connda Posted Saturday at 07:19 AM Share Posted Saturday at 07:19 AM (edited) I'm considering a new laptop. Something that can be purchased at a brick and mortar shop in Chiang Mai or Lamphun. Actually, I'm pretty ignorant regarding the advances in laptop architecture. There have been major advances in graphics and processing and the number of options and configurations are enough to make my head hurt. What I'm really ignorant about is integrated graphics in laptops. (This is off topic buy needed for comparison): For my desktop system it's pretty easy. I'm currently running Nvidia Geforce GT730 which at the time I bought this desktop was sufficient as I don't game. However, I'm starting to play with AI applications that require a minimum of 4GB VRAM powering the GPU via the graphics card (if that doesn't sound correct, again, I am ignorant about the new tech but I'm open to learning). Anyway, I need GPU power for the application(s) I may be running in the future. For my desktop is seems there are a number of Nvidea GTX series of graphic cards with upwards of 4 to 8 GB VRAM for between 3500 to 5000 THB which would fit my needs. Now - laptops. As far as I know (I may be wrong) the graphic card components in a laptop are integrated onto the motherboard? Yeah? No? And with the laptop graphic components from what I've been reading they may share memory with the CPU as opposed to having their own dedicated memory. I've looked on Lazada and it was enough to make my head hurt - too many options. Also when looking at a few of the laptops they indicated they came loaded with Android. Android? On a laptop (not a tablet)? That confuses me as well as the architecture in the description sounds as though it should run Win11 (and in my case Linux (Ubuntu)). I don't need or want a touch-screen. So I'm looking for guidance and ideas. I want a laptop which includes graphic components with a minimum of 4GB VRAM and using an Intel i5 or i7 series of processors. As this is not a gaming system I'd like to keep the price around 20K THB. And the laptop needs to be capable of running Windows 11. And it needs to be capable of running Zoom or other conferencing apps. Anyway - I'm open for suggestions. I'd prefer to buy it at a store (as opposed to Lazada or online) in case there are problems with the hardware. Shipping computers back and forth and dealing with the seller online is more hassle then I want. If things don't work as expected I want to be able to speak with the seller directly. So looking for information about suggested makes and models based on my needs. Edited Saturday at 07:21 AM by connda 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Photoguy21 Posted Saturday at 07:25 AM Share Posted Saturday at 07:25 AM What will you be using the laptop for? General emails and the like or for gaming? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
novacova Posted Saturday at 07:39 AM Share Posted Saturday at 07:39 AM Personally I’d go with a Lenovo thinkpad carbon or x14. PowerBuy carries lenovo laptops and seen them in another shop at airport central, don’t know if they have the thinkpad models there 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
connda Posted Saturday at 07:41 AM Author Share Posted Saturday at 07:41 AM Normal use Internet, writing, online conferencing, but also using Whisper AI as a transcription tool Minimum VRAM on a graphics care (GPU) needs to be 4GB. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NowNow Posted Saturday at 07:42 AM Share Posted Saturday at 07:42 AM Not a recommendation. Only an example within your budget: https://www.bnn.in.th/en/p/acer-notebook-aspire-a715-76g-52ad-black-4711121685934_rq5428 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NowNow Posted Saturday at 07:44 AM Share Posted Saturday at 07:44 AM 3 minutes ago, novacova said: Personally I’d go with a Lenovo thinkpad carbon or x14. PowerBuy carries lenovo laptops and seen them in another shop at airport central, don’t know if they have the thinkpad models there For 20k or are you just being silly? 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
novacova Posted Saturday at 07:45 AM Share Posted Saturday at 07:45 AM 20 minutes ago, connda said: the graphic card components in a laptop are integrated onto the motherboard Some are and some are not. The integrated gpu’s these days are pretty good. I have an older Lenovo t540 and a graphics module and it renders cad and mapping software pretty well, no lag. I just recently bought a Lenovo P3 desktop mini with integrated intel graphics, it’s more than enough to handle anything. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
