The Laptop Thread: Configs, deals & questions

Rtech · 22nd July 2004, 20:18

hey guys,

Thanks for all your input! Its been a big help. Well, I didn't buy the notebook yet because the price drops have yet to take place. The adjusted prices should be out by next week.

Now, after a lot of research and comparing brands and prices, I've narrowed my selection down to the final 4. They all have a Centrino 1.5, 40GB HDD, 256 min ram and a combo drive, so I'll just list out each of their exclusive traits.
Here they are:
1. Dell Inspiron 600m: Rs.81,500/-
14" screen,bluetooth, Floppy drive, 1 yr warranty covers even accidental breakage! However, they charge a whopping Rs.9000/- PER YEAR for additional warranty cover! And, I'm not too fond of the plasticy feel to this one. But, it does have the best spec for the price IF you exclude the extra warranty.

2. Compaq *V1040; Rs.79,000/-
Bluetooth, SD/MMC card slot, 15" screen. This one has pretty much everything BUT is a bit heavy and also looks shabby (atleast the demo piece i saw). Again, only 1 year warranty with an additional Rs.10,000 for a further 2 years.

3. IBM Thinkpad R50: Rs.86,500/-
Now this is one laptop on which I could only find positive reviews everywhere! It has been picked as best choice by a variety of websites. Unlike Rehaan, I actually like the matt black finish of the IBM. Its something that you know will last and you won't get sick of looking at (IMO). The build quality is in a different league. It has a 15" screen and come with a 3 year warranty. BUT, it is a little large (same as the Compaq) and it doesn't have a serial port (not sure how important that is). No bluetooth either, but I won't really miss that for now I think. As you may have guessed, this is at the top of the pack for me as of now. Damn, almost forgot, its got IBM's HD protection system too. !

Now for the dark horse of the group:
4. Samsung X05 Ultra: Rs.85,000/-
14" screen, no Irda, no bluetooth, no serial or pararell port. BUT, just take a look at one and you'll know what I'm talking about! Its so bloody light! Less than 2kg! It really looks amazing too. Comes with a 3 year warranty, 2 battery packs (3 cell & 6 cell) and the few reviews I could find were nothing but positive. However, i wonder if I'll miss the serial port and the Irda?

Well, there you have it. At the top of the list is the IBM followed reaaaally closely by the Samsung. A distant third is the Compaq and I'm really not keen on the Dell.

The question is, should I sacrifice connectors and irda (on the samsung) for size and weight?

Now to wait for the price drops and see which one is the best deal. The head says IBM but the heart want the X05!

Rtech

Rehaan · 22nd July 2004, 22:28

Hey Rtech,

Firstly, serial port.......ummmmmm...... its been so long since ive used one of those that i dont even know what it is anymore!

(ok thats an exageration) but believe me, you will never need one unless you have some really old peripherals which you plan to use with your new laptop.
EVERYTHING is USB and Firewire these days. (So what you should also look at is the number of USB ports as well as check if a firewire port is available.)
Personally i like the matt black finish of the IBM as well, its just their design, design functionality and styling that i find ugly, atleast on the R31.

Heres another question, do all the laptops have a 5400RPM 40GB?, remember more RPM = more bhp, faster seek times and higher data bandwitdh.

I guess the question you have to ask yourself is whether you want that extra 1" of screen or you want a lighter laptop etc etc.

They seem so similar that its totally a matter of choice.

R

Rtech · 23rd July 2004, 10:53

hey rehaan,

Well, thats what I was thinking about the serial port myself. But, it never hurts to have one around just incase u know...

All the laptops I mentioned had 2 USB 2.0 slots and a firewire as well.

However, I believe they all had 4200rpm HDD. BTW, how do we check the speed of the HD on the PC. Is it in systems>hardwarew profiles> etc etc?? And how much of a difference would that 1000 odd rpm mean in real life?

Rt

GTO · 23rd July 2004, 13:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]
Now this is one laptop on which I could only find positive reviews everywhere! It has been picked as best choice by a variety of websites.

Quote:

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ] Its something that you know will last and you won't get sick of looking at (IMO). The build quality is in a different league. It has a 15" screen and come with a 3 year warranty.

You have answered the question yourself. In your first post, you stated that the primary purpose will be office work, and when it comes to work...the only factors that count are uptime, quality and productivity.

Go for the IBM. You wont ever regret it.

