Laptop Recommendation

[Cacatuoides]

Hi guys,

I'll be starting school soon and I wish to get a laptop but I'm on a tight budget...

Could any gurus advise me on where to get cheap n reasonable deals, brands, where, specs,etc?

I need wireless bluetooth, dvd combo and the basic stuff....

Thanks,
Eman

[coryfav]

Check out the Acer TravelMate 3282WXMi, see if the specs are what you want.

From what I've noticed since the IT Show in March, this's quite a popular model.

http://www.acer.com.sg/products/trav...elmate3280.asp

[budak]

Starting from S$1887.99.

[zyblack]

Starting school, on a tight budget, cheap and reasonable...but still want dvd combo? I think if you can lower your specs will be much easier. Take a look at what course you are studying. See if there is any need for graphic intensive programmes or high processing power consumption. If need, get a set that comes with a good third party video card like Nvidia and probably up the RAM yourself. If not then get one in-built card will suffice. DVD combo...you need to burn big 2GB+ projects everyday? If not then settle for a CD-Rewritable and when budget allows in the future, get a LG external writer to hook up to your laptop. LG currently market leader in the DVD writers. Wireless bluetooth...Don't think most laptops come with that but if you need get a bluetooth adapter to plug into your USB drive. Cost only 15 - 18 bucks.

Brandwise...I go for Fujitsu since I prefer quality. Cost a bit more than Acer and HP, but good repair services and last longer.

Pricewise...go for Acer or Dell.

Specwise...Acer and HP close fight.

[Cacatuoides]

Thanks for the recommendations guys....

Sorry, I'm not an IT guy so I may have used the wrong terms....
I need a CD-Rom which can write cd and read dvd, no need to write dvd
Zyblack is right about the bluetooth adapter, good suggestion...
Only need a basic laptop to surf net, use microsoft office basically....

Looking at the Dell InspironTM 6400 or Dell InspironTM 1300

[dream]

think twice before buying Dell. i have an experience that the adaptor for my laptop was sploit. I have to wait for 7 workings for a replacement as Dell do not have a service center in S'pore, only in Penang. As a result, my battery was flat after one day and for the rest of the week, I could not use my laptop.

[Cacatuoides]

thanks for the feedback....maybe I should make a trip to sim lim square? is that a safer and better option?

[orangedeuce]

so far Dell Inspiron 6000 has been serving me and my many colleagues very well for more than 6mths. I would say it is value for $$.

[Cacatuoides]

I guess there's always pros and cons....so it kind of depends

[dream]

if i go sim lim to buy IT stuff, i will definitely pull one of my IT-inclined friend along.... too many "expert" there...

[richietay]

If having it as a casual use, built in WIFI, USB2.0(more than sufficient ports avaliable be good), rewritable device(be it CD-R/DVD-R) and light weight. Best is to read up more on certain brands, compare their specs and within your budget reach.
agree, bring along someone with IT knowledge, happy shopping then!

[AkionLCG]

I would go for toshiba or lenova (used to be IBM).

My personally experience with fujitsu laptop ---> they suck!
Seldom used it, only used it for occasionally gaming and report writing, cpu went kaput after 3 years and 2 weeks, just 2 weeks after the warranty expires.
Within the first 2 years, I had to send back to service centre reformat the harddrive twice. Start up time took about 2 minutes plus, damn slow and I installed just 2 games and no other program.
The "S" and "B" buttons dropped off as well and I had to spend another 50+ bucks to replace the entire keyboard. The service centre said it was due mechanical damage so no warranty... If I don't used my fingers to type those letter where will the mechanical damage not come into play. What warranty are they covering? I have to use my eye power so as to eliminate the mechanical damge, right...

[Cacatuoides]

anyone can tell me more about the processor Celeron, Centrino and the M thingy?

[Simon]

when you say on a budget, what kind of budget you looking at?

I know acer gets abit hot on the keyboard, so does Apple

beside those things you mentioned, you might want to mention what you using the laptop for, surfing, gaming (if yes, what type), Office application and other important things that can mean alot of difference when purchasing the right notebook. Also, if you are in Poly/local Us, they do have notebooks at student prices.

I wouldn't recommend Acer, I'm using a Sony vaio, fits my needs except for the weight . IBM always reputable, wonder if Lenova is up to their standard.

Celeron is the lowest class of Pentium, I think it has a 1mb cache, while the Centrino and Centrino Duo has 2mb and 2x2mb respectively. In terms of performance, the Centrino Duo runs better with multitasking or application which needs processing power. But if you using it for simple application, Centrino and celeron should suit you fine.

remember to upgrade the Rams, notebook unlike desktop requires more rams, having more also makes your application run faster.

oh ya, I suggest you drop by Funan to have a look, laptop prices varies from shops to shops, Sim lim square is cater more for the desktop users, Funan has more notebooks

[celticfish]

i'd suggest you spend a little more on reputable brands like IBM, toshiba, sony or apple to name a few.
you want the laptop to be sturdy to last for your studies.
it would pay for itself by you not having to replace it prematurely...

[theodore]

Check with the school you will be going to. E.g. Local universities have student rates for some laptops and even offer interest-free instalment schemes for students who can't afford a lump sum payment.

[avant]

Get the thinkpads. The service support is still by IBM so no worries.

[Cacatuoides]

I'll be studying in SIM, looking for a notebook for office applications, surfing basically....budget below $2000

I got this offer of an apple book, win xp, core-dual, 512mb ram, 60Gb, 13.3" for $1899...any comments?

[ahaetulla]

that's around the std retail price - is it a macbook or ibook? apple does give discounts for students so you may want to have a look at their singapore website.

just wondering if anyone has tried using taiwanese ASUS laptops?

[Simon]

Apple store offer discount to student which is slightly lower

http://www.asia.apple.com/applestore...tage/tcSB.html

Ibook is the old model, now the macbook and macbook pro, read from other forums that the macbook have heat problems, so you might want to check around.

Asustek is the leading notebook maker in taiwan, price is about the same with acer, economical and value for money, depend on your needs, but i suggest you go to the shops and play around with the model you like

Cacatuodies, for that budget, you can get quite a wide selection, even leading brands have models below 2k, have you checked with SIM on student discount?