novacova Posted Saturday at 07:48 AM Share Posted Saturday at 07:48 AM 2 minutes ago, NowNow said: For 20k or are you just being silly? No im not being silly, I stated “personally” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NowNow Posted Saturday at 07:55 AM Share Posted Saturday at 07:55 AM https://th-store.msi.com/products/msi_thin15_b13ucx-1610th Delivery should be free. If not, chat with them and they'll give you a promo code. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NowNow Posted Saturday at 07:55 AM Share Posted Saturday at 07:55 AM 7 minutes ago, novacova said: No im not being silly, I stated “personally” Not useful... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
novacova Posted Saturday at 07:57 AM Share Posted Saturday at 07:57 AM 1 minute ago, NowNow said: Not useful... 👍 not now, I’m busy 😊 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NowNow Posted Saturday at 08:01 AM Share Posted Saturday at 08:01 AM 3 minutes ago, novacova said: 👍 not now, I’m busy 😊 Busy being silly 😊 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pouatchee Posted Saturday at 08:04 AM Share Posted Saturday at 08:04 AM (edited) 56 minutes ago, connda said: I'd prefer to buy it at a store factoring that in, did you ever look at aliexpress? i know its not 'a store' and prolly many people here wont think much about my suggestion, but there are some nice options on there and fairly cheap Edited Saturday at 08:16 AM by Pouatchee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
novacova Posted Saturday at 08:09 AM Share Posted Saturday at 08:09 AM 47 minutes ago, connda said: Something that can be purchased at a brick and mortar shop in Chiang Mai or Lamphun. Another place you could check is Siam TV. You’ll just have get and do a little shopping, it’s hard telling what these shops have in stock until you get there. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Paulson Posted Saturday at 08:12 AM Share Posted Saturday at 08:12 AM Stay away from asus. 100% crap. Lenovo good 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NowNow Posted Saturday at 08:27 AM Share Posted Saturday at 08:27 AM (edited) 22 minutes ago, Pouatchee said: factoring that in, did you ever look at aliexpress? i know its not 'a store' and prolly many people here wont think much about my suggestion, but there are some nice options on there and fairly cheap ...and then no useful warranty nor after sales service. What are you thinking? 😊 Why not post one of the 'nice options' to give us a taste of what you mean? Edited Saturday at 08:28 AM by NowNow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
connda Posted Saturday at 08:30 AM Author Share Posted Saturday at 08:30 AM 17 minutes ago, novacova said: Another place you could check is Siam TV. You’ll just have get and do a little shopping, it’s hard telling what these shops have in stock until you get there. True that, but what I've attempting to do is wrap my head around configurations that fit my needs, ie, Processor, graphic setup that is in my price range. Examples are good, but if the store doesn't have a specific make/model then I'm looking for similar rigs with similar configurations. But I got to start with examples to give me an idea of what to look for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
connda Posted Saturday at 08:30 AM Author Share Posted Saturday at 08:30 AM 17 minutes ago, Robert Paulson said: Stay away from asus. 100% crap. Lenovo good Yeah we have been discussing that haven't we. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
connda Posted Saturday at 08:31 AM Author Share Posted Saturday at 08:31 AM (edited) 55 minutes ago, NowNow said: Not a recommendation. Only an example within your budget: https://www.bnn.in.th/en/p/acer-notebook-aspire-a715-76g-52ad-black-4711121685934_rq5428 Good example of what I'm looking for and at the right price. Also now I know one of the integrated graphic cards you can find in a laptop: GeForce RTX 2050 55 minutes ago, NowNow said: Not a recommendation. Only an example within your budget: https://www.bnn.in.th/en/p/acer-notebook-aspire-a715-76g-52ad-black-4711121685934_rq5428 Same here. The GeForce RTX 2050 would be a good fit. I think I may be making a trip to Chiang Mai to visit Banana Computers. They have a bunch of branches in CM. Way cool! Edited Saturday at 08:39 AM by connda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woof999 Posted Saturday at 08:57 AM Share Posted Saturday at 08:57 AM Something that you may have already considered but... If mobility is not the primary reason for you wanting a laptop, I'd personally spend most of my money on a desktop and then buy a cheap laptop if needed when I'm on the move. A laptop by its very nature brings LOTS of compromises on performance (heat being only one of them). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
