Help me buy a Laptop computer

[Bruno123]

16 minutes ago, sirineou said:

I see a lot of 15 inch Acer aspire  but they all have 4 GB  RAM . Is the RAM in the aspires upgradable?

 

Yes; upgradeable, though not always easy access. You have easy access now to the current one; though not so easy to put it all back together. ????

 

It's hard for me to get excited by the laptop about which you enquire. CPU is already two generations behind and everything else about the device is either old and outdated or just poor spec. 

Older CPU

Narrow viewing angle screen

VGA quality webcam

2 Cell battery

Old Bluetooth version

 

15.6", slightly updated version: https://www.lazada.co.th/products/spec-ictacer-notebook-aspire-5-a515-45-r8jx-nxa84st002-amd-ryzen-5-5500uram-8gbssd-512gbradeon-rx-vega-7156fhdwindows-10-homepure-silverwarranty2years-i2824607017-s10300122674.html

 

 

[Bruno123]

Spec sheets in case they mean something to you; for the purpose of comparison.

 

Your selection: https://store.acer.com/th-th/aspire-3-a314-22-r3z9-black

 

 

15.6" https://store.acer.com/th-th/laptops/notebook-aspire-5-a515-45-r8jx-pure-silver Though of course, at 19k, is above your budget. 

 

[balo]

Yes you can upgrade the ram in most laptops.  But sometimes it can be tricky to install.
I helped a friend of mine to upgrade a cheap laptop from 4gb to 12 gb .  I had to remove the motherboard and turn it upside down to install the ram.  I found an instruction video on Youtube lol, still struggled.

Sometimes you wonder if they do it on purpose so they can sell newer models.  

 

[Bruno123]

2 hours ago, sirineou said:

or Ok just a few scratches ,do you all think I could buff it out?

This is the label to show what I had

I can't see how many gigabytes of RAM I had,I think 4 .I was told that I should get at least 8 megabytes so that I am ready for win11 .is RAM in an Acer upgradable ? Because all I see is 4 megabits RAM machines.Is the RAM in the a card upgradable? 

I saw this Acer on lazada, what do you all think ,sorry for the link I am working on an Android tablet and I don't know how to take a screen shot

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/acer-notebook-laptop-aspire-a314-22-r3z9-14-fhd-ryzen-5-3500u-8gb-512gb-win10-2y-i1474304251-s3871656811.html?spm=a2o4m.searchlist.list.21.4acf7bd2t937Hu&search=

 

If you are looking for an upgraded model of the one that fell against the wall; this is it: https://www.lazada.co.th/products/new0acer-notebookaspire-a315-58g-324et001-nxadust001-i3-1115g44gb512gb-ssdgeforce-mx350-2gb156fhdwin10homepure-silver2-years-i2539459162-s9033620139.html

 

 

[Bruno123]

2 hours ago, sirineou said:

or Ok just a few scratches ,do you all think I could buff it out?

This is the label to show what I had

I can't see how many gigabytes of RAM I had,I think 4 .I was told that I should get at least 8 megabytes so that I am ready for win11 .is RAM in an Acer upgradable ? Because all I see is 4 megabits RAM machines.Is the RAM in the a card upgradable? 

I saw this Acer on lazada, what do you all think ,sorry for the link I am working on an Android tablet and I don't know how to take a screen shot

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/acer-notebook-laptop-aspire-a314-22-r3z9-14-fhd-ryzen-5-3500u-8gb-512gb-win10-2y-i1474304251-s3871656811.html?spm=a2o4m.searchlist.list.21.4acf7bd2t937Hu&search=

 

I'd like to take this time to ensure that you know that ACER have a reasonable fixed fee for service for out of warranty devices. 400 baht + VAT is what I used to pay. Of course if you need/needed parts, you could get them yourself and they will fit them for you.

 

You have an ACER Service Centre in Khon Kaen here

 

Though I don't think they will be able to put your laptop together for that price.

 

Don't focus on the RAM since it is easily upgradeable. Cost of RAM(from 650 for 4 GB and from 1300 for 8 GB) plus 428 baht. That will get you 8GB  or 12GB in total, respectively. Since ACER will do the work, it shouldn't affect the device warranty.

 

So concern yourself with the fixed specification that cannot be changed.

