[prasathlr]

Hi Guys!

Need your help in choosing a laptop for my brother. He basically wants it for coding and casual gaming. I have been away from the laptop scene for almost a decade now, so totally out of touch with the market.

The budget is Rs.50k. Kindly suggest a good laptop in this range.

[Amien]

Originally Posted by Lowflyer23

Hello fellow members, I want to add an SSD without replacing the original HDD of my Asus X505ZA Ryzen 5 Vivobook.

P.S. I posted this question on hardware DIY upgrade thread too but got no response.

Selecting an M.2 SSD will allow you to retain the HDD. It looks like your laptop has only 1 upgradable RAM slot, likely populated with a 4GB module with the other 4GB soldered to the board. As such, you will only be able to upgrade with an 8GB module, which is what I would recommend.

The most common HW reasons for high fan speeds is blocked vents/dust build up and/or dried-out thermal paste on the processor heatsink. Those Ryzens are quite efficient so that's not the problem. Look up a YT video on how to replace the thermal paste or take it to a technician if you don't feel comfortable doing it yourself.

Originally Posted by deathwalkr

Greetings,

Can the parts of a 13" sony vaio laptop be salvaged and used to build a HTPC on a coolermaster elite 130 case? Or am i better off leaving it as it is?

Better off leaving it as it is. If it doesn't work in the laptop chassis, its likely not going to be worthwhile trying to make it work elsewhere.

What's wrong with it BTW?

Originally Posted by prasathlr

Hi Guys!

Need your help in choosing a laptop for my brother. He basically wants it for coding and casual gaming. I have been away from the laptop scene for almost a decade now, so totally out of touch with the market.

The budget is Rs.50k. Kindly suggest a good laptop in this range.

If your budget is flexible, this is what I would recommend:- https://amzn.to/2F5GxMs

It is possible to get something cheaper but not without taking a big hit to relative performance as you will almost certainly lose the discrete GPU.

[deathwalkr]

Originally Posted by Amien

Better off leaving it as it is. If it doesn't work in the laptop chassis, its likely not going to be worthwhile trying to make it work elsewhere.

What's wrong with it BTW?

Well, my son decided it was dirty and poured a bottle of water on it and after letting it dry out for a week or so, it did work then the display conked out and i have given it for service if at least to get the main stuff working.

It's an i5 with 4gigs of RAM

Was thinking about the HTPC route since the HDMI and Power cables would be at the back of the case unlike the laptop where it will be on the sides...

Now if the service center says no chance of getting it work, i might have to use my old amd fx processor and build a htpc from scratch...sigh

[Lowflyer23]

Originally Posted by Amien

Selecting an M.2 SSD will allow you to retain the HDD. It looks like your laptop has only 1 upgradable RAM slot, likely populated with a 4GB module with the other 4GB soldered to the board. As such, you will only be able to upgrade with an 8GB module, which is what I would recommend.

The most common HW reasons for high fan speeds is blocked vents/dust build up and/or dried-out thermal paste on the processor heatsink. Those Ryzens are quite efficient so that's not the problem. Look up a YT video on how to replace the thermal paste or take it to a technician if you don't feel comfortable doing it yourself.

So you mean I can only add an 8gb ram to the empty slot? Also the laptop is used in very clean atmospheres so I doubt the build-up of any dust, I believe it's to do something with the placement of vents.

Thanks for the inputs

[Amien]

Originally Posted by Lowflyer23

So you mean I can only add an 8gb ram to the empty slot? Also the laptop is used in very clean atmospheres so I doubt the build-up of any dust, I believe it's to do something with the placement of vents.

Thanks for the inputs

I don't think there is an empty slot. My understanding is that 4GB of RAM is soldered to the board (i.e. non-accessible) and a single user-serviceable slot is populated with a 4GB module. This means that after completing the upgrade with an 8GB module, you will still only have four more GB (for a total of 12GB, likely the maximum supported) of RAM, with a surplus 4GB stick leftover.

It could be the vents but my money is on dried-up thermal paste.

You're most welcome

[firstdrive]

Originally Posted by Amien

Pick one of the 3 on this page based on your preference:- https://nextpc.co/2020/08/09/70plus/

I am confused between the below 2 options both from lenovo:

1) Ideapad S540 14” i5- 8GB-512 SSD - approx 68k(63k with offers)
2) Yoga slim 7 14” i5-8GB-512 SSD - approx 78k(73 with offers)

Option 1 has expandable RAM whereas option 2 has better speakers,screen and fast charging.