connda Posted Saturday at 09:09 AM Author Share Posted Saturday at 09:09 AM 11 minutes ago, Woof999 said: Something that you may have already considered but... If mobility is not the primary reason for you wanting a laptop, I'd personally spend most of my money on a desktop and then buy a cheap laptop if needed when I'm on the move. A laptop by its very nature brings LOTS of compromises on performance (heat being only one of them). I already have a desktop. Yeah, this is about being mobile in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NowNow Posted Saturday at 09:15 AM Share Posted Saturday at 09:15 AM 4 minutes ago, connda said: I already have a desktop. Yeah, this is about being mobile in the future. Be aware that having dedicated graphics will shorten the battery duration between charges. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woof999 Posted Saturday at 09:19 AM Share Posted Saturday at 09:19 AM 2 minutes ago, connda said: I already have a desktop. Yeah, this is about being mobile in the future. In that case I'd put weight as a key factor. I bought a Dell Precision M4800 for around $7k some time ago and, while it's a fantastic piece of kit, it eats up much of any carry on allowance even without its power brick. Sat on my lap for too long and the heat and weight start to become tiresome too. Using it in bed to watch movies... even worse. Hitting your 4GB VRAM target should be pretty easy. Personally I'd give the guys at invadeit.co.th a call and see what they say. Always given me good advice. Last laptop I bought in a mall (Acer Spin something) turned out to be a piece of crap and now only plays YouTube videos via ChomeOS Flex on karaoke nights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NowNow Posted Saturday at 09:21 AM Share Posted Saturday at 09:21 AM 44 minutes ago, connda said: Good example of what I'm looking for and at the right price. Also now I know one of the integrated graphic cards you can find in a laptop: GeForce RTX 2050 Same here. The GeForce RTX 2050 would be a good fit. I think I may be making a trip to Chiang Mai to visit Banana Computers. They have a bunch of branches in CM. Way cool! When making a choice, do a little research on upgradability. How easy or difficult or impossible to upgrade RAM for example. The steps needed to replace the SSD; a simple removal of the underside or a complete disassembly. Most people don't think of those things until they need to do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
novacova Posted Saturday at 09:22 AM Share Posted Saturday at 09:22 AM 6 minutes ago, NowNow said: Be aware that having dedicated graphics will shorten the battery duration between charges. And run much hotter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneMoreFarang Posted Saturday at 09:25 AM Share Posted Saturday at 09:25 AM 2 hours ago, connda said: I'd like to keep the price around 20K THB Buy a 2nd hand ThinkPad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
novacova Posted Saturday at 09:28 AM Share Posted Saturday at 09:28 AM 53 minutes ago, connda said: True that, but what I've attempting to do is wrap my head around configurations that fit my needs, ie, Processor, graphic setup that is in my price range. Examples are good, but if the store doesn't have a specific make/model then I'm looking for similar rigs with similar configurations. But I got to start with examples to give me an idea of what to look for. Siam TV has Lenovo and HP machines that are in your price range specs. You’ll just have to plan some time to go have a look at a few shops. Bring your phone take some photos of the specs and make a decision. Ultimately you’ll have to make a decision on your own. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NowNow Posted Saturday at 09:29 AM Share Posted Saturday at 09:29 AM 3 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said: Buy a 2nd hand ThinkPad. Perhaps link to an example with 4GB of VRAM? Easy to just throw things out without much aforethought... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NowNow Posted Saturday at 09:30 AM Share Posted Saturday at 09:30 AM Just now, novacova said: Siam TV has Lenovo and HP machines that are in your price range specs. You’ll just have to plan some time to go have a look at a few shops. Bring your phone take some photos of the specs and make a decision. Ultimately you’ll have to make a decision on your own. Since you've already looked, link us to a couple in his price range specs... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
novacova Posted Saturday at 09:34 AM Share Posted Saturday at 09:34 AM 1 minute ago, NowNow said: Since you've already looked, link us to a couple in his price range specs... We were there last week, the wife was looking at laptops. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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