Suggest A Lappy < 50K

Hello Guys ,

I want to purchase a new laptop so was on crossroads , hence , decided to consult fellow digitians !

Here are the specifications which are most preferred ::

Intel C2D 2.0GHz / 2.1GHz
13" or 14" Widescreen LCD/TFT ( Least Preferred 15" due to portability issues. )
2GB Or 3GB RAM
250GB HDD
nVidia Dedicated GPU ( 8600GT Or 8400GS )

Make sure that the price doesn't exceeds the limit of Rs.50000/- !

I was looking at the Dell Inspiron 1525 but it doesn't have a dedicated GFX ! Also , it has a screen size of 15" which is least preferred

Main purpose of the lappy is high performance and moderate gaming.

So waiting for ur suggestions and opinions !

Thanks & Regards ,

BBThumbHealer !

Dell Studio 15 8)

^ 15" Screen and No Dedicated GPU !
Has the Dell Inspiron 1420 Been Discontinued ?

only model that comes to my mind is Dell XPS 1300 series.

^ Whats the actual cost of that because on Dell's site , prices haven't been revised ! The XPS M1530 still costs a bomb if we get it customised to the configuration to which dOm1naToR got that !

BBThumbHealer said:
^ 15" Screen and No Dedicated GPU !
Has the Dell Inspiron 1420 Been Discontinued ?

No dedicated GPU ? Says WHO ?
It has Radeon HD3450.

^ its mentioned on their website , when i click customise ! It has got the X3100 Intel Graphics Media Accelerator.

What's the GPU in Inspiron 1525 ?

A

If you have not checked then check this Compaq Presario CQ45-100

I would say this is the best under 50K laptop, even with you go with Dell Studio with HD3450, the compaq has better config with

+1 for Dell Studio with HD3450

A

just to let u know shashank if you have not checked compaq specs of the model I suggested. It has nVidia 9200 GPU and proccy is T7350 better than 5850 only if u raise ur budget more and get T8100 and have not checked this Intel® Centrino® Processor Technology Comparison chart

The lappy got all video ports like HDMI n DVI and max RAM upgrade can be upto 8GB

^ This one's a nice laptop .... its got all the features which i want ! But is Compaq Good ?

Will a MacBook be able to run AutoCAD and Turbo C ?

BBThumbHealer said:
Will a MacBook be able to run AutoCAD and Turbo C ?

AutoCAD - maybe
TC!! lol no. Maybe through DOS emulator...

BBThumbHealer said:
Will a MacBook be able to run AutoCAD and Turbo C ?

It’s out of your budget now. If you’d purchased it before 31 August, you could’ve snagged it for just Rs. 45,000. You gotta pay Rs. 52,000 for the basic model now.

And, in any case, I wouldn’t recommend it for you.

^ Ok Thanks !

acewin said:
just to let u know shashank if you have not checked compaq specs of the model I suggested. It has nVidia 9200 GPU and proccy is T7350 better than 5850 only if u raise ur budget more and get T8100 and have not checked this Intel® Centrino® Processor Technology Comparison chart

The lappy got all video ports like HDMI n DVI and max RAM upgrade can be upto 8GB

@acewin: The laptop you have suggested has a price tag of 49,990 EXCLUSIVE of taxes. So with taxes it will go anywhere between 53-55K. Thats quiet over his budget i think.

@BBThumbHealer: I am not sure how good is that ATI card in the Studio laptop. I think instead of that X3100 will be a reasonable choice for quiet lower price. But since you need it for gaming, i guess you should increase your budget by 3-4K and buy either the one he suggested or any XPS model from dell, that falls into budget.

Krazy_About_Technology said:
@acewin: The laptop you have suggested has a price tag of 49,990 EXCLUSIVE of taxes. So with taxes it will go anywhere between 53-55K. Thats quiet over his budget i think.

@BBThumbHealer: I am not sure how good is that ATI card in the Studio laptop. I think instead of that X3100 will be a reasonable choice for quiet lower price. But since you need it for gaming, i guess you should increase your budget by 3-4K and buy either the one he suggested or any XPS model from dell, that falls into budget.

that ati HD 3450 == geForce 8400

hmm, then i guess its OK to go with the Studio with ATI graphics, it won't do wonders but it will still be better then X3100.

@aditya_v : Thanks for the info

Krazy_About_Technology said:
hmm, then i guess its OK to go with the Studio with ATI graphics, it won't do wonders but it will still be better then X3100.

@aditya_v : Thanks for the info

ATI HD 3450 === 8400 Go
HD 3470 == 8600GT

one can check on laptoptogo.com.

