Buying A 17 Inch Laptop

[JamesC]

Hi

I'd like to get a large screen laptop as a desktop replacement, however looking around pantip plaza and the IT Mall at Phra Ram 9, there don't seem to be many around. For instance, I'd quite like to look at the Dell Inspiron 17R, but it doesn't look like Dell 17 inch laptops are available in Thailand. Similarly for Samsung. There is the Lenovo G780, but not much else under 50,000 B.

I wonder if anyone has any suggestions?

As I will be going to Malaysia in a week or so, is that generally regarded as better or cheaper place to shop?

Thanks for any advice.

James

[CharlieH]

Why not get a standard laptop/netbook much cheaper and then buy a large screen. I have a netbook as a pc replacement connected to a 23 inch monitor. get the best of both worlds.

[happysanook]

Why not get a standard laptop/netbook much cheaper and then buy a large screen. I have a netbook as a pc replacement connected to a 23 inch monitor. get the best of both worlds.

the cost difference between a 14" and 17" isn't that much. in fact, the smaller LCD notebooks of similar specs are often more expensive than the larger (14"vs17"), but still this is a great suggestion if you've got the dough.

[ThaiLife]

How about this ?

From

http://www.invadeit....on-dos-p008850/

Ive used this company several times and very happy

[JamesC]

Why not get a standard laptop/netbook much cheaper and then buy a large screen. I have a netbook as a pc replacement connected to a 23 inch monitor. get the best of both worlds.

the cost difference between a 14" and 17" isn't that much. in fact, the smaller LCD notebooks of similar specs are often more expensive than the larger (14"vs17"), but still this is a great suggestion if you've got the dough.

Thanks for the good idea - but I'll be travelling around with it, so it's not really practicable to carry a separate screen.

[JamesC]

How about this ?

From

http://www.invadeit....on-dos-p008850/

Ive used this company several times and very happy

Thanks for the suggestion. The price has been reduced as the similar looking G780 is newly available with a better processor. The Lenovo seems to be one of the only choices really, but I don't like the design much!

[Murgatroyd]

One thing to bare in mind is that it won't fit into any of the hotel safes... my 15" is too big for most of them.

[Digitalbanana]

Why not get a standard laptop/netbook much cheaper and then buy a large screen. I have a netbook as a pc replacement connected to a 23 inch monitor. get the best of both worlds.

the cost difference between a 14" and 17" isn't that much. in fact, the smaller LCD notebooks of similar specs are often more expensive than the larger (14"vs17"), but still this is a great suggestion if you've got the dough.

Thanks for the good idea - but I'll be travelling around with it, so it's not really practicable to carry a separate screen.

I had the same dilemma a couple yrs ago. Wanted a big laptop to carry around so an external screen wasn't an option. Looked online Thailand, looked in Pantip and Fortune and left empty handed. Searched Amazon, and got what I wanted in five minutes from the USA. Shipped it to Thailand 5 days later and paid the 7% tax, cheaper than any smaller 14-15" models with half the specs in Pantip. YMMW.

[Jiu-Jitsu]

Why not get a standard laptop/netbook much cheaper and then buy a large screen. I have a netbook as a pc replacement connected to a 23 inch monitor. get the best of both worlds.

the cost difference between a 14" and 17" isn't that much. in fact, the smaller LCD notebooks of similar specs are often more expensive than the larger (14"vs17"), but still this is a great suggestion if you've got the dough.

Thanks for the good idea - but I'll be travelling around with it, so it's not really practicable to carry a separate screen.

I had the same dilemma a couple yrs ago. Wanted a big laptop to carry around so an external screen wasn't an option. Looked online Thailand, looked in Pantip and Fortune and left empty handed. Searched Amazon, and got what I wanted in five minutes from the USA. Shipped it to Thailand 5 days later and paid the 7% tax, cheaper than any smaller 14-15" models with half the specs in Pantip. YMMW.

Probably with a Windows 7 licence too. Also new laptops will come with the option to upgrade to Windows 8 for a small cost. Not that I am recommending Windows 8.

