[Irish]

Originally Posted by driverace

Hey, One question!
How in the name of sweet heavens syrup can we negotiate!? (thats news to me, we can negotitate at Dell!) //excuse the enthusiasm running in this statement!
Please help with that.
Having i7 would indeed be nice!

Ace.

Just tell them at the Dell store that one of your contacts is getting this configuration in this price. If he can give it to you then its fine otherwise you are not going to buy form that specific DELL Store. This should work.

Although the sales person checks the price online with all the configuration but still they have got something in their hands also. If you see the deal which I mentioned in my post, they were offering mouse, backpack, headphone in one or the other way.

Just be confident and ask for more. The worst scenario is that he will deny it but what if he agrees to it?

Cheers!
Irish

[driverace]

Originally Posted by Irish

..
Although the sales person checks the price online with all the configuration but still they have got something in their hands also. If you see the deal which I mentioned in my post, they were offering mouse, backpack, headphone in one or the other way.

Just be confident and ask for more. The worst scenario is that he will deny it but what if he agrees to it?

Cheers!
Irish

well then, they do have somethings at their disposal! //sweet!
Done then!
I will be calling all Dell guys on their call centre! (unless, the first one gives a good deal itself!)
and, I will get the best slam for the buck

(If I am able to get good feedback on the config-- that is.. )

Tanks,

Ace.

[vasudeva]

Originally Posted by driverace

focus: medium+heavy Gaming , A/V on the laptop!

Just looked up dell online configurations, My customized version-
XPS 15
i5 (2410M 2.0 Ghz)
8GB RAM,
2 GB GT 540M Nvidia Gfx Card
1920X1080 FHD 15.6" Display (It has truelife! yay! - whatever that means!)
Blu Ray BD rom.

Costs: 65.5K

<Mann, like 3 years ago, I got a laptop from Dell, Its like quarter of the config above!! and it costed 42K then!>

Questions:
1. Any better deal in that range? (No Alienware please - I have to carry around my laptop!)

2. Can I do away with the Win 7 that is forced with the Laptop? (and save some 4K bucks?)

3. The above Config can run what games with what resolutions? (just 2 or 3 indicative examples)
I mean, with i5+8GB Ram (1033 Mhz FSB)+2GB GT540M Nvidia Gfx Card

Ace.

Can you save 4K by removing windows??. I think it is preinstalled and paid for.

Are you sure you are paying the best price. Dell India offers 5% discount if you belong to select corporates on their list.

GT525M is Ok enough for laptops but is still an ordinary GPU. No other option though except to go for GT540.

Finally, most importantly, i5-2410M has been refreshed/upgraded on Dell India site. As late as today to i5-2430 perhaps. In fact i7 has also been upgraded to 2690, 2760, etc. No price hike that I could see.

BD ROM is read only. Would you be better off by buying only DVD+R/W and getting an external blue ray read/write.

FYI, I have just paid for this config at Dell online for 61K (got 5% discount)

main config: core i7-2760qm, 6gb ram, 1 gb gt525m, 750 gb hdd, and 15.6 fhd display.

My priorities are different and 2 gb gpu was not at the top in those priorities. Even then, upgrading from 1gb gpu gt525 to 2gb gt540 would have been perhaps 2K.

[abhinav.s]

Originally Posted by driverace

No Alienware please - I have to carry around my laptop!

Well you do have an option of M11x which is a 11 inch gaming laptop. But it is on the costlier side compared to the deal you have got. The plus side is a portable gaming/multimedia laptop which weighs 2.0 kgs. You will miss out on an optical drive though.

It costs around 78k including taxes for a Core i7 system with 4 GB RAM, 750 Gig HDD, Dual graphics with Intel HD Graphics 3000 and 2.0GB DDR3 NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M and the rest of the works.

Originally Posted by driverace

I will be calling all Dell guys on their call centre! (unless, the first one gives a good deal itself!)
and, I will get the best slam for the buck

Give it a try and dont miss it for anything. For an even better deal, if you have any friends/friends-of-friends .... then ask them to order it in their name and get another discount of 10% on the config you have ordered. Sometimes they can soup up the config as well for a meager extra cost. Give it a whizz!!!

[driverace]

Originally Posted by vasudeva

Can you save 4K by removing windows??. I think it is preinstalled and paid for.
< I was more of looking for a "N Series" kinda version - by, save, I meant "shave" off the net price of config.>
Are you sure you are paying the best price. Dell India offers 5% discount if you belong to select corporates on their list.

Oo, thanks for that tip!
GT525M is Ok enough for laptops but is still an ordinary GPU. No other option though except to go for GT540.

Ya, and that's making me sad!
I heard good things about the ATI card on the HPs! at same price band - and like 40% more powerful than the GT540.
I also heard bad things about heating issues and reliability and build quality on HPs - that is due to gaming and all - heating up the system most of the time.

Finally, most importantly, i5-2410M has been refreshed/upgraded on Dell India site. As late as today to i5-2430 perhaps. In fact i7 has also been upgraded to 2690, 2760, etc. No price hike that I could see.

Wow, that is indeed true!
This is like so unnatural!
I did not even buy it yet, and its upgraded already! - mostly its the other way around!

BD ROM is read only. Would you be better off by buying only DVD+R/W and getting an external blue ray read/write.

Wrote it Off!

FYI, I have just paid for this config at Dell online for 61K (got 5% discount)

Perfect.
Thanks for addressing in such detail!

Just one more thing is - I am still waiting for response (from anyone) on some good first-hand view / benchmarks of the same.

// I have read the reviews of the card on some sites. and they are, well.. just satisfactory.

Thanks,

Ace.

