[extreme_torque]

Originally Posted by carboy

Read back through the thread. I sent a link for thin Windows Laptops - I haven't compared their thinness to MacBookAir, forget other features. I cannot because I don't use MacBookAirs.

I think when Shankar asked you for links, he meant systems similar or better than MacBook Air and hence my reply.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by carboy

http://bit.ly/1l7pJOx

Most brands sell Ultrabooks.

All these ones in your link are way over the budget I had in mind. If I m spending 50K then I don't mind spending another 15K and getting a 4th Gen MacBook Air or whatever. Saying that, my Dad doesn't want an SSD based machine. He prefers the conventional type.

See below screenshot of a Lenovo which looks nice and affordable. I guess this is a standard laptop/notebook computer. However, it is an ugly thing in comparison to some of the others.

How do you think the other one is though? Its an ACER Aspire and is called a netbook, looks to be an ultra book but I cannot really make out what it is because it says it has a 500GB HDD etc.

Do read the spec sheet because I am confused whether it is a netbook, a laptop or an ultra book. All said and done, it looks fantastic and is extremely well priced as well.

Do you think this will meet my Dad's stated need, coupled with an additional external HDD for storage and a nice high speed wi fi connection for internet etc?

[carboy]

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

I think when Shankar asked you for links, he meant systems similar or better than MacBook Air and hence my reply.

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

All these ones in your link are way over the budget I had in mind. If I m spending 50K then I don't mind spending another 15K and getting a 4th Gen MacBook Air or whatever. Saying that, my Dad doesn't want an SSD based machine. He prefers the conventional type.

I am not recommending Ultrabooks for your dad. I am also pretty sure you are not going to get MacBookAirs for 25K.

This is how the conversation went :-)

Shankar: No way Im going back to Windows and those fat, ugly laptops.
Me: Big, fat? Have you looked at Windows Ultrabooks?
Shankar: Can you share some brand names?
Also, Im sure they are as expensive as the MacBook Air's... and I vastly prefer the Apple systems.
Me: http://bit.ly/1l7pJOx

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by carboy

I am not recommending Ultrabooks for your dad. I am also pretty sure you are not going to get MacBookAirs for 25K.

This is how the conversation went :-)

Shankar: No way Im going back to Windows and those fat, ugly laptops.
Me: Big, fat? Have you looked at Windows Ultrabooks?
Shankar: Can you share some brand names?
Also, Im sure they are as expensive as the MacBook Air's... and I vastly prefer the Apple systems.
Me: http://bit.ly/1l7pJOx

carboy - do please lets forget the historical aspect of this discussion because it is irrelevant now. Please help me with answers based on my latest post containing the two screen shots!
cheers!

[appu.bhandari]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

carboy - do please lets forget the historical aspect of this discussion because it is irrelevant now. Please help me with answers based on my latest post containing the two screen shots!
cheers!

If windows 8 pre-installed is not a requisite, these two are a wonderful option. Compare to the option you shortlisted, these two have i3 processor, better performance at same range.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by appu.bhandari

If windows 8 pre-installed is not a requisite, these two are a wonderful option. Compare to the option you shortlisted, these two have i3 processor, better performance at same range.

Actually just to make life easier we wanted Windows 8 pre installed as a pre- requisite.

However I also saw these options on FK and basis your recommendation, will give them serious consideration.

One more thing - both these are full sized laptops and we want something lighter, sleeker and smaller and hence, more portable...

[appu.bhandari]

Oh sorry, my bad. I didn't check your requirement. As per that, this asus model is far less bulky and occupies less space.
The only issue, it comes in white.

If that could be a issue then get an Intel dual core processor.

[fine69]

I was searching for a basic gaming laptop for a while but everytime I'd zero in on a laptop something wouldn't work out. Also, I realized that while I could order the laptop online the rates I was quoted in the physical retail market were at least 2-3k cheaper than on the likes of flipkart.

Finally, I got Lenovo's Ideapad Z510 59-387061 last weekend.



The specs on this machine are pretty decent -
- i5 4th gen processor @ 2.5GHz (turbo boost up to 3.1GHz)
- 4 GB RAM but expandable to 16 GB! (one big reason why I got this laptop)
- 1 TB HDD
- 15.6 inch HD LED Anti-glare display (anti-glare is nice feature to have)
- NVIDIA N14P-GV2 2GB graphics card
- pretty decent speakers for a laptop (JBL w/ Dolby Home Theater or something)
- battery backup ~5.5-6 hours

Question time now -
1. It has come with McAfee Internet Security, I updated this before doing anything else. Is this enough for somebody (is it even a complete anti-virus package) who downloads often from torrents or should I get another anti-virus. I wouldn't be spending any money on it so it'd be AVG.
2. I've got Windows 8, is the upgrade to 8.1 free, how different is 8.1 compared to 8?

