[NetfreakBombay]

So, essentially he will have to:

1. Spend 15k
2. Still break the license

The licenses with MSDN are for "design, development, testing, and
demonstration of your programs" not for day to day use."

Would be better to buy a brand new copy off the shelf.

[vasudeva]

TechNet Subscriptions FAQ

Pls. read this and understand.There is no barrier on anything and no time limits on evaluation. There is no definition of who is an IT professional. You can keep on evaluating forever and MS will not say or do anything. They take action only if you sell keys. Zdnet, cnet and so many even recommend buying technet instead of a retail, box set.

Of course, you can still make a choice and buy a copy of the shelf. Your choice and your money, but to say that the licenses with technet/MSDN are for "design, development, testing, and demonstration of your programs" not for day to day use." is totally off reality and practice. Kindly google and also go through the technet/ms forums to verify this or if that is too much, go for a box DVD.

No more comments on this.

[NetfreakBombay]

From the link you posted:

"one user may install and use the evaluation software, only to evaluate it. You may not use it in a live operating environment"

[barcode]

Kochar Sahab,

If you are sure about Dell, you can pick it up from Nehru Place Dell Store and other resellers. From the build quality PoV Sony Vaio is excellent. I bought my wife one and was very surprised on the build quality and stellar customer service. My only doubt is whether there are similar service centers in Agra for Sony Vaio.

Dell offers at home service, and pricing is competitive.

Lastly, you can use Cash on Delivery for Dell using an ebay Dell reseller (this is with warranty.. these guys just keep a ready stock for people who have urgent needs...)

I personally have a MacBook 2007 and a Dell Studio 1555 (costed 47k last year... much cheaper now!! :( ).

Originally Posted by vkochar

Urgent Laptop Purchase Required -

My IBM Thinkpad R 52 ( 5 years old ) developed a virus problem yesterday and is acting way too slowly so I do not want to bring it back to life. It was a fantastic machine and one of the best I have ever owned.

So now all I have is a Samsung Netbook - which is good only for movies, browsing, emails.

I need a decent specced machine urgently.Need not be a powerhouse - here are the specs I have in mind - i3/i5 processor, 500 GB HDD, 4 GB RAM, has to have HDMI, 14'' and no more as 15.6 is way too big to be carried around.

My main work is 80% browsing, watching movies, 20% word & excel, no gaming or photo editing. Simple machine I can use for a few years.

Now being in Agra, I am limited to few options. Sony Vaio - How is it ?

Dell - my #1 choice and the Inspiron 14 is around 34.4k

My budget is 30 - 35k and not more.

Please help !

Also how do I get a dell ? I filled a cart on dell.co.in and it asked me if I would like a call by a rep, no one has called so far. Also I do not use credit cards.

Thanks for the help in advance.

[dre@ms]

I am need of a laptop for both business and home use, basic use would be,
1. MS Office
2. Browsing
3. Music / Movie
4. Games (for kids)

Size 14-16"
Proccy i3
RAM 4GB
Dedicated Graphics 512/1GB
Budget 30-40k
HDMI Out
Pref Free DOS

Suggest me the brand and model.

Thanks in advance.

[lloydofcochin]

Originally Posted by dre@ms

I am need of a laptop for both business and home use, basic use would be,
1. MS Office
2. Browsing
3. Music / Movie
4. Games (for kids)

Size 14-16"
Proccy i3
RAM 4GB
Dedicated Graphics 512/1GB
Budget 30-40k
HDMI Out
Pref Free DOS

Suggest me the brand and model.

Thanks in advance.

Go for a Dell Inspiron 14/15. You can configure the system on the Dell India site.

If budget permits go for a 3yr Complete Cover warranty.

Disclaimer - I am a Dell employee.

[silversteed]

Originally Posted by dre@ms

I am need of a laptop for both business and home use, basic use would be,
1. MS Office
2. Browsing
3. Music / Movie
4. Games (for kids)

Size 14-16"
Proccy i3
RAM 4GB
Dedicated Graphics 512/1GB
Budget 30-40k
HDMI Out
Pref Free DOS

Suggest me the brand and model.