GTO

Rehaan · 23rd July 2004, 14:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (rtech @ July 23 2004,09:23)]All the laptops I mentioned had 2 USB 2.0 slots and a firewire as well.

Hey Rtech,

2USB ports....hmm...thats a bit of a bummer.....atleast for me..right now i have 6 USB devices plugged in!! But dont worry about that because you can always buy a USB hub for Rs300-500/- which will give you more ports if needed. Plus when you laptop is on the move i doubt you will have so many USB deviced plugged in!

Quote:

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]BTW, how do we check the speed of the HD on the PC. Is it in systems>hardwarew profiles> etc etc??

Checking the HDD speed, well you look at the spec sheet of the computer!

There is no way that XP itself lets your check the HDD RPM that i am aware of.
But what you could do is look at your harddrive model number in the hardware properties and then look it up on the net for a detailed description.

Quote:

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]And how much of a difference would that 1000 odd rpm mean in real life?

Well the difference between 4200 and 5400 will obviously be less than the diff between 5400 n 7200. So dont sweat it.
I can't give you an actual indication of how much of a difference it would make, maybe a 2ms seek time difference and a couple of MBps.
Since they are all 4200 dont let it bother you.
If you wanna know more abt HDDs, check this site out (especially their "performance database&quot

Storagereview.com

Im not expressing my opinion between the Samsung and the IBM because im going through hell with my sisters IBM at the moment......BUT its probably one of those 1 in a million cases (serious bad sectors on HDD), coz IBMs are known to be built tough.

Cheers
R

Rehaan · 28th July 2004, 21:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (Rehaan @ July 23 2004,13:07)]Im not expressing my opinion between the Samsung and the IBM because im going through hell with my sisters IBM at the moment......BUT its probably one of those 1 in a million cases (serious bad sectors on HDD)

Update - So the IBM guy just replaced the HDD underwarranty with a new HDD, since there were lots of bad sectors (i really wonder how!)

Also the internal speakers arent working in my sis's laptop so the guy is taking it back to the service center with him and fixing that too.

What news on your laptop Rtech?? 3 days has come and gone!
cya
R

Rtech · 29th July 2004, 13:45

well Rehaan,

As I said, I was waiting fro the price drops to come into effect. However, I just got a call from one of the dealers yesterday saying that although the budget did drop duty, there was some other area where duty was raised, so the price, instead of dropping, would actually increase! Wierd!!

How much of this is true i really don't know, but its been a week and still no price drop in sight

Maybe I should just go ahead with the purchase.

I think I'm gonna get the Samsung afterall as the extra port does not really make a difference to me 99% of the time and the light weight and small size is really a benefit. Its a pain that none of them come with Office installed though!!

Rt

Rtech · 2nd August 2004, 18:42

OK, the deal has been done....finally!

I weighed the pro's and cons of all the machines. Went and field tested them, picked 'em up to see how heavy they are, and finally, FINALLY made my decision.

The Samsung X05 ultra.
Although the IBM really made sense too, the extra weight was just not needed. The Samsung is a whole 0.8 - 1 kg lighter than the others. It weights in at a measly 2 kg.
Here are the specs I got:
Intel Centrino 1.5
1MB Cache
512 MB DDR ram
40 GB HDD
CD-RW/DVD Combo Drive
14.1" screen
855GM Graphics - upto 64MB max
Windows XP Pro
Office XP
56K modem
wireless LAN 802.11 a/b
2 USB 2.0 ports
SD/MMC slot
SVHS slot
2 batteries (3 cell & 6 cell for upto 4.5 hrs)
Rapid charger - Full charge in 2 hours
USB Floppy Drive
3 year warranty on parts/labour
Best of all, its less than an inch thick!! (.98 to be exact)

woohoo!

Rtech

aadix · 2nd August 2004, 19:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (Rehaan @ July 28 2004,19:43)]BUT its probably one of those 1 in a million cases (serious bad sectors on HDD)

Update - So the IBM guy just replaced the HDD[/quote]
hey rehaan
you are not alone
2 years back we had bought 40 ibm 300gls and 2 dual p 3 processor severs , they changed the harddisks under waranty twice!!!
now after two years, almost 90% of the hardisks dont work, and me banging my head to find hdd less than 20gb to make them work

wonder why these comps dont support 40 gb ones ? any idea?

Rtech · 2nd August 2004, 20:00

hmmm....somehow I feel better now about not choosing an IBM!!

