Budget Laptops

[penguin]

With all the new Intel processors on the market l see many laptops coming down in price around town. I need a backup computer for a project l'm working on and to upgrade my old computer would cost a few thousand baht using my outdated 462 motherboard, something that almost any current laptop would outperform.

I don't play games, don't need to do any intensive image or sound work, want a wireless connection for internet and e-mail, be able to play dvds so nothing special. Being able to make backups on a dvd writer would be nice but probably not essential. While it would be nice to have a light weight model the reality is that l probably don't have to carry it about much at all. Anything truly light seems to cost at least 50,000 baht so not really worth it for me. Whatever l buy l would add another 512Mb of RAM and have an original XP OS l can install.

Here a few of the cheaper laptops l've seen. Any laptop users out there have any comments on these models e.g. what would be the best performer, or other suggestions in that price range?

IBM ThinkPad R51e (1843 3EA) @ 22,900 baht

-Intel Celeron M Processor 380

(1.6GHz, FSB 400MHz, 1MB L2 Cache)

-ATI Express 200M

-Microsoft Windows XP Home

-256MB/2GB DDR2

-40GB Hard Disk

-14.1" XGA (1024x768) Display

-CD-RW/DVD-ROM Combo (24x/24x/24x/8x)

-ATI RADEON Xpress 200M

-2x USB(V 2.0), parallel, external monitor, headphone

- S-Video,RJ-45 (Ethernet)

-Integrated Ethernet 10/100

-Thinkpad Wireless b/g

-Integrated Modem 56kbps V90/92

-Soft audio / ICH AC97 controller / 1 watt mono speaker

-Lithium Ion 6 cell Battery with 4 hours battery life

-2.6 kg. Travel Weight

-1year warranty

Compaq Presario C301TU @19,900

Intel® Celeron® M processor 420

(1.6GHz, 1MB L2, FSB 533MHz)

Intel® 940GML chipset

256MB DDR2 533 (256MBx1DIMM)

60GB Hard Drive 5400rpm (Serial ATA)

24x24x24x CD-RW/ 8x DVD Combo Drive

"15.4"" TFT WXGA LCD Brigtview

Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 950 upto 128MB share vRAM"

10/100 LAN Ethernet, high speed 56K modem, 802.11b/g Wireless LAN

(2) USB 2.0, VGA, TV-out (S-Video), Headphone Jack, Mic In, AC adapter 65 watt

Limited warranty 1 year

Weight 2.9 kg.

6-Cell LilON Battery

OS DOS

Toshiba Sattlelite L30-C330T @ 19,900 baht

Intel Celeron Processor M380

(1.6GHz , 1 MB L2 Cache , 400 MHz FSB)

- Genuine Windows XP Starter Edition

- 256 MB DDR2 Memory RAM

- 40 GB HDD (5400rpm)

- 14" WXGA TFT

- CD-RW/DVD-ROM Combo Drive

- ATi Xpress 200M

- 2 USB , LAN , Modem

- 1 x PC Card , 1 VGA Port

- Thai Keyboard

- Weight 2.4 kg.

- 1 Year Warranty International (Part/Labor)

I would need to add a wireless card for the Toshiba l think. Can l replace the Windows starter edition with my Home Edition XP?

[Firefoxx]

For these budget models, you don't look at specs anymore, but size, weight, price, asthetics, looks, etc. The Compaq is pretty heavy, and believe me, even if you don't carry it around much, you'd notice half a kilo of extra weight. Of course the extra weight means a bigger screen, and if you're going to be using it a lot, a big screen would certainly be nice.

Of course you can replace any OS with any other OS.

[endure]

You might also want to look at the Acer range.

[youngkiwi]

I highly recommend the IBM R series to you, having seen the remarkable performance and durability of the units we have at our office.

Stay away from Acers which are known to have problems with their batteries and charging systems. My previous Compaq laptops also had problems with the quality of their cases, which often chipped away or scratches appeared from normal wear and tear. A colleague of mine has experienced a similar problem with the Hewlett Packard models (since they merged with Compaq a few years back.

The IBM's are extremely well made, inside and out and have the reliability and pricetag to match.

[dsfbrit]

May I slightly hi-jack this thread and add - where is the best place to buy?

I would certainly like to add Dell to this list.

I live in Thailand (Pattaya) and would probably prefer to buy a new laptop locally to replace my 5 year old Dell.

Both for ease of problem solving (ie when the battery bursts into flames probably easier to replace locally) and to put the money into the local Thai economy.

The thing is I am visiting the UK in the New Year and when I was last there, it seemed to me the specs of the UK machines were ahead of those in Thailand and seemed to be cheaper. I did not make an exhaustive study, but many laptops came with 100GB drives as standard - over here it seems to be 60GB - Penguin's examples show disks around this capacity.

I did not check the full spec though as I wasn't interested in buying at the time, but my approach to buying a new PC is always to buy the 'best' available at the time - so it will last for years without seeming out of date too quickly.

Also not sure how easy it is to get a Dell shipped and maintained here in Thailand should I decide to go this route?

How about buying duty free ??? have no experience of this - sounds full of problems if wanting to get it fixed!

