Team-BHP (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/)

-   Gadgets, Computers & Software (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/gadgets-computers-software/)

-   -   The Laptop Thread: Configs, deals & questions (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/gadgets-computers-software/67390-laptop-thread-configs-deals-questions-448.html)

My 5 year old laptop Asus Zenbook 13 UX310U started giving me an issue that it was not detecting the new battery that I had recently installed but was otherwise working perfectly on ac adapter. So I decided to take the plunge and upgraded myself to the new Asus Zenbook 13 OLED (2021 edition) with 11th gen i5 / 8GB DDR4 / 512GB NVME m.2. I got a blistering deal of just 58k on Flipkart recently on this 8GB model. It usually retails between 65~70k. I would have preferred the 16GB model but did not see the 'value' of paying 12-14k extra just for the RAM.

Here's the laptop



Here are all the accessories. It charges via the enclosed 65W USB C charger and comes with 2 Thunderbolt 4 USB C ports. 1x Type A USB 3.1 port, SD card reader, full size HDMI 2.1 port. There is no 3.5mm audio jack but they have enclosed a very good quality USB C to 3.5mm adapter in the kit.



Also purchased this USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C m.2 NVME SSD enclosure from Asus ROG Strix Arion for 4.2k. Fantastic piece of hardware.



Also got a 1TB nvme ssd from WD, SN570 with 3500MB/s speeds for 7.8k to upgrade this zenbook to 1TB storage



Here is the 1Tb attached in the Arion enclosure ready to be cloned from the original with the free Macrium Reflect software. My C: drive has now doubled while retaining all original recovery partitions.



Opened up the laptop myself and upgraded the nvme myself. You can see the nvme slot on the top right in the photo. The storage is the only thing you can upgrade in this laptop as the RAM is soldered on the motherboard.



Read and Write speeds with the Stock 512GB NVME which was of Intel model 660P



The new read and write speeds with this upgrade to 1TB WD SN570 which has now nearly doubled with write speeds more than TRIPLE!



The performance of this laptop is mind-blowing and the form factor and 1.1kg weight along with all aluminum build is the cherry on top. An absolute steal at this price. I have used the normal office suite (Windows 11 and Office 2021 comes bundled free). Adobe Photoshop 7, CorelDraw9-12, 4K Movies. It is easily lasting between 7-10 hours on the 67wH battery.

Cheers...

That's a really cool price for the zenbook spec you got. :thumbs up

Since its a U series processor you should be getting some serious battery life.

Obviously, there are some tradeoffs associated with an ultra book, but it's a steal deal to get a zenbook at this price.

I still see it being offered around that price on Flipkart once again today, in case anyone is interested -
https://dl.flipkart.com/dl/asus-zenb...V3PN&_appId=WA

Cheers...

PS - I see this link fluctuating between a price of 60,990 and 77,490 on different computers based on the whims and fancies of Flipkart. Surprising.

So I went to Nehru Place, New Delhi today to see what could be the problem with the battery of this otherwise perfectly working laptop. The engineer (who I have dealt with before) opened up the cover and checked some crucial points and inferred that there seems to be no problem detectable with the laptop. So why was it not detecting the new original battery purchased from Asus? Here is the laptop opened -



He insisted that the new Asus Battery was defective and on his insistence he called in a new original Asus Battery (a direct import) @4.6k



And VOILA!! The laptop jumped back to it's original best. And it's a powerful beast in it's own right with Intel i5-7200U 2.5Ghz processor, 12GB (4 on board and 8GB expandable) DDR4 RAM, Dual storage of 1TB HDD as well as 128GB m.2 SSD through which it still boots in less than 10 seconds, a dedicated Nvidia GeForce 940MX 2GB graphics card, backlit keyboard et al and comes with original Windows 10 64bit. Here's how the full aluminium body looks impeccable even today -



and the beautiful aluminium lid. The build quality of these original Zenbooks, I feel, are somehow better than the current generation of Zenbooks and certainly the OLED model I got, as they feels more tougher with zero keyboard flex unlike the current ones.



Now I am really regretting my hasty decision to have invested in the new Oled Zenbook without properly trouble shooting my original Zenbook and am now stuck with 2 Zenbooks, both working perfectly. Anyways, if anyone is interested, I am ready to let go of this older Zenbook at a very competitive price, which is now literally new with the new battery. Kindly PM me if anyone's interested.

Cheers...

The 11th gen intel you got is actually from the 2021 series which are infamous for minute squeaks, creaks and some chassis related concerns despite having the MIL-STD-810G rating.

Current 2022 models are available with the 12th Intel and Ryzen 5000/6000 series processors which have better and improved chassis and some of them also have more tougher MIL-STD-810H rating.

Also keep in mind that the portable Zenbooks are available in the two screen sizes, 13.3 inch and 14 inch. The smaller screen variants are very light and slim which weigh around 1KG so minor flex is obviously inevitable in them.

on the other hand 14 inch variants are slightly more heavy by 1.3/1.4 kg with slightly thicker body and more rigid which houses dual heatsink and dual fans for better cooling compared to the single fan of the 13.3 inch variant. They also have performance variants of the CPUs so they can hit the top limit and are capable of sustaining the performance for much longer period.

So anyone looking for the portable Zenbooks should keep this in mind, if lightweight is more important for you over the performance then pick the 13.3 inch variants. And if your care more about performance and thermals then choose the 14 inch variants at the cost of additional weight of around 300 grams.

