What's The Best Laptop For Los?

[patsfangr]

I'm looking for some advice regarding the best laptop to use in LOS. When we relocate in April, I plan to leave my desktop PC here, and take a laptop with me as my primary PC for my new home. My desktop is a 2001 Compaq Presario 5000. It's only 30 GB, with a 1.6 Ghz processor, and 256MB of RAM. The new laptops, of course, have much more memory, power, and speed.

But I'm not very technically astute regarding PC hardware. I'm not at all sure which laptop will serve best as a primary PC, and which will operate best in Thailand. Service availability should also be considered, and, again, I have no idea about that.

Somebody here in the U.S. told me that Sony VAIO is the best. But a fairly experienced young relative in Thailand said that service is poor there for Sony, and suggested that HP would be the way to go. The guy here in the U.S. put HP far behind Sony and Dell.

So, can I please have some suggestions regarding the brand(s), AND the specific model(s) of laptop that I should buy here? Thanks!!

GR

[Firefoxx]

The more expensive brands here are Sony, Toshiba and Fujitsu. The second-tier brands are HP/Compaq, Acer, IBM, Asus. Then there are the third tier brands like Laser, Belta, etc.

Service experiences can vary, from model to model, day to day, etc. Don't believe anyone when they say that so and so is bad because of so and so reason. Mostly it's just stuff heard from other people. There are no particulary bad brands here.

You should check and see whether the notebook you're buying has an international warranty, and whether that warranty will be honored in Thailand (some local service centers don't honor int'l warranties). Sony is generally good, but it's also expensive.

If you are going to have nothing but your notebook, it should have serious power under the hood... you won't be able upgrade a lot of things: CPU, video, bus, etc. Upgrade the ram to at least 1GB, and try to get a 5400rpm harddisk (or better yet, 7200rpm, but those are usually not standard). If you're not going to travel, then size won't be an issue, so get a big screen, preferrably a clearbrite or equivalent. You should also have a DVD-writer as standard, since adding one later isn't a good idea for notebooks. The keyboard should also be comfortable enough for you.

[britmaveric]

Stay away from HP/Compaq- complete rubbish. Toshiba would be my choice Qosmio, but prob equal in price to top line Vaio. Should consider model overheating issues - since you will be in a hot environment.

[patsfangr]

The more expensive brands here are Sony, Toshiba and Fujitsu.  The second-tier brands are HP/Compaq, Acer, IBM, Asus.  Then there are the third tier brands like Laser, Belta, etc.

Service experiences can vary, from model to model, day to day, etc.  Don't believe anyone when they say that so and so is bad because of so and so reason.  Mostly it's just stuff heard from other people.  There are no particulary bad brands here.

You should check and see whether the notebook you're buying has an international warranty, and whether that warranty will be honored in Thailand (some local service centers don't honor int'l warranties).  Sony is generally good, but it's also expensive.

If you are going to have nothing but your notebook, it should have serious power under the hood... you won't be able upgrade a lot of things: CPU, video, bus, etc.  Upgrade the ram to at least 1GB, and try to get a 5400rpm harddisk (or better yet, 7200rpm, but those are usually not standard).  If you're not going to travel, then size won't be an issue, so get a big screen, preferrably a clearbrite or equivalent.  You should also have a DVD-writer as standard, since adding one later isn't a good idea for notebooks.  The keyboard should also be comfortable enough for you.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks, Firefoxx! I'm taking notes!

GR

[patsfangr]

Stay away from HP/Compaq- complete rubbish. Toshiba would be my choice Qosmio, but prob equal in price to top line Vaio. Should consider model overheating issues - since you will be in a hot environment.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks, Mav. It amazes me how inconsistent the opinions are on PCs. I have some people tell me that HP is good, and others say it's junk. I'll check around for Toshiba here in the U.S., but I think they're a little tough to find. I definitely have to buy here, and transfer some stuff from my desktop to the laptop before moving. Not to mention the fact that most people seem to agree that laptops are much more expensive there than here.

GR

[britmaveric]

Stay away from HP/Compaq- complete rubbish. Toshiba would be my choice Qosmio, but prob equal in price to top line Vaio. Should consider model overheating issues - since you will be in a hot environment.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks, Mav. It amazes me how inconsistent the opinions are on PCs. I have some people tell me that HP is good, and others say it's junk. I'll check around for Toshiba here in the U.S., but I think they're a little tough to find. I definitely have to buy here, and transfer some stuff from my desktop to the laptop before moving. Not to mention the fact that most people seem to agree that laptops are much more expensive there than here.