Penguin - have you decided what to buy yet ?

I am off to look at the UK websites again - like I say I wouldd rather buy in Thailand.

Comments would be appreciated?

Edited October 16, 2006 by dsfbrit

[penguin]

The thing is I am visiting the UK in the New Year and when I was last there, it seemed to me the specs of the UK machines were ahead of those in Thailand and seemed to be cheaper. I did not make an exhaustive study, but many laptops came with 100GB drives as standard - over here it seems to be 60GB - Penguin's examples show disks around this capacity.

The examples l'm quoting are not the most up to date models but older, low end clearout models so don't take too much notice of those specs.

Also not sure how easy it is to get a Dell shipped and maintained here in Thailand should I decide to go this route?

Shipping any computer into Thailand means running the risk of being at the mercy of customs. Unless it can be brought it in as hand luggage then l don't think l would want to risk it myself. As far as l know Dell only deal with corporate customers in Thailand. If you need to get something serviced then l think l read it gets sent to Singapore.

Penguin - have you decided what to buy yet ?

From the models l listed the IBM is the front runner, everyone l know using an IBM is happy. The only thing l can't pin down is the speed of the hard drive. Almost every medium priced laptop l look at has a 5400rpm hard drive but l haven't found the speed for this model. I could assume it is 5400 but even for an outdated IBM it is very cheap so l'm concerned it might only be 4200rpm which would be a deal breaker for me. There is a mention in another topic about Commart, sounds like the place to buy if you are in Bangkok then. If you want to buy the most up to date models then l would only look at Core 2 Duo models. Same power usage as a Core Duo but 5-15% better performance depending on what you need to use it for.

[Farma]

The wife bought herself a Compaq Presario from Pantip a couple of years ago. It was on special then about 25,000B. It’s performed without hiccup since new.

She uses it all day at work (PowerPoint presentations, spreadsheets etc) and most evenings at home (normal web surfing, communication). It’s well used and has travelled a lot.

The only drawbacks have been the weight and the small 10 gig hard drive that came with her model. She bought an external drive and that solved the problem.

[The Coder]

l'm concerned it might only be 4200rpm which would be a deal breaker for me.

I think you are overstating the importance of the 28% more RPM. What things do you run today that you wait on the hard drive? How will 28% make a difference? I have run 5400 and 4200 RPM drives would characterize both as plain slow. People with desktop systems would balk at anything below 7200 RPM as it is slow too. If you are really concerned about it, buy a cheap system and upgrade to a 80GB 5400 RPM drive for 3000 baht and put the existing one into a external box for backups.

...Core 2 Duo models...Same power usage as a Core Duo but 5-15% better performance depending on what you need to use it for.

The huge difference is the core 2's are 64-bit chips! You may say big deal this year, but 2 years from now the response is likely to be different. But if you are the type person satisfied running Windows 98 while everyone else is running XP SP2 then you are probably the type user where this won't matter for the lifetime of your system. 32-bit boxes cannot ever run 64-bit software. 64-bit software will give systems a little boost and thus a little extra longevity. Plus there will come a time when companies stop making 32-bit software altogether. Vista and Office '07 may be the very last 32-bit os / office software coming out of Microsoft for instance.

[Gary A]

I just bought a top of the line IBM Thinkpad. I bought it based on the performance of my previous IBM Thinkpad. If the new one is anywhere as good as the old one, I will be VERY happy. The 3 year international warranty impressed me too. Apple and Lenovo (IBM) laptops are the top two in the reliability ratings.

[dsfbrit]

I just bought a top of the line IBM Thinkpad. I bought it based on the performance of my previous IBM Thinkpad. If the new one is anywhere as good as the old one, I will be VERY happy. The 3 year international warranty impressed me too. Apple and Lenovo (IBM) laptops are the top two in the reliability ratings.

Could you provide a link to the spec and how much ? where from ? please - much appreciated.

[dsfbrit]

The thing is I am visiting the UK in the New Year and when I was last there, it seemed to me the specs of the UK machines were ahead of those in Thailand and seemed to be cheaper. I did not make an exhaustive study, but many laptops came with 100GB drives as standard - over here it seems to be 60GB - Penguin's examples show disks around this capacity.

The examples l'm quoting are not the most up to date models but older, low end clearout models so don't take too much notice of those specs.

Also not sure how easy it is to get a Dell shipped and maintained here in Thailand should I decide to go this route?

Shipping any computer into Thailand means running the risk of being at the mercy of customs. Unless it can be brought it in as hand luggage then l don't think l would want to risk it myself. As far as l know Dell only deal with corporate customers in Thailand. If you need to get something serviced then l think l read it gets sent to Singapore.

Penguin - have you decided what to buy yet ?

From the models l listed the IBM is the front runner, everyone l know using an IBM is happy. The only thing l can't pin down is the speed of the hard drive. Almost every medium priced laptop l look at has a 5400rpm hard drive but l haven't found the speed for this model. I could assume it is 5400 but even for an outdated IBM it is very cheap so l'm concerned it might only be 4200rpm which would be a deal breaker for me. There is a mention in another topic about Commart, sounds like the place to buy if you are in Bangkok then. If you want to buy the most up to date models then l would only look at Core 2 Duo models. Same power usage as a Core Duo but 5-15% better performance depending on what you need to use it for.