So I too would consider buy from the UK or USA(or similar) and perhaps investing in an extended International warranty.

[monty]

You'll definitely have better choice on Dell products in Malaysia.

I too have been looking at such laptops, not neceseraly 17" but want 1080p screen.

Sony has them at that resolution but I think only 15.6".

Fairly priced though at between 35 and 40,000 depending on cpu.

Only other brand I found was HP but at just under 60,000 way over budget...

Sent from my GT-I9001 using Thaivisa Connect App

[JakeBKK]

You'll definitely have better choice on Dell products in Malaysia.

I too have been looking at such laptops, not neceseraly 17" but want 1080p screen.

Sony has them at that resolution but I think only 15.6".

Fairly priced though at between 35 and 40,000 depending on cpu.

Only other brand I found was HP but at just under 60,000 way over budget...

Sent from my GT-I9001 using Thaivisa Connect App

If you fly with air asia ~700 tHB to KL, and you buy a descent notebook there you have a free holiday.

[JimShortz]

Thanks for the suggestion. The price has been reduced as the similar looking G780 is newly available with a better processor. The Lenovo seems to be one of the only choices really, but I don't like the design much!

It's no beauty, but the 15" version I have of this machine has proven to be a great machine during my last 6 months of full time use as a business desktop replacement.

Perhaps choosing a workhorse laptop is a bit like choosing a wife... it's what is on the inside that really matters! You could buy a great looking machine for top dollar, but then over time you may end up paying top dollar for maintenance too if things go wrong...

That Lenovo looks like a great buy for a 17". there may be a newer model with more powerful processor, and next month there will be another... but do you really need it. The specs of that second series i5 would be more than fine for 99% of people.

More power, at considerable cost, is wasted if you don't need it. Better to save the cash towards a new machine in 3 or 4 years - that will be a real step up in power, not just a small increment. Always better to be just a step or two back from the cutting edge in my opinion...

[sumrit]

My friend bought a 17" Samsung from Power Buy in Chonburi about three/four months ago for about 28,000 baht (plus the cost of installing windows 7). Can't be certain but I think it was a similar speck model to the RF711 I'd bought in England but with a core i5 processor and not the core i7 I've got. He could also have ordered one from the local Banana IT shop although they didn't have one in stock.

[craigt3365]

I've been looking at buying a new laptop also. The prices in the US are quite a bit cheaper. Congrats to the poster who bought one and only paid 7% import tax. Customs is what worries me, or I'd buy one now. Plus, if I am not mistaken, they come with a full English setup abroad. No having to deal with Thai keys or Thai language issues???

[monty]

How about this ?

From

http://www.invadeit....on-dos-p008850/

Ive used this company several times and very happy

Good value,

However I do not really see the point of a 17" screen with such low resolution (wxga, 1366 X 768)

[monty]

This Sony I think has excellent specs and in that price bracket is the only one with the Full HD screen (1920 X 1020).

http://www.sony.co.th/product/vpccb37fh?site=hp_en_TH_i

Getting the same resolution at 16.5" suddenly costs a whopping extra 20,000 Baht!

http://www.sony.co.th/product/vpcf236hg?site=hp_en_TH_i

[JakeBKK]

I've been looking at buying a new laptop also. The prices in the US are quite a bit cheaper. Congrats to the poster who bought one and only paid 7% import tax. Customs is what worries me, or I'd buy one now. Plus, if I am not mistaken, they come with a full English setup abroad. No having to deal with Thai keys or Thai language issues???

Paying only vat? That would be a first for me. I looked at a thinkpad here: 62.000 THB the us website quoted 759 $ with better components.

[FritsSikkink]

One thing to bare in mind is that it won't fit into any of the hotel safes... my 15" is too big for most of them.

Just out your laptop in your suitcase and lock that.

[JamesC]

Thanks for your replies.

#Digital Banana: that's a nice idea to get one shipped, but might not be practical for me at the moment, moving around.

#Monty & JakeBKK. Looking at the Dell Malaysia website, the only 17 inch laptops seem to be the expensive alienware. I'll have to check out the Air Asia though!