GR

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Try bestbuy or you can order directly from Toshiba online. I've had my Toshiba for nearly a year and not a crash yet. I've owned both compaq/hp laptops and they crashed all the time - not mention their support well was less than satisfactory.

Might try dell too - support is top notch. (my work laptop is dell) Only gripe specs seem to be lagging behind the other major players.

[Nordlys]

How about Panasonic "Toughbook"? Is it available in Thailand?

[patsfangr]

Stay away from HP/Compaq- complete rubbish. Toshiba would be my choice Qosmio, but prob equal in price to top line Vaio. Should consider model overheating issues - since you will be in a hot environment.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks, Mav. It amazes me how inconsistent the opinions are on PCs. I have some people tell me that HP is good, and others say it's junk. I'll check around for Toshiba here in the U.S., but I think they're a little tough to find. I definitely have to buy here, and transfer some stuff from my desktop to the laptop before moving. Not to mention the fact that most people seem to agree that laptops are much more expensive there than here.

GR

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Try bestbuy or you can order directly from Toshiba online. I've had my Toshiba for nearly a year and not a crash yet. I've owned both compaq/hp laptops and they crashed all the time - not mention their support well was less than satisfactory.

Might try dell too - support is top notch. (my work laptop is dell) Only gripe specs seem to be lagging behind the other major players.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks again. I have a BestBuy near my home here. I'll check it out this weekend for Toshiba, and compare to net pricing.

GR

[cobra]

Like anything else, you get what you pay for,

A few considerations:

Are you going to be wi-fi intensive, if so, think long batt life,

(mobile Centrino processor),

Will you be carrying this thing around a lot ?, if so the lighter the better,

(5 to 8 pounds doesn't sound like a lot until you've been carrying a few hours),

Doing any graphics or media editing ? P4 Proc or AMD XT, load the RAM out to max,

Worried about losing or getting same stolen ?, get the cheapest piece of crap you can find, essentially it'll just be an email machine and storage to download mem sticks from you dig cam, etc.

I've been traveling with a lap all over the LOS and other for years, never had a problem, I have a Panasonic Toughbook, (can be dropped with the display open from a ladder and still function, but it's one heavy muther fuc..)

Nothing like catching up on mail or surfing by the surf, (wi-fi hot zone, across from StarBucks in Pattaya, extends all the way to the beach),

Good luck and enjoy your upcoming,

[patsfangr]

Like anything else, you get what you pay for,

A few considerations:

Are you going to be wi-fi intensive, if so, think long batt life,

(mobile Centrino processor),

Will you be carrying this thing around a lot ?, if so the lighter the better,

(5 to 8 pounds doesn't sound like a lot until you've been carrying a few hours), 

Doing any graphics or media editing ? P4 Proc or AMD XT, load the RAM out to max,

Worried about losing or getting same stolen ?,  get the cheapest piece of crap you can find, essentially it'll just be an email machine and storage to download mem sticks from you dig cam, etc.

I've been traveling with a lap all over the LOS and other for years, never had a problem, I have a Panasonic Toughbook, (can be dropped with the display open from a ladder and still function, but it's one heavy muther fuc..)

Nothing like catching up on mail or surfing by the surf, (wi-fi hot zone, across from StarBucks in Pattaya, extends all the way to the beach),   

Good luck and enjoy your upcoming, 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks, Cobra. I will not be into heavy graphics or media editing. I'm really not a computer nerd at all. I'll just be using it for some game playing, DVDs/CDs, relatively routine web surfing, and email. I'm thinking that I can probably satisfy my level of need for something under $2K. I'm just concerned about what I should look for in terms of the tech specs, like wireless features, processor speed, and other items that are possibly not even in my "PCs for Dummies" vocabulary!

GR

[terdsak_12]

I bought a Compaq Presario the other day, 1.5GHz Pentium, 40GB, 256MB RAM which I upped to 700MB or so, DVD/CD-RW, a bit on the large side compared to some of the fancier ones out there. Cost me 36K all in with the extra RAM, speedy machine, fine for what I need it for.

[Gary A]

I have no idea how the new laptops are but I have had an IBM Thinkpad for about 7 years. It has NEVER missed a lick and is still going strong. By contrast my friends have had different brands including a no name piece of crap the has been down more than up. If/when I buy another it will be an IBM. That old IBM has been used and abused and never a problem. OOPS, I have replaced the hard drive but no other problems.

