Team-BHP - The Laptop Thread: Configs, deals & questions

Quote:

Originally Posted by deky (Post 2348321)

Thanks for the quick reply Tanveer. If there is a difference of only 2-3k for laptops having same configuration I think I will definitely want to go in for a new one, because of warranty. A few more questions

I somehow dont like netbook as the screen is very small, hence it gets a bit cumbersome scrolling up and down. Plus it also doesnt have a cd-drive. My mom uses one and somehow I dont enjoy it hence looking for a notebook.

Also tell me, is Toshiba a good brand? I was more inclined on this as I thought Dell was better, Am I right here?

Thanks and regards

Toshiba is a good brand.
Their laptops range from 20K with Pentium dual core processors, The core i3 one starts at 27K
Toshiba Satellite C Series C660-I5012 Laptop Price India: Buy Toshiba Satellite C Series Notebook India: Flipkart.com

If you are in 20K budget

Toshiba Satellite C Series C660-P5012 Laptop Price India: Buy Toshiba Satellite C Series Notebook India: Flipkart.com

This has 2GB RAM - dual core intel processor (2.13GHz) and 320GB of HDD.

I myself use a Qosmio X505-Q892 for past 6 months(high end gaming laptop). MY dad uses an AMD powered model with 512 dedicated ATI card (not available at most places as it was lapped up quickly when Toshiba ran a special 25K price!).

^^^

Tanveer, the major difference I found in both was the processor, I think dual core should suffice my needs.

Also tell me what does "1MB L2 Cache" and "3 MB Intel Smart Cache" mean?? As per my understanding 3MB cache should be better in the cheaper option??

For graphic cards the expensive one says

Quote:

Graphics
graphic Memory 512MB DDR3
Graphic Processor ATI Park XT-S3

and the cheaper one says

Quote:

Graphics
Graphic Processor Intel HD Graphics

Do I assume they both have a graphic card? But of different quality??

Also both dont have any operating systems, how difficult is it to get one installed? Do pirated versions os say Windows XP work well on these laptops?

Thanks again

regards

Quote:

Originally Posted by deky (Post 2348405)

^^^

Tanveer, the major difference I found in both was the processor, I think dual core should suffice my needs.

The Intel HD means inbuild graphics. So your RAM is used for video memory.
512 MB dedicated card means the laptop has a dedicated Graphics accelerator card. This will enable you to play some games(not the latest ones), watch HD videos on your large flatscreen TV(full HD videos) without any stutter.
Even without an HD card, you can watch videos, but then your CPU utilization will be high. If you are running something in background, video may stutter etc.,

So in the end its your call. If you want more of a multimedia featured laptop, the 27K is great. For just some browsing and photo upload, the 20K is good enough.

Regarding processors, the Core i3 performance beats the Dual core performance. You will feel this when running CPU intensive applications. Eg. Photo processing etc.,

If you have a 25K budget, I would suggest stretch it and go for the 27K one.
After discount coupons and all, you may be able to find it for 25K. Some retailers in Delhi may have it for 25K.

Quote:

Originally Posted by libranof1987 (Post 2352128)

I've a Inspiron 1525.

Of late, there are these persistent small dots on the screen. I tried cleaning them with normal water+tissues and then even a cleaning solution but they are still there.

Anyone with a solution?

By dots do you mean dust? I think a standard LCD cleaner should do the trick. I have small blue dots on the screen but that is the problem of the screen

Got an INSPIRON 15R for home use a few days back from Vijay Sales for Rs 34k (including the bag). Following are the specifications:

Colour: LCD Back Cover - Obsidian Black
OS: Genuine Windows® 7 Home Basic SP1 64bit (English)
Memory: 3GB (1 X 1GB + 1 X 2GB) 2 DIMM DDR3 1333Mhz
Hard drive: 320GB@5200 RPM
Chipset: Mobile Intel® 5 Series Express Chipset (HM57)
Video Card: Intel® HD Graphics
Display: 15.6" (39.6cm) Widescreen HD WLED Glossy Display with TrueLife™ (1366x768)
Audio: SRS Premium Sound™ - 2 speakers @ 2W each
Battery: 6 cell 48 WHr Li-Ion Battery
Wireless: Standard Dell Wireless 1501 802.11 b/g/n Half Mini Card & Dell™ Wireless 365 Bluetooth® Internal (2.1+EDR) Mini-Card

I had posted a thread about my initial review but somehow it is not showing.