RJK · 2nd August 2004, 21:24

Rtech,

Good config you got there Rtech. How much is it costing you finally?

GTO · 2nd August 2004, 21:35

Hey Rtech,

Congrats!! Its going to be one awesome experience personalising your own laptop.

A couple of things:

1. Please check that your dealer is giving you an original XP. Pirated ones are detected when running windows update and stop you from downloading any patches/fixes

2. Do a thorough clean install once you get your laptop.

If you need a hand with that, just drop a PM. We could probably do it over a weekend

GTO

satish_appasani · 2nd August 2004, 21:53

Hi rtech:

Thats a good spec. Did you check how hot the machine gets?

My HP is a hot rod. It gets too hot when I am buring the rubber in NFS Underground. It has 3 fans pumping out the heat.

Rehaan · 3rd August 2004, 00:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]SVHS slot

Whats that? dyu mean S-video out?

Laptop sounds great! Just make sure you keep it clean of spyware (eg. Divx codec which comes bundled with GAIN etc)

Check out Software suggestions for your new PC!

Aadix,
I guess theres a limit on the HDD size becoz of the motherboard. Just like older mobos couldnt handle more than a certain amount of ram or a certain speed of processor.

cya
R

Rtech · 3rd August 2004, 12:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]. Do a thorough clean install once you get your laptop.

hmm...you think this is needed?? how come?

Quote:

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]Did you check how hot the machine gets?

yup, the demo piece at the dealer was on for 3 hours and it was only mildly warm in a certain spot at the bottom. Plus, I'm used to a huge HP Pavilion that heats up like a hotplate in 20 mins....so this is almost a fridge compared to that!

Quote:

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]SVHS slot

Whats that? dyu mean S-video out?

yup, thats what it is. I also forgot to mention the 1 firewire port !

BTW, what anti virus do you recomend? I have been using Norton all along and got no complaints, but if there's something better out there....

Rtech

22nd July 2004, 20:18	#16
Rtech Team-BHP Support Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 5,765 Thanked: 371 Times View My Garage	hey guys, Thanks for all your input! Its been a big help. Well, I didn't buy the notebook yet because the price drops have yet to take place. The adjusted prices should be out by next week. Now, after a lot of research and comparing brands and prices, I've narrowed my selection down to the final 4. They all have a Centrino 1.5, 40GB HDD, 256 min ram and a combo drive, so I'll just list out each of their exclusive traits. Here they are: 1. Dell Inspiron 600m: Rs.81,500/- 14" screen,bluetooth, Floppy drive, 1 yr warranty covers even accidental breakage! However, they charge a whopping Rs.9000/- PER YEAR for additional warranty cover! And, I'm not too fond of the plasticy feel to this one. But, it does have the best spec for the price IF you exclude the extra warranty. 2. Compaq *V1040; Rs.79,000/- Bluetooth, SD/MMC card slot, 15" screen. This one has pretty much everything BUT is a bit heavy and also looks shabby (atleast the demo piece i saw). Again, only 1 year warranty with an additional Rs.10,000 for a further 2 years. 3. IBM Thinkpad R50: Rs.86,500/- Now this is one laptop on which I could only find positive reviews everywhere! It has been picked as best choice by a variety of websites. Unlike Rehaan, I actually like the matt black finish of the IBM. Its something that you know will last and you won't get sick of looking at (IMO). The build quality is in a different league. It has a 15" screen and come with a 3 year warranty. BUT, it is a little large (same as the Compaq) and it doesn't have a serial port (not sure how important that is). No bluetooth either, but I won't really miss that for now I think. As you may have guessed, this is at the top of the pack for me as of now. Damn, almost forgot, its got IBM's HD protection system too. ! Now for the dark horse of the group: 4. Samsung X05 Ultra: Rs.85,000/- 14" screen, no Irda, no bluetooth, no serial or pararell port. BUT, just take a look at one and you'll know what I'm talking about! Its so bloody light! Less than 2kg! It really looks amazing too. Comes with a 3 year warranty, 2 battery packs (3 cell & 6 cell) and the few reviews I could find were nothing but positive. However, i wonder if I'll miss the serial port and the Irda? Well, there you have it. At the top of the list is the IBM followed reaaaally closely by the Samsung. A distant third is the Compaq and I'm really not keen on the Dell. The question is, should I sacrifice connectors and irda (on the samsung) for size and weight? Now to wait for the price drops and see which one is the best deal. The head says IBM but the heart want the X05! Rtech
	() Thanks

