Laptop for Development @ Rs. 50-60K ($ 800)

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Hello friends,

I need to buy a powerful laptop for coding and development. Also I have the option of buying from USA (someone is coming from USA around Feb 22, 2018).

1) What is your budget? (INR or USD)
Rs. 50-60K in India, or $800 from USA.

2) What size & weight consideration (if any) would you prefer?
(a) Screen size: 14"-15" FHD
(b) Good build quality but not too heavy & bulky.

3) What are the primary tasks you will be performing with this notebook?
MS Visual Studio 2017, MS SQL Server, Node, IIS, maybe Docker for containerization.

5) Any typical configuration in your mind you're eying for ?
Preferably a quad-core processor, maybe Intel Core i7 and SSD

4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
Nothing specific; please avoid any brand with not so good quality.

6) Anything else you would like to say?
(a) Full HD screen is a must.
(b) GPU is not necessary (this is NOT for gaming).
(c) SSD for better performance, if possible.

Q. Is it worth getting from USA; do we get warranty & support here in India?

Thanks a lot!

MSI GL72M 7RDX-800 @ $799

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bssunilreddy said:
MSI GL72M 7RDX-800 @ $799

Thanks @sunil for the quick reply! But that laptop is 17" in size; please suggest something in 15".

I've also found these laptops in 15" size; please check if any of these is worth considering or suggest something else.

1. MSI GL62M 7RDX-2027

2. MSI GL62M 7RDX-1408 15.6" IPS Intel Core i7 7th Gen 7700HQ (2.80 GHz) NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 8 GB Memory 128 GB SSD 1 TB HDD Windows 10 Home 64-Bit Gaming Laptop - Newegg.com
3. MSI GL62M 7RDX-NE1050i7 15.6" Intel Core i7 7th Gen 7700HQ (2.80 GHz) NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 8 GB Memory 128 GB NVMe SSD 1 TB HDD Windows 10 Home 64-Bit Gaming Laptop -- ONLY @ NEWEGG - Newegg.com
4. MSI PL62 7RC-001 15.6" IPS Intel Core i7 7th Gen 7700HQ (2.80 GHz) NVIDIA GeForce MX150 8 GB Memory 1 TB HDD Windows 10 Home 64-Bit Gaming Laptop - Newegg.com

5. *www.amazon.com/Dell-Inspiron-Gamin...rd_wg=BJO86&psc=1&refRID=2ZZG63B57RH7GHZKFPD1
6. *www.amazon.com/Dell-Inspiron-Gamin...rd_wg=BJO86&psc=1&refRID=2ZZG63B57RH7GHZKFPD1

Also it need not be a gaming laptop.
Thanks!

W

MSI does not offer international warranty support for its laptops in India,even if you buy international warranty pack you will still not be able to get free support in India.According to someone here Dell allow transfer of warranty from USA to India.

edurgesh said:
Thanks @sunil for the quick reply! But that laptop is 17" in size; please suggest something in 15".

I've also found these laptops in 15" size; please check if any of these is worth considering or suggest something else.

Also it need not be a gaming laptop.
Thanks!

ASUS VivoBook S Ultra Thin and Portable Laptop, Intel Core i7-8550U processor, 8 GB DDR4 RAM, 128 GB SSD + 1 TB HDD, 15.6" FHD WideView Display, ASUS NanoEdge Bezel, Metal Cover, S510UA-DS71 - Newegg.com

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@whitestar_999 : Thanks for the inputs; I'll avoid the MSI for now.
@sunil : Thanks for the suggestion; the Asus laptop looks good and quite light weight too.