[Turbanator]

Shankar

Check something like this , I bought one today here in Canada at some tempting prices ( has a Generation older CPU though ) but serves my purpose . I am sure you can find this with some local lenovo reseller for less than 50 K .

http://shopap.lenovo.com/in/en/lapto.../#tab-reseller

[Shankyz]

[quote=fine69;3432101]I was searching for a basic gaming laptop for a while but everytime I'd zero in on a laptop something wouldn't work out. Also, I realized that while I could order the laptop online the rates I was quoted in the physical retail market were at least 2-3k cheaper than on the likes of flipkart.

Finally, I got Lenovo's Ideapad Z510 59-387061 last weekend./QUOTE]

How much did you pay for it and where did you buy it from, am looking for something similar for home use and in NCR too.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by appu.bhandari

Oh sorry, my bad. I didn't check your requirement. As per that, this asus model is far less bulky and occupies less space.
The only issue, it comes in white.

If that could be a issue then get an Intel dual core processor.

But I want Windows pre installed.

[fine69]

Originally Posted by Shankyz

How much did you pay for it and where did you buy it from, am looking for something similar for home use and in NCR too.

Total damage was 49000/-, in case you'd pay by credit card then add 2% to it - 49980/-

Got this from Lenovo's exclusive showroom in Lajpat Nagar, South Delhi. Its in O-block, the road perpendicular to the Central Market road.

What I concluded from my last few months of research is that Lenovo's specs at their price are kind of unbeatable. I did check out HP, Samsung and Sony but something was amiss in all those laptops.

There's another model which would cost you ~2.5-3k extra that has a back-lit keyboard (this one doesn't) but since it had a 1GB graphics card against the 2GB card that comes with this one I didn't choose that.

If you can spend 57k then the highest Z510 model has an i7 processor along with 8 GB RAM and 2 GB graphics card.

[arsudarsan]

Originally Posted by fine69

2. I've got Windows 8, is the upgrade to 8.1 free, how different is 8.1 compared to 8?

Please check in Windows Store, you should see an option to upgrade to 8.1. There are a lot of fixes in there that make using the OS a lot more easier. Refer link on how to upgrade.

[fine69]

Originally Posted by arsudarsan

Please check in Windows Store, you should see an option to upgrade to 8.1. There are a lot of fixes in there that make using the OS a lot more easier. Refer link on how to upgrade.

Did that yesterday, thanks though!

For some reason Windows 7 looked wayyy better than Win 8.1

[dkaile]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

But I want Windows pre installed.

Got myself a Dell Inspiron 11-3137 Netbook yesterday - http://www.dell.com/in/p/inspiron-11-3137/pd . US Site - http://www.dell.com/us/p/inspiron-11-3138/pd .



It has the latest 4th generation Intel Celeron Processor 2955U (2M Cache, 1.4 GHz), 500GB HDD and 2GB DDR3 RAM. It has a 11.6" Touchscreen. 3 USB Ports (1 is USB 3.0), HDMI, Wifi N, Bluetooth 4.0, Card Reader and RJ45 Gigabit LAN portand OE Windows 8. It also has Waves Max Audio pro which sounds quite nice. The screen brightness is good but lesser than non-touch screens due to the additional glass and digitizer layers but comparable to all the touchscreen laptops floating around. Build quality is fantastic. Total rubberised feel. Top quality hinges and buttons. Spill-proof keyboard.

A nice technical review - http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2355208

MRP 32.5K, retailing about 29~30K at Flipkart/Amazon/Ebay. Picked it up for 29.2K from a local store with breakage warranty included.

Only thing I found was that RAM was low. So today upgraded to 4GB Adata RAM. Paid 1.5K more in lieu of the older RAM as their is only 1 DOSIMM (RAM) slot. This takes in a DDR3 Low Voltage RAM i.e. of 1.35V instead of the normal 1.5V. All this low voltage architecture translates into fantastic battery life of about 6~7 hours which is quite commendable. This thing can supposedly support upto 8GB RAM and can turn into a rocket if that is combined with a 512GB SSD drive which many people have done and then started comparing it with a Macbook Air. With the SSD the boot time comes down to approx 9~11 seconds.

Overall seems as a nice portable everyday lappy/netbook, powerful enough to occasionally run Photoshop/Autocad etc.