think.
Click to expand...

They are, but your dad might have to look around though.

Well, it's not too bad actually. The aluminum Macs are a lot more sturdier than say, a Dell Studio and if it weren't for the glossy screen, I would've picked one up myself.

If he's going to stick around in the UAE for a while, tell him to buy from the Apple US store and have it shipped to him via Aramex. Their rates are pretty reasonable and you get exactly what you want with an English-only keyboard plus the 1 year international warranty.

I don't know how much you value sturdiness and reliability but if you do, I suggest that you take a look at Thinkpads as well. The T400 and T500 offer pretty much whatever you want and are pretty reasonably priced if you order from their US store. They are cheaper and as sturdy, if not sturdier than a MacBook and the LED screen on the T400 (14") offers the same resolution as a 15" MB Pro. With the 15" Thinkpads, you can go to as high as 1920x1200 which is probably not even an option in the MacBook line. I bought my T400 w/3 year next business day warranty for a shade over $1100 and with the added RAM and beefier hard drive, it came to just about $1200. The config is in my sig.
 
Guys, I wanted to thank you for helping me out with my queries. Special mention goes out to you, geforce, muchos gracias.

I'd like to say that you helped me make my decision, but unfotunately, the choice was taken from me in the end. My dad, after going incommunicado for over a week, decided to buy one himself and send it to me, and told me 5 minutes before he bought it.

It's an HP Pavilion DV6-1045EE, apart from the bigger than needed screen and the underpowered video card, the specs seem good.
HP Pavilion dv6-1000 Entertainment Notebook PC series specifications - HP Home and Home Office products

Haven't got it yet, so can't say how it is. Practically a nonexistent presence on the interweb, so a bit worried too, seems to be a Middle-East model only.

Looks like everything's glossy though (what's wrong with companies today), and I think's the weight's going to negate any sense of portability, but that's yet to be seen. Also, is the resolution okay for such a large screen? IDK, but 1366x768 seems a bit low.

Anyways, what's done is done. Can't blame my dad either, he's not a computer person, and apparently he got a good deal on it: AED 4000. Converts to around 54k with 1yr intl warranty.

Will update further when I get my hands on it next week..

Once again, thanks guys

Cheers,
Maestro
 
No hay problema bro. Err.. who's geforce?? FWIW, I highly prefer ATi over any nvidia "geforce" card. My nick is derived from my old racing days at the SCCA where cornering "g-forces" were common talk.

Not trying to berate your dad over here but I'm not really sure if that was a wise decision. Have you taken a look at the keyboard? It's absolutely humongous and has a separate numeric keypad. That coupled with the fact that the touch-pad is off-center means that general typing and navigation might be a bit of a pain in the arse.

1366x768 isn't that bad, really. It's going to look like a standard 15" 4:3 display that's stretched a bit. It shouldn't be a deal breaker unless you're the kind of person who loves to load all kinds of widgets and gadgets on your desktop. Just don't expect to carry that monster around in your backpack though.

Have you checked what graphics card is in there? I googled around for info and it seems there are two options - an Intel X4500 and a slightly more powerful GeForce 9200M.
 
gforce said:
No hay problema bro. Err.. who's geforce?? FWIW, I highly prefer ATi over any nvidia "geforce" card. My nick is derived from my old racing days at the SCCA where cornering "g-forces" were common talk.

Not trying to berate your dad over here but I'm not really sure if that was a wise decision. Have you taken a look at the keyboard? It's absolutely humongous and has a separate numeric keypad. That coupled with the fact that the touch-pad is off-center means that general typing and navigation might be a bit of a pain in the arse.

1366x768 isn't that bad, really. It's going to look like a standard 15" 4:3 display that's stretched a bit. It shouldn't be a deal breaker unless you're the kind of person who loves to load all kinds of widgets and gadgets on your desktop. Just don't expect to carry that monster around in your backpack though.

Have you checked what graphics card is in there? I googled around for info and it seems there are two options - an Intel X4500 and a slightly more powerful GeForce 9200M.
Click to expand...
First off, so sorry I got your name wrong bro. My bad!! :blushing:

No worries, you're not the only one. (Still kinda ticked off that he didn't give me more time).Think his reasoning was the biggest and best at the most reasonable price. The size worries me, as does the fact that there are hardly any reviews on it. Didn't notice the separate numeric keypad, and saw the off-center touchpad later on. Might have to get used to left-hand navigation.

Bad news in. It arrived at my folks place back in Goa today, and according to them, it's freakin' heavy. Portability is important, as college starts in 2 months. Do they even make backpacks to fit 16" laptops??

It's has the Nvidia 9200m chip, so atleast it's not the Intel one. Could have been better though. Hardly use widgets, so that isn't a problem. The LCD is 16:9, don't think that's the same as 4:3, IIRC. Don't think it's LED backlit either.

I'm thinking that I'll use it for a month and see how it works out. If not, I'll try and sell it off, and get one more suitable to my needs. Or I'll hand it over to my sis, and take hers when she gets it. Hehe, means I'll have to push to get that one right.
Cheers,
Maestro
 
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