If I have to choose between these two, which one will be better:

1. ASUS VivoBook S Ultra Thin and Portable Laptop, Intel Core i7-8550U processor, 8 GB DDR4 RAM, 128 GB SSD + 1 TB HDD, 15.6" FHD WideView Display, ASUS NanoEdge Bezel, Metal Cover, S510UA-DS71 - Newegg.com
2. Dell Inspiron 15 5000 Laptop: Core i7-8550U, 128GB SSD + 1TB HDD, 8GB RAM, 15.6-inch Full HD Display, Backlit Keyboard, Windows 10 - Newegg.com

Thanks for your help guys!

W

As per an ebay listing,the Dell model has two usb 3 ports & weigh 4.45 lbs while as per newegg Asus one has one usual usb 3 port & one usb 3 type C port & it weighs 3.70 lbs.I also think Asus looks better.

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whitestar_999 said:
As per an ebay listing,the Dell model has two usb 3 ports & weigh 4.45 lbs while as per newegg Asus one has one usual usb 3 port & one usb 3 type C port & it weighs 3.70 lbs.I also think Asus looks better.

OK great! I've already asked my relative to get the Asus one.
Now waiting for him to get that; he is leaving from US on 19th.
Thanks!

G

you can also look into Core i5 8250U laptops , not much difference between that and i7 8550U and may save you quite a bit of money ,.. you can compare benchmarks here and see if it will be ok for your purpose..

Processor Comparison - Head 2 Head

laptop cooling solution makes a difference..

they start at around 500$ in USA , and Rs 39,000 here in India with FHD screens , just confirm about SSD addition without voiding warranty ,

if it were me i would prefer to get it from India if the price difference isn't toooo muchh , since you don't a need a GPU , you have ample budget, so look for decent model .. and you will get 3 years warranty in India in some offer .. compared to likely no warranty from USA , unless you have some relatives/friends that keep travelling regularly and can get RMA done..

Get a Dell laptop from USA if buying there. You can transfer warranty. I have done it, although from India to USA. ADP won't be transferred though.

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anupam_pb said:
Get a Dell laptop from USA if buying there. You can transfer warranty. I have done it, although from India to USA. ADP won't be transferred though.

Thanks for the update, but the laptop is already ordered. Since my relative is leaving from US on 19th, there was not much time.

Finally we ordered the Asus one from NewEgg @ $880 (including taxes). Now the wait begins to get it here.

Thank you friends for you valuable help and suggestions!

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gta5 said:
you can also look into Core i5 8250U laptops , not much difference between that and i7 8550U and may save you quite a bit of money ,.. you can compare benchmarks here and see if it will be ok for your purpose..

Processor Comparison - Head 2 Head

laptop cooling solution makes a difference..

they start at around 500$ in USA , and Rs 39,000 here in India with FHD screens , just confirm about SSD addition without voiding warranty ,

if it were me i would prefer to get it from India if the price difference isn't toooo muchh , since you don't a need a GPU , you have ample budget, so look for decent model .. and you will get 3 years warranty in India in some offer .. compared to likely no warranty from USA , unless you have some relatives/friends that keep travelling regularly and can get RMA done..

@gta5 : Sorry, somehow I missed your post earlier. There may not be much difference in performance between i5 and i7, but now it's already ordered.
Also the similar model in India is at around 70K, so I think it's still good enough (56K INR from US).

Thanks!

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Finally I got my laptop yesterday!! It had reached India earlier, but was able to reach me only yesterday!

It's pretty sleek and light weight; looks nice. First I charged it for sometime, then booted and started setting up the windows. Updating the windows and it's numerous updates itself took around 3-4 hours. Uninstalled McAfee and few other bloatware/games. Runs pretty smooth now.

There are still few Asus programs like, Win Flash, Live Update, and few audio/video enhancements related apps, which I have kept for now.

Have few questions though:

1. Do I need to format & reinstall Windows from scratch for better performance?
2. BIOS flash is required? There is an updated version on Asus website.
3. CPU-Z shows DDR frequency only 667 MHz; I think it should be at least double of that. Something is missing?
4. One windows update is not getting installed even after multiple restarts, probably KB4088776. Due to this few other updates after that also failed; can I leave that?