22nd July 2004, 22:28	#17
Rehaan Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 24,220 Thanked: 36,177 Times	Hey Rtech, Firstly, serial port.......ummmmmm...... its been so long since ive used one of those that i dont even know what it is anymore! (ok thats an exageration) but believe me, you will never need one unless you have some really old peripherals which you plan to use with your new laptop. EVERYTHING is USB and Firewire these days. (So what you should also look at is the number of USB ports as well as check if a firewire port is available.) Personally i like the matt black finish of the IBM as well, its just their design, design functionality and styling that i find ugly, atleast on the R31. Heres another question, do all the laptops have a 5400RPM 40GB?, remember more RPM = more bhp, faster seek times and higher data bandwitdh. I guess the question you have to ask yourself is whether you want that extra 1" of screen or you want a lighter laptop etc etc. They seem so similar that its totally a matter of choice. R
	() Thanks

23rd July 2004, 10:53	#18
Rtech Team-BHP Support Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 5,765 Thanked: 371 Times View My Garage	hey rehaan, Well, thats what I was thinking about the serial port myself. But, it never hurts to have one around just incase u know... All the laptops I mentioned had 2 USB 2.0 slots and a firewire as well. However, I believe they all had 4200rpm HDD. BTW, how do we check the speed of the HD on the PC. Is it in systems>hardwarew profiles> etc etc?? And how much of a difference would that 1000 odd rpm mean in real life? Rt
	() Thanks

29th July 2004, 13:45	#22
Rtech Team-BHP Support Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 5,765 Thanked: 371 Times View My Garage	well Rehaan, As I said, I was waiting fro the price drops to come into effect. However, I just got a call from one of the dealers yesterday saying that although the budget did drop duty, there was some other area where duty was raised, so the price, instead of dropping, would actually increase! Wierd!! How much of this is true i really don't know, but its been a week and still no price drop in sight Maybe I should just go ahead with the purchase. I think I'm gonna get the Samsung afterall as the extra port does not really make a difference to me 99% of the time and the light weight and small size is really a benefit. Its a pain that none of them come with Office installed though!! Rt
	() Thanks

2nd August 2004, 18:42	#23
Rtech Team-BHP Support Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 5,765 Thanked: 371 Times View My Garage	OK, the deal has been done....finally! I weighed the pro's and cons of all the machines. Went and field tested them, picked 'em up to see how heavy they are, and finally, FINALLY made my decision. The Samsung X05 ultra. Although the IBM really made sense too, the extra weight was just not needed. The Samsung is a whole 0.8 - 1 kg lighter than the others. It weights in at a measly 2 kg. Here are the specs I got: Intel Centrino 1.5 1MB Cache 512 MB DDR ram 40 GB HDD CD-RW/DVD Combo Drive 14.1" screen 855GM Graphics - upto 64MB max Windows XP Pro Office XP 56K modem wireless LAN 802.11 a/b 2 USB 2.0 ports SD/MMC slot SVHS slot 2 batteries (3 cell & 6 cell for upto 4.5 hrs) Rapid charger - Full charge in 2 hours USB Floppy Drive 3 year warranty on parts/labour Best of all, its less than an inch thick!! (.98 to be exact) woohoo! Rtech
	() Thanks

2nd August 2004, 20:00	#25
Rtech Team-BHP Support Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 5,765 Thanked: 371 Times View My Garage	hmmm....somehow I feel better now about not choosing an IBM!!
	() Thanks

2nd August 2004, 21:24	#26
RJK Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 1,166 Thanked: 784 Times	Rtech, Good config you got there Rtech. How much is it costing you finally?
	() Thanks

2nd August 2004, 21:35	#27
GTO Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 71,873 Thanked: 323,093 Times View My Garage	Hey Rtech, Congrats!! Its going to be one awesome experience personalising your own laptop. A couple of things: 1. Please check that your dealer is giving you an original XP. Pirated ones are detected when running windows update and stop you from downloading any patches/fixes 2. Do a thorough clean install once you get your laptop. If you need a hand with that, just drop a PM. We could probably do it over a weekend GTO
	() Thanks

2nd August 2004, 21:53	#28
satish_appasani Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 1,114 Thanked: 110 Times View My Garage	Hi rtech: Thats a good spec. Did you check how hot the machine gets? My HP is a hot rod. It gets too hot when I am buring the rubber in NFS Underground. It has 3 fans pumping out the heat.
	() Thanks