[Amethyst]

Do not go for Belta or Laser their Customer service are down the drain...It takes them 2 weeks to change your RAM....And they do not have any international waranty....

If you want to buy a laptop in LOS make sure they offer you a 3 years international warranty...

[terdsak_12]

I bought my new laptop as the Bleta I had for the past 2 years died on me and figured no point in getting it fixed.

[Khutan]

Stay away from HP/Compaq- complete rubbish.<snip>

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thats your opinion. I have a Compaq nc6000, and it is brilliant. From High end video, Wireless and bluetooth, burning DVD's and it is rock solid.

HP Service (particularly after you drop a printer) is very good as well. When you buy a product, rememeber the service aspect as well.

If you look at the history of the company and some of the litigation against Toshiba and Fujitsu, as an IT industry person, I could never buy a Toshiba or a Fujitsu computer product.

[terdsak_12]

When I bought my notebook from my regular computer shop at Seri Centre, they recommended the Compaq over more expensive Acer and other models.

[Firefoxx]

In my line of work, I see a great number of notebooks (and computers) from various manufacturers. So far, the track record for NO MANUFACTURER has been particularly bad or good. I've seen various problems with all manufacturers, you name it, there's been a BIG problem with it. The great and expensive brands (Sony, Toshiba, IBM, Fujitsu, etc) have as many problems as the other brands. This is why I say you can't judge a notebook by its manufacturer, it's just not rational. It's also why you'll see one person trashing one brand while another person will praise that brand... I say it's marketing doing its job, making people think that the brand is the product. It's not. Scarce few of these brands actually manufacture the notebooks themselves.

One thing to note is that Dell doesn't have a very strong consumer presence here. Its corporate business is doing well, but it's not easy for the average Joe to deal with Dell Thailand.

[monty]

If at all possible I would refrain from buying a laptop. It's easy to take along your data alone on an external hard drive between Thailand and the US.

Laptops are expensive, less reliable compared to desktops (compactness and heat issues), difficult to get serviced and close to impossible to upgrade.

A laptop only shines in portability, so in my opinion it's only for people who will travel a lot and really need the pc to go along, not just the data.

They do have a certain attraction to people, they're shiny, flashy, heck I have one myself and it hasn't left the desk it's standing on yet

It's so easy to buy a regular PC in Pattaya now, you just go to the TukCom shopping mall, choose your specs, and the friendly technicians will have it assembled in a couple of hours at no extra charge!

Feel the need for a different graphics card, just buy one and pop it in! (or bring the box to the shop and they'll pop it in for you, again free of charge!)

[The Gentleman Scamp]

Apparently there's no such thing as a dis-satisfied Apple Mac owner.

[andyfletch]

I'm using an Acer:

Acer Notebook Aspire 1692WLMi (Standard), Intel Centrino Mobile Technology Intel Pentium M 740 (1.73 GHz/2 MB L2 cache/533 MHz FSB), 512 MB, 80GB, DVD-Dual Double Layer Drive / 4-in-1 Card Reader, Windows XP Home, 15.4” WXGA Acer CrystalBrite TFT LCD/ S-Video Out

Bought it new in LoS 3 months ago................so far no probs........only upgrade has been from XP Home to XP Pro.

Also note that for windows updates you now need a legal copy of windows on your m/c. Microsoft have a new online validation procedure!!

Have a look at : www.pantipprice.com

Happy hunting

[yeti]

One thing to note is that Dell doesn't have a very strong consumer presence here.  Its corporate business is doing well, but it's not easy for the average Joe to deal with Dell Thailand.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The average Joe will have to deal with Dell Malaysia, as Dell doesn't have anything here for home users...

[RDN]

I'm using an Acer:

Acer Notebook Aspire 1692WLMi (Standard), Intel Centrino Mobile Technology Intel Pentium M 740 (1.73 GHz/2 MB L2 cache/533 MHz FSB), 512 MB, 80GB, DVD-Dual Double Layer Drive / 4-in-1 Card Reader, Windows XP Home, 15.4” WXGA Acer CrystalBrite TFT LCD/ S-Video Out       

Bought it new in LoS 3 months ago................so far no probs........only upgrade has been from XP Home to XP Pro.

Also note that for windows updates you now need a legal copy of windows on your m/c. Microsoft have a new online validation procedure!!