Edited November 10, 2021 by Bruno123

[sirineou]

8 hours ago, Bruno123 said:

I'd like to take this time to ensure that you know that ACER have a reasonable fixed fee for service for out of warranty devices. 400 baht + VAT is what I used to pay. Of course if you need/needed parts, you could get them yourself and they will fit them for you.

 

You have an ACER Service Centre in Khon Kaen here

 

Though I don't think they will be able to put your laptop together for that price.

 

Don't focus on the RAM since it is easily upgradeable. Cost of RAM(from 650 for 4 GB and from 1300 for 8 GB) plus 428 baht. That will get you 8GB  or 12GB in total, respectively. Since ACER will do the work, it shouldn't affect the device warranty.

 

So concern yourself with the fixed specification that cannot be changed.

Yes I don't think all the king's horses and all the kings man will be able to put this Humpty Dumpty together again ???? and I don't think I could pass it on as a warranty issue. You think I should try? ???? it would be fun to do just to see their faces LOL

Anyway ,I will take a ride to the mall later today and see what kind of deals they have  thete, I would much rather buy it local if I can,. To support the local economy,that is suffering right now, and a lot easier to deal with problems if I had one,. Also if I found a 4 GB  machine that was a good deal. They might be able to upgrade the RAM for me for a fee. Or I could take it to the Acer service center as you said and have it done there 

Thank you again for your advice ????

[ronster]

Would recommend Asus. Bought a display model from powerbuy at almost half price as it hardly had been touched . You can get decent Asus laptops and notebooks on lazada with pretty good specs from 13-17000bht . Just a case of looking through buyer reviews ,if they have an actual shop or store they sell from etc to find best seller. 

[wombat]

IMHO...a Mac.

[Old Croc]

14 hours ago, Bruno123 said:

15 hours ago, olfu said:

I have multiple laptops mostly Acer 17 inch, some of them bought used. Depending on your age and travel habits you might consider Acer Swift 3 14 inch weight only 2.6 pounds but cost 700$. There are no more cheep laptops but basic laptop you can find for 300$. I use laptop to watch movies and travel with 4K benq projector so you can use 14 inch laptop with HDMI.

But with limited budget I recommend Acer 17 inch.

Expand  

This is Thailand; they use Baht.

You post is confusing and contradictory.

Thailand also uses kilograms for weight.

[jippytum]

17 hours ago, Moonlover said:

I've been an Acer Aspire fan since as early as 2004 when I bought my first one in the UK. I hauled that one around China for a year then on to Egypt and was still going strong 10 years later when I decided was time to replace it. It was beginning to show its age and was it was getting short of memory what with all the upgrades over the years.

 

And the second Acer is the one right in front of me now, bought in 2012 and has been totally reliable. And when its time comes, it will be an Acer once again.

 

 

I agree and also like the fact Acer  have a long guarantee and good service centers   locally

[Grusa]

I am extremely happy with my Asus, replacing a top-of the range Sony that is dying of old age and software bloat. It has better specs and weighs much less, only downside it doesn't have a disk drive.

[placnx]

15 hours ago, sirineou said:

or Ok just a few scratches ,do you all think I could buff it out?

This is the label to show what I had

I can't see how many gigabytes of RAM I had,I think 4 .I was told that I should get at least 8 megabytes so that I am ready for win11 .is RAM in an Acer upgradable ? Because all I see is 4 megabits RAM machines.Is the RAM in the a card upgradable? 

I saw this Acer on lazada, what do you all think ,sorry for the link I am working on an Android tablet and I don't know how to take a screen shot

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/acer-notebook-laptop-aspire-a314-22-r3z9-14-fhd-ryzen-5-3500u-8gb-512gb-win10-2y-i1474304251-s3871656811.html?spm=a2o4m.searchlist.list.21.4acf7bd2t937Hu&search=

 

Eventually, if you have some specific alternatives in mind, perhaps you could download manuals beforehand to check the SSD specs. I have gone through two Windows corruption episodes. The first time I ended up losing data because Windows backup didn't work. So the second time I got an enclosure to turn the SSD into an external disk and then installed a much bigger SSD to upgrade the laptop. So all existing data was saved on the old SSD as an external drive.

