What Laptop Should I Buy ?

[sunholidaysun1]

I have always had a tower Pcat home , when I travel I tend to just go to an Icafe rather than have to carry about a laptop with me along with all my other luggage . However, as my home pc is now 11 years old and falling apart , can anyone advise me on what laptop to buy as I will try a laptop for a change ..

I only used my tower pc for basic internet use and mail but would like to connect somehow to my Tv if possible as I like to watch online movies . I am not an expert in computers , so any advise would be appreciated .

Thanks

Sun

[CharlieH]

Price ? Features ? Must haves?, so many questions before you can even start.

Try googling best laptop.

[TobiasML]

Hi Sun,

If you want it only for basic e-mail and a bit of internet every Laptop will do.

Due to you would like to watch movies then you should get a laptop with an HDMI access and a better graphic card.

Best for this, in my opinion, is ACER or ASUS.

Better are DELL or Lenovo if you want something really solid.

Myself I have switched since years to MAC and would always recommend it but it is a pricey option just for e-mails and internet.

[JSixpack]

Anything but Acer.

Check Linux compatibility of the model first. You might find yourself wanting Linux someday--I did.

[sunholidaysun1]

Many thanks for your input so far . I am still none the wiser really , just goes to show that teaching this old dog new tricks isnt such a good thing . I have looked on some sites with the top ten of laptops but its all gargon to me and have no idea really what its all about . One thing that did stand out though was as Tobias has said , all laptops will do what I need but that bit of information about HDMI and Good Graphics for watching Tv, I will make note of, also about Linux ? from Jsixpack.

I am not sure how to find out what I have on my Pc that I have now , eg hard drive, ram etc but I do know it has a pentium3 processor .

what size hard drive , ram , processor etc should I get ? Will I have to buy windows 7 or 8 or do they come already loaded as my tower came with windows Xp when I bought it . Are the ports on a laptop standard or do I have to ask for anythng to be fitted or upgraded ?

Thanks guys , your help is appreciated and sorry for my lack of knowledge , im definately in the past when it comes to technical advancement .

Regards

Sun.

[WhizBang]

Personally, I would avoid Acer. I have one and have never been happy with it. I would also avoid Dell. They may have been good many years ago, but have gone downhill significantly.

I have been using HP laptops. Not perfect, but they do work well and are quite reliable. I also like Fujitsu, but they are on the pricey side.

[lemonjelly]

macbook pro

[jimmybkk]

I spent 18K on a Toshiba a couple of months ago and I'm very happy with it. It does everything I need it to do. The only thing I know about the spec is it has an Intel I5 core processor. I bought original Windows 7 Home Premium when I bought it which was extra. No complaints - it's an improvement on the Samsung I was using for a short while which was a lot more expensive than the Toshiba.

[JimShortz]

Anything but Acer.

Check Linux compatibility of the model first. You might find yourself wanting Linux someday--I did.

If Linux compatibility is an issue you could consider Lenovo. Everything they sell is Linux compatible, and they make fine computers.

[guzzi850m2]

They normal comes preloaded with Win 7 or 8 but not always.

If I was on the market for a lap top I would buy something with SSD, more robust and way faster too, min 4 GB ram but if you only uses it for browsing the internet you don't need a very high spec. lap top.

You said you want a laptop over a desktop pc?? Nothing can replace a desktop pc - nothing, hell I run a 27" 2560x1440 and a 22" 1680x1050 monitors via my desktop pc and love it. I might add a SSD in it a some stage, it's very easy to upgrade a desktop pc and repairs too are not that complicated.

I run win7 64 bit and win7 32 bit (starter) in my netbook so I don't know win8, never tried it and have not plans of "upgrading".

[poanoi]

I regret daily that i have round pegs analog out from laptop, it easily become poor connection to external monitor,

make sure you have digital square pegs out, and make sure you have a good video card if you think about playing a game on it

[lemonjelly]

try CNET laptop reviews.... a good site.

[Digitalbanana]

Many thanks for your input so far . I am still none the wiser really , just goes to show that teaching this old dog new tricks isnt such a good thing . I have looked on some sites with the top ten of laptops but its all gargon to me and have no idea really what its all about . One thing that did stand out though was as Tobias has said , all laptops will do what I need but that bit of information about HDMI and Good Graphics for watching Tv, I will make note of, also about Linux ? from Jsixpack.

I am not sure how to find out what I have on my Pc that I have now , eg hard drive, ram etc but I do know it has a pentium3 processor .

what size hard drive , ram , processor etc should I get ? Will I have to buy windows 7 or 8 or do they come already loaded as my tower came with windows Xp when I bought it . Are the ports on a laptop standard or do I have to ask for anythng to be fitted or upgraded ?

Thanks guys , your help is appreciated and sorry for my lack of knowledge , im definately in the past when it comes to technical advancement .

Regards

Sun.

