Cheap, small, dependable laptop

[isawasnake]

My current laptop is showing signs of failure. What would you guys recommend for the cheapest possible, no-nonsense laptop that will hopefully last. I don't do gaming or even watch much video. I download media on my laptop, transfer it (don't need too large a hard drive) and also do stuff like check email. That's it. I am mainly looking for bang for the buck, and to not spend a lot.

I also feel like something small would suit me better, but this isn't a requirement. Any recommendations? Also, where is a good place to buy? I often go to Mega Bangna, is there a particularly good vendor in there? Thanks!!

Edited September 21, 2013 by isawasnake

[JSixpack]

Competition in the laptop market is brutal. No manufacturer can get away with crap these days. I like 'em all except Acer, having had a bad experience.

I wouldn't spend much either. Laptops are too fragile and expensive to repair. To me they're like toys. I just use one for travel--and then I use a little netbook, not a laptop.

I'd just go take a look at the low-end offerings by Asus, Toshiba, Dell, Lenovo, HP, compare specs and get what seems the best bargain. If you're thorough, you'll write down model numbers and then look at reviews on sites like newegg.com or amazon.com before you go back and buy. I've know some great Dells, HPs, and Toshibas that lasted forever. I assume the quality's still decent.

I really like IT City for buying laptops and other peripherals. It's publicly listed, nationwide, has a service dept., and honors guarantees w/ no BS. Otherwise, there's Powerbuy and Banana IT. After that you have your choice of box pushers such as JIB or Hardware House.

Another possibility is order one online from http://www.invadeit.co.th/category/notebooks-laptops/. Good reputation; and comparisons and research will be easy. However, email before you order. A lot of what's shown on the website isn't in stock and in fact can't even be obtained. Reminds me of a Thai restaurant menu . . . .

Edited September 21, 2013 by JSixpack

[Jiu-Jitsu]

What is wrong with your current laptop? Which brand and model?

[chris2004]

I've had a Samsung RV418 for the past couple of years and it's been great. i3 processor, 4gb RAM and 500 gb hard drive. I would certainly buy another and i see them new now in Tukcom for 13,000 baht.

[isawasnake]

Competition in the laptop market is brutal. No manufacturer can get away with crap these days. I like 'em all except Acer, having had a bad experience.

I wouldn't spend much either. Laptops are too fragile and expensive to repair. To me they're like toys. I just use one for travel--and then I use a little netbook, not a laptop.

I'd just go take a look at the low-end offerings by Asus, Toshiba, Dell, Lenovo, HP, compare specs and get what seems the best bargain. If you're thorough, you'll write down model numbers and then look at reviews on sites like newegg.com or amazon.com before you go back and buy. I've know some great Dells, HPs, and Toshibas that lasted forever. I assume the quality's still decent.

I really like IT City for buying laptops and other peripherals. It's publicly listed, nationwide, has a service dept., and honors guarantees w/ no BS. Otherwise, there's Powerbuy and Banana IT. After that you have your choice of box pushers such as JIB or Hardware House.

Another possibility is order one online from http://www.invadeit.co.th/category/notebooks-laptops/. Good reputation; and comparisons and research will be easy. However, email before you order. A lot of what's shown on the website isn't in stock and in fact can't even be obtained. Reminds me of a Thai restaurant menu . . . .

Thanks for the replies. I like your advice 6pack..... stay away from Acer, and see what strikes me. I'll head to an IT City.

Thanks again to all.

[Ivan the Terrible]

perhaps you could be a little more creative in your spam.

IT Square, Lak Si on your way to chaeng wattanna.

[CharlieH]

Another vote for Samsung, had a netbook for years, still going strong.

[Baerboxer]

Go and spend some time looking around Zeer Rangsit too. The choice is staggering. We've always favoured Dell - but have also had some good Toshiba's. A lot of my Thai friends go for Lenovo now.

[JSixpack]

Another vote for Samsung, had a netbook for years, still going strong.

Forgot to throw Samsung into the list. My netbook is a Samsung and it's been bulletproof. Hauled it all over and treated it rough for years now but nary a problem.

