[IshaanIan]

Originally Posted by androdev

Unfortunately I need to buy this for someone who would be better served by a windows ecosystem if you know what you mean.

Gaming? Otherwise it’s worth shifting over to the mac everything is available for it and works well.

Originally Posted by androdev

I was thinking of a used Lenovo T14 thinkpad in that. budget - what do you think of it?

there’s no point talking about anything else in comparison to the M1 air be it value, build or performance but Lenovo’s keypads have always been nice to use.

[androdev]

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

Gaming? Otherwise it’s worth shifting over to the mac everything is available for it and works well.

Buying this for a college going girl in a small town. Mac would be overwhelming as nobody around would be able to help her learn or help install the required software. I feel it's better to give her what everyone around is using, which is a windows laptop. I totally agree with you about macbooks. Unlike their phones, watches, airpods, etc., Apple laptops are amazing value for money and they last a long time.

[AYP]

Originally Posted by androdev

I am totally clueless about windows laptops. I need to buy a windows laptop for someone and here are my requirements:

1. OLED or similar great looking screen (touch would be bonus)
2. Should come with a USB-C charger (don't want round pin charger)

Usage would be casual student/family use cases, no need for performance except for a very good/bright screen and robust build quality.

I want to buy a used laptop from Lenovo or Dell brands. I don't want to pay premium for a brand new laptop. I would have picked an early model Apple Macbook Air M1 for Rs 60-65K if that was an option. Please suggest few good windows laptops comparable to Apple Macbook Air M1. Thanks!

With the right card, this can be had for 65k-


ASUS Creator Series Vivobook 14X OLED 2023, Intel Core i5-12450H 12th Gen, 14.0-inch 90Hz, Laptop (16GB/512GB SSD/NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2050/Win11//FP/63WHr/Black/1.40 kg),K3405ZFB-KM541WS https://amzn.eu/d/iXs8Fpp

Has a great screen and a C type charger. There's also this option-

ASUS Vivobook S15 OLED 2022, 15.6" 39.62 cm FHD OLED, Intel*Core*Evo i5-12500H 12th Gen, Thin and Light Laptop (16GB/512GB SSD/Iris Xe Graphics/Windows 11/Office 2021/Black/1.8 kg) K3502ZA-L502WS https://amzn.eu/d/hxCOpXI

You can use this website to filter and find the laptop that is the right fit for you-

https://gaming.unboxparadigm.com/


Asus is the only brand which provides OLED in this price range. If you are absolutely keen on Dell and Lenovo, then these are the options which have good displays(100% sRGB/DCI-P3)-

https://gaming.unboxparadigm.com/p/l...in-2021-0421f/

https://gaming.unboxparadigm.com/p/l...q0009in-495d2/

Please check for C type charging though.

[IshaanIan]

Originally Posted by androdev

Buying this for a college going girl in a small town. Mac would be overwhelming as nobody around would be able to help her learn or help install the required software.

In that case, Lenovo and Dell rank highly in terms of serviceability with Dell having superior customer service from the company’s end but their laptops do have quality control issues like some hinges may not be as smooth or stable as others and they can also have driver stability issues. Asus is the best in terms of value for money in the windows space but serviceability while good, is not as great as a Lenovo.

[tbppjpr]

Originally Posted by androdev

I need to buy this for someone who would be better served by a windows ecosystem if you know what you mean. I have a budget of 55-60K

Visit your nearest Asus exclusive store and check out the metal built Zenbook series laptops with MIL-STD-810H rating for durability.

ExpertBooks are more preferred for their upgrade friendly construction but they are hard to find in retail. Looks like Asus is only supplying them directly in the corporate world. Avoid those ugly Tuf gaming and ROG series laptops.

When checking on the specs, make sure to pick the processor which is more efficient over the competitor. 10% lesser or higher power will not count as much the 10-20% of difference in the battery backup will count during the day to day usage. 16GB RAM is bare minimum for the Window laptops today, do not fall for any offers on the 8 GB variants.

OLED screens are great when looked at full brightness but there are situations when when we need to reduce the brightness. Most OLED screes use PWM method to reduce the brightness which is not good for eyes and makes it uncomfortable to look at the screen for prolonged hours.