Any help or suggestion is highly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

W

1.It is recommended to do a fresh install but before that make a MS live account & login with it to link your win 10 activation to it,may come in handy in future though as long as hardware remains same(aka no laptop mobo repairs) win 10 will be automatically activated after each install & connected to net.Also RS4 is supposed to be released by mid Apr so better wait for that if planning on fresh install.

2.Check bios update date,if it is after 1st week of jan 2018 then most likely it is for Spectre patch in which case you should install it(do read instructions very carefully as any error/power interruption during bios update may brick the laptop).

3.DDR ram effectively works at double the reported frequency in cpu-z so for 667 MHz it is effectively working at 1334MHz which is not right.DDR4 ram should effectively work at at least 2133MHz meaning 1066MHz in cpu-z,check bios settings(look for some ram xmp/oc profile).

4.Microsoft Says Windows 10 Cumulative Update KB4088776 Could Fail to Install

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whitestar_999 said:
1.It is recommended to do a fresh install but before that make a MS live account & login with it to link your win 10 activation to it,may come in handy in future though as long as hardware remains same(aka no laptop mobo repairs) win 10 will be automatically activated after each install & connected to net.Also RS4 is supposed to be released by mid Apr so better wait for that if planning on fresh install.

2.Check bios update date,if it is after 1st week of jan 2018 then most likely it is for Spectre patch in which case you should install it(do read instructions very carefully as any error/power interruption during bios update may brick the laptop).

3.DDR ram effectively works at double the reported frequency in cpu-z so for 667 MHz it is effectively working at 1334MHz which is not right.DDR4 ram should effectively work at at least 2133MHz meaning 1066MHz in cpu-z,check bios settings(look for some ram xmp/oc profile).

4.Microsoft Says Windows 10 Cumulative Update KB4088776 Could Fail to Install

Thank you for such a detailed reply!

Yes, I've linked my existing Hotmail account and using that only for login; so activation part should be fine. I'll wait for RS4 update before clean install; that seems better option.

The BIOS is dated December 06, 2017 and says "Optimizes system performance". Not sure if the Spectre fix is already applied; I'll wait for sometime before flashing.

For DDR4 RAM, I'll look into BIOS for more options; yesterday didn't get much time.

I'll ignore that failed KB patch for now.

Thanks again!

W

Download this tool(keep an eye on updated versions as it updates often) for info on meltdown/spectre patch status:
GRC | InSpectre
Spectre patch will be released by your laptop manufacturer in form of a bios update dated Jan 2018/later or it will be released by MS in the form of a windows update.Meltdown patch is windows update only.

edurgesh said:
Finally I got my laptop yesterday!! It had reached India earlier, but was able to reach me only yesterday!

It's pretty sleek and light weight; looks nice. First I charged it for sometime, then booted and started setting up the windows. Updating the windows and it's numerous updates itself took around 3-4 hours. Uninstalled McAfee and few other bloatware/games. Runs pretty smooth now.

There are still few Asus programs like, Win Flash, Live Update, and few audio/video enhancements related apps, which I have kept for now.

Have few questions though:

1. Do I need to format & reinstall Windows from scratch for better performance?
2. BIOS flash is required? There is an updated version on Asus website.
3. CPU-Z shows DDR frequency only 667 MHz; I think it should be at least double of that. Something is missing?
4. One windows update is not getting installed even after multiple restarts, probably KB4088776. Due to this few other updates after that also failed; can I leave that?

Any help or suggestion is highly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

You bought Asus S510UA, right? I'm planning to get its i5 model for my father.

How's its battery life & typing experience on the keyboard? Also, it seems to have international warranty, did you contact Asus India regarding the validity of warranty & other details, if any? According to a document on Asus' website, international warranty works in India.