EDIT:

Abhinav,
points noted

About, AW 11 - ummm, no to that (I am on 14" now, and I want a fuller experience now ) lol.
About, the inside discounts - noted and acting on it.. that information is undercovers!
<Better config for meagre amounts - makes me leap out of my chair - twice !>

[vasudeva]

Originally Posted by driverace

Perfect.
Thanks for addressing in such detail!

J

1. The 5% discount can be had even if you are not in the companies on the `Dell list'. Just catch someone who works in those companies, and that person should be willing to help you. Dell will send a confirmation mail to that person's official mail and they will confirm. That is it. Payment will be hopefully by you and all rights and Dell's warranties will be to the laptop.
2. No need for benchmarks. It is an ordinary GPU but still a lot better than most other mobile GPUs. To get a great GPU, prepare for something more substantial in terms of money (with perhaps the other system config also costing a lot more) or go for a desktop. However, GT525M/540M is still reasonable in gaming. Just read various reviews.
3. If you can, upgrade from i5 to i7. It costs a min of 3K on one config (9K perhaps on the cheapest base config). Work it out on various configs and see what works best. To get cpu benchmarks that are quite reliable, head over to cpubenchmarks. The new i5/i7 refresh are not yet listed as they are new. But they should be somewhat better than the next lowest no.

[di1in]

Which would be better:
* Subscribing to the company extended warranty (CompleteCover, Apple Care)
* Getting your computer fully insured

Opinions would be welcome!

[Aroy]

Depends on what is covered. I would expect
. All repairs - labour + parts
. Acident damage
. Theft

Which ever option gives me all these I would get it. If niether give every thing, but both combined do, I would get both.

The rider is the cost of cover. If I have to pay more than 30% per annum, I would think a lot. If it is 10% or less then I will jump at it.

[kap04]

I am searching for a laptop as my old Toshiba one has started giving the keypad issues. These are some of the requirements :

- 3/4GB RAM
- At least 500 gigs of hard disk
- USB 3.0 slot
- HDMI port
- Core i-3 ( Does Core i-5 make a great difference in performance, if using for casual browsing and office apps kind of work)
- Not very particular about graphics card as i wont be using it for high end gaming, but wouldn't mind one, as i play FIFA /NFS/COD occasionally.
- Would like to have a good set of speakers though, decent sound.
- Most important of all : Good support & Service for the product
- Budget 40k

Thinking about getting the Acer Aspire Timeline 5830TG( Ci3) , its available for 36,200 on flipkart. Any other options which i should look at? And how is Acer support in Bangalore?

[Aroy]

For good support get either Lenovo or Dell. I use Lenovo so I may be biased, but Thinkpads service is the best. My friends use Dell and their service is excellent.

[di1in]

Originally Posted by kap04

I am searching for a laptop as my old Toshiba one has started giving the keypad issues. These are some of the requirements :

- 3/4GB RAM
- At least 500 gigs of hard disk
- USB 3.0 slot
- HDMI port
- Core i-3 ( Does Core i-5 make a great difference in performance, if using for casual browsing and office apps kind of work)
- Not very particular about graphics card as i wont be using it for high end gaming, but wouldn't mind one, as i play FIFA /NFS/COD occasionally.
- Would like to have a good set of speakers though, decent sound.
- Most important of all : Good support & Service for the product
- Budget 40k

Thinking about getting the Acer Aspire Timeline 5830TG( Ci3) , its available for 36,200 on flipkart. Any other options which i should look at? And how is Acer support in Bangalore?

Check out the Dell 15R, The Dell Online Store: Build Your System
You could negotiate and get it for 40.

[CRV2010]

I have been thinking of buying a Mac Book Air at 65k. Is it possible to load Windows on to it ? Though i have seen many tutorials on how to Install Windows on to the machine. Have anyone tried it ?

[Sn1p3r]

Originally Posted by CRV2010

I have been thinking of buying a Mac Book Air at 65k. Is it possible to load Windows on to it ? Though i have seen many tutorials on how to Install Windows on to the machine. Have anyone tried it ?

It is easy with parallels or bootcamp. You will enjoy it.
Cheers!

[SirAlec]

Originally Posted by kap04

I am searching for a laptop as my old Toshiba one has started giving the keypad issues. These are some of the requirements :

- 3/4GB RAM
- At least 500 gigs of hard disk
- USB 3.0 slot
- HDMI port
- Core i-3 ( Does Core i-5 make a great difference in performance, if using for casual browsing and office apps kind of work)
- Not very particular about graphics card as i wont be using it for high end gaming, but wouldn't mind one, as i play FIFA /NFS/COD occasionally.
- Would like to have a good set of speakers though, decent sound.
- Most important of all : Good support & Service for the product
- Budget 40k

Thinking about getting the Acer Aspire Timeline 5830TG( Ci3) , its available for 36,200 on flipkart. Any other options which i should look at? And how is Acer support in Bangalore?

Would advice for Dell. If you like i can arrange for one in Bangalore for never heard of price. Have a channel partner there. These are Dells imported by my friend. The whole container. European and US version. for example if we have 15R in India , their model will be inspiron 5110.

Warranty is not an issue as Dell has no question asked international warranty.

[given2fly]

@ SirAlec, Dell offers International Warranty on specific models only. Not many companies in the market offer you International Warranty as a standard, except for ASUS which also has the cheapest extended warranty option.

Also, all the people looking for a laptop, please don't go for HP. It has the worst reliability feedback amongst all. The best on in the market so far are ASUS and Toshiba, followed by Lenovo. So any new laptop buyer should consider that before making the purchase.

Lastly, new models are just around the block. By October or November you should see better specced Laptops in Indian markets which are already out in US or elsewhere. So check if you can delay the purchase a bit.

PS :- I don't work for any of the companies mentioned here.