Which one would be a better deal?
Any suggestions? Yoga series is more premium than Ideapad. But if you look at config it is really confusing!!

Another one to add would be

3) ASUS VivoBook S14 AMD Ryzen 7 4700U, 14-inch

[Amien]

Originally Posted by firstdrive

I am confused between the below 2 options both from lenovo:

1) Ideapad S540 14” i5- 8GB-512 SSD - approx 68k(63k with offers)
2) Yoga slim 7 14” i5-8GB-512 SSD - approx 78k(73 with offers)
3) ASUS VivoBook S14 AMD Ryzen 7 4700U, 14-inch

Neither 2) or 3) can be considered direct competitors. 2) Loses expandable RAM and gains nothing in return while costing you more for all the little things you mentioned. 3) Is in a different class of performance altogether and would have to be compared to, at minimum an i7+GPU alternative.

You should be looking at this instead for your No. 2 pick:- https://amzn.to/3i9LLFU

Its between that and the Ideapad. Pick the Acer for value, performance, portability and a premium build or pick the Ideapad for RAM expansion, full size display/keyboard(depending on model), HDD+SSD combo etc

[rayjaycleoful]

Hi everyone,

My dad is looking for a Laptop within ~1L
Requirements:
1. Light (1.5<KG) and 13 inches
2. Fast and durable
3. 512 SSD

Usage is light office work but we want something which will last at least 5 years.I hardly know anything about Laptops, but both of us love ThinkPads which we've used for a while now.Accordingly, we've shortlisted the base Lenovo L13 with the following additions
1. I7-10510U
2. Windows 10 Home 64
3. 16GB RAM
4. 512 SSD
5. Anti-Glare Display

• Takes the price to 98K, but I can't help but think this is a little pricey for something without a graphics card? At the same time I can't find a laptop as light and sturdy as this
• Is I7 required for background Youtube, a couple of tabs, and MS office? - Price drops by 11K if we take I5

Thanks for your support!

[NetfreakBombay]

Originally Posted by rayjaycleoful

little pricey for something without a graphics card? At the same time I can't find a laptop as light and sturdy as this

Graphics card requires additional cooling. This rules out thin + light laptops.

Originally Posted by rayjaycleoful

Is I7 required for background Youtube, a couple of tabs, and MS office? - Price drops by 11K if we take I5Thanks for your support!

For this usage : i7 / i5 wont make any difference. Since laptop is thin, i7 will not be used most of the time (laptop will reduce power supply so the CPU does not get too hot).

[rayjaycleoful]

Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay

Graphics card requires additional cooling. This rules out thin + light laptops.



For this usage : i7 / i5 wont make any difference. Since laptop is thin, i7 will not be used most of the time (laptop will reduce power supply so the CPU does not get too hot).

Thanks! Will go for the i5 then - have had pathetic experiences with 7th/8th gen i3s - they're just too slow!

[roshanvalsan]

Originally Posted by rayjaycleoful

Hi everyone,

My dad is looking for a Laptop within ~1L
Requirements:
1. Light (1.5<KG) and 13 inches
2. Fast and durable
3. 512 SSD

Usage is light office work but we want something which will last at least 5 years.I hardly know anything about Laptops, but both of us love ThinkPads which we've used for a while now.Accordingly, we've shortlisted the base Lenovo L13 with the following additions
1. I7-10510U
2. Windows 10 Home 64
3. 16GB RAM
4. 512 SSD
5. Anti-Glare Display

• Takes the price to 98K, but I can't help but think this is a little pricey for something without a graphics card? At the same time I can't find a laptop as light and sturdy as this
• Is I7 required for background Youtube, a couple of tabs, and MS office? - Price drops by 11K if we take I5

Thanks for your support!

Please take a look at Asus zenbook 14 Ryzen 5 version.
All metal build with 4500U chip which is much better than i5 chip by intel. Should come around 70k. No 3.5mm audio jack in this though.