This was the 1st thing i wanted to know since i do research in 3d graphics.

Dell XPS 1330, when customised, comes with 8400M GS 128MB GDDR3 grafix card but the lappy will cost around 48-50k.

BTW, I do recommand it.

Go For VAIO But For This U Have To Extend U R BUget, Or Go For Dell Studio 15

If XPS 1330 costs arnd that much , then i'll not even think for a second before buying that ! When i customised it on the Dell website , it costs a bomb ! So i first wanna know its exact price !

Dell Studio and Inspiron are 15" ....

I basically prefer portability in a laptop !

Moreover , Is X3100 better than the 8400GS/HD3450-3470 ?

^ For Dell laptops the price given on the site is a bit misleading because of the way taxes are calculated. My Inspiron 1525 config was quoted as 46,700 with taxes on site without Complete Care Warrenty. But when i talked to the sales rep, the actual cost came up to be 44,366 and that too with 1 Year Complete Cover warranty (cost Rs. 1029). So you better give them a call for XPS M1330. Only the sales rep can give you the real price. One more thing, XPS 1330 is 13.something " so that wuld be very good too.

See 14" laptop are a bit costlier then 15" ones and same is the case with 17" ones and above. Adding to that, you need Discrete graphics and all, so that i think is not possible in this budget. Will surely go 2-4 K above. Only chance is the XPS M1330 deal.

X3100 is an integrated solution with Support for Direct X 10, Pixel and Vertex Shaders v3.0 in hardware and a 500 Mhz Core speed. Its good for general purpose gaming and mainstream applications. Runs Vista flawlessly with Aero. Got Windows Experience Index of 3.5.
But since it doesnt have dedicated Video memory, it will never come close to a discrete graphics solution. The clock spped of mobile version is also slower (600 Mhz for desktop version). If your work primarily involves working with CAD and other graphics apps and / or you are into heavy/latest gaming then X3100 is surely not for you. But otherwise its a really good cost effective solution. For example i can play NFS pro street, NFS carbon, NFS most wanted, GTA San Andreas, Half Life 2, Doom 3, Unreal Tournament 2004 etc on it quiet well. Some of these work at low resolution/gfx settings, some run even at the high settings flawlessly. So for general use, X3100 is good.

On a closing note, as the graphics solution of the lappy cant be changed later unlike memory and hdd, choose wisely at this time according to your needs. Make an informed decision.

Update: You are a bit unlucky man, Dell has discontinued its 1420 series just 4-5 days ago, i guess. That laptop had a discrete graphics option with 14" display.
Currently they have a new model on their site, Inspiron 13, a 13" display screen based laptop with Integrated X3100 graphics only (as far as i can figure out from their site). They have not even begun selling it yet, just display. Got a nice and sexy look with XPS like styling (specially where the LCD and base assembly join together). Good one for casual and office users but has got only two USB ports

H

@BBThumbHealer get the Compaq CQ45-137TX for 52k all incl.its the best config that u can get in that budget.

MetalheadGautham said:
Dell Studio 15 8)

+1 it is the best

Compaq CQ45-137TX looks really good with nvidia dx10 9200m GPU.

pick either this one or XPS M1330

^ Thnx guys for ur replies ..... will try to get the M1330 first , or else will go with Compaq !

EDIT :: Went to a Compaq Reseller in the neighborhood , he told me that there no such above model available !

XPS 1330 56 K

You got this price quote from Dell Sales Rep? If yes then its final, you can get 1-2K rebate if you'll bargain but not more than that.

Hmm i guess you should try at Nehru Place for that Compaq one. May be there you find it. I am suggesting it since you are from Delhi. There must be a showroom of Compaq at NP i think.

A

The compaq model that these people are talking about is Compaq Presario CQ45-137TX Portable and not 100tx as said by one of them above.

It is a new model and the spec of the same is available at *www.cyberpark4u.com/laptops/compaq-presario/Presario CQ45-137TX.html.

I had been for various stores in bangalore to check out its price and the best price i got from a HP dealer was for 50,500 including taxes.

The model is quite good. If you buy the same then please post a review of the same as i am thinking to buy the same too.

Regards
Ashwin

How About This Lappy - Inspiron 1525 C2D 2.0GHz 667 MHz FSB , 4GB RAM , 250 GB HDD and all the other common dell features @ 45000/- ? is it worth ?

Its worth every penny you spend. I have the same system with 3 GB ram and system performs nice while running Windows Vista Sp1. No hiccups at all. I am in love with this system. But the graphics chip in it, the X3100, is a strict No-No for gamers. For casual, low res, low detail gaming, its OK, but certainly not for playing recent games in their full glory.