Got an Acer Aspire TimeLine series laptop for my wife for 36K (Including 7 free gifts + iomega 320GB Ext Hard drive for RS 750+ Tata photon plus USB Modem for RS750). I was given an option of picking either acer 320GB Ext Hard drive or iomega 320GB. I picked the later. My wife has named this new tech toy as Krishna.

Intel ® CoreTM i5-460M processor. 2.53GHz, 3MB L3 Cache
Intel® HD Graphics
14.0'' HD LED LCD
3 GB DDR3 Memory
500GB HDD
DVD super multi DL drive
Acer NplifyTM 802.11b/g/n
6 cell Li-ion battery.

Myself and my father are using two recently bought Toshiba low cost laptops. Mine is running genuine windows 7 home basic 64 bit on a pentium dual core 4400 model with 4 GB of ram (with wi-fi and without bluetooth). The major drawback of both models is the presence of just two usb ports. My father's laptop is more recent (Rs. 20K one) and has wi-fi as well as bluetooth but while mine had the usb ports separated by the LAN port, Toshiba decided to make life more difficult in my father's laptop by placing them side by side with little gap, making it almost impossible to plug in two usb devices simultaneously.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tsk1979 (Post 2348360)

Hey guys I have a Dell Inspiron 1440. Its been running fine since last july when I bought it. Lately I have noticed that its overheating quite a lot. The fan seems to be running. Any idea what can be the issue? Whats an acceptable core temp in the Indian setting? I installed a software called as coretemp and it gave me a reading of 55-60 deg Celsius on both the cores. Please help.

Guys,

Looking forward for your comments & suggestions.
I have a 1.5 years old Compaq Presario CQ40-613AX. Being AMD it heats instantly & the battery lasts for 1 hour max.
Planning to give this laptop to my dad (Accountant by profession & now the profession is limited for our own business. Presently he uses PC at home & at Office) and get a basic laptop for myself.

My requirements:
14 or 15"
Should be a INTEL processor
3 GB RAM (negotiable)
500GB HDD Minimum (Not mandatory as I have 2 external HDD)
Battery life should be close to 2 hours (at least for next 2 years)
Budget - 30k max

Came across HP G62 laptop. The price & configuration are ok for me.

Is it a good replacement for my present laptop? or should I consider something else?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr.Boss (Post 2354233)

I think it is less likely you are going to get battery life of 2 hours till 2 years. How much ever you use it sanely the battery wont perform that long. My 20 month old Dell Inspiron just manages to give 1 hour of battery. The config you mentioned sounds good and apt for your requirements. However please do look at other options like DELL, ACER and LENOVO. You might have to extend your budget by a couple of thousands. Are you planning to buy it online? I am never comfortable with buying stuff online. However if you have used this site earlier I think its not a problem then.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr.Boss (Post 2354233)

Are you planning to buy in India or UK.

For India market, I would not recommend the HP G62 its very plastiky in feel.
I would recommend you choose between Acer Timeline X 4820, Dell Insprion R15 or the Lenovo Y series I guess. I picked the acer for a 8 hr battery life. I got 7 hrs + on the first discharge cycle and is about 2.2 kg

Quote:

Originally Posted by ritayan (Post 2354382)

Thaks ritayan.
Planned to buy from UK, haven't seen the HP G62 yet.
May I know your Acer model pls.