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whitestar_999 said:
Download this tool(keep an eye on updated versions as it updates often) for info on meltdown/spectre patch status:
GRC | InSpectre
Spectre patch will be released by your laptop manufacturer in form of a bios update dated Jan 2018/later or it will be released by MS in the form of a windows update.Meltdown patch is windows update only.

Thanks buddy, I'll keep that checking for BIOS update. For now I'm waiting for Asus to release the BIOS update for Spectre; then only I'll flash that.

Also, yesterday I noticed a very strange thing. When I run the CPU-Z & switch to Memory tab, it shows 1156 MHz momentarily and then changes to 665 MHz. This I tried multiple times, and every time same result. Also I check the RAM frequency on Task Manager and using command prompt; both display 2400 MHz. Not sure which it reliable.

Thanks.

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anupam_pb said:
You bought Asus S510UA, right? I'm planning to get its i5 model for my father.

How's its battery life & typing experience on the keyboard? Also, it seems to have international warranty, did you contact Asus India regarding the validity of warranty & other details, if any? According to a document on Asus' website, international warranty works in India.

Yes, I bought the i7 version for $880, and laptop is quite good and fast. Since I got it just two days back, didn't get much time to use it except the setting up and installing the windows. All t his I was doing while mostly connected to the power socket. So, cannot comment on battery life just yet. It has a sticker saying 8 Hrs battery, but I guess it should be fine for 3-4 hours.

Typing seems fine, but one thing I miss is the CapsLock light. Also the Power key is next to Delete key, so need to be careful.

I also noticed the 1 year international warranty, but haven't contact the company yet.

W

cpu-z values are not always correct,try HWiNFO - Hardware Information, Analysis and Monitoring Tools

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whitestar_999 said:
cpu-z values are not always correct,try HWiNFO - Hardware Information, Analysis and Monitoring Tools

Thank you! I'll check with that also.

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I'll need the MS Office also (laptop has the trial version for one month); my preference is to get one time purchase. Was looking online and found following items:

Microsoft Home and Student - Microsoft : Flipkart.com

Microsoft Office 2016 Professional (STUD) - Microsoft : Flipkart.com

The second option looks more lucrative; not sure how genuine is that?
Or any other way to get the MS Office cheaper/free?

Thanks!

W

2nd one is "not exactly genuine",pro plus versions are issued to a company's employees to enable them to use office at their homes in their own system at a very cheap rate(assuming they are doing company related work & need office for that).1st looks genuine but why take risk.

*www.amazon.in/Microsoft-Student-Wi...F8&qid=1521557091&sr=8-2&keywords=office+2016
The above is genuine as the seller is "cloudtail"(aka Indian amazon's own selling division).

However I will suggest this if you are also looking for a good cheap backup option & you have a good UL internet connection(20mbps+ dl/ul).
*www.amazon.in/Microsoft-Office-365...TF8&qid=1521558596&sr=1-2&keywords=office+365
Costs ~4k but comes with 5TB of one drive space(1TB/account,5 accounts) so basically you get office+5TB online backup space for a year.For 3k you get 1 account/1TB per year option.For comparison,1TB google drive costs ~6.5k/year & Amazon cloud(only on international site price in $) 1TB/year costs ~4k.

whitestar_999 said:
2nd one is "not exactly genuine",pro plus versions are issued to a company's employees to enable them to use office at their homes in their own system at a very cheap rate(assuming they are doing company related work & need office for that).1st looks genuine but why take risk.

*www.amazon.in/Microsoft-Student-Wi...F8&qid=1521557091&sr=8-2&keywords=office+2016
The above is genuine as the seller is "cloudtail"(aka Indian amazon's own selling division).

However I will suggest this if you are also looking for a good cheap backup option & you have a good UL internet connection(20mbps+ dl/ul).
*www.amazon.in/Microsoft-Office-365...TF8&qid=1521558596&sr=1-2&keywords=office+365
Costs ~4k but comes with 5TB of one drive space(1TB/account,5 accounts) so basically you get office+5TB online backup space for a year.For 3k you get 1 account/1TB per year option.For comparison,1TB google drive costs ~6.5k/year & Amazon cloud(only on international site price in $) 1TB/year costs ~4k.