Having said that, one can always get a lemon no matter what. Fortunately they seem few and far between these days . . . .

[Jiu-Jitsu]

Competition in the laptop market is brutal. No manufacturer can get away with crap these days. I like 'em all except Acer, having had a bad experience.

I wouldn't spend much either. Laptops are too fragile and expensive to repair. To me they're like toys. I just use one for travel--and then I use a little netbook, not a laptop.

I'd just go take a look at the low-end offerings by Asus, Toshiba, Dell, Lenovo, HP, compare specs and get what seems the best bargain. If you're thorough, you'll write down model numbers and then look at reviews on sites like newegg.com or amazon.com before you go back and buy. I've know some great Dells, HPs, and Toshibas that lasted forever. I assume the quality's still decent.

I really like IT City for buying laptops and other peripherals. It's publicly listed, nationwide, has a service dept., and honors guarantees w/ no BS. Otherwise, there's Powerbuy and Banana IT. After that you have your choice of box pushers such as JIB or Hardware House.

Another possibility is order one online from http://www.invadeit.co.th/category/notebooks-laptops/. Good reputation; and comparisons and research will be easy. However, email before you order. A lot of what's shown on the website isn't in stock and in fact can't even be obtained. Reminds me of a Thai restaurant menu . . . .

Thanks for the replies. I like your advice 6pack..... stay away from Acer, and see what strikes me. I'll head to an IT City.

Thanks again to all.

Have an Acer Aspire 5051ANWXMi bought in 2007 in Thailand. Refuses to develop any kind of fault.

Why Lenovo is being recommended I don't know. If it wasn't for them purchasing the IBM PC division we would never have heard of them. HP? Not for me.

Low end laptops won't have a Windows OS licence. That too would influence my decision.

[JSixpack]

Low end laptops won't have a Windows OS licence. That too would influence my decision.

It would mine too, heh heh. I'd run Linux on it anyway--and the OP's needs are a good match.

[isawasnake]

I just looked at IT City. There was an HP that struck me, and the price was right at 9,999 baht.

I see a lot of people recommending the Samsungs. They were second on my list. A little more expensive, but looked nice.

I'd prefer to buy a Dell because I have had the most luck with them in the past (never had an HP or Samsung). They were a little more pricey though.

I didn't buy today, but definitely have an idea if my current laptop konks out. Thanks again to all.

[RandomSand]

LENOVO E130 - THB 11,900. http://www.jib.co.th/web/index.php/product/readProduct/12050/2/index.html

Don't forget to factor Windows into the cost... or you could install Linux.

Edited September 22, 2013 by RandomSand

[Jiu-Jitsu]

I get the feeling that I'm talking to the wall when it comes to this poster.

[JSixpack]

Have an Acer Aspire 5051ANWXMi bought in 2007 in Thailand. Refuses to develop any kind of fault.

Others haven't been as happy.

Guest's review of Acer Aspire 5051 AWXMI

☆☆☆☆☆

WRITE A REVIEW

Acer Aspire 5051 AWXMI

Exceptionally poor customer service. Acer Aspire 5051...

Written on: 24/05/2009

Good Points

none

Bad Points

Acer Staff in customer support.

General Comments

Exceptionally poor customer service. Acer Aspire 5051 AWXMI screen display broke after a few months of very gentle use.

--http://www.reviewcentre.com/review529664.html

Why Lenovo is being recommended I don't know.

Oh, my. OK, lemme clue you in.

Lenovo laptops ranked #2 just after Apple by laptopmag:

Trusty and reliable, the Lenovo brand also held on to its No. 2 spot from last year. While it only topped two categories (innovation and customer service), Lenovo consistently scored well, winning accolades for its keyboards and touchpads as well as value and selection. We also look forward to a bright future for the brand . . .

--http://www.laptopmag.com/mobile-life/best-brands-overall-scorecard-2012.aspx

Overall score was 84 compared to Acer's of 62--at the bottom of the pile.

If it wasn't for them purchasing the IBM PC division we would never have heard of them.

Speak for yourself.