If your existing PC is 11 years old and you are looking to replace it without much clue, why not buy any cheap laptop? Anything on sale in any Thai mall from the cheapest 15,000THB laptop preinstalled with legit Windows will be better spec than what you have. If you want to plug in a TV, assuming your TV isn't 11 years old as well, most likely an HDMI cable will connect both.

[nikster]

It depends.

More time than money - any PC laptop, but avoid Windows 8 if you can. Windows 7 is good. Win 8 is crap. Also avoid Acer - total garbage for the most part. Asus, Dell, or Lenovo should be fine, but none of the PC makers is all too concerned with quality these days, it's all a race to the bottom and to go as cheap as you possibly can.

More money than time - any Mac portable. Unibody alumium construction is rock solid, and you have something nice to look at every day too. I am loving my retina screen too

[h90]

Anything but Acer.

Check Linux compatibility of the model first. You might find yourself wanting Linux someday--I did.

yes avoid Acer....

[h90]

Many thanks for your input so far . I am still none the wiser really , just goes to show that teaching this old dog new tricks isnt such a good thing . I have looked on some sites with the top ten of laptops but its all gargon to me and have no idea really what its all about . One thing that did stand out though was as Tobias has said , all laptops will do what I need but that bit of information about HDMI and Good Graphics for watching Tv, I will make note of, also about Linux ? from Jsixpack.

I am not sure how to find out what I have on my Pc that I have now , eg hard drive, ram etc but I do know it has a pentium3 processor .

what size hard drive , ram , processor etc should I get ? Will I have to buy windows 7 or 8 or do they come already loaded as my tower came with windows Xp when I bought it . Are the ports on a laptop standard or do I have to ask for anythng to be fitted or upgraded ?

Thanks guys , your help is appreciated and sorry for my lack of knowledge , im definately in the past when it comes to technical advancement .

Regards

Sun.

If your existing PC is 11 years old and you are looking to replace it without much clue, why not buy any cheap laptop? Anything on sale in any Thai mall from the cheapest 15,000THB laptop preinstalled with legit Windows will be better spec than what you have. If you want to plug in a TV, assuming your TV isn't 11 years old as well, most likely an HDMI cable will connect both.

http://www.invadeit.co.th/category/notebooks-laptops/sort/price/asc/

it starts at 10.000

[jij]

IF you can live without the TV hookup, I'd suggest the iPad, if you need the TV, then if suggest the cheapest Mac there is. While I am a Mac owner since 1984, in all my years I've never once heard a non-Mac owner rave about their computers like Mac owners do. They maybe a few cents more, but they last longer. Now I'm sure to get flamed by PC owners. Oh, just recalled that I did own one PC, which was used for UPS shipping exclusively, gave it away once we closed the factory. I'm sure many folks live theirs, but I certainly did not.

[sunholidaysun1]

I have been around all of the electronic shops in Chiang rai , hehehehe, Big C , Tops and a few others . There are laptops everywhere but not many tower Pc's , are they being fased out ?

Getting somone to explain anything here in English is near on impossible , so I am back to you guys for help.

I have on my exsisting pc a pentium 4 processor , so what is the difference between the pentium 4 and these new i3 core ? processors and what size should I get compared to the pentium 4 ?

My local c drive has 19.5 Gb , local d drive has 29.2Gb and the local e drive has 25.7 , Does that mean my hard drive is about 75Gb ??

What size hard drive should I get ? Most of my current local disk space is full ? not sure why as I dont really have much on my Pc other than my music storage.

Ram ? no idea , but I would think I need some .

Anything to help me would be of great help .

I have found that the cheapest tower is about 10,000 bht and laptops at the lower end are about the same .

I want something that is fast , im not very patient , some bigger storage I think as my hard drive is nearly full I think ?

please advise

Many thanks

[Crossy]

As has been noted before, any laptop or netbook on the market will be a million times better than what you have and will do the job just fine.

Anything on this page will do the job http://www.invadeit.co.th/category/notebooks-laptops/sort/price/asc/

Look for HDMI if you are going to plug it in to your TV (assuming it's a flat screen TV).

NOTE that most of the cheaper machines come without Windows so that's an extra cost and I would go for a minimum of 4G RAM

[poanoi]

The last thing you have to worry about is CPU performance on these new machines,

the only performance issue that might occur is graphics, and then only if you play games.

So my suggestion is laptop, and the performance issue should be, and in this order

1] graphics card if you intend to play games, intel integrated doesn't count

2] digital video output with square contacts, so that you may hook up to larger external monitor w/o issues

3] hdd & ram size

[JSixpack]

As has been noted before, any laptop or netbook on the market will be a million times better than what you have and will do the job just fine.

Anything on this page will do the job http://www.invadeit.co.th/category/notebooks-laptops/sort/price/asc/

Look for HDMI if you are going to plug it in to your TV (assuming it's a flat screen TV).

NOTE that most of the cheaper machines come without Windows so that's an extra cost and I would go for a minimum of 4G RAM

Wot 'e said.

Unless you play games (see poanoi) but it seems clear you don't. Good: that way lies madness.

For those computers that don't come w/ Windows, you can pay or go with Linux.