Have a look at : www.pantipprice.com

Happy hunting

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I bought an Acer TravelMate 4603 WLMI from Data IT in Pantip. About the same spec as yours, but M 750 processor at 1.8 GHz and XP Pro came as standard. It's got Bluetooth too, but I haven't used it yet! I added an extra 256 MB RAM to get it to 768 total. Runs like a dream, no problems so far.

I bought it on recommendation of a mate who has a year older model. He's had no problems either.

[RDN]

One thing to note is that Dell doesn't have a very strong consumer presence here.  Its corporate business is doing well, but it's not easy for the average Joe to deal with Dell Thailand.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The average Joe will have to deal with Dell Malaysia, as Dell doesn't have anything here for home users...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm quite average. Do you want the Dell Support number in Bangkok?

[Firefoxx]

Dell *does* support. The thing is, it's undeniable that Dell doesn't really care much for the consumer market in Thailand. Look at some of the responses from people who've wanted to buy anything from Dell Thailand without a corporate account, and you'd see that Dell's only going for the big accounts. If you can actually manage to buy a computer from them, great. They do support visits, since that's about the only thing they'll do. They're still based in Malaysia, with only a small presence here, again, mainly to support corporate accounts. Their prices aren't that great, so I can only wonder where all that extra cash they're getting is being used in.

Look at their website for Thailand. They give 1-800 numbers... right. They also give a choice of two numbers... one for companies with more than 1000 employees, one for companies with less than 1000. Where does the consumer fit in?

Other companies, on the other hand, have notebooks that can be bought at most IT centers, with service centers all around the country. If you have a problem, you can also go to the stop you bought it from... at least more of an option than with Dell.

[baht&sold]

I bought an Acer TravelMate 4603 WLMI from Data IT in Pantip. About the same spec as yours, but M 750 processor at 1.8 GHz and XP Pro came as standard. It's got Bluetooth too, but I haven't used it yet! I added an extra 256 MB RAM to get it to 768 total. Runs like a dream, no problems so far.

I bought it on recommendation of a mate who has a year older model. He's had no problems either.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Just like to add my thumbs up for Acer, similar model, bought at Pantip, Data It as well. It's not 'pretty' like some others but it's a real workhorse. At the same time, a friend bought a similar spec Compaq (runs extremely hot for some reason) and has been back to the shop twice thus far.

After going laptop, can't imagine going back to desk top as a primary PC.

[stumonster]

Apparently there's no such thing as a dis-satisfied Apple Mac owner.

there is only apple fanboi's

you do need to decide if a laptop is needed , because powerful desktops are not expensive.

a basic machine with built in wifi might be all you want ( but as much ram as you can put in it ) and then its pretty easy to just network to the desktop at home when you need to burn a DVD or something.

I travel with a 5-6 year old dell ( pIII mobile 600 ) and it does fine for the basics.

[francois]

hi'

Dell have great offers these days

and support is worldwide and efficient as their laptop

go for a Dell, you won't be disapointed

francois

[yeti]

One thing to note is that Dell doesn't have a very strong consumer presence here.  Its corporate business is doing well, but it's not easy for the average Joe to deal with Dell Thailand.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The average Joe will have to deal with Dell Malaysia, as Dell doesn't have anything here for home users...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm quite average. Do you want the Dell Support number in Bangkok?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks, I have it already.

When I made a price enquiry last year (it may have changed since) I was told that the support would be provided by Dell Malaysia (via a toll free number in thailand), and that in case of problems I would have to send the computer back in Malaysia.

Maybe it has changed, maybe the person answering me didn't know what she was talking about, maybe...

[Firefoxx]

From my experience with Dell, the support *is* based in Malaysia, and calls go to Malaysia. However, they have support personnel in Thailand to make service calls, and they can fix some problems. However, this was with a *very* large corporate account, I can't vouch for how they would treat a individual buyer's call, but I seem to recall that some other TV member said that he received similar service. The fact that they don't actually have a presence in Thailand can lead to the scenario of having to send the computer to Malaysia (lack of parts, personnel, etc).

I just can't support buying stuff from a company that won't invest in service centers here. Even the corporate customer thought that it was absurd.

[simey]

You can get an extended warranty with the Dell, next business day onsite support. Then call them and let them deal with it.

I've got two Dells, an Inspiron 8600 and an XPS GEN 2. The XPS runs so quickly it's hard to get into the bios settings when it starts up, and is very well made with a sturdy chassis and good sound. Expensive, but a lot of fun and very eye catching with all the LEDs on.