Thanks in advance.

Dell Inspiron 15R. But haggle a bit with the sales exec in order to have it delivered with just free DOS. Install Ubuntu/Debian 6 inside and you're good to go. Everything works out of the box these days.

[dre@ms]

Thanks guys. My only option for a dell is to get in booked online? has anybody bought the dell with free dos?

[silversteed]

^^^ I almost bought one like the year before last. I said almost, because I changed my mind to buy the laptop at that point due to a financial crunch. All my communication happened through e-mail, as I hardly ever took that sales exec's phone calls due to work pressure at that time. He said he'll try to reduce the price by one or two grand at the maximum, once I confirm the order - ie., with no Windoze installed

If you can stretch your budget by ten grand, you can get an XPS 15. Better stuff inside - quality wise as well as spec wise.

[tortoiseNhare]

I am going for a new notebook shortly. My requirement suits a core i3 (no OS). I am a little perplexed about the performance rating of the two generations 3xx and 23xx. An i3-380 @2.53GHz and an i3-2310 @ 2.10 GHz are priced similarly. Which one would be a better buy? Also, are they faster than Core2duo P8400?

[anku94]

Originally Posted by tortoiseNhare

I am going for a new notebook shortly. My requirement suits a core i3 (no OS). I am a little perplexed about the performance rating of the two generations 3xx and 23xx. An i3-380 @2.53GHz and an i3-2310 @ 2.10 GHz are priced similarly. Which one would be a better buy? Also, are they faster than Core2duo P8400?

Yes, both the processors would be faster than the P8400. As for comparison between i3 380 and i3 2310, inherently, Sandy Bridge (i3 2310) architecture is newer, and better, but the high clock rate of i3 380 negates this benefit. So there would be an imperceptible difference in processing performance, both being nearly equal.

But if you're not going for laptop with discrete graphics, i3 2310 is a better choice as the onboard graphics are a decent improvement over the last generation. Also, being a newer generation, it manages power usage better, and likely has lower TDP, hence i3 2310 is the way to go.

[dre@ms]

Finally purchased Dell 14R from Janakpuri IT park. Config is as follows,

i3
4GB RAM
320GB HDD
Free DOS
WD 500GB Ext.HDD
Price: Rs. 32000

Thanks for the suggestion guys.

[tortoiseNhare]

Originally Posted by anku94

But if you're not going for laptop with discrete graphics, i3 2310 is a better choice as the onboard graphics are a decent improvement over the last generation. Also, being a newer generation, it manages power usage better, and likely has lower TDP, hence i3 2310 is the way to go.

Thanks. Your input helps to make up my mind about the i3-2310. One small doubt: will the latest Ubuntu work out of the box with its integrated graphics? When last tried, Ubuntu 10.04 LTS failed to load on an i3-3xx due to the on chip integrated graphics.

[anku94]

Originally Posted by tortoiseNhare

Thanks. Your input helps to make up my mind about the i3-2310. One small doubt: will the latest Ubuntu work out of the box with its integrated graphics? When last tried, Ubuntu 10.04 LTS failed to load on an i3-3xx due to the on chip integrated graphics.

I wasn't aware of any such issue, not being very familiar with Linux or programming, but on googling, I found that Ubuntu does have problems with i3 Sandy Bridge graphics. If you care to read the whole article...

[Phoronix] Intel's Linux Sandy Bridge Graphics Still Troubling

Actually, Ubuntu has a problem with a lot of graphics solutions, but it gets perfectly fine once you tweak it, which might not be a problem as most of the users are well-versed with coding.

[Saanil]

I have to buy a laptop for home use. It will be mainly used for browsing, doing some work on Microsoft office and occasionally watching movies. Battery life is not important since it will always be at home. I am open to any brands( Dell, HP, ACER etc). Resale value is also not important. Budget is around 30k. Any suggestions?