I bought my Windows 10 Pro & Office 2013 keys from here:Marketplace for Microsoft Software • r/microsoftsoftwareswap

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You could have bought from guys selling their personal dreamspark keys on techenclave & end result would still remain the same.Whatever money you paid to buy these keys did not go to Microsoft & most likely no tax paid on it either(at least the rate MS pays). Cheapest win oem listed on newegg is ~$92. Cheapest office 2016 on amazon india site sold by cloudtail is 5.8k(~$89). Anything you get cheaper than these prices(excl. discount offers etc) is money not going to MS even if the keys work fine.If you are willing to spend the money then at least spend on "official products" instead of giving money to some xyz person for getting "working products".

P.S.Office Pro Plus versions are not supposed to be sold,they are meant for employees of a company which has a contract with MS for Office Pro Plus subscription for employees.

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Thank you friends for your input and suggestions!

Though I would also prefer to buy the official one, but surprised to know that even the Office Home & Student listed on Flipkart is not genuine? Also noticed the seller has not good ratings; so really not sure about that. There is a price diff of that and on Amazon of 1,300.

Also, I don't have that much data/files to backup, so would still prefer to buy onetime an stand alone version, rather than having recurring cost with Office 365.

I'll also check with local vendors for the best price, then buy accordingly.

Thanks a lot!

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whitestar_999 said:
cpu-z values are not always correct,try HWiNFO - Hardware Information, Analysis and Monitoring Tools

I tried with this tool also, and got the similar result for RAM:

1. Maximum supported memory clock: 1200
2. Current memory clock: 665

So, something is not right. Checked in BIOS but couldn't find anything related to RAM frequency. It's American Megatrends EZ3, version 300.

Maybe the BIOS update should solve the issue.

W

You can try updating bios but be very careful & read update instructions carefully as it has the potential to brick laptop if anything goes wrong.

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whitestar_999 said:
You can try updating bios but be very careful & read update instructions carefully as it has the potential to brick laptop if anything goes wrong.

I'm still looking for some other way to change the RAM details or XMP in BIOS; somehow I couldn't find that in BIOS. Updating the BIOS will be the last option.
Anyway, thanks for the support and input!

edurgesh said:
I'm still looking for some other way to change the RAM details or XMP in BIOS; somehow I couldn't find that in BIOS. Updating the BIOS will be the last option.
Anyway, thanks for the support and input!

Updating BIOS is usually as easy as installing a software. Just make sure you keep it connected to the charger. The laptop will restart & flash the new BIOS on its own. So just update the BIOS first.

It does have potential to brick your laptop, but that will happen only if you are crazy enough to remove shut down the laptop while flashing process is going on.

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anupam_pb said:
Updating BIOS is usually as easy as installing a software. Just make sure you keep it connected to the charger. The laptop will restart & flash the new BIOS on its own. So just update the BIOS first.

It does have potential to brick your laptop, but that will happen only if you are crazy enough to remove shut down the laptop while flashing process is going on.

Yes, that's true; as far as I understand the only thing we should be careful of while updating BIOS is consistent power supply during the update. I've updated the BIOS once for my home PC long back, but those days BIOS used to be simple BIOS. Now we can something new UEFI think; which I think is more complex.

Anyway, if I don't get any other way to correct the RAM clock, I'll update the BIOS eventually.

Thanks!

whitestar_999 said:
You could have bought from guys selling their personal dreamspark keys on techenclave & end result would still remain the same.Whatever money you paid to buy these keys did not go to Microsoft & most likely no tax paid on it either(at least the rate MS pays). Cheapest win oem listed on newegg is ~$92. Cheapest office 2016 on amazon india site sold by cloudtail is 5.8k(~$89). Anything you get cheaper than these prices(excl. discount offers etc) is money not going to MS even if the keys work fine.If you are willing to spend the money then at least spend on "official products" instead of giving money to some xyz person for getting "working products".

