Thread: Help me Choose a Good Laptop

I have been planning to buy a laptop for the last 1-2 months. It will still take some time as i am a bit short on funds at this moment. I already have researched a lot and read many comparisons and reviews but will still like to know your suggestions and the pros and cons of various models you recommend.

My requirements are:

Processor: Intel Core 2 duo (at least 2.00 Ghz) Processor - Not sure about the centrino technology.

Good Graphics card of 256 Mb (or more if possible)

2-3 gb Ram (preferably ddr3 but ddr2 will also do)

250-320 Gb Hdd

15.1 or 15.4 inch screen

Good Built in Speakers - They should be loud enough

Most of the modern day laptop features like Cam, Wi-fi, Bluetooth, Card-Reader etc should be present.

Preference: Laptops without bundled Windows Vista/Xp i.e Free Dos versions - I dont want to pay the extra price associated with the OS.

Fancy features like Face recognition & Finger-print reader can be avoided.

By the research and studies i have done so far, I am more inclined towards Dell and Lenovo. To be honest I havent really tried to look for any other brands and this is the main purpose of opening this thread. Plz suggest me any good laptop of any brand matching most of my specifications.

Budget: 40,000 - 45,000

Originally Posted by saurav_kataruka

I have been planning to buy a laptop for the last 1-2 months. It will still take some time as i am a bit short on funds at this moment. I already have researched a lot and read many comparisons and reviews but will still like to know your suggestions and the pros and cons of various models you recommend.

My requirements are:

Processor: Intel Core 2 duo (at least 2.00 Ghz) Processor - Not sure about the centrino technology.

Good Graphics card of 256 Mb (or more if possible)

2-3 gb Ram (preferably ddr3 but ddr2 will also do)

250-320 Gb Hdd

15.1 or 15.4 inch screen

Good Built in Speakers - They should be loud enough

Most of the modern day laptop features like Cam, Wi-fi, Bluetooth, Card-Reader etc should be present.

Preference: Laptops without bundled Windows Vista/Xp i.e Free Dos versions - I dont want to pay the extra price associated with the OS.

Fancy features like Face recognition & Finger-print reader can be avoided.

By the research and studies i have done so far, I am more inclined towards Dell and Lenovo. To be honesh I havent really tried to look for any other brands and this is the main purpose of opening this thread. Plz suggest me any good laptop of any brand matching most of my specifications.

Budget: 40,000 - 45,000

If you are willing to take AMD instead of Intel then ACER 4530 with an upgrade of a (2 GB RAM) + (one external 160GB mini HDD) would cost you around 32000/- (if possible--> a TV tuner from pinnacle(3200/- to 4500/-) + 250GB mini ext.HDD(4000/-) total=40000/- approx) ,but would give you excellent performance compared to any HP or DELL laptops(without these
accessories ) worth 40000/-.I tried very high on resource games like Crysis and NFS carbon etc,worked better than my desktop(with 2.5GB RAM and 7600GT 512MB DDR2 dedicated.).

I don't really believe in any brand name so I would not suggest one.But one advice,before going for any brand, check if you are getting as much as you are paying.