[Abhinav_2502]

Hey BHPians

I am a student who will be going to college in the coming months for Mechanical Engineering and need some help with choosing a Laptop. Need the laptop to be sufficiently fast and performance should be good enough to get through the 4 year course. Light weight and small dimensions would be great to have as I will have a lot of travel. I don't have much of an idea on what requirements I will need for the course but from surfing online the following specifications are what I think will be apt:

• Intel 10th gen Core i5/ AMD Ryzen 5 4500U or above

• SSD storage

• 8GB RAM

Considering all this The Acer Swift 3(https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sour...9Ie1mZNvOsTXcX)felt the most VFM and fitting to my requirements.

It would be great if anyone can give their input on whether the above is sufficient or not and whether I should consider some other specifications and laptops with the above criteria. I have a budget of around 50,000-70,000 Rs.

Thanks in Advance,
Abhinav

[NetfreakBombay]

Originally Posted by Abhinav_2502

..college in the coming months for Mechanical Engineering

What would be the usage ? E.g: will you be using this for AutoCad ,
Solidworks, CATIA, Creo, NX ? If not sure, ask around from seniors (or WhatsApp / Telegram Group that might already exist for your prospective batch).

Are you planning to take electives that might require heavy computing (E.g: Solidworks)?

If any of he above is true :

1. Forget small and light
2. Look for Gaming laptops (toned down designs that you can take to class / lab) . Things to look for :
   • "H" series processors (instead of "U" processors found in light laptops)
   • Graphics card (Depends on which package you use for course)

[Turbohead]

Originally Posted by Abhinav_2502

It would be great if anyone can give their input on whether the above is sufficient or not and whether I should consider some other specifications and laptops with the above criteria. I have a budget of around 50,000-70,000 Rs.

This advise is valid only if you're seriously looking to use mechanical related softwares. For general purpose stuff, stick to regular laptops.

Mechanical engineering will include CAD, FEA and other complex softwares. If possible try getting i7 equivalent processor in AMD( as it's cheaper) and good graphics card. You should be looking at gaming laptops with sufficient cooling.

I suggest you not to buy any laptop if you have one already and wait till 2nd or 3rd year. This is when you usually begin learning such softwares. Softwares will evolve in the next 2 years and it's better to have a newer laptop then.

Truth is, unless you're working on a project like SAE Baja, Supra or other big projects/ competitions etc and that too in design/ simulation, you won't need such laptops. And you will only get a clarity on that once you join college and get into such teams.

So hold on if you can for the time being.Speaking from experience.

[Abhinav_2502]

Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay

What would be the usage ? E.g: will you be using this for AutoCad ,
Solidworks, CATIA, Creo, NX ? If not sure, ask around from seniors (or WhatsApp / Telegram Group that might already exist for your prospective batch).

Are you planning to take electives that might require heavy computing (E.g: Solidworks)?

1. Forget small and light
2. Look for Gaming laptops (toned down designs that you can take to class / lab) . Things to look for :
   • "H" series processors (instead of "U" processors found in light laptops)
   • Graphics card (Depends on which package you use for course)

Thank you so much for the input.

I am still not very sure about what programs I would require going ahead but am going to assume I will be needing one or more of the softwares you have stated.

Will keep in mind the points you have stated regarding looking at Gaming PC options.

Originally Posted by Turbohead

This advise is valid only if you're seriously looking to use mechanical related softwares. For general purpose stuff, stick to regular laptops.

Mechanical engineering will include CAD, FEA and other complex softwares. If possible try getting i7 equivalent processor in AMD( as it's cheaper) and good graphics card. You should be looking at gaming laptops with sufficient cooling.

I suggest you not to buy any laptop if you have one already and wait till 2nd or 3rd year. This is when you usually begin learning such softwares. Softwares will evolve in the next 2 years and it's better to have a newer laptop then.

Thanks a lot for that input.

So I think it's safe to assume a gaming Laptop will be the wiser choice so I was thinking of making do with a basic laptop for now and buy a better laptop by 2nd year with whatever requirements I would need then.

Originally Posted by Turbohead

Truth is, unless you're working on a project like SAE Baja, Supra or other big projects/ competitions etc and that too in design/ simulation, you won't need such laptops. And you will only get a clarity on that once you join college and get into such teams.

So hold on if you can for the time being.Speaking from experience.

Yes I do intend to join clubs and chapters for project work but don't have any idea about how and when to go about the same so I guess the best option is to wait and see what laptop would suit the needs

Thanks a lot for both the input.