 

You might check what kind/type of SSD is in any prospective purchase. Then you can get an enclosure that matches when you buy the computer. See whether the SSD is NVMe with M.2 interface. Avoid AHCI.

https://sea.pcmag.com/ssd/36363/the-best-internal-ssd-for-2020

[KhunLA]

15k isn't going to get you much spec wise, though you apparently don't need.

One recommended already, just over your budget, so here's one just under your budget:

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/notebook-acer-aspire-3-a315-23-r1x0-i2440517619-s8455369027.html?exlaz=d_1:mm_150050845_51350205_2010350205::12:12654756915!117524295342!!!pla-294682000766!c!294682000766!8455369027!295613728&gclid=Cj0KCQiA-K2MBhC-ARIsAMtLKRvW8J81nYXeneFsYAZSS0lpPQlztaNBHYep1A1EVPgYbHSBSfncf5AaAke-EALw_wcB

 

[placnx]

9 minutes ago, Grusa said:

I am extremely happy with my Asus, replacing a top-of the range Sony that is dying of old age and software bloat. It has better specs and weighs much less, only downside it doesn't have a disk drive.

I have a SONY Vaio and discovered that the installed SSD was transitional technology - PCI Express with AHCI interface. I could only replace this with a SATA SSD since that type of SSD technology (PCIe - AHCI) is not available anymore. SATA SSD is slower.

[Bruno123]

35 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

15k isn't going to get you much spec wise, though you apparently don't need.

One recommended already, just over your budget, so here's one just under your budget:

https://www.lazada.co.th/products/notebook-acer-aspire-3-a315-23-r1x0-i2440517619-s8455369027.html?exlaz=d_1:mm_150050845_51350205_2010350205::12:12654756915!117524295342!!!pla-294682000766!c!294682000766!8455369027!295613728&gclid=Cj0KCQiA-K2MBhC-ARIsAMtLKRvW8J81nYXeneFsYAZSS0lpPQlztaNBHYep1A1EVPgYbHSBSfncf5AaAke-EALw_wcB

 

 

Try it without the Tracking: https://www.lazada.co.th/products/notebook-acer-aspire-3-a315-23-r1x0-i2440517619-s8455369027.html

 

Really scraping the barrel with that CPU. We don't want it to slip and fall against the wall again.

[Saanim]

Wondering what advice will come up when asking some 1,000 members using their some 100 laptop types ????   

[Tropposurfer]

The choice is endless. I use MacBook Pro and Mac desktop ... I used Windows based machines in all the clinics (and their laptops when mobile) I worked in e.g. Dell, Acer, Apricot, HP, Toshiba etc etc.

If you want beauty AND power I believe HP make a high-end model thats very good, The Microsoft brand machines are also rave reviewed. Toshiba make very durable, tough, reliable machines. As for architecture; now that I have owned laser-cut solid aluminium bodied Macbooks for about 15 years when I handle plastic body machines I just shake my head at how flimsy and ugly they are by comparison.

[robblok]

19 minutes ago, Saanim said:

Wondering what advice will come up when asking some 1,000 members using their some 100 laptop types ????   

For me its not about brand but what is in it its specifications. The processor, the vga card, screen size, the internal memory, ssd or not operating system. Then of course it depends on use. I doubt there are many bad laptops around so its best to compare specs

[Bruno123]

Specifically designed for the OP: https://na.panasonic.com/us/computers-tablets-handhelds/computers/laptops/toughbook-55???? 

[Bruno123]

5 hours ago, sirineou said:

Yes I don't think all the king's horses and all the kings man will be able to put this Humpty Dumpty together again ???? and I don't think I could pass it on as a warranty issue. You think I should try? ???? it would be fun to do just to see their faces LOL

Anyway ,I will take a ride to the mall later today and see what kind of deals they have  thete, I would much rather buy it local if I can,. To support the local economy,that is suffering right now, and a lot easier to deal with problems if I had one,. Also if I found a 4 GB  machine that was a good deal. They might be able to upgrade the RAM for me for a fee. Or I could take it to the Acer service center as you said and have it done there 

Thank you again for your advice ????

 

Be careful. In person you can get blinded by the shiny gadgets and lose sight of the important detail.

So take the full model numbers of devices of which you like the look, for us to pore over, before you hand the cash over.