Asus OLED laptops come with an app which reduces the brightness by applying a dark layer using some software trick so the PWM does not trigger. Make sure to keep the brightness of the OLED screen at highest and reduce it using the Asus app.

Few web portals like Notebookcheck.net, laptopmedia.com etc are good sources to check out the reviews which include some in depth tests like PWM, color accuracy, battery life, upgrade possibilities etc. So do check your shortlisted laptop reviews on those sites.

[Samfromindia]

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

Presently there is simply no windows laptop that competes with the MacBook Air. Be it an M1 at 65-85k or an M2 for 1.2 lacs there is simply no windows laptop in that price

This is coming from a hardcore windows fan btw.

I was considering picking a M1 laptop as my secondary for travel. It cannot be my primary as the only processor intensive application I do is gaming, apart from some Lightroom use every now & then.

My main question is, how is the crack & piracy scene on MAC ? I do not mind dropping a big amount for hardware, but the paid software scene in INR puts me off. How easy is it to find full versions of paid apps on MAC compared with windows which is just a torrent away ?

[atulsian]

Originally Posted by Samfromindia

I was considering picking a M1 laptop as my secondary for travel. It cannot be my primary as the only processor intensive application I do is gaming, apart from some Lightroom use every now & then.

My main question is, how is the crack & piracy scene on MAC ? I do not mind dropping a big amount for hardware, but the paid software scene in INR puts me off. How easy is it to find full versions of paid apps on MAC compared with windows which is just a torrent away ?

It depends on what apps you are looking for. Major apps like office,Adobe products are easy to get. If you have any particular app, I can check and let you know. You can PM me directly.

[Rshreyansh]

Hello everyone. I am currently using a 2013 make Toshiba Satellite C55 laptop, which has 2 slots for RAM and currently runs on 6GB RAM. Recently I swapped the ageing HDD with a new Crucial 256GB SSD and the difference in performance is day and night.
But the issue that remains is that even day to day usage and keeping multiple tabs open on Chrome and Edge browsers uses a lot of memory and the fan keeps running. Hence, I have decided to upgrade the RAM too. The current specs suggest that it has 2 slots for the RAM(DDR3 1600MHz)-one slot with a 4GB stick and another one with a 2GB stick. Here are my options:
1. Swap the 2GB stick with a 4GB stick and make it 8GB.
2. Swap both the sticks with 8GB and make it 16GB(is it really possible?).
Please chip in with your thoughts, how do I go about it? Do suggest some reputable brands too for the RAM upgrade. Thanks.

[Samfromindia]

Originally Posted by Rshreyansh

Hello everyone. I am currently using a 2013 make Toshiba Satellite C55 laptop, which has 2 slots for RAM and currently runs on 6GB RAM. Recently I swapped the ageing HDD with a new Crucial 256GB SSD and the difference in performance is day and night.
But the issue that remains is that even day to day usage and keeping multiple tabs open on Chrome and Edge browsers uses a lot of memory and the fan keeps running. Hence, I have decided to upgrade the RAM too. The current specs suggest that it has 2 slots for the RAM(DDR3 1600MHz)-one slot with a 4GB stick and another one with a 2GB stick. Here are my options:
1. Swap the 2GB stick with a 4GB stick and make it 8GB.
2. Swap both the sticks with 8GB and make it 16GB(is it really possible?).
Please chip in with your thoughts, how do I go about it? Do suggest some reputable brands too for the RAM upgrade. Thanks.

Firstly ask yourself how long are you planning to use this laptop.

Experience have taught me that the max lifespan for a mobile phone is 5yrs and a laptop 10yrs, unless you are willing to live with some compromises and miss out on tech present on modern devices.

For DDR <5 devices, having a dual channel ram improves performance in many applications by a significant margin. Check the prices of legacy DDR3 ram. 8GB x 2 will give most expansion and performance. 8 + 4 will solve your memory requirement while keeping budget in check. 4 + 4 is the min memory you need to run modern applications.

My 2019 laptop has 2 x 16 GB DDR4 sticks running in dual channel mode which is prolly an overkill. However RAM is cheap and getting an extra 16GB cost me only 4.5K.

Any reputable brand of RAM will do. Consider getting similar timings & rank to get benefit of dual channel as your primary RAM, unless you are swapping both.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by Rshreyansh

Hello everyone. I am currently using a 2013 make Toshiba Satellite C55 laptop, which has 2 slots for RAM and currently runs on 6GB RAM.