P.S.Office Pro Plus versions are not supposed to be sold,they are meant for employees of a company which has a contract with MS for Office Pro Plus subscription for employees.

edurgesh said:
Thank you friends for your input and suggestions!

Though I would also prefer to buy the official one, but surprised to know that even the Office Home & Student listed on Flipkart is not genuine? Also noticed the seller has not good ratings; so really not sure about that. There is a price diff of that and on Amazon of 1,300.

Also, I don't have that much data/files to backup, so would still prefer to buy onetime an stand alone version, rather than having recurring cost with Office 365.

I'll also check with local vendors for the best price, then buy accordingly.

Thanks a lot!

Seems legit as the channel is a verified one.

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SaiyanGoku said:
Seems legit as the channel is a verified one.

Thanks for the update! I checked that SCDKey website for MS Office, and most of the editions are of "Plus" type.
Does it mean that we can buy the Plus editions in India; I can get the same from Flipkart for Rs. 1,950?

Microsoft Office 2016 Professional (STUD) - Microsoft : Flipkart.com

edurgesh said:
Thanks for the update! I checked that SCDKey website for MS Office, and most of the editions are of "Plus" type.
Does it mean that we can buy the Plus editions in India; I can get the same from Flipkart for Rs. 1,950?

Microsoft Office 2016 Professional (STUD) - Microsoft : Flipkart.com

That may not be a retail key in flipkart.

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SaiyanGoku said:
That may not be a retail key in flipkart.

Oh OK, then which one should I buy? Directly from SCDKey, like this:

Buy Office2016 Professional Plus CD Key Global in SCDKey

I'm surprised how come they sell the genuine software keys for so cheap?

W

@SaiyanGoku No windows key selling for less than $80-90 is "legit" even if they do work.Like I said these keys are not meant to be sold to public.

@edurgesh All MS Office "plus" editions are not meant to be sold in market,they are meant for a company's employees which has a subscription for Office "Plus" versions from MS.

Between giving your money to 3rd parties/sellers like these & getting "ahem" edition I say getting "ahem" edition & donating that money to a charity/PM relief fund is a better choice.

edurgesh said:
Oh OK, then which one should I buy? Directly from SCDKey, like this:

Buy Office2016 Professional Plus CD Key Global in SCDKey

I'm surprised how come they sell the genuine software keys for so cheap?

Take precaution and use PayPal if you'd be buying from them.

W

^^See my earlier post,why give money to a 3rd party for a MS product which is not going to MS anyway(& most likely no taxes paid on it either).Better use open office or "ahem" version & give that money to a govt relief fund(you will get tax benefit too).

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OK, it's a tough choice. I'll hold the decision to buy Office key for sometime; will continue the trial for now.

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whitestar_999 said:
^^See my earlier post,why give money to a 3rd party for a MS product which is not going to MS anyway(& most likely no taxes paid on it either).Better use open office or "ahem" version & give that money to a govt relief fund(you will get tax benefit too).

If it's not legitimate, it doesn't make sense to pay for that anyway. Not sure, how does it get activated and work?

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edurgesh said:
If it's not legitimate, it doesn't make sense to pay for that anyway. Not sure, how does it get activated and work?

It gets activated because key is correct,only it is not supposed to be used by you/general public(think of a legitimate tatkal ticket booked with a fake disability quota,no TC is going to medically examine you for disability there).

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whitestar_999 said:
It gets activated because key is correct,only it is not supposed to be used by you/general public(think of a legitimate tatkal ticket booked with a fake disability quota,no TC is going to medically examine you for disability there).

Oh OK, got it now! Though keys are correct, but not for general public.
Thanks!