 

Let go of the old fashioned idea of better service from a local shop. If you buy ACER, you will have the service centre at hand anyway. Plus some warranties are 'on-site' anyway. So

they can visit you if there is a problem. 

 

 

DELL, for instance, will have on-site warranties.

 

Cheaper models, even with a smaller screen, might be fine. For instance, the CPU in the under 15k ACER is similar to the one in your current laptop. The main difference is that the new has an SSD. So it will be faster than the old one(when it was working). But then you could have achieved the same effect by placing a 600 baht SSD in to the old one. So hardly an upgrade and not at all future-proofed.

 

So you could conceivably buy one such, as suggested earlier; https://store.acer.com/th-th/laptops/notebook-aspire-3-a315-23-r1x0-black with a 3 year warranty and spend 650/1300 baht on a 4/8GB RAM module and get it fitted at the ACER service centre. 

 

Under 15k with up to 12 GB of RAM and a 512 GB SSD. But I'm concerned that the CPU may become a frustration to you in the future. ????

[poohy]

21 hours ago, Moonlover said:

And the second Acer is the one right in front of me now, bought in 2012 and has been totally reliable. And when its time comes, it will be an Acer once again.

same here they are workhorse's 

[Two Plus Two]

I bought a new Huawei last month.

I didn't need anything high end, just basic office functions, internet browsing and media-playing with a biggish screen.

While it does all that, it does have a kind of cheap, tinny feel to it, the speakers aren't that good and the battery life is poor, so if those things matter I wouldn't be recommending it.

[berrec]

Personally, I am sold on Dell had a couple of Latitudes for 10 years and they have not missed a beat….hammer one of them 8 to 10 hours a day for the last decade..

 

Had a few other well-known brands (not Acer) and they have been a bad investment.

 

My suggestions go to the Dell Website

 

 https://www.dell.com/en-th/shop/scc/sc/laptops

 

Which Dell is right for you? Configurator.

 

Configure specs on what you think you require and price, then shop around.

 

Try to buy from a local supplier in case you need to have any work done under warranty.  

[sirineou]

Thank you all for your help, I could not have done it without you. ????

Indeed as poohy and others have  said , the acer is a workhorse, I had my other one , I dont remember how long. certainly longer than 10 years, and if it wasn't for those hard Thai walls , I might have dad it for another 10. 

It was such a good notebook computer , I went and got another one , only I upgraded to a faster Processor (AMD Ryzen 5 5500U with Radeon Graphics  2.10 GHz ) more RAM (8 GB) and an SSD 500 plus GB drive, (before I had an optical HD) 

I got  a back lighted keyboard , that I also had on my last one, because I am an early riser and while the wife is still sleeping,  I like to log on and see what kind of trouble you all were causing while I was sleeping. ????

I am writing this on the new laptop

The whole kit was 19,900. so I can tell the wife I got it all for less that 20K LOL,I could have got it for 1,000 bht less on Lazada but I would have to wait 4 days and if there was anything wrong I would rather deal with a local shop, 

Unfortunately we were not able to recover the Hard drive from the other computer , because the wall was not very kind to it and the place where you plug in was bend. I will take it to a computer repair shop and see if they are able to do anything. 

All of my pictures are on the cloud, and I have to check and see if any of my other files are on it also. 

Anyway, Thank you all again. I really appreciate all the help and kind words.???? 

 

[KhunLA]

this by chance:

https://store.acer.com/th-th/laptops?processor_type=2857

[Kwasaki]

I find threads like this are much the same as what is the best car to have in Thailand. ????

[Mavideol]

1 hour ago, berrec said:

Personally, I am sold on Dell had a couple of Latitudes for 10 years and they have not missed a beat….hammer one of them 8 to 10 hours a day for the last decade..

 

Had a few other well-known brands (not Acer) and they have been a bad investment.

 

My suggestions go to the Dell Website

 

 https://www.dell.com/en-th/shop/scc/sc/laptops

 

Which Dell is right for you? Configurator.

 

Configure specs on what you think you require and price, then shop around.

 

Try to buy from a local supplier in case you need to have any work done under warranty.  

that's 2 of us but my preferences are with the Vostro Laptop models and their service is top notch

[sirineou]

1 hour ago, KhunLA said:

this by chance:

https://store.acer.com/th-th/laptops?processor_type=2857

Sure looks like it. 