Lenovo's press release states sales of its laptops went up by 4.7 percent to $4.5 billion for the quarter and took up 52 percent of the company's total revenue. . . . . As the number one seller of PCs, Lenovo shipped 12.6 million units and took up 16.7 percent of the total PC shipments worldwide.

--http://www.neowin.net/news/lenovo-higher-laptop-sales-but-lower-desktop-numbers

HP? Not for me.

HP came in 3rd in the ranking above.

In short, there's a reasonable case to be made for Lenovo and HP over Acer; and I stand by my original answer.

Now, I agree you can probably find good and bad reviews for any particular model. It's just that overall Lenovo and HP do seem among the better brands and Acer among the worst. And I did have my experience! Lemme know if you need directions to the Acer service center in Bangkok.

Edited September 22, 2013 by JSixpack

[muratremix]

Wait for asus t300 tablet with keyboard dock until october. Price starts from 349 usd. Comes with baytrail cpu and 11h battery life.

[Issangeorge]

I have had 3 Acers, I don't know why I keep buying them, the first one the screen went after 18 months, the third one the screen went after 6 months and the replacement screen after 18 months. I have had one HP and the screen went after 3 years. I don't feel I abuse them.

Sent from my i-mobile IQ 6 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[smccolley]

I've had a Samsung RV418 for the past couple of years and it's been great. i3 processor, 4gb RAM and 500 gb hard drive. I would certainly buy another and i see them new now in Tukcom for 13,000 baht.

I've had good luck with the Samsungs, I have a netbook, two R478 (i5 processor) and an RC528 (i7 processor) running 24/7 at my house. Since changing companies I have been forced to use a Thinkpad which has lost 4 hard drives in 8 months. The only thing is the faster Samsungs tend to run hot, so stick them on a laptop cooler. The netbook on the other hand had just been running flawlessly for years with no cooler.

I found I get the best bang for my buck with a Samsung...

[schondie]

Another vote against Acer from me. Problems within months, new HD needed and then the keyboard needed replacing. Asus are very good but I'm very happy with my Lenovo G480. Budget priced laptop in 2012 and solid as a rock.

On a side note, in 2011 a Japanese friend's Samsung netbook keyboard broke. Samsung Thailand wanted 13,000 baht to repair it. At the time 8000 baht would have bought a new netbook with 2 gb of RAM. I trust their TVs and phones but I'd never buy their laptops after hearing the cost of the repair.

[Jiu-Jitsu]

Have an Acer Aspire 5051ANWXMi bought in 2007 in Thailand. Refuses to develop any kind of fault.

Others haven't been as happy.

Guest's review of Acer Aspire 5051 AWXMI

☆☆☆☆☆

WRITE A REVIEW

Acer Aspire 5051 AWXMI

Exceptionally poor customer service. Acer Aspire 5051...

Written on: 24/05/2009

Good Points

none

Bad Points

Acer Staff in customer support.

General Comments

Exceptionally poor customer service. Acer Aspire 5051 AWXMI screen display broke after a few months of very gentle use.

--http://www.reviewcentre.com/review529664.html

Why Lenovo is being recommended I don't know.

Oh, my. OK, lemme clue you in.

Lenovo laptops ranked #2 just after Apple by laptopmag:

Trusty and reliable, the Lenovo brand also held on to its No. 2 spot from last year. While it only topped two categories (innovation and customer service), Lenovo consistently scored well, winning accolades for its keyboards and touchpads as well as value and selection. We also look forward to a bright future for the brand . . .

--http://www.laptopmag.com/mobile-life/best-brands-overall-scorecard-2012.aspx

Overall score was 84 compared to Acer's of 62--at the bottom of the pile.

If it wasn't for them purchasing the IBM PC division we would never have heard of them.

Speak for yourself.

Lenovo's press release states sales of its laptops went up by 4.7 percent to $4.5 billion for the quarter and took up 52 percent of the company's total revenue. . . . . As the number one seller of PCs, Lenovo shipped 12.6 million units and took up 16.7 percent of the total PC shipments worldwide.

--http://www.neowin.net/news/lenovo-higher-laptop-sales-but-lower-desktop-numbers

HP? Not for me.

