Buying a new computer, some good advice/suggestions asked

[Dutchbike]

After waiting for around 3 years, we finally have a internet connection ( TOT) in our village.

the world is opening up again ( before i used an aircard)

A good time to buy a new computer and i'm wondering what's the best buy for a budget of around 20/25K,

for which specs i have to look, and best operating system.

I have good experience with ASUS, but not really fixed on a particular brand, so i'm open for suggestions on any brand which provides a good service in Thailand.

The new computer will be used for: internet, skype, downloading torrents etc etc so mainly for entertaining purposes.

Thanks in advance

[moradave]

I have enjoyed my Lenovo for about 18 months. I have a 17" laptop with Windows 7 and all the bells and whitsles (not the Suthep kind). No problems. Love the HDMI port so my wife can watch all of her red shirt stations on our 32" lcd hi-def TV from LG. I bought from PowerBuy in the Beach Central super-mall. About 25k baht then, probably 15-20k now.

[Torrens54]

I used to get great service from "Good Speed" Computers at Pantip Plaza. Bought a Laptop there about 7 years ago and they continued to look after me whenever I had to make modifications. Took that laptop and another, bought abroad for some work a few months ago. Different Tech was there and he made a MESS of both of them. Been back a couple of times to try and have problems fixed but this guy is not much chop.

[GotR1GHT]

Best thing to do is to build one yourself,you can get pretty decent one for 25k.

You should avoid pre-built pc's for gaming

[jay1980]

try and get one with one of the new generation Haswell processers

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haswell_%28microarchitecture%29#List_of_Haswell_processors

cheers

[gerry123]

Its good news that you are finally hard wired to the net my thoughts would be to hold off on a big spend and wait to see if the download speed they supply is enough to support anything above very slow basic connection my experience has been in my village been less than 1 mpb good luck all the same stay connected we hope

[chris2004]

I've just bought a new Acer V5-473g laptop with an i7 Haswell processor. 20,000 baht from Tukcom in Pattaya. Seems a good machine but of course many options out there. Some of the i3s and i5s are only 15,000 baht. Same price from IT City which have a sale on at the moment.

Edited November 28, 2013 by chris2004

[keeniau96]

First thing is to decide on laptop or desktop. Give that some serious thought then look at what's available. Your budget is very adequate for a very decent computer eg. what chris2004 bought (just example, not recommendation). Like most of the world (but not me) you will probably want Windows; 8.1 is the current version but most people prefer the older Windows 7, Windows 8 is OK. Few seem to have any use for a touchscreen in a home environment despite what all the marketing dudes are pushing. Look for very good screen quality (your eyes, never mind the numbers), and a keyboard that feels good your typing style. Should have 4GB memory (very cheap nowadays). Almost any of the current CPUs will be adequate for typical home usage, same for the video card; games and video processing is a far more demanding market and really beyond your budget for the more advanced versions of such.

[Dutchbike]

Thanks everbody for there input!!

I forget to mention; i'm looking for a new laptop

Internet connection is good and i'm already enjoying new downloaded music and movies.

Still in the research stage; looking at the websites ( like InvadeIT)

and gonna check out some shops in the Mall in Korat.

so: 4gb memory a i5 or i7 processor ( haswell) have to be on my list.

Again thanks for all the good advice!!

[Bpuumike]

Thanks everbody for there input!!

I forget to mention; i'm looking for a new laptop

Internet connection is good and i'm already enjoying new downloaded music and movies.

Still in the research stage; looking at the websites ( like InvadeIT)

and gonna check out some shops in the Mall in Korat.

so: 4gb memory a i5 or i7 processor ( haswell) have to be on my list.

Again thanks for all the good advice!!

Minimum 4Gb RAM, better still 8Gb if you want to 'future proof' it.

Am a big fan of Acer but have recently started using Lenovo at work and impressed with them. Good machines and I particularly like the feel of the keyboard keys (not exactly technical but makes a difference). They are light weight with very efficient cooling, though I understand the new Acers are too.

If you want to do some research go to amazon.co.uk

I have not spoken to anyone who is happy with Windows 8. Be careful if you buy in Thailand as you rarely get the original version anyway.

Edited December 2, 2013 by Bpuumike

[jacnl2000]

In case of Win 7 Pro OEM go for 8 GB memory (so, 64 bits ) and let them place that OS on a SSD. Inside smaller laptops an internal DVD drive can be replaced by a caddy for holding the SSD and an external USB driven DVD drive. A Samsung SSD 840EVO 250GB is an excellent choice.

