Laptop Dilemma and NAS suggestion

[guhanath]

HI All,

I am planning to buy a new laptop and NAS for my data backups. I am confused on the combination I want to go with
My budget for both of the product is 1,00,000

My requirements are

Laptopbudget 75K to 80K)
1. laptop for performance/demanding applications(I will be using it for my career and gaming).
2. It need to run professional tools like Visual studio/Unity/sql server etc
3. It should help in moderate gaming(no need gaming to run at full HD resolution with max settings. 720p should be fine)
4.should have 10 series GPU.
5. Touch screen/convertible (optional, but let me know if there are any models out there or in the pipeline for release)

Queries
1.Should I go for 1050/1050Ti or 1060
2. Should the combo be
-- 8250U/8550U+ 1050/1050Ti OR
-- 7300HQ/7700HQ+1050/1050Ti/1060?
3. Is there any significant advantage to go with 8th gen processor considering these are just kaby lake refresh and not coffee lake?

My shorlisted products are
1. Acer nitro 5 spin
Acer Nitro 5 Spin Core i5 8th Gen - (8 GB/1 TB HDD/Windows 10 Home/4 GB Graphics) NP515-51 Laptop Rs.79990 Price in India - Buy Acer Nitro 5 Spin Core i5 8th Gen - (8 GB/1 TB HDD/Windows 10 Home/4 GB Graphics) NP515-51 Laptop Black Online - Acer : Flipkart.com Page&ppn=Search Page&ssid=.n786bhx4gof(e+16)1513774189124&qH=28b9ee1a7606382e

2. Dell Inspiron 5577
*www.amazon.in/dp/B0749GG1V6/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I1KE5GLUC457O1&colid=1UIIMDO5ZINHX&psc=0

3. ASUS ROG Strix GL503(launched 20th Dec but priced little high @ 91K). But what is the difference between GL503 and GL553
*www.amazon.in/dp/B06XCQ35C6/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I1R5LVFZIIEXEO&colid=1UIIMDO5ZINHX&psc=0
*www.amazon.in/dp/B06XPXZC6N/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=IUG47VZP9PG7A&colid=1UIIMDO5ZINHX&psc=0

4. ASUS FX503VD
Asus Core i5 7th Gen - (8 GB/1 TB HDD/Windows 10 Home/2 GB Graphics) FX503VD-DM110T Laptop Rs.69990 Price in India - Buy Asus Core i5 7th Gen - (8 GB/1 TB HDD/Windows 10 Home/2 GB Graphics) FX503VD-DM110T Laptop Black Online - Asus : Flipkart.com Page&ppn=Search Page&ssid=.him9d2o2huc(e+16)1513833293279&qH=e4b014e89b9f3060


Not too many option for 1060 based laptops(i guess this is the minimum GPU which supports VR). I am glad if anyone knows better laptop with 1060

NAS(budget 25K to 30K)
Requirements:
1. Minimum 2 bay
2. should be able to accomodate minumum 4TB in each bay
3.Ports(usb 3/e-sata etc)
4.affordable/value for money

Queries
1. Synology or Qnap or WD could Ex or any local players available in india?
2. hard disk preference(WD red or seagate Ironwolf)
3. Is it possible to configure raid if I purchase one hard disk now and other later?

My shortlisted products are
1.WD My cloud Ex
*www.amazon.in/Diskless-Network-Att...UTF8&qid=1513833459&sr=8-9&keywords=nas+drive
2. Synology
*www.amazon.in/Synology-DiskStation...=UTF8&qid=1513833547&sr=1-2&keywords=synology
*www.amazon.in/Synology-DiskStation...=UTF8&qid=1513833547&sr=1-1&keywords=synology
What is the difference between DS216SE and DS216J models?

Thanks
Guhan

 

[SaiyanGoku]

Questionnaire for laptop/notebook purchase

 

[guhanath]

1) What is your budget? (INR or USD)

1 lakh (for both laptop and NAS storage)
2) What size & weight consideration (if any) would you prefer?

• Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen
• Desktop Replacement; 17"+ screen

3) What are the primary tasks you will be performing with this notebook?
It need to run professional tools like Visual studio/Unity/sql server etc
Gaming


5) Any typical configuration in your mind you're eying for ?
Mentioned in my post
It should help in moderate gaming(no need gaming to run at full HD resolution with max settings. 720p should be fine)
Should have 10 series GPU.


4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
a. Like: N/A
b. Dislike: N/A
Looking for suggestions


6) Anything else you would like to say?

• Screen resolution ( 768p (HD) / 900p / 1080p (Full HD) ) - ofcourse Full HD
• Battery back up ( normal (3-4hrs) / extended (5-7hrs) ) - Normal
• Purchase place ( Online (eg - flipkart, infibeam) / Local / Abroad (do mention the country) ) online and local

 

[omega44-xt]

You a week or two late. There was a sale in Flipkart a week ago & you had good price cuts on gaming laptops. The Predator Helios 300 which sells for 1.1 lakhs was going for 80k.

Generally, GTX 1060 laptops start at 1.2 lakhs, least I remember was a MSI laptop priced at 80k during a sale 3 weeks ago or so (i think its priced 1.2 lakhs now). Currently the cheapest 1060 laptop is this it seems:
Acer Predator Helios 300 Core i5 7th Gen - (16 GB/1 TB HDD/128 GB SSD/Windows 10 Home/6 GB Graphics) G3-572 Gaming Laptop Rs.99990 Price in India - Buy Acer Predator Helios 300 Core i5 7th Gen - (16 GB/1 TB HDD/128 GB SSD/Windows 10 Home/6 GB Graphics) G3-572 Gaming Laptop Black Online - Acer : Flipkart.com

Asus ROG laptops are generally costly because they have a good display. Difference between GL553VD & VE is one has GTX 1050, other has 1050Ti.

An i7 7700HQ might be a good choice if you are into CPU intensive tasks. The new 8th gen ULV CPUs are a big upgrade to previous generation ULV CPUs, but 7th gen HQ CPUs are still better because those ULV CPUs can't maintain its high performance for long. Seeing benchmarks you might say that the i7 8550U is better than i5 7300HQ, but those ULV CPUs perform better in short bursts, not continuously.

Acer Nitro 5 Core i5 7th Gen - (8 GB/1 TB HDD/Windows 10 Home/4 GB Graphics) AN515-51 Gaming Laptop Rs.70999 Price in India - Buy Acer Nitro 5 Core i5 7th Gen - (8 GB/1 TB HDD/Windows 10 Home/4 GB Graphics) AN515-51 Gaming Laptop Black Online - Acer : Flipkart.com

I think this is a great choice due to i5 7300HQ + GTX 1050Ti. Just add a 128GB SSD & clone OS to it.

Paytm offers some decent amount as cashback if you buy from there. So that's a good way to get a good deal:
Buy Acer Nitro5 AN515-51 (Core i5 (7th Gen)/8GB RAM/1TB HDD/15.6 FHD+IPS/Win 10/4GB NVIDIA GTX 1050Ti) (Black) Online at Low Prices in India - Paytmmall.com

Buy Dell Inspiron 7567 Gaming Laptop (A562102SIN9) (Core i7-7th Gen(Quad Core)/8GB DDR4/1TB HDD/4GB Nvidia GTX1050Ti Graphics/15.6 Full HD/Windows 10/Black) Online at Low Prices in India - Paytmmall.com
You pay the whole amount initially but after the laptop has been shipped, you get the 8% of its price as paytm cash (which can be transferred to the bank account if you want). I bought my laptop from paytm 1.5 years ago.

 

[guhanath]

Thanks Anupam for your response. So one thing is clear. 7th gen HQ series combo is better than 8th gen ULV series(atleast for now).

I will also wait for next 1 week or so to see if flipkart or amazon gives another shot on laptop offers.

Any suggestions for NAS?

 

[omega44-xt]

Thanks Anupam for your response. So one thing is clear. 7th gen HQ series combo is better than 8th gen ULV series(atleast for now).

