Need Guidance for Laptop Purchase

[zenjedi]

Folks, need advice for buying a laptop for work and play from the ongoing online sale.


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

50-55k tops


2) What size & weight consideration (if any) would you prefer?

• Netbook; 11" - 10” screen or less
• Thin and Light; 12" - 14" screen
• Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen
• Desktop Replacement; 17"+ screen

Preferably 14"

3) What are the primary tasks you will be performing with this notebook?

Usual internet surfing, emails, online shopping
Some work related tasks. I work on large excels and sometimes PowerPoints
May install some analytics related software - SAS, etc.
Like to play around with linux so that's there
Windows is required since my wife prefers it

5) Any typical configuration in your mind you're eying for ?

8gb ram and an i5

4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
a. Like: Dell, HP, Lenovo
b. Dislike: Acer


6) Anything else you would like to say?

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

I'm typing on a mobile device so apologies for typos and poor formatting

 

[SaiyanGoku]

Wait for 8th gen i5 laptops to come to market.

 

[zenjedi]

How is this - Lenovo Yoga 710 (14") | Premium, Thin & Light, 2-in-1 Laptop  | Lenovo India

Yoga 710 + 4GB + i5 7th gen + 256gb ssd

I don't think I'd be able to wait for 8th gen to hit the markets and with the initial high pricing, they would definitely be out of the budget. Am ok to go with a 7th gen processor, even an i5.

 

[Stormbringer]

How is this - Lenovo Yoga 710 (14") | Premium, Thin & Light, 2-in-1 Laptop | Lenovo India

Yoga 710 + 4GB + i5 7th gen + 256gb ssd

I don't think I'd be able to wait for 8th gen to hit the markets and with the initial high pricing, they would definitely be out of the budget. Am ok to go with a 7th gen processor, even an i5.

Check if Ram is soldered or not. If yes, 4gb RAM is too less these days. Also ,I too agree with SaiyanGoku . Wait for 8th gen laptops. It's worth it.

 

[zenjedi]

Check if Ram is soldered or not. If yes, 4gb RAM is too less these days. Also ,I too agree with SaiyanGoku . Wait for 8th gen laptops. It's worth it.

You are right, RAM was soldered in yoga and there was no way it could be upgraded. Contrary to what mentioned on website. Plus there was no way I could get the required config at below 70k. Instead for a 7th i5/8gb/256gb ssd yoga, I would have had to shell out 90k.

Anyways, after much deliberation, I went ahead and purchased the MacBook air 2017 i5/8gb/128gb ssd . Minus the processor, it had everything I required at the appropriate price point. I have for now let go of my requirement to install SAS and use excel for analysis. It is purely a personal laptop and hence the usual surfing and stuff.

Having said that, despite initial reservations, I have now come to like Mac OS for what if offers.

 

[zenjedi]

Gents, thank you for your suggestions!

 

[Stormbringer]

You are right, RAM was soldered in yoga and there was no way it could be upgraded. Contrary to what mentioned on website. Plus there was no way I could get the required config at below 70k. Instead for a 7th i5/8gb/256gb ssd yoga, I would have had to shell out 90k.

Anyways, after much deliberation, I went ahead and purchased the MacBook air 2017 i5/8gb/128gb ssd . Minus the processor, it had everything I required at the appropriate price point. I have for now let go of my requirement to install SAS and use excel for analysis. It is purely a personal laptop and hence the usual surfing and stuff.

Having said that, despite initial reservations, I have now come to like Mac OS for what if offers.

Congrats on your New purchase. How much did it cost and where did you buy it from ?

 

[zenjedi]

Congrats on your New purchase. How much did it cost and where did you buy it from ?

I got it for 55k from Amazon.

 

[zenjedi]

Now I have had the MBA for 4-5 days now and even though I'm really liking the overall experience, the sub par display (1440 x 900) of MBA has got me revisiting my purchase decision.

I like the Mac features, similar to linux and much more, but I'm just not able to take my mind off what lenovo yoga was offering at a slightly higher price. I need some serious advice on what should I go ahead with - apple experience & lower specs OR windows experience & up-to-date specs? Mac book pro is too expensive for my liking.

NB: lenovo yoga 520 specs - 7th gen i5/8gb ram/256gb ssd/FHD 1920 x 1080. Return window for macbook is open till 4th Nov.

 

[SaiyanGoku]

Now I have had the MBA for 4-5 days now and even though I'm really liking the overall experience, the sub par display (1440 x 900) of MBA has got me revisiting my purchase decision.

I like the Mac features, similar to linux and much more, but I'm just not able to take my mind off what lenovo yoga was offering at a slightly higher price. I need some serious advice on what should I go ahead with - apple experience & lower specs OR windows experience & up-to-date specs? Mac book pro is too expensive for my liking.

NB: lenovo yoga 520 specs - 7th gen i5/8gb ram/256gb ssd/FHD 1920 x 1080. Return window for macbook is open till 4th Nov.

Return it, buy a 8th gen i5 based laptop with international warranty from USA/Dubai and get it here through a friend for 500-700$.

 

[zenjedi]

Return it, buy a 8th gen i5 based laptop with international warranty from USA/Dubai and get it here through a friend for 500-700$.

I'm afraid I can't really exercise this option. Rather I don't have this option.

My only gripe with MBA is the screen else it seems to be capable enough for my use. Plus it has all the bells and whistles that I can want from a laptop.

 

[whitestar_999]

When you purchase a laptop mainly for viewing video content then screen quality is the most important factor.Just ask yourself this,would you rather wait a few seconds/minute more clicking options before starting a video on a screen that looks better or would you rather watch video instantly on an average screen.If your answer is 1st option then go with better screen laptop else keep the macbook air.

P.S.you can also use a good external monitor by connecting it to macbook air for video watching at home.Screen size will be more & display quality will also be better than any usual laptop display.

 

[SaiyanGoku]

When you purchase a laptop mainly for viewing video content then screen quality is the most important factor.Just ask yourself this,would you rather wait a few seconds/minute more clicking options before starting a video on a screen that looks better or would you rather watch video instantly on an average screen.If your answer is 1st option then go with better screen laptop else keep the macbook air.

It barely takes couple of seconds to start a video even on a slow 5400 rpm HDD (unless of course the processor can't decode it or you have a 4k or above resolution file).
I didn't expect apple to put 900p screen on a 55k laptop while they keep circle-j*rking about the screen "quality".

 

[whitestar_999]

I was assuming a typically slowed down windows system with pre-installed bloatware even with ssd(i have seen this in some showroom models) to give a comparison.Apple laptops have better user experience for a non-technical/point & click type users even if hardware is not worth the price tag but you are right, they should have put a better screen in macbook air even if they have to inflate the price tag a bit more.

 

[zenjedi]

So it seems that the return window is for replacement only and not refund. Maybe I'll use the MBA for some time and see if I can come to terms with the screen.

Having said that, its a shame really with what they have done to Macbook range of laptops. Over the last week or so I have read about the macbooks and how Apple has removed the option to upgrade the hardware, changed the keyboard, changed usb ports to usb type c ports and junked the magsafe charger.

I'm new to the macbook experience so for me magsafe charger is probably one of the most thoughtfully created consumer friendly feature. I like to dabble with linux but mac OS has all that I need and works out of the box. Sometimes its easy that ways when you have to just get things to work.