#JimShortz: good point on the internals! Good to hear that the Lenovo's been good for you. The 17inch seems to get good reviews.

#sumrit: I haven't seen any 17inch Samsungs in BKK, though. Which is a shame, because I like their low reflection screens.

#monty: I'll take another look at the Sony

cheers!

[Jiu-Jitsu]

You'll definitely have better choice on Dell products in Malaysia.

I too have been looking at such laptops, not neceseraly 17" but want 1080p screen.

Sony has them at that resolution but I think only 15.6".

Fairly priced though at between 35 and 40,000 depending on cpu.

Only other brand I found was HP but at just under 60,000 way over budget...

Sent from my GT-I9001 using Thaivisa Connect App

If you fly with air asia ~700 tHB to KL, and you buy a descent notebook there you have a free holiday.

What kind of nonsense is this? 700 baht just covers the International departure tax.

[nocturn]

How about this ?

From

http://www.invadeit....on-dos-p008850/

Ive used this company several times and very happy

Good value,

However I do not really see the point of a 17" screen with such low resolution (wxga, 1366 X 768)

this is the crux of the issue, what you want is the resolution, rather than the screen size.

i currently use a 16 in sony vaio, at 1600 by 900, and the 15.5 inch they have on the market at full 1080 is the way i would go.

there is no point to low res large screen unless you are blind as a bat. with that limited resolution you are not gaining any real estate for the increased size in form factor.

EDIT: On reading over the threads, i see sony now has the I7 out. I would go with the 15.5 for sure. the new f series 16.5 is a brick.

Edit 2: The 20K increase on price is due to a 7200 rpm hard disk, Nvidia vs AMD Graphics, Bluray vs DVD, 8 gb vs 4gb RAM.

Edit 3: there is a discrepancy between the specification page for the hard disk and the main pace on the 15.5 c series. Front page says 5400 rpm hard disk at 640 GB. spec page says 7200. i would definitely confirm before purchasing as a disk upgrade would be a minmial expense

Edited August 1, 2012 by nocturn

[BWPattaya]

There is another reason to consider buying abroad! Any laptop bought here will have a Thai keyboard. My laptop is from the UK so it only has English characters. I suspect that one purchased in Malaysia will be similar.

[BWPattaya]

One thing to bare in mind is that it won't fit into any of the hotel safes... my 15" is too big for most of them.

Just out your laptop in your suitcase and lock that.

A laptop cable lock isn't expensive, certainly better than a suitcase.

[monty]

this is the crux of the issue, what you want is the resolution, rather than the screen size.

i currently use a 16 in sony vaio, at 1600 by 900, and the 15.5 inch they have on the market at full 1080 is the way i would go.

there is no point to low res large screen unless you are blind as a bat. with that limited resolution you are not gaining any real estate for the increased size in form factor.

EDIT: On reading over the threads, i see sony now has the I7 out. I would go with the 15.5 for sure. the new f series 16.5 is a brick.

Edit 2: The 20K increase on price is due to a 7200 rpm hard disk, Nvidia vs AMD Graphics, Bluray vs DVD, 8 gb vs 4gb RAM.

Edit 3: there is a discrepancy between the specification page for the hard disk and the main pace on the 15.5 c series. Front page says 5400 rpm hard disk at 640 GB. spec page says 7200. i would definitely confirm before purchasing as a disk upgrade would be a minmial expense

It's a bit of a pity that you cannot customize the sony laptops (not that I'm aware of anyway).

I do not need a 7200 rpm HDD (would stick in a SSD if I need the performance and use the existing drive in a USB 3 enclosure for storage). No need of a Blue ray drive and no need of a fancy video card (no gaming)...

So the 15.5" full HD is the best buy and excellent price/performance IMO.

[JamesC]

I opted for the G780 (which has a 1600x900 screen) and looks a lot better now it has Windows on it rather than one of those rather unimpressive jpegs showing the specifications.

I did see a new sony S15 with a gorgeous 1900x1080 screen, though the other specs weren't so good.

Glad that's sorted!