I will also wait for next 1 week or so to see if flipkart or amazon gives another shot on laptop offers.

Any suggestions for NAS?

Not much idea about NAS, ask at reddit for technical questions & compare it with price to make a decision.

Wait till Republic Day at max, no point in waiting beyond that

 

[guhanath]

Thanks Anupam,

Just did some research for 1060 and other lesser configuration. Looks like VR games are playable in lesser config GPU as well. Also VR tools / games are costly for now.. I have decided to go with 1050Ti based laptop. Touch enabled laptop would be optional if we have any.

 

[SaiyanGoku]

Thanks Anupam,

Just did some research for 1060 and other lesser configuration. Looks like VR games are playable in lesser config GPU as well. Also VR tools / games are costly for now.. I have decided to go with 1050Ti based laptop. Touch enabled laptop would be optional if we have any.

Don't compromise on GPU (skip max-q as well) or game settings/resolution/framerates and try to get a laptop from USA/Dubai. You'll easily get a 1060 6 GB.

 

[guhanath]

Yes. it would be nice if someone can buy in US/Dubai but unfortunately dont have anyone coming now or near future. Also I need new laptop very soon since my old laptop is wearing out.

 

[guhanath]

Don't compromise on GPU (skip max-q as well) or game settings/resolution/framerates and try to get a laptop from USA/Dubai. You'll easily get a 1060 6 GB.

Interesting observation

I just compared Helios laptop with (1060 GPU) with Amazon USA and Flipkart. Even if I ship to India with all customs paid, it is still less than the original price quaoted in india

Flipkart
Acer Predator Helios 300 Core i5 7th Gen - (16 GB/1 TB HDD/128 GB SSD/Windows 10 Home/6 GB Graphics) G3-572 Gaming Laptop Rs.99990 Price in India - Buy Acer Predator Helios 300 Core i5 7th Gen - (16 GB/1 TB HDD/128 GB SSD/Windows 10 Home/6 GB Graphics) G3-572 Gaming Laptop Black Online - Acer : Flipkart.com

Amazon US
*www.amazon.com/Acer-Predator-i7-77...efinements=p_n_shipping_option-bin:3242350011

With customs paid, the amount was 98K.(with 256 GB SSD and better 7700HQ processor).

 

[omega44-xt]

Interesting observation

I just compared Helios laptop with (1060 GPU) with Amazon USA and Flipkart. Even if I ship to India with all customs paid, it is still less than the original price quaoted in india

Flipkart
Acer Predator Helios 300 Core i5 7th Gen - (16 GB/1 TB HDD/128 GB SSD/Windows 10 Home/6 GB Graphics) G3-572 Gaming Laptop Rs.99990 Price in India - Buy Acer Predator Helios 300 Core i5 7th Gen - (16 GB/1 TB HDD/128 GB SSD/Windows 10 Home/6 GB Graphics) G3-572 Gaming Laptop Black Online - Acer : Flipkart.com

Amazon US
*www.amazon.com/Acer-Predator-i7-7700HQ-1060-6GB-G3-571-77QK/dp/B06Y4GZS9C/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1514039234&sr=1-1&keywords=1060+laptop&refinements=p_n_shipping_option-bin:3242350011

With customs paid, the amount was 98K.(with 256 GB SSD and better 7700HQ processor).

But then there's the case of warranty. Have a talk with Acer people once. Dell allows warranty transfers between countries, I got my warranty transferred from India to USA (I had bought 2 years of extended warranty in India).

Even if you don't get the warranty, getting parts shouldn't be a problem as the same model is available in India.

The choice is yours, wait till Republic day in hope for sale maybe.

 

[guhanath]

But then there's the case of warranty. Have a talk with Acer people once. Dell allows warranty transfers between countries, I got my warranty transferred from India to USA (I had bought 2 years of extended warranty in India).

Even if you don't get the warranty, getting parts shouldn't be a problem as the same model is available in India.

The choice is yours, wait till Republic day in hope for sale maybe.

Yup.. Will wait for some more time and keep my money for a better purchase. Will let all know once I purchased.