.................
Here are my options:
1. Swap the 2GB stick with a 4GB stick and make it 8GB.
2. Swap both the sticks with 8GB and make it 16GB(is it really possible?).
Please chip in with your thoughts, how do I go about it? Do suggest some reputable brands too for the RAM upgrade. Thanks.

First check the manual or online for this model, for the maximum RAM supported. If 16 GB is supported, then change both the sticks to 8 GB each.

As suggested 2 RAM sticks with same configuration will be faster than 2 with differen ones. So have the same size and speed RAMS in both the slots.

[SmartCat]

Got this amazing VFM Asus Vivobook 15 laptop for all of Rs. 20,000! This will primarily be used by kids for programming (part of syllabus) and also for school projects
https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B09SGGB687



Pros:

- New laptop for the price of an average smartphone.
- Windows 11 home edition
- 15.6 inch screen
- Around 4 to 5 hours battery life
- SSD storage

Cons:

- Just 4 GB RAM
- Bloatware at startup, especially McAfee.
- Just 256 GB storage

Because of 4 GB RAM, it is noticeably slower than other laptops. However, the laptop is upgradeable to 8 GB RAM, and I shall be doing that soon. Uninstalling McAfee immediately after purchase is a must, because it greatly speeds up the user experience.

Also picked up these laptop speakers for Rs. 400
https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B0C7ZZ9DBC/



It is loud enough with decent treble. But obviously, bass is lacking

[sachinayak]

Like pre-owned cars, now I am a big fan of used laptops. Found a dealer in my neighborhood who imports used fully-refurbished laptops (used by corporates) and sells them at pretty decent prices.

I got 3 laptops for home (2 for my two kids in 2020 for online schools) and got one for myself last year when my corporate almost blocked every site not related to work.

Referred 3-4 of my close friends who bought used laptops and all are working great. In most cases the outer case is brand new, battery is brand new (confirmed using battery report) and you get a typical I7 8th Gen, Dell Laptop with 16GB RAM, 256/512 GB SSD, touch screen with Windows 10/11 in almost new condition (but with only dealer warranty which i doubt will ever be honoured) under 30K. Have used it for daily tasks but I also run Adobe Photoshop/Lightroom and Video Editing software on these without much fuss. Total value for money, I think.

[catchjyoti]

Originally Posted by Samfromindia

My 2019 laptop with i5 9300H is still working as good as new with no slowdowns. Over the years the SSD is increased to 1.25TB (Apart from 1TB HDD) and RAM to 32GB.

Apart from hardware upgrades, people should try optimizing OS and use programs like Tuneup Utlities to disable unnecessary startup programs, background processes & clean up memory & cache.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/gadge...your-rigs.html (The Computer setup show-off thread. Let's see your rigs!)

I have a 2021 Acer Nitro 5 laptop with 16 gb RAM and 512 gb SSD. It runs Win 11. Want to upgrade SSD to 1 tb and RAM to 32 gb.

I see that you have upgraded. Did you get the parts and upgrade by yourself? Or did you get it done from a professional? I am in Pune.

[WindRide]

Looking for a 14" screen laptop. The below one appears to be good value on paper, but is it worth the risk? anyone knows anything about this brand?

https://www.amazon.in/Chuwi-CoreBook...%2C1010&sr=8-4

[deep_bang]

Originally Posted by WindRide

Looking for a 14" screen laptop. The below one appears to be good value on paper, but is it worth the risk? anyone knows anything about this brand?

https://www.amazon.in/Chuwi-CoreBook...%2C1010&sr=8-4

Interesting. I had never heard about this brand till now. Nevertheless, the product seems decent but if I were buying this I would expect to have some niggles and issues and expect to have to troubleshoot those myself.
Also, one of the things I have realised is that cheaper laptops have not-so-great construction and typically the product starts to fail purely due to mechanical failures - such as cracked case, or hinges get loose etc. so expect this to have a fair share of such issues and potentially without much support/parts.

In essence, if for a short term (2-3 years) and not critical work, then it's worth a risk for the price it's available at.
Otherwise would stick to big guys (hp/Lenovo/dell/Asus etc) not only for the product but also for the support that will help push the laptop to live for a decade.