Primary configuration for ACER 4530-
Processor
AMD Better By Design program, featuring:
AMD Athlon™ X2 dual-core processor QL-60 (1 MB L2 cache, 1.90 GHz, DDR2 667 MHz), supporting AMD HyperTransport™ 3.0 technology
Acer InviLink™ Nplify™2, 3 802.11b/g/Draft-N Wi-Fi CERTIFIED® network connection, supporting Acer SignalUp™ wireless technology
Acer InviLink™ 802.11b/g Wi-Fi CERTIFIED® network connection, supporting Acer SignalUp wireless technology
Operating System
Genuine Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium(Service Pack 1)
(or) Linpus Linux
VGA
14.1" WXGA high-brightness (200-nit), Acer CrystalBrite™ TFT LCD, high-def 1280 x 800 pixel resolution, supporting simultaneous multi-window viewing via Acer GridVista™ 16 ms high-def response time
Memory
Dual-channel DDR2 SDRAM support
1 GB of DDR2 667 MHz memory, upgradeable to 4 GB using two soDIMM modules
Graphics
NVIDIA® GeForce® 9100M G integrated 3D graphics with up to 19197 MB of TurboCache supporting NVIDIA® PureVideo™ HD technology, OpenEXR High Dynamic-Range (HDR) technology, Shader Model 4.0, Microsoft® DirectX® 10
Dual independent display support
16.7 million colors
External resolution/refresh rate:
2048 x 1536: 75/60 Hz
1920 x 1440: 85/75/60 Hz
1920 x 1200: 75/60 Hz
1920 x 1080: 100/85/75/60 Hz
1680 x 945: 100/85/75/60 Hz
1600 x 1200: 120/100/85/75/60 Hz
1600 x 900: 120/100/85/75/60 Hz
1400 x 1050: 85/75/60 Hz
1366 x 768: 85/75/60 Hz
1280 x 1024: 120/100/85/75/60 Hz
1280 x 960: 85/75/60 Hz
1280 x 768: 85/75/60 Hz
1280 x 720: 100/85/75/60 Hz
1024 x 768: 120/100/85/75/60 Hz
800 x 600: 120/100/85/72/60 Hz
MPEG-2/DVD decoding
WMV9 (VC-1) and H.264 (AVC) decoding
Acer Arcade™ Deluxe featuring Acer CinemaVision™ and Acer ClearVision™ technologies8
Audio
Two built-in Acer 3DSonic stereo speakers
High-definition audio support
S/PDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface)9 support for digital speakers
MS-Sound compatible
Built-in microphone
Storage
160 GB hard disk drive10
5-in-1 card reader, supporting Secure Digital™ (SD), MultiMediaCard (MMC), Memory Stick® (MS), Memory Stick PRO™ (MS PRO), xD-Picture Card™ (xD)
Optical Disk Drive
8X DVD-Super Multi double-layer drive:
Read: 24X CD-ROM, 24X CD-R, 24X CD-RW, 8X DVD-ROM, 8X DVD-R, 8X DVD+R, 6X DVD-ROM DL (double-layer), 6X DVD-R DL (double-layer), 6X DVD+R DL (double-layer), 6X DVD-RW, 6X DVD+RW, 5X DVD-RAM
Write: 24X CD-R, 16X CD-RW, 8X DVD-R, 8X DVD+R, 4X DVD-R DL (double-layer), 4X DVD+R DL (double-layer), 6X DVD-RW, 8X DVD+RW, 5X DVD-RAM
Communication
Acer Video Conference, featuring:
Integrated Acer Crystal Eye webcam, supporting enhanced Acer PrimaLite™ technology
WLAN: Acer InviLink™ Nplify™2, 3 802.11b/g/Draft-N Wi-Fi CERTIFIED® network connection, supporting Acer SignalUp™ wireless technology
Acer InviLink™ 802.11b/g Wi-Fi CERTIFIED® network connection, supporting Acer SignalUp™ wireless technology
WPAN: Bluetooth® 2.0+EDR (Enhanced Data Rate)
LAN: Gigabit Ethernet, Wake-on-LAN ready
Modem: 56K ITU V.92 with PTT approval11, Wake-on-Ring ready
Dimensions and weight
339 (W) x 243 (D) x 29/39 (H) mm (13.35 x 9.57 x 1.14/1.54 inches)
2.40 kg (5.29 lbs.)
Power Supply
ACPI 3.0 CPU power management standard: supports Standby and Hibernation power-saving modes
48.8 W 4400 mAh 6-cell Li-ion battery pack
3.0-hour battery life12
3-pin 65 W AC adapter
Energy Star 4.0
I/O Ports
ExpressCard™/54 slot
5-in-1 card reader (SD™, MMC, MS, MS PRO, xD)
Three USB 2.0 ports
External display (VGA) port
Headphone/speaker/line-out jack with S/PDIF support
Microphone-in jack
Line-in jack
Ethernet (RJ-45) port
Modem (RJ-11) port
DC-in jack for AC adapter
Keyboard
88-/89/93-key keyboard with inverted "T" cursor layout, 2.5 mm (minimum) key travel
Touchpad pointing device
12 function keys, four cursor keys, two Windows® keys, hotkey controls, embedded numeric keypad, international language support, independent US dollar and Euro symbol keys
Empowering Key
Easy-launch buttons: Acer Arcade™ Deluxe WLAN, Internet, email, Bluetooth®
Media keys (printed on keyboard): play/pause, stop, previous, next
Volume wheel
Software
Acer Empowering Technology (Acer ePower, eDataSecurity1, eRecovery, eSettings Management)
Acer Arcade™ Deluxe1, featuring Cinema, Album, Music, Acer HomeMedia
Acer Crystal Eye1
Acer GridVista™
Acer Launch Manager
Acer GameZone
Acer Video Conference Manager1
Adobe® Reader®
CyberLink® PowerDirector® trial version
McAfee Internet Security Suite
NTI Media Maker™
Microsoft® Works 8.5 with Office Home and Student 2007 Trial Service Pack 11, 13
Security and service features
Acer Bio-Protection fingerprint solution, featuring Windows® logon, computer protection, Acer FingerLaunch, ProfileLaunch, MusicLaunch, Password Bank, MyLaunch, FingerNav
BIOS user, supervisor, HDD passwords
Kensington lock slot
Options and Items
Acer Xpress VoIP phone and Acer Video Conference Manager pack
1 GB/2 GB DDR2 667 MHz soDIMM module
6-cell Li-ion battery pack
3-pin 65 W AC adapter
Warranty
One-year International Travelers Warranty (ITW)