[sunholidaysun1]

Hi All.

I had a really good look around town , found more shops than I thought selling laptops but mostly their own brands

with a few major brands on sale as well , but very limited. I decided in the end to buy a tower ,its what I am used to and dont really

need a laptop when I travel , as I can always use the Icafe's when and if the need arises, Or buy a big back pack and take my tower

with me ,

I did speak to some friends here also for advise and those who had some computer skills were pretty much on the same wave length

as you all, on here . There were of course the odd Bill Gates's who turned out to know just as much as I do .

The tower Pc's are so very limited , even the big retail electrical stores only had 1 or 2 towers such as Acer and that was it .

However, most shops would build you a Pc to the spec you want and need . Most shops thrust several A4 sheets in my face with what they

had to offer , from the casing , mother boards, Ram , HDD etc etc ect but not knowing what any of them were other than what I have stated

I was in their hands for advise .

One shop I went into had a computer engineer that I recognised , who had worked before at another shop and had been to my house to

fix some problems I had . I asked his advise and bought from the shop he worked at , mainly as he speaks a little English and I can use him

in the future again to fix any problems I have. I bought from KVC.

What I ended up with was a nice tower case with transparent perspex to one side , so I can see all the parts in the case , with a nice red illuminated light inside , looks good.

The computer bits consist of :

CPU: AMD A6-3650

Main Board : GIGABYTE GA-A55M-DS2

RAM: DDR3 1333 4Gb Kingston

HDD: WD 500 Gb SATA ABlue

Display Card : GT 630 2Gb

CD/DVD-RW LG 22xSATA

CoolMaster Case

OPsys : Windows 7

There are a couple of other bits but they are written in Thai but dont amount to much cash wise .

Total price 13,000 bht

As it was already built in the shop, I was given a quick demo and it performed better than what I previously had and was

told it was as good as anything else on the market for the price. Not that there was much comparison here .

So far I am very happy with everything BUT Windows 7 to me is all over the place and it is not as user friendly as XP . It seems to take

you longer to get things done with W7. I will give it a couple of weeks to see if I can get used to it , or maybe I will dump W7 and go back to XP, unless of course you advise not to .

I know what I have bought wont be to everyones cup of tea and others will say I could have got this and that, but the main thing is, it is doing

what I want it to do.

Thanks again for you help and no doubt I will be back to ask other questions as and when .

My HDMI connection to my LG TV works very well , theres still a few issues I need to try and resolve but I will try myself first before asking the dummy question to you lot.

Many thanks again .

SUN.

[guzzi850m2]

Ahh you bought a desktop PC, good stuff, nothing beats the good old desktop and you can easily upgrade it if you want and they tend to be more reliable as well.

The specs are okay when you don't play games on it, okay you don't have too much storage space at 500GB, my 2 year old HP desktop came with 1TB and is 80% full now (movies, TV series and so on).

If/when I replace my HP I will buy another desktop, no doubt about it.

If I was you I would get a UPS, it protect your PC from power surges, I can hear mine kicks in now and again.

I like my Win7 (original), I had Vista in my old desktop pc but got so feed up with it that I bought a Win7 64 bit.

Don't worry you will get used to Win7 fast.

Enjoy.

[poanoi]

I use winXP myself, it works like a charm and by todays standard demand very little hardware,

and i know how it works etc

[robblok]

I use winXP myself, it works like a charm and by todays standard demand very little hardware,

and i know how it works etc

I liked xp but windows 7 is better i bought legit copies as it was for work. You get a free virus scanner drom microsoft too.

[poanoi]

The few times i'm set to help someone with win7 i get highly aggravated cause i donno where the stuff is

[JSixpack]

I have to admit Win7 is better than XP overall. But I agree it's faster to get things done in XP. The Win7 interface has been dumbed down too much.

[robblok]

The few times i'm set to help someone with win7 i get highly aggravated cause i donno where the stuff is

There is a learning curve but its more stabile and since installing it never slowed down.

[poanoi]

Actually this is what i really would want !

is it possible to customize interface so it look like winXP in every way ?

ed: and i havnt had a blue screen on this computer that is now perhaps 4 years old,

so winXP has no stability issues

[poanoi]

found some stuff that do a bit, but not enough for me

It is possible to make the new W7 taskbar behave like the one in vista or xp by doing the following.



1. Right-Click on the taskbar and select properties

2. Check the "Use small icons" box

3. In the "Taskbar Buttons" drop-down menu, select "Never Combine" and hit "OK"

4. Remove all of your pinned programs

5. Drag and drop the hidden system tray icons to the taskbar

6. Enjoy!



For the Quick Launch Bar.

http://mintywhite.com/tech/windows-7/windows-seven-7-re...



I haven't really found a way to make it look like XP, or 100% behave like it, but you can make it look like 98.

Right click on your desktop and click "Personalize." Then scroll down until you see windows classic theme. Click on that.



Everything other then the taskbar and the quicklaunch bar will still behave like windows 7.