Need help, buying a laptop

[Alpha]

ahem ahem...... good good
feeling sleepy almost 3:00 am

[Mike]

I recommend you keep an eye on this site grr they have some of the best deals on the net.

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[Ashwin]

Yes, i'm fida by Vaio looks

Also, is Windows-7 home premium not 64-bit?

Windows 7 home premium is available in 32/64 bit versions.

What matters is, whether your computer supports 64bit or not?

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Quoted from the above link

What is the difference between 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows?


The terms 32-bit and 64-bit refer to the way a computer's processor (also called a CPU), handles information.

The 64-bit version of Windows handles large amounts of random access memory (RAM) more effectively than a 32-bit system.

[Avinash]

Yes, i'm fida by Vaio looks

Also, is Windows-7 home premium not 64-bit?

Every version of Windows 7 comes in two forms, with 32 bit and 64 bit . Normally if you buys something these days, any system having a dual core process Intel or AMD will support 64 bit OS.

Only some Applications are still not compatible with 64 bit which inludes loads of drivers for your hardware expecially old ones.

For the new ones, you can safely go for 64 Bit as they will be supporting RAM more than 4 GB whereas 32 bit supports only upto 4 GB.

[Zug]

Hmm... for that pricerange. .you should also look at Toshiba.. i have always been pleased with their products.. HP and Compaq in the lower price range have always been poorly built and tend to have multiple issues (just coming from past tech manager experience).. Toshiba's and Sony have always been my favorite two brands when talking about retail... Dell is pretty decent.. only issue ive ever ran into with them was having to always send the machine/laptop back to them for repairs, where as if u go to retail store, (if you get their service plan, on a laptop, well worth it to get one with accidental damage coverage, trust me ) you can take your machine to them for repairs, and "usually" have a little better turnaround time.. your best bet is talking to the service department and let them know the models you are looking/interested in and see wehat they tend to get more of in for repairs and what not.. also, find out what brands they repair in house..some manufacturers dont like tech departments working on their laptops and require them to ship it back to them as well..

As for the brand. .Sony is usuallly nice looking and higher qual, but you tend to also pay for that . not to many Sony's that I recall in the 500ish range.. but plenty of Tosh and them.. Asus has come out with some decent laptops in that range as well ive seen..

also.. i cant recall 100% .. but x64 is also now allowing larger than 2TB hard drives as well right/.. isnt x86 limited there as well?? i cant remember off top of my head right now.. <--lack of sleep :P

but yes.. like Avinash said, x64 will let you go above the 4gb limit that x86 imposes which is nice, depending on what you are gonna do of course, to me.. x64 also appears to run slightly faster as well.. not just because of the extra ram.. i mean, same specs between the 2 (say 3gb ram, 500gb hdd, same speed processor, etc) and i think the x64 will normally slightly out perform as well..

But like many have said.. i would try to get at least something with 3gb ddr3 ram, 500gb hdd, and a dual core or i series (think they are like 3 5 and 7 now?? i know there is a 5 and 7, just cant recall if the other is a 3 or somthn) . then you have to decide what size screen as well.. in the 500$ range... prolly gonna end up with 15in or so.. maybe 17.. if lucky..

Also.. what do you plan to do with the laptop?? is it gonna be for gaming, school, work.. normal home stuff like internet, etc??? this also factors in... for gaming,, a nice video card (not built in memory, but an actual video card) with 1gb at least is a +.. 512 can manage most games. .but some of the more recent games and more strenous ones might put a beating on those as well..

There are tons of things to consider... other things like how many USB ports it has, do you want/need HDMI output.. do you need the blu-ray or just a dvd player.. or do you need either as a burner as well...

anyway.. sorry for long rant.. but hope helps some.. always up for helping with buy... but you could also consider ordering from other non retail type shops that build their own.. if you plan on staying in your location and not gonna move.. they will be there for you since no other retail chains etc.. unless they go out of business ofc.. but a lot of times, you can find some good deals with them as well

Zug

[Ashwin]

Thanks for sharing your experience Zug, (although it contradicts mine, I love Compaq )

Dell is pretty darn good.

And about shipping to service depots, If I remember correctly they (both Dell and HP) would send you a printable coupon for fedex which you could stick to the box.
So its free, but waiting for them to fix it and ship it back. Well, its annoying

And I agree with you on the after-sales-service point of view, its very important that you get good tech support when you need it

[Zug]

Well Ashwin.. to be fair.. Compaq and HP are now the same for the most part.. they merged a while back, but still keep the brandnames on the machines When i sold them and worked on them, the higher end HP's always lasted longer than the compaq's. Compaq is known for using many proprietary parts that required replacement from them. This was most prevelent on the lower end machines where just about everything was built into the motherboard. The higher end on both sides would put in actual parts instead of being built in so it allowed for better compatability with things and better upgrading. On the higher end, both were decent, it was just the lower (cheaper ones) that had more of the issues.. Hence the phrase "You get what you pay for"..

Didn't say dell sucked :P i just said my issue with them was having to constantly send their stuff back to them... not sure if they changed it any to allow tech support in stores, but having to wait for a box to get to you, then ship it back.. and then wait for it to get back to you was a tad longer than dropping off your machine at the tech department at the store and then getting it back.. "IF" they had to send it in, the stores have their own boxes, so even then it had a better turn around time.. But YES>> Dell is a good bran and worth buying

As for warranties.. if it doesnt have "Accidental Coverage" I wouldn't recommend it .. just a way for store to get more money in their pock as a 2yr/3yr is only giving you 1/2yr extra service and that is basically manufacturer type coverage.. which for a laptop, isnt great but .. most retail stores i have seen selling laptop offer Accidental coverage for a little more.. and this is a lifesaver normally on a laptop.. hell. towards end of warranty. .throw that hunk of scrap out the window.. break it.. take it in and normally its cheaper to replace it than to replace all teh parts that would get broken :P and this way u get a brand new laptop.. and only thing u have to pay for is a new service plan .. good replacement technique FYI :P

Zug

[Alpha]

In India dell gives 1 year onsite warranty and also accidental damage coverage.

[Grr]

Still unable to decide on laptop.
Saw Sony Vaio & HP....not sure which one 2 buy

[Grr]

I again went to Besy-Buy and concluded on the following 2:

VPCEB36GM/BJ-$800+8%Tax
VPCEB33FM/BJ-$600+8%Tax

Here are more details/configs;


VPCEB36GM/BJ-$800+Tax
Sony VAIO Laptop / Intel® Core™ i5 Processor / 15.5" Display / 4GB Memory / 500GB Hard Drive, Windows 7 Professional

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VPCEB33FM/BJ-$600+8%Tax

Sony - VAIO Laptop / Intel® Core™ i3 Processor / 15.5" Display / 4GB Memory / 320GB Hard Drive - Gunmetal Black, Windows 7 Home Premium

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Most probably I would go with "Sony VAIO Laptop / Intel® Core™ i5 Processor / 15.5" Display / 4GB Memory / 500GB Hard Drive, Windows 7 Professional", even though it is $200 more....but good for i5 and W-7 PRO, I guess..

How do u guys like my selection/choice?

Thanks,
Grr


Alternate links as Sam & Ashwin reported BestBuy is not accessible from India:

Sony 15.5″ VAIO VPCEB36GM/BJ Intel Core i5 Laptop 4GB Notebook

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Sony 15.5" VAIO VPCEB33FM/BJ Intel Core i3 Laptop 4GB Notebook 320G

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