[Bender]

this is the crux of the issue, what you want is the resolution, rather than the screen size.

i currently use a 16 in sony vaio, at 1600 by 900, and the 15.5 inch they have on the market at full 1080 is the way i would go.

there is no point to low res large screen unless you are blind as a bat. with that limited resolution you are not gaining any real estate for the increased size in form factor.

EDIT: On reading over the threads, i see sony now has the I7 out. I would go with the 15.5 for sure. the new f series 16.5 is a brick.

Edit 2: The 20K increase on price is due to a 7200 rpm hard disk, Nvidia vs AMD Graphics, Bluray vs DVD, 8 gb vs 4gb RAM.

Edit 3: there is a discrepancy between the specification page for the hard disk and the main pace on the 15.5 c series. Front page says 5400 rpm hard disk at 640 GB. spec page says 7200. i would definitely confirm before purchasing as a disk upgrade would be a minmial expense

It's a bit of a pity that you cannot customize the sony laptops (not that I'm aware of anyway).

I do not need a 7200 rpm HDD (would stick in a SSD if I need the performance and use the existing drive in a USB 3 enclosure for storage). No need of a Blue ray drive and no need of a fancy video card (no gaming)...

So the 15.5" full HD is the best buy and excellent price/performance IMO.

Agree a 15.5" full HD AND a 8 GB memory card!

Nowdays 4 gb start to become limit.

[nocturn]

this is the crux of the issue, what you want is the resolution, rather than the screen size.

i currently use a 16 in sony vaio, at 1600 by 900, and the 15.5 inch they have on the market at full 1080 is the way i would go.

there is no point to low res large screen unless you are blind as a bat. with that limited resolution you are not gaining any real estate for the increased size in form factor.

EDIT: On reading over the threads, i see sony now has the I7 out. I would go with the 15.5 for sure. the new f series 16.5 is a brick.

Edit 2: The 20K increase on price is due to a 7200 rpm hard disk, Nvidia vs AMD Graphics, Bluray vs DVD, 8 gb vs 4gb RAM.

Edit 3: there is a discrepancy between the specification page for the hard disk and the main pace on the 15.5 c series. Front page says 5400 rpm hard disk at 640 GB. spec page says 7200. i would definitely confirm before purchasing as a disk upgrade would be a minmial expense

It's a bit of a pity that you cannot customize the sony laptops (not that I'm aware of anyway).

I do not need a 7200 rpm HDD (would stick in a SSD if I need the performance and use the existing drive in a USB 3 enclosure for storage). No need of a Blue ray drive and no need of a fancy video card (no gaming)...

So the 15.5" full HD is the best buy and excellent price/performance IMO.

Agree a 15.5" full HD AND a 8 GB memory card!

Nowdays 4 gb start to become limit.

that is what i would do too. 8 gb Memory.

too bad you cant ditch the bluray and upgrade to ssd.

[bendejo]

The prices in Malaysia will not be much different than in Thailand. In Malaysia the machine they sell you will not have Thai characters on the keyboard. KL or Georgetown(Penang) would be the places to shop.

My current laptop is falling apart -- literally. Little bolts washers etc falling out, case coming apart. I'm planning on a Lenovo for the next one, saw a decent quad-core at the new IT mall in Penang.

[thaifkrlim]

prices are very different in malaysia, all dell Inspiron laptops for asian market are made In penang

[bendejo]

I've been looking at buying a new laptop also. The prices in the US are quite a bit cheaper. Congrats to the poster who bought one and only paid 7% import tax. Customs is what worries me, or I'd buy one now. Plus, if I am not mistaken, they come with a full English setup abroad. No having to deal with Thai keys or Thai language issues???

I've bought 2 laptops out here over the years, and in both cases I opted for no operating system, did my own installation. Aside from Thai characters on the keyboard language was not an issue. I always prefer to do my own installation so I know what is (or isn't) installed. I haven't looked at any of the pre-installed versions of Windows in many a year, but I remember companies liked loading up all these pesky trial versions of programs that were a real pain in the arse to remove.