1) What is your budget? (INR or USD)
Around 60K INR, willing to extend if need be.
2) What size & weight consideration (if any) would you prefer?
Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen
3) What are the primary tasks you will be performing with this notebook?
Movies, MS office, etc. Need it to play nice with Linux (Most probably Ubuntu). Bonus if its Hackintosh friendly. Mild gaming (looking at a 940MX at least, but hoping one of you will find something that will run Witcher 3 on low).
5) Any typical configuration in your mind you're eying for ?
i5 8th gen / 8GB RAM / 940MX or better / 1 TB HDD / DVD Drive must
4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
Like : Asus, HP, Dell
Dislike : Acer, Lenovo
6) Anything else you would like to say?
FullHD is a requirement. Linux support is a requirement. DVD drive is a requirement. And please find something Hackintoshable.
No dvd drive.
*www.amazon.in/VivoBook-S510UN-BQ218T-Intel®-GeForce-Warranty/dp/B078KF4B2V/ref=sr_1_13?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1522512913&sr=1-13&refinements=p_36:5500000-7500000,p_n_feature_seven_browse-bin:7005024031
*www.amazon.in/Lenovo-Ideapad-520-81BF00AVIN-Screen/dp/B07BBRKTP6/ref=sr_1_26?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1522513062&sr=1-26&refinements=p_36:5500000-7500000,p_n_feature_seven_browse-bin:7005024031
No dvd drive,comes with win 10 & genuine MS Office pre-installed plus it has nvidia 1050 gfx(MX150 is equivalent to 1030 which is much better than 940MX) & "HQ" version processor("U" are power saving processors so extended use with high cpu usage will result in throttling that's why HQ version processors are default in gaming laptops).
*www.amazon.in/HP-Notebook-15-cb054TX-15-6-inch-Processor/dp/B0752S2RDX/ref=sr_1_29?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1522513062&sr=1-29&refinements=p_36:5500000-7500000,p_n_feature_seven_browse-bin:7005024031
This one seems really good with 128GB SSD included(you can buy external portable dvd drive for ~1.5k).
*www.amazon.in/VivoBook-S510UN-BQ070T-Processor-MX150-2GB-Warranty/dp/B079QYSVW7/ref=sr_1_32?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1522513062&sr=1-32&refinements=p_36:5500000-7500000,p_n_feature_seven_browse-bin:7005024031
P.S.whichever laptop you buy,ssd is must for smooth & much better overall user experience compared to a hdd.Also warranty is another major factor.I strongly suggest to check these models at authorized exclusive brand stores in your city & purchase from there only(aka don't go to chroma etc).
SSD is something I'm willing to skimp on for now. I can always add it later on.
I'll also need international warranty. Leaving for Germany soon.
Trust me,you don't want to skimp on ssd in a laptop.Most of the times all those negative reviews saying "i5 8th gen feel like old gen pentium" are exactly because of lack of ssd.You can increase laptop performance to "acceptable" level but only after formatting & reinstalling latest win 8.1/10 with lots of optimization.
If you want international warranty & leaving for Germany then better buy from there only.Laptops in India are overpriced by about 35% in general with inferior config/build quality.You can always bring one laptop duty free to India from abroad in cabin luggage by declaring it as personal item.In 60k equivalent in $ I think you can easily get a laptop with 1060,check below review:
*www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/RJVRYWOD1PJGB/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B06Y4GZS9C
Acer Swift 3 Ryzen 5 Quad Core - (8 GB/1 TB HDD/Windows 10 Home) SF315-41 Laptop Rs.56990 Price in India - Buy Acer Swift 3 Ryzen 5 Quad Core - (8 GB/1 TB HDD/Windows 10 Home) SF315-41 Laptop STeel Grey Online - Acer : Flipkart.com
Why are you looking for a DVD drive? My 2 years old gaming laptop doesn't have one & I have never missed it.
This one seems good for you:
Acer Nitro 5 Core i5 7th Gen - (8 GB/1 TB HDD/128 GB SSD/Windows 10 Home/2 GB Graphics) AN515-51 Gaming Laptop Rs.63990 Price in India - Buy Acer Nitro 5 Core i5 7th Gen - (8 GB/1 TB HDD/128 GB SSD/Windows 10 Home/2 GB Graphics) AN515-51 Gaming Laptop Black Online - Acer : Flipkart.com
It meets all your requirements except for DVD drive (including an SSD). GTX 1050 is much better than GT 940MX. The CPU is a 45W quad-core i5 which is better than 8th gen i5 8250U for extended load operation. The i5 8250U being a 15W CPU can't sustain its high performance for extended duration.
If you would like an even better GPU, get this one with GTX 1050Ti:
Acer Nitro 5 Core i5 7th Gen - (8 GB/1 TB HDD/128 GB SSD/Windows 10 Home/4 GB Graphics) AN515-51 Gaming Laptop Rs.69990 Price in India - Buy Acer Nitro 5 Core i5 7th Gen - (8 GB/1 TB HDD/128 GB SSD/Windows 10 Home/4 GB Graphics) AN515-51 Gaming Laptop Black Online - Acer : Flipkart.com
^^@op is soon moving to Germany.Unless it is for few days/weeks it is better to get laptop from abroad.