56 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

I find threads like this are much the same as what is the best car to have in Thailand. ????

This is not what this thread is , or is supposed to be, 

I Had my last laptop for a long time, and really had not kept up with the computer market, So I had no idea what would be an adequate processor. or how much RAM I would need, is RAM upgradable in the computers I was interested, What type and size of Hard drive should I be looking at.

I posted what my requirements were, and and what I had before that was working for me, and I asked for others to help me find something that would work foe me at my budget,

As it is they stopped  me from making a couple f mistakes. One was that one of the Machine I was looking at had too small a Hard Drive. and Two that instead of 4 GB RAM I should be looking for 8 GB because 4BG might be inadequate for Win11. 

All and all a very helpful thread form me   

I cant thank you all enough, ????

[sirineou]

2 hours ago, sirineou said:

Unfortunately we were not able to recover the Hard drive from the other computer , because the wall was not very kind to it and the place where you plug in was bend. I will take it to a computer repair shop and see if they are able to do anything. 

Update,

No need to recover the Hard Drive. all my documents and picture files were backed up on my cloud drive, I have downloaded all of my documents back on my computer HD, and I am downloading my pictures in smaller batches as the files are much bigger. I am almost done. 

A cloud account is money well spend IMO.

[Bruno123]

10 hours ago, sirineou said:

Thank you all for your help, I could not have done it without you. ????

Indeed as poohy and others have  said , the acer is a workhorse, I had my other one , I dont remember how long. certainly longer than 10 years, and if it wasn't for those hard Thai walls , I might have dad it for another 10. 

It was such a good notebook computer , I went and got another one , only I upgraded to a faster Processor (AMD Ryzen 5 5500U with Radeon Graphics  2.10 GHz ) more RAM (8 GB) and an SSD 500 plus GB drive, (before I had an optical HD) 

I got  a back lighted keyboard , that I also had on my last one, because I am an early riser and while the wife is still sleeping,  I like to log on and see what kind of trouble you all were causing while I was sleeping. ????

I am writing this on the new laptop

The whole kit was 19,900. so I can tell the wife I got it all for less that 20K LOL,I could have got it for 1,000 bht less on Lazada but I would have to wait 4 days and if there was anything wrong I would rather deal with a local shop, 

Unfortunately we were not able to recover the Hard drive from the other computer , because the wall was not very kind to it and the place where you plug in was bend. I will take it to a computer repair shop and see if they are able to do anything. 

All of my pictures are on the cloud, and I have to check and see if any of my other files are on it also. 

Anyway, Thank you all again. I really appreciate all the help and kind words.???? 

 

 

10 hours ago, sirineou said:

Thank you all for your help, I could not have done it without you. ????

Indeed as poohy and others have  said , the acer is a workhorse, I had my other one , I dont remember how long. certainly longer than 10 years, and if it wasn't for those hard Thai walls , I might have dad it for another 10. 

It was such a good notebook computer , I went and got another one , only I upgraded to a faster Processor (AMD Ryzen 5 5500U with Radeon Graphics  2.10 GHz ) more RAM (8 GB) and an SSD 500 plus GB drive, (before I had an optical HD) 

I got  a back lighted keyboard , that I also had on my last one, because I am an early riser and while the wife is still sleeping,  I like to log on and see what kind of trouble you all were causing while I was sleeping. ????

I am writing this on the new laptop

The whole kit was 19,900. so I can tell the wife I got it all for less that 20K LOL,I could have got it for 1,000 bht less on Lazada but I would have to wait 4 days and if there was anything wrong I would rather deal with a local shop, 

Unfortunately we were not able to recover the Hard drive from the other computer , because the wall was not very kind to it and the place where you plug in was bend. I will take it to a computer repair shop and see if they are able to do anything. 

All of my pictures are on the cloud, and I have to check and see if any of my other files are on it also. 

Anyway, Thank you all again. I really appreciate all the help and kind words.???? 

 

The one I posted earlier that we thought was outside your budget: https://store.acer.com/th-th/laptops/notebook-aspire-5-a515-45-r8jx-pure-silver

 

I was going to suggest to you that if you buy direct from ACER that you would get an extra year of warranty; to three years. Though since you wrote that you wanted to support the local community, I didn't want to put something in your way. 

So now here just for thread information.