Quite true. But then you have to keep the cost ~ value ratio in mind too. These 14 inchers easily cross 80+k in cost.

Cheers...

Hi dkaile and Delhi-NCR Team-BHPians,

Can you please let me know the name & location of "trusted/reliable" computer shops in Delhi-NCR who do RAM/SSD upgrades/installation as well as any repair work?

I'm thinking of upgrading RAM on my Dell Desktop Tower PC.

Any tips/suggestions you want to share w.r.t. above work will be helpful.

Also, I've few queries if it's possible to answer:

1) Will the RAM/SSD be purchased by me & installed by them or both purchased & installed by the shop?
2) Can I rely on the shop for their suggestion on the combination & brands or shall I do my own research & suggest them?
3) How much time does it take for the shop to upgrade RAM/SSD?
4) Should I transfer all data to backup somewhere else on the fear of data getting stolen/leaked/transferred?
5) Will they provide after sales service in case of any issues?
6) Will they be willing to perform basic tasks like cleaning dust particles inside CPU tower?
7) Can they replace any non-working parts like USB port, 3.5mm jack (failed due to accumulation of dust)?

Thanks in advance.

You have to be quite careful with these repair guys, often they source old parts from scrap machines, and put them in.

My personal preference is to start with doing some online research. For RAM I typically do a compatibility check at the crucial website before procuring.

For storage, you should check the connection port (and try to look for SSD compatible with that port ( example SATA / NVMe).

I prefer DIY, as these are Plug and Play, but if you can fix the part numbers, you may get those installed by a shop.

Great buy - Congratulations!
Could you let me know where you purchased the Rog Strix Enclosure and also the 1 TB SSD? The amazon price for the enclosure is 5.5K

I live practically next to Nehru Place, and visit it frequently. There are a lot of repair shops and quite a lot of dedicated brand shops. I bought my Lenovo laptop there.

Upgrading RAM in a desktop should be an easy DIY job. Of course I have been assembling desktops for two decades, but still unplugging old RAM and inserting new is quite easy.

Here are te steps :

. Determine what RAM you have - Type (DDR3, DDR4, DDR5), speed in GHz etc from Windows "System" in the control panel, or from the device manager.
. Switch the machine off.
. Open up the desktop and locate where the RAM is. Also find out how many slots are there and how many are populated.
. If possible take one RAM out and take a picture of both the sides.
. You have the make, part number, size and speed

Now search the net for compatible RAM from major manufacturers. I prefer Hynix, Crucial and Samsung, but there are other major manufacturers also. Most of te time you may get the RAM in Amazon.

In general the manufacturers site will have a compatibility chart for the RAM installed in your desktop. Just make sure what is the maximum size that can be installed - both indvidual (8GB, 16GB, 32GB etc) and the maximum size supported by the hardware.

Next step is quite easy :
. Order the RAM (from a site that lets you return it unconditionally).
. Take the old RAM out (if necessary)
. Insert new RAM
. Switch the desktop and check

I got it done by Divvy Computronix, Nehru Place. Search his details on Google. But as others suggested RAM upgrade in Desktop is quite a simple job and you should try and do it yourself. Will work out to be much cheaper. Watch some YouTube DIY videos if you are not confident. But it should be a fairly simple job. As per your queries -

1. You can easily purchase the RAM online once you get to know it's specs on Google on Amazon. If you opt for Nehru Place, there are lots of shops where you can purchase good quality ones with bill and warranty. If you rely totally on the service guy, yes, he can procure it for you but it will definitely work out costlier. Also be vigilant as these guys try to push locally procured low quality stuff also.
2. Doing your own research is always best.
3. 5 minutes
4. Always a good idea to keep all backups.
5. Most do but they also prey on your ignorance, if you get my drift.
6. It's too simple a job. Do it yourself.
7. Probably yes

I purchased The Strix from this website - https://www.ezpzsolutions.in/product...-m-2-nvme-rgb/
Damn professional guys with quick delivery. My contact guy was Atul Jadhav. His number is on their website. You can take my reference if you wish.
1 tb nvme ssd, I got from Amazon - https://amzn.eu/d/75Uk41s

Cheers...

Thank you so much Aroy and dkaile for sharing your inputs in detail. Really appreciate it. I'll follow these checks & proceed from there.

Thanks again!

Someone from Mumbai please tell me what is the Mumbai equivalent of Nehru place where I can get laptop repairs done. Is it Lamington Road? It's pretty far off for me, but if someone knows any reliable shops there, I can go. Or if there is something between Sion to Bhandup, that would be more convenient.

Not very conversant with Mumbai, but yes Lamington Road was the hub of electronics and computers - the neatrest equivalent of Nehru Place in Delhi.

I would suggest that you spend a day in the Lamington Road market and evaluate the shops. The day would be well spent and you will definitely save money (more than you spent in the visit). Just be careful to do a thorough survey and understand what is being offered. There will always be unscrupulous ones preying on the newbies. What ever you get whether it is goods or service, make sure that they give a bill with warranty - before you pay. Do not be conned into getting a piece of paper (they will claim to save you tax). All goods sold are tax paid and a proper warranty is worth it.

not a deals or config question, but need help to get the display bezel for a Lenovo Thinkpad E460, (20ET series model). Any thoughts/leads, please share.

I have called some repair service companies. The part looks not available.