You are right - Dell would be a lot of problems. I will wander down to Dcom in South Pattaya tomorrow and start my search. Will start with the IBM Thinkpad and go from there - very reliable as both you and Gary A have reminded me.

Good luck with your eventual choice.

Edited October 16, 2006 by dsfbrit

[h5n1]

asus has made great hw over the years and now they make laptops. you can get a nice one for as little as b22250 here w/ 2 yr global wty!!

i never liked acer but the products are better now days.

ibm is great but now made by chinese/lenovo. its a business computer so lends it self to that (lacks s/w bells whistles).

[nikster]

(i am in a bit of a hurry so excuse the brevity)

- Toshiba has the 14" WXGA which is the most sensible screen choice of the three. 15" WXGA is a huge screen (eg heavy) for this resolution so unless you have bad eyesight you just carry around extra weight

- IBM as others have pointed out tops the class here for quality. if reliability is your main criteria, IBM is it (but not the lame XGA screen, not so good for DVD watching)

- Acer is only good for the expensive models (I have a TM 8204 and it's excellent) and has the best service I have ever seen. I previously had a cheapo Acer which had lots of problems but the service took care of all of them quickly, efficiently, and very friendly. Amazing. Esp. for Thailand!!

- Asus makes some very fine laptops but I don't know about their cheap models

- 5400 is about 2x as fast as 4200, there is a huge speed difference. it doesn't sound like it, but real life experience makes the 5400 way better. most laptops have that nowadays and it can also be added cheaply later on though. stay away from 4200.

i would probably go with the IBM esp. for a work machine.

note that with the cheap intel processors (celeron-M) you get bad battery life. but hey, for 20K you can't have everything

that said... an older Pentium_M can probably be had for cheap and has very good battery life, no idea if that's important for you...

[supertae]

the best place to buy is pantip in bangkok, you could possibly got a good bargain, and good quality ( i can get the fujitsu laptop with touch screen and very light-weight for only around 8000 bucks )

but that's really very rare

[Gary A]

I just bought a top of the line IBM Thinkpad. I bought it based on the performance of my previous IBM Thinkpad. If the new one is anywhere as good as the old one, I will be VERY happy. The 3 year international warranty impressed me too. Apple and Lenovo (IBM) laptops are the top two in the reliability ratings.

Could you provide a link to the spec and how much ? where from ? please - much appreciated.

I bought it while on a visit to the US. The retail price was $3,600 but because it does NOT have the duo core processor I got it for $1,555. Ebay frequently has new leftover models that are deeply discounted. Here are the specifications for my T43p Thinkpad;

Key Features

Installed Memory 1 GB (DDR2 SDRAM)

Hard Drive 100 GB Ultra ATA 100, 7200 RPM

Display 14.1 in. SXGA+ TFT Active Matrix

Operating System Microsoft Windows XP Professional

Mobile Technology Intel Centrino Mobile Technology

Processor Type Pentium M

Processor Manufacturer Intel

Processor Speed 2.26 GHz

Chipset Intel 915PM Express

Bus Speed 533 MHz

Installed RAM 1 GB

RAM Technology DDR2 SDRAM

Max Supported RAM 2.048 GB

RAM Speed 533 MHz

Installed Cache Memory 2048 KB

Hard Drive Capacity 100 GB

Hard Drive Rotation Speed 7200 RPM

CD / DVD Type DVD-RW

Optical Drive Read Speed 24x (CD) • 8x (DVD)

Display Tech SXGA+ TFT Active Matrix

Display Size 14.1 in.

Display Color Support 24-bit (16.7 million colors)

Display Max. Resolution 1400 x 1050

Graphic Processor ATI Mobility FIRE GL V3200

Installed Video Memory 128 MB

Graphic Bus Interface PCI Express

External Video Resolution 2048 x 1536

Audio Output Type Headphones • Sound card • Speaker(s)

Audio Input Type Microphone

Operating System Windows XP Professional

Expandability 1 x Type I/II PC Card Slot, Docking Station/Port Replicator, 1 x ExpressCard

Expansion Ports 2 x USB 2.0, VGA out, RJ-11 (modem), RJ-45 (NIC), S-Video out

Security Features Finger Print Sensor, HDD Password, Slot For Cable Lock, Power-On Password, IBM Embedded Security Subsystem 2.0, Administrator Password

Input Method Keyboard • Touchpad • Trackpoint • Ultranav

Networking Type Bluetooth • Integrated 10/100/1000 Network Card • Infrared Port •

Data Link Protocol Bluetooth • Ethernet • Fast Ethernet • Gigabit Ethernet • IEEE 802.11b • IEEE 802.11g

Modem Type Fax / Modem Analog Modulation Protocol ITU V.92

Battery Run Time 5.7 Hour(s).

Battery Technology Lithium ion

Width 12.2 in.

Depth 10 in.

Height 1 in.

Weight 5.97 lb.

World wide warranty 3 Years