[msdivy]

Last month DELL launched AMD Quad-Core laptops in India. Performance wise these are as good as Intel i5-7xx & i7-8xx/9xx processors.
Note: Intel i3, & i5 upto 6xx are dual core processors.
Details here: Inspiron M501R Laptop Details | Dell India

[chevelle]

Originally Posted by Aroy

It is better to put the laptop right side up on a small book. That will leave space for air circulation, and safeguard the LCD. Most laptops have a flimsy casing and the LCD may not be protected if kept upside down. My X61 has magnesium casing which protects the LCD against twists and shocks. A plastic/ABS casing may not be that protective.

Thanks, i don't know what casing my Vaio FW series has. Gotta search. I use a book or paper if its lying around, sometimes there is nothing so i just put it upside down. That's why i was asking.

[dhanushs]

Hi Guys,

Well, this may seem like a decision in haste, but then I need some opinions within a day. I will be traveling to EKM in two days and my current laptop has conked off, so I need to get a new one within a day.

My budget is very strict, and not more than 45k. I would like to have a graphics card(apart from the integrated one). Which brand/model should I go for and why. Also, what all options do I have in this price range.

Now, I did a short research by going to my local dealer and he suggested to go for Dell Inspiron 4030 which costs about 42k or Sony VAIO EA Series(VPCEA33) costing 43k. Does these seem good?. or else which ones?.

My Requirements: 100% of its lifetime, it will be online, and I will need some heavy browsing.
Also, the laptop will be ON most of the time, infact it will also be substituting my company server sometimes. (So heat/power consumption should be low)
Sometimes, I will need to work on flash, (hence the graphics card I mentioned)
Well, it should also be ready for the occasional gaming (NFSMW likes ) tasks.

[chevelle]

A tech question. Please advice.

Is it safe or good to look at laptop screen at full brightness?

If not, what is the optimal setting so as to not strain eyes.

[kooldude]

Originally Posted by chevelle

Thank you for the website names. I looked around to get better review but forgot the popular notebook reviews website.

I guess heat issues are a lot, so i will pass. Even the atoms are not too good at performance since they can't handle hd video as on board graphics is not capable of doing. Either ways its a compromise after spending some $350 bucks on either of them. In one its heat issue and performance and in another its performance issue with 1 inch size difference. I haven't factored in battery life since even if i get 5 hours i had be happy. anything additional is just a bonus.

is the NVidia/ATI graphics cards now paired with Atoms? I wonder why its not done yet if it isn't

I would suggest you to get a Toshiba M645 series since some of them have Nvida Geforce graphic cards in them and the configuration is quite decent too. Once again the screen is 14 inches so it could fit your criteria. If you are in Sacramento right now you can order the Toshiba M645-S4050 online or go check if its in their warehouse. That laptop has some real good configuration and the pricing is quite decent too.
Here is what the config looks like
Intel Core I5 2.4 ghz
4 gb ram
500 gb hd @ 7200 rpm
14" screen
harman kardon speakers
12 cell battery
Nvida Geforce 310M graphic card
Price $719+taxes.

[chevelle]

Originally Posted by kooldude

I would suggest you to get a Toshiba M645 series since some of them have Nvida Geforce graphic cards in them and the configuration is quite decent too. Once again the screen is 14 inches so it could fit your criteria. If you are in Sacramento right now you can order the Toshiba M645-S4050 online or go check if its in their warehouse. That laptop has some real good configuration and the pricing is quite decent too.
Here is what the config looks like
Intel Core I5 2.4 ghz
4 gb ram
500 gb hd @ 7200 rpm
14" screen
harman kardon speakers
12 cell battery
Nvida Geforce 310M graphic card
Price $719+taxes.

Thanks but i am looking for a lighter laptop. I am sure this one weighs easily 5.5 lbs or more. And price is too much for Toshiba. I can get similar specs in Dell too for that price that has excellent support, reliability and light weight and matches it in specs and performance and then some more.

And priority is more on 10.1/11.1 inch or 13.3 inch max. Anything above that will increase the price and weight which i don't want. I already have bigger laptops that are 14.1, 15.4 and 16.4. So i am buying those. I am looking for something more portable in terms of weight, price, screen size, battery life.

[SirAlec]

^^^

check acer timeline series.

[kooldude]

Originally Posted by chevelle

Thanks but i am looking for a lighter laptop. I am sure this one weighs easily 5.5 lbs or more. And price is too much for Toshiba. I can get similar specs in Dell too for that price that has excellent support, reliability and light weight and matches it in specs and performance and then some more.

And priority is more on 10.1/11.1 inch or 13.3 inch max. Anything above that will increase the price and weight which i don't want. I already have bigger laptops that are 14.1, 15.4 and 16.4. So i am buying those. I am looking for something more portable in terms of weight, price, screen size, battery life.

Yea this one weighs quite a bit but that is due to its big 12 cell battery. You can always replace that with a 6 cell battery. I can bet you that you won't find the same or even specs that come this close on a dell for a same price. If you are located in Sacramento you really don't have to worry about customer support much. You could also try out the new Hp series with the aluminium finish and the island style keyboard. Those are pretty light weight and are nicely priced too.

