Laptop for B-school

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salvachn

Broken In
Hi guys, I'm going to B-school this June and want to buy a sturdy, durable notebook - would mostly purchase an extended warranty. Please help!

1) What is your budget? (INR or USD)
50k - 60k

2) What size notebook would you prefer?
Thin and Light; 13" - 14"

3) Which country will you buying this notebook?
India

4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
Dislike: Acer - finicky build quality. HP - battery often goes kaput soon.

5) What are the primary tasks will you be performing with this notebook?
Typing - a lot, productivity work(B-school coursework), some movies, photo editing

6) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places, leaving it on your desk or both?
Both

7) Will you be playing games on your notebook? If so, please state which games or types of games?
No games. Maybe Sudoku or some crossword.

8) How many hours of battery life do you need?
At least 4

9) Would you prefer to see the notebooks you're considering before purchasing it or buying a notebook on-line without seeing it is OK?
I need to see it - just to get a feel

10) What OS do you prefer? Windows (XP or Vista or Windows 7), Mac OS, Linux, etc.
Windows 7 - mostly I'll dual boot Fedora/Debian

Screen Specifics

11) What screen resolution(s) would you prefer?
1280*800 or 1366*768
 
thetechfreak

thetechfreak

Legend Never Ends
Go for Dell Inspiron 14r

Link- The Dell Online Store: Build Your System

Add to the config-

1)2.8AHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Battery(for better battery life)
2)ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 5650 - 1GB(always good to have a discrete GPU)
3)Dell Wireless 1501 802.11b/g/n Half Mini Card(GPU needs you to have this Wi-Fi card)

Others are fine. You also get -
Intel® Core™ i5-480M Processor (2.66GHz, 4Threads, turbo boost up to 2.93Ghz, 3M cache)

Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium SP1 64bit (English)
LCD Back Cover - Obsidian Black
McAfee® Security Center™ (Multi-Language) - 15 Months Version
4GB (2 X 2 GB) 2 DIMM DDR3 1333Mhz
500GB 5400RPM Hard Drive
12.7" SATA tray load DVD+/-RW (Win7 Home Premium)

1 Year Complete Cover Accidental Damage Protection

Total Online Price for customised config- Rs.44,939.26
 
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mohityadavx

mohityadavx

Youngling
U should better wait till ur admission in ur B School as nowadays many B school forcefully give a laptop then u would only have to suffer a loss also the later u buy the more new technology u can get at lower prices.
 
OP
S

salvachn

Broken In
mohityadavx said:
U should better wait till ur admission in ur B School as nowadays many B school forcefully give a laptop then u would only have to suffer a loss also the later u buy the more new technology u can get at lower prices.
Click to expand...

LOL. No, I'm not going to that kind of B-school. A nice one that doesn't need to advertise about itself or free laptops :)
 
thetechfreak

thetechfreak

Legend Never Ends
^^

What do you think about config I have suggested? Do you want to spend a bit more?
Are you happy with Dell?

You will buy online or at a store?
 
OP
S

salvachn

Broken In
thetechfreak said:
^^

What do you think about config I have suggested? Do you want to spend a bit more?
Are you happy with Dell?

You will buy online or at a store?
Click to expand...

I'll mostly buy at a store. Dell is good, but I am quite wary of the battery life - a friend's 3 month old Inspiron gives less than an hour on a single charge. My price limit is 60k.

And my wishlist is:

1. Durable - must last at least three years without a hitch
2. Lightweight - will need to carry it around a lot
3. Battery life - minimum 3 hours on a single charge like my old Samsung
4. Good keyboard - with minimal flex and I prefer a chiclet one
 
thetechfreak

thetechfreak

Legend Never Ends
The website of Dell says XPS 15 says its available
Dell XPS 15 Laptop Details | Dell India

Overall, I say if 15' screen is not important for you, get Inspiron 14R. 14R is better Value for Money at 44k

But if you want a BIG battery laptop
Get Acer Timeline 4820t

Digit tested in one of last few months and has around 5 hours back up
 
OP
S

salvachn

Broken In
What about Sony? Have loved their build quality (on my cousin's) but the CB15 series have some hideous colours :-(
Am looking at these now:

Sony VAIO C Series VPCCB15FG Laptop Price India: Buy Sony VAIO C Series Notebook India: Flipkart.com(Black)

Sony VAIO S Series VPCSB16FG Notebook (Blue)
 
thetechfreak

thetechfreak

Legend Never Ends
Seeing the configs here- VPCCB15FG : C Series : VAIO™ Laptop & Computer : Sony India (Official Sony Site)

Specs look sweet

Its GPU is better. But there isnt any mention about Battery.
Its HDD will perform better because its 7200 RPM

Nice find.


Be sure of its battery life. If you think its good enough, you may get Sony.
 
OP
S

salvachn

Broken In
Their advertised battery life is upto 3.5 hours but there is an optional battery VGP-BPL26 : Battery & Adaptor : VAIO™ Accessories : Sony India that gives upto 5 hours. That should be enough.

Any idea on how much Sony extended cover would cost me?

Just heard about this one: The Dell Online Store: Build Your System

How long does it take for Dell laptops to be delivered?
 
OP
S

salvachn

Broken In
thetechfreak said:
Sony's prices are a bit high. I'd say around 2-2.5k
I think it will be delivered within 7 working days.
Click to expand...

I went to the Sony store again - the price is exactly the MRP - Rs. 56990 and not a paisa less. The two year extended warranty costs Rs. 5000. So Rs. 62000 would be the total cost.

Am wondering why other dealers are not stocking this model yet - they may offer a lesser price.

And stupid Dell do not have an extended warranty option for the Vostro 3350 :-(
 
thetechfreak

thetechfreak

Legend Never Ends
Seeing this, its probably best to go for the Sony laptop.

Its best to get Sony stuff from their dealers only.
I think Sony want their laptops to be sold through their dealers only. So very few other shops have it.
 
mohityadavx

mohityadavx

Youngling
salvachn said:
LOL. No, I'm not going to that kind of B-school. A nice one that doesn't need to advertise about itself or free laptops :)
Click to expand...

Well good 4 u!!! :razz:

Even some good B schools had taken part in the trend like IiPm ( Not that one of arindam Chowdhary its different its Indian Institute of Petroleum Managment) however thank god their minds returned to them and they stopped it.
 
OP
S

salvachn

Broken In
Thank you everybody. I bought the Sony SB16 today for 56990 (MRP). Now to go driver hunting before I reinstall Windows without their bloated software and then dual boot it.

@mohit: LOL. Remove the P and you get my college name :p
 
thetechfreak

thetechfreak

Legend Never Ends
Congrats man on studying in IIM :) and also for new laptop :D

They should have included a driver cd/dvd
 
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