Hmmm ... thanks for the suggestion ... nice one ... the graphics card and speakers are the things i really liked about this model ... but most of my specifications are not met ... Frankly speaking ... i have used(owned) many PCs(at different points of time) and one laptop till date with different configurations ... Dunno why, but my experience with AMD has always been bitter. This time I wont go for AMD for sure. Also the processor you mentioned seems to be equivalent to Intel Dual core and not Core 2 duo. And moreover i really dont need a TV tuner card for laptop. I already have a 160GB external HDD .. so wont be needing another external HDD as well ... but some features of this model looks really promising specially the graphics card. will check it out for sure ...

Thanks

I am also looking out for one with your exact specifications except for the price. Did you try Dell's store with the customization ?

Originally Posted by vikramjb

I am also looking out for one with your exact specifications except for the price. Did you try Dell's store with the customization ?

Yes, i called Dell CC about 2 weeks ago and customized a Dell studio on the phone ... it costs about 47,000 ... the amount is ok but they dont provide drivers for any OS except Win Vista ... and the price for Win Vista is abviously included in the total price which i am not at all willing to pay. BTW - what is your budget?

Originally Posted by saurav_kataruka

Hmmm ... thanks for the suggestion ... nice one ... the graphics card and speakers are the things i really liked about this model ... but most of my specifications are not met ... Frankly speaking ... i have used(owned) many PCs(at different points of time) and one laptop till date with different configurations ... Dunno why, but my experience with AMD has always been bitter. This time I wont go for AMD for sure. Also the processor you mentioned seems to be equivalent to Intel Dual core and not Core 2 duo. And moreover i really dont need a TV tuner card for laptop. I already have a 160GB external HDD .. so wont be needing another external HDD as well ... but some features of this model looks really promising specially the graphics card. will check it out for sure ...

Thanks

I would also suggest HP dv5z and dv4z with customization optons but I am afraid I couldnot find any of them in the market.

Originally Posted by saurav_kataruka

Yes, i called Dell CC about 2 weeks ago and customized a Dell studio on the phone ... it costs about 47,000 ... the amount is ok but they dont provide drivers for any OS except Win Vista ... and the price for Win Vista is abviously included in the total price which i am not at all willing to pay. BTW - what is your budget?

