Need Laptop - Good Screen, Decent gaming performance,speaker & battery life; < 50K

[Hrithan2020]

1) What is your budget?
50 k ; Ideally I would love to spend below 40k [30k - 40k preferable]
I am fine with refurbished laptops as long as the product is reliable & has warranty.

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

• Thin and Light; 12" - 14" screen
• Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen

Would prefer 13-14" ideally. But 15.6" is also fine.

3) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
No preference as long as the screen quality is good.

4) What are the primary tasks will you be performing with this notebook?
Primarily watching videos + preparing presentations/reading + browsing etc.
May play games sometimes

5) What screen resolution(s) & type (glossy/matte) would you prefer?
1600x900 preferable [else is 13" , 768p is fine]
But, 768p is ok, as long as it has good viewing angles, decent brightness [250 nit + preferable] and contrast.

Matte preferable, but doesn't matter as long as brightness is high enough to view outdoors.

6) Anything else you would like to say? (eg: local purchase, ASS,matte/glossy finish)

• I am looking to buy from India. [30 - 50 k budget; would prefer <40k though]
• Don't need Core i5 ; Core i3 3rd gen is good enough; Even the ULV versions are fine.
• Don't need more than 4 GB RAM
• Don't need OS; DOS enough [have a windows 8 + office legal key]
• Don't need touch screen
• Would prefer good quality screen
• Battery life should be above 4 hrs [for light loads/watching movies etc]
• Speaker quality should be good enough that anyone in the room should be able to hear without distortion
• Gaming performance should be more than Radeon 5730m equivalent [I had core i7 1st gen + radeon 5730m]
• 500 GB SATA HD enough but if 500 + 32 GB ssd hybrid possible then great!!
• Would prefer back-lit display keyboard
• Would like the touchpad to be decent, w/ multitouch support for Win8 , if possible - Not a high priority though

The laptops I have considered :

1.Samsung-NP300E5V-S02IN - ~33 K
For:
-Great price
-From some reviews, it seems to at least have brighter screen and generally better screen than competition
-Good graphics card
-Decent battery life
-Reasonably light

Reservations:
- Can go for 7-8k more for better screen, speaker etc.
- No USB 3.0 for future proofing

2. Dell Inspiron 14R ~45k

For:
- Smaller screen [lighter?]
- Good performance
- How is the battery?

Reservations
- Don't need Win 8 or Core i5 ; so prefer one without for reduced price
- Lower resolution screen; how is the quality?

3. Dell Inspiron 15 R [>50 k]
with higher resolution screen
Am fine with the seller warranty as long as it is reliable, but a cheaper 4GB ram, DOS, core i3 @45k would be great!!!

4. Lenovo Z500 [what is the cheapest I can get it , with DOS + corei3+ 4GB ram?]
Any links?

5. Samsung NP55 ~48 K in flipkart

V. Expensive, a cheaper version available? [with 4GB RAM, Core i3, Non Win 8 etc.?]

6. Sony Vaio FIT - heard it has good quality screen and speakers, but is there a lower priced version available with 4GB + core