HP came in 3rd in the ranking above.

In short, there's a reasonable case to be made for Lenovo and HP over Acer; and I stand by my original answer.

Now, I agree you can probably find good and bad reviews for any particular model. It's just that overall Lenovo and HP do seem among the better brands and Acer among the worst. And I did have my experience! Lemme know if you need directions to the Acer service center in Bangkok.

Don't make me laugh. Clue me up? Do you repair laptops for a living? Posting a single review from someone who broke their laptop screen and quoting a link on people's opinions on brands and a link to Lenovo sales is just ridiculous.

If you want to see a real picture of laptop reliability, look here Makes sense to refer to the people who have to fix them for a real snapshot of reliability.

[1Ping1]

May be slightly off topic but could use the help and is related to buying a laptop. If you did what I did and bought a counterfeit copy of windows.

I bought an asus, great little laptop roughly a year ago at IT City. Now, after running windows update, every time I boot up it runs fine but states, "you are running a counterfeit copy of windows". Please click to update. I am scared to click as I am guessing it may lock me down or worse and I would lose all my data.

Talked to my Thai girlfriend and she confirmed that in fact we did buy this counterfeit copy at time of purchase to save a few bucks. Please keep in mind that I am not the most computer literate person in the world but my question is simple. For security reasons I think I need to stay active on updates. Having stated that what should I do. Take it back and shell out for the "real" microsoft windows to be installed and is that something they do at all major stores.

My girlfriend tells me it is completely normal here in LOS to purchase fake window operating systems, even at the major stores or outlets. . Could really use some input as I am not sure what direction to go here. Thanks in advance.

[lopburi3]

Don't make me laugh. Clue me up? Do you repair laptops for a living? Posting a single review from someone who broke their laptop screen and quoting a link on people's opinions on brands and a link to Lenovo sales is just ridiculous.

If you want to see a real picture of laptop reliability, look here Makes sense to refer to the people who have to fix them for a real snapshot of reliability.

So your proof is a four year old (2009) report from an insurance company only listing stats on what was insured and reported to them? Interesting; but time can make a difference (a big difference) in computers.

[goutngrump]

$349? - I think Muratremix is confusing the expensive Asus T300 with the smaller T100

Edited September 23, 2013 by goutngrump

[Jiu-Jitsu]

Don't make me laugh. Clue me up? Do you repair laptops for a living? Posting a single review from someone who broke their laptop screen and quoting a link on people's opinions on brands and a link to Lenovo sales is just ridiculous.

If you want to see a real picture of laptop reliability, look here Makes sense to refer to the people who have to fix them for a real snapshot of reliability.

So your proof is a four year old (2009) report from an insurance company only listing stats on what was insured and reported to them? Interesting; but time can make a difference (a big difference) in computers.

I'd certainly put more faith in my link than the nonsense that was posted earlier. What you don't know is that I repair hundreds of problem laptops every year.

Now tell me about the experience that you hold that gives you leave to comment?

[Jiu-Jitsu]

May be slightly off topic but could use the help and is related to buying a laptop. If you did what I did and bought a counterfeit copy of windows.

I bought an asus, great little laptop roughly a year ago at IT City. Now, after running windows update, every time I boot up it runs fine but states, "you are running a counterfeit copy of windows". Please click to update. I am scared to click as I am guessing it may lock me down or worse and I would lose all my data.

Talked to my Thai girlfriend and she confirmed that in fact we did buy this counterfeit copy at time of purchase to save a few bucks. Please keep in mind that I am not the most computer literate person in the world but my question is simple. For security reasons I think I need to stay active on updates. Having stated that what should I do. Take it back and shell out for the "real" microsoft windows to be installed and is that something they do at all major stores.

My girlfriend tells me it is completely normal here in LOS to purchase fake window operating systems, even at the major stores or outlets. . Could really use some input as I am not sure what direction to go here. Thanks in advance.

Going to send you a PM. But why the *&^% is your data not backed up anyway? Do it now. You can use Windows Easy Transfer to an external HDD as you will need to run a clean install anyway.

Edited September 23, 2013 by Jiu-Jitsu