I forgot to tell you......... ACER 4530 comes with Xp and Vista driver CD bundled.

My budget is somewhere around 35-40k. I do not want Vista loaded onto my machine. Quick question, if you do not want vista at all then which drivers are referring to ?. Are you referring to Win XP ?

Originally Posted by vikramjb

My budget is somewhere around 35-40k. I do not want Vista loaded onto my machine. Quick question, if you do not want vista at all then which drivers are referring to ?. Are you referring to Win XP ?

yes .. at this moment win xp .. and in future win 7 ... drivers for both xp and vista can be downloaded from dell's site for their inspiron series but for dell studio they dont provide any other drivers than vista. i have seen a few personal sites which have a collection of different drivers which they say will work with xp on dell studio - but it would be a bit risky to depend on them. the CC executive also said me the same thing on phone - "if you can arrange for xp drivers yourself its ok ... but we wont provide any support for any OS other than Vista ... this is the most annoying thing ... apart from this I simply love each and every thing about Dell Studio"

I was really keen on buying Dell Studio had it been a little cheaper - if they would have provided the option of free DOS version like most other brands that would have directly meant a price cut of 2-3000 .... which would have been perfect for me.

High config Dell inspirions fit perfectly in the budget but then there are no graphics card options in it. And Dell XPS is out of my budget ...

why not start a move to Ubuntu ?

If its support that you are worried about the you might have to stick with what they say, since Dell and M$ have a deal, they will not flexible.

Have you tried looking at Lenovo R series ? You can try calling them up and check out if they give support even if you do not want Vista.

btw was dell ready to reduce the price if you did not want vista ?

When you said no support, does it include hardware fault's also ?

Originally Posted by vikramjb

why not start a move to Ubuntu ?

If its support that you are worried about the you might have to stick with what they say, since Dell and M$ have a deal, they will not flexible.

Have you tried looking at Lenovo R series ? You can try calling them up and check out if they give support even if you do not want Vista.

btw was dell ready to reduce the price if you did not want vista ?

When you said no support, does it include hardware fault's also ?

I am willing to try Linux seriously now. But would also need a windows installed in parallel coz i am no expert in linux and getting used to it will take some time.

When it comes to Lenovo - I am more inclined towards the ideapad series. But the high-config ones cost a bit beyond my budget.

No, Dell was not ready for that. I asked about it specially many times to the CC executive. No other options than Bundled Vista with Dell Studio.

about your last query - i dont think so. we are free to use any OS but we will need to arrange for drivers ourselves expect for vista. this is what they said. this wont affect the hardware related supports i think.

I would suggest you go with the dos version itself and take the OS onus on you and parallely install Ubuntu 8.10. Since hardware support will always be there I do not think you would need any specific OS support maybe except for printers or network cards or digi cam's. The driver's for these are available in their respective manufacturer's site as well links might be available on most support forums.

Unless you have compelling reason to stay with windows and also a compelling reason to depend on their support, you might as well take the labtop and format load it with linux and windows xp.

One other thing, having vista might not be that bad, you can always load xp and ubuntu in one partition and have vista sitting there just in case it might become useful. There are talks about Vista user's getting discounts on Windows 7.

Other option might be try High Cofig series by Compaq. My brother in law has one of these and it runs smooth with 1.5 gb ram. He has loaded both Vista and Ubuntu. After much preaching, he has started to use Ubuntu now and is a slow convert as we need to figure out some driver issue we are having. You can also trying looking at Samsung, Toshiba, if i am not wrong they provide laptop's with dos only and allow the user to decide whether they want vista or not. Acer also gives you an option to pre-load your laptop with linux. If you are game, you can come out of dell and try any of these.

If you are still unsure, go with Dell & Vista man, no harm done, use it and format once you get fed up. You do not want vista because of software compatbilities ?