[ghpk]

was looking for laptop deals for a friend and found futurebazaar has the hottest deal on the web at this moment.
Compaq 14 inch core2duo + 2GB RAM + 500GB seagate external HDD at mere 24k
check this deal

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by chevelle

I use a book or paper if its lying around, sometimes there is nothing so i just put it upside down. That's why i was asking.

Do not use paper. The idea of putting a book is to have space under the laptop to aid air circulation, paper will not do.

Originally Posted by dhanushs

Hi Guys,
Well, this may seem like a decision in haste, but then I need some opinions within a day. I will be traveling to EKM in two days and my current laptop has conked off, so I need to get a new one within a day.
My budget is very strict, and not more than 45k. I would like to have a graphics card(apart from the integrated one). Which brand/model should I go for and why. Also, what all options do I have in this price range.

I doubt very much you can get a laptop from an on-line source in a day.
If you are in a major metro, you can walk into a showroom and get it. In Delhi most models are available ex-stock.

Originally Posted by chevelle

A tech question. Please advice.

Is it safe or good to look at laptop screen at full brightness?

If not, what is the optimal setting so as to not strain eyes.

The brightness of a laptop screen is generally less than that of a desk top. So there is no harm to eyes if watching the screen at full brightness. The down side of full brightness are
1. Battery consumption. The brighter the screen the shorter the duration you can work on battery. I normally darken the room and reduce the brightness to sustain longer working on battery
2. Screen backlight will last less at high brightness level, hence your laptop screen will get dimmer faster.

[paharino1]

folks..need suggestions on a new laptop - my 4 yr old toshiba has conked off..

Usage
- Browsing & torrents - am a heavy seeder & downloader ! - so the laptop will be on for hours
- Video editing via Nero 8 - I edit my home videos & pics
- Minimal movie watching & songs - I have a Xstreamer now which I connect to my music system & TV over a HDMI cable - All downloaded movies go staight to the 16 GB USB drive in the Xtreamer or my external HDD
- No gaming
Budget - 40 k max ( total cost incl of extended warranty cover)

Reliability & long usage & good warranty coverage would be must - no so much as fast CPU, high ram, graphics card etc
Would a i3 Intel CPU with 3-4 GB RAM, 320 GB HDD suffice ?
Any Model or brand suggestions ?

[tsk1979]

You just need a consumer graphics card laptop. An Asus with 5850 1GB will cost around 40K, and ditto for Acer model with this card and i5

Do not buy a laptop with a card slower than 5850, as editing HD videos will become a big pain.

The cards (in order of slow to fast) available in India are
5850 - Acer/Asus (38-40K)
5730 - Asus (45K)
5850 - 55K laptops from Asus and MSI

Sony vaio 5850 laptop costs 50K

[chevelle]

Originally Posted by SirAlec

^^^

check acer timeline series.

Thank You very much. I really liked these. I am aiming for 1830T or 1810T. You have any first hand experience on this?

Originally Posted by kooldude

Yea this one weighs quite a bit but that is due to its big 12 cell battery. You can always replace that with a 6 cell battery If you are located in Sacramento you really don't have to worry about customer support much. You could also try out the new Hp series with the aluminium finish and the island style keyboard.

I wouldn't get a 12-cell battery as such. No need of such a big one. Even with 6-cell it will easily cross 5.5 lbs. Do Toshiba provide Next-Business-Day On-Site warranty?
HP is a total no-no for me. I will never touch a HP in my life. Seriously, i have seen enough problems in HP laptops and service is as bad as it can get. Even if someone gives it to me for free, i wouldn't take it

Originally Posted by Aroy

1. Battery consumption.
2. Screen backlight will last less at high brightness level, hence your laptop screen will get dimmer faster.

Thanks. That was informative. I use full brightness only when connected through power outlet. So i guess battery is not affected, but yes screen may get dimmer faster. So i will try and use it at lower level.

[kooldude]

Originally Posted by chevelle

Thank You very much. I really liked these. I am aiming for 1830T or 1810T. You have any first hand experience on this?



I wouldn't get a 12-cell battery as such. No need of such a big one. Even with 6-cell it will easily cross 5.5 lbs. Do Toshiba provide Next-Business-Day On-Site warranty?
HP is a total no-no for me. I will never touch a HP in my life. Seriously, i have seen enough problems in HP laptops and service is as bad as it can get. Even if someone gives it to me for free, i wouldn't take it



Thanks. That was informative. I use full brightness only when connected through power outlet. So i guess battery is not affected, but yes screen may get dimmer faster. So i will try and use it at lower level.

I am not sure about the warranty so you might want to check that with Toshiba. If weight is really an issue for you then the dell inspiron series are pretty decent and light weight too. You got anything against Hp that you don't want to go for it. They got pretty good laptops and are very nicely priced.

[benbsb29]

I was able to resolve the issue on my T61 where the wireless was turning off automatically. This is what i did, after some exploring:
View Available wireless networks -> Change Advanced settings -> Configure -> Power Management. Set to Highest.





Now, even if i leave the laptop unattended the whole night, the wireless network doesnt disconnect on its own.