[CPT]

Thanks everbody for there input!!

I forget to mention; i'm looking for a new laptop

Internet connection is good and i'm already enjoying new downloaded music and movies.

Still in the research stage; looking at the websites ( like InvadeIT)

and gonna check out some shops in the Mall in Korat.

so: 4gb memory a i5 or i7 processor ( haswell) have to be on my list.

Again thanks for all the good advice!!

For your intended use ("nternet, skype, downloading torrents etc etc so mainly for entertaining purposes") there is no need for the i7, an i5 will be more than sufficient. 4GB memory is a good starting point and if you find you want more it is cheap and easy to upgrade. Personally, I prefer more compact laptops as they are easier to carry around and on occassions when I want a larger screen i simply plug it into something larger. HDMI ports are very nice for this as most televisions have HDMI ports and quality HDMI cables are available for reasonable prices here, something which can not be said for some less common formats (the DisplayPort on my laptop for example).

Screens are something to be sure and pay attention to. I like to use my laptop outdoors and the supper glossy screens that look great indoors are very difficult to impossible to use outdoors and annoy me in brightly lit rooms as well. If you intend to watch a lot of video / movies on your laptop indoors, a glossy screen might be the better option but I always plug my laptop into the television to watch movies anyway.

[sms747]

Avoid Acer at any cost is my advice-utter crap that does not normally last well. Lenovo and Asus are what I would look at for that money, Samsung and Toshiba also.

[edwardandtubs]

I would definitely go for a touch screen laptop with windows 8.1 and download Classic Shell so you get the best of all worlds. Lenovo and Asus do some good ones.

[h90]

Avoid Acer at any cost is my advice-utter crap that does not normally last well. Lenovo and Asus are what I would look at for that money, Samsung and Toshiba also.

yes absolute avoid Acer...any other brands should be OK.

Buy a SSD...they really make a big difference to a normal HD.

[Chicog]

Lenovo do a nice line of Touchscreen All In Ones as well.

At your sort of price range:

http://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-IdeaCentre-All-In-One-Touchscreen-Aluminum/dp/B00CRXZMWO/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1386172352&sr=8-4&keywords=lenovo+ideacenter

[guzzi850m2]

If one have a house a good old desk top PC is the way to go, they are more reliable and easier/cheaper to repair/upgrade.

I have a HP in my study with 27" and 22" screens running Win7 64bit i5 possessor 8 GB of ram and that is good enough for my use, I play games now and again.

My 4 year old son can watch youtube cartoons on one screen while I do other stuff on the main monitor and we sit on 2 office chairs next to each other and having a good time together.

My Dell ultrabook is collecting dust when I am home but always bring it along when traveling for work or holiday.

[KittenKong]

For your intended use ("nternet, skype, downloading torrents etc etc so mainly for entertaining purposes") there is no need for the i7, an i5 will be more than sufficient. 4GB memory is a good starting point and if you find you want more it is cheap and easy to upgrade.

I would go one step further. For his needs any current processor would do. I'm running a 6 year old quad core Pentium and dont feel the need to change it at all, even though I use my PC for work and play, very intensively. He wont need more than the basic amount of RAM either (rarely less than 4GB these days, as you mention).

To make a PC/laptop run fast the single best investment is to use an SSD for the system drive, or for the only drive if you can afford it. Nothing else even comes close to the improvement this will make. My SSD system drive transforms my old home-built PC from something rather clunky into a machine that runs faster than most new machines with regular drives.

[KittenKong]

yes absolute avoid Acer...any other brands should be OK.

My 4 year old Acer laptop is fine, though I only use it when travelling. Since I put an SSD in it it's even fast.

Buy a SSD...they really make a big difference to a normal HD.

Absolutely.

[Dutchbike]

Thanks again everyone for there input.

I'm taking my time and look into all suggestions and good advice,

Considered a desktop/all in one but i already got a 21" tv/monitor with HDMI connection for homeuse.

I focus my search on 2 brands: Asus and Lenovo.

My 2 old Asus laptops ( A6U 8 years and a Eeepc mini laptop 5 years both on XP) are still going strong.

But as i wrote, the arrival of internet made me decide it's time to step up.

So on my list for now:

Asus or Lenovo

i3 or i5 processor

4 gb memory ( upgradable to 8 gb)

Os on solid state disc

i've seen a nice one @ 22.990....... Asus Vivibook S400CA

http://www.asus.com/Notebooks_Ultrabooks/ASUS_VivoBook_S400CA/

Any good.....??

Edited December 5, 2013 by Dutchbike