End of the day, see what makes you comfortable dude. If its support you are looking there are tons of forum out there including IBF

HP Pavillion dv5 series can best suitable for ur requirement u can change vista if u don't need it..

Originally Posted by angela

HP Pavillion dv5 series can best suitable for ur requirement u can change vista if u don't need it..

Yes, thats what I suggested "dv5z and dv4z" but do you have any knowledge of their availability.

Yah of couse ..
They r easily available in HP dealers Showrooms Worldwide ..
Because i hv purchased a laptop from this series last month itself..
& that's really nice..

Go for Compaq presario CQ40-145 TU Core2Duo(2Ghz) / 2GB RAM expandable upto 8GB/ DVDRW/ 14.1"WXGA TFT/Wi-Fi LAN/ Wired LAN/ Modem/ Digital Media reader/ Windows Vista Basic /Integrated Digital Webcamera
Price 39740/- ---Tax Paid

Originally Posted by aakashbhatnagar

Go for Compaq presario CQ40-145 TU Core2Duo(2Ghz) / 2GB RAM expandable upto 8GB/ DVDRW/ 14.1"WXGA TFT/Wi-Fi LAN/ Wired LAN/ Modem/ Digital Media reader/ Windows Vista Basic /Integrated Digital Webcamera
Price 39740/- ---Tax Paid

hmm... looks good. what about the graphics card in this model?

I will prefer you the Dell XPS series which is Dell XPS 1530 with 15.1" screen or 1330 with 13.1" screen both are just amazing and also i think fits in your budget

Both the models are just unbeatable!!

Originally Posted by player

I will prefer you the Dell XPS series which is Dell XPS 1530 with 15.1" screen or 1330 with 13.1" screen both are just amazing and also i think fits in your budget

Both the models are just unbeatable!!

no man ... dell xps is way beyond budget. check the dell website.

There is no additional graphic support for Compaq Presario CQ40-145TU.
If you are looking for Laptop with Graphic card Support try this :
Lenovo Y430 Notebooks
27813DQ
Core2Duo T5800 2.0 Ghz/ 2 GB DDR III (1066 Mhz)/ 320 GB Sata/ DVD RW (Tray in)/ 14.1 WXGA LED Display/ Wi-fi/Wired LAN10/100/Modem/6in1 Card Reader/6 Cell Battery/ Carry Case/Bluetooth/Camera 1.3 MP/Face Reader/Window Vista Home Premium/New Montevina Platform/ Intel GM45 Motherboard/ Nvidia Geforce GO 9300 GS 256 MB

Price 55160.00 Tax Paid

Originally Posted by player

I will prefer you the Dell XPS series which is Dell XPS 1530 with 15.1" screen or 1330 with 13.1" screen both are just amazing and also i think fits in your budget

Both the models are just unbeatable!!

But its giving some trouble after a few days of use.Not that good as per the price-tag.

I think Dell beats everything else. Extensive customisation allows you to get a high configuration notebook at a verygood price. Usually high end configuration notebooks that are pre-configured turn out to be very expensive comparitively

well i got Dell Inspiron 1420.......i searched markets for abt 1&half months, b4 getting it. Dell is the best & offers very good price. u can definately negotiate. also try if the local dealers are giving Dell with some different price. Also check for the special discount coupons of dell that are out on some of the sites around.(google it........in case u want excat website.....PM me.....i just don't wanna advertise another the forum here)

after i got my Lappy, i clean shaved it . formatted whole HDD & installed XP. its working like charm for me. I am also planning to make it Dual boot for Ubuntu & XP. I think inspirion will be good choice for u, considering ur budget. but u have to negotiate with the config u wanted little bit (like speakers & graphics card thing).

last point, if u wanna graphics card for playing high definition games, then Laptop certainly not meant for playing games

m myself using HP dv5 series ..
In the same configuration the only point that is not in ur favor is windows vista..
All other things are there in this laptop according to ur requirement..
I m not facing any problem in this ..

thanks a lot for the suggestion ... i have decided to wait for some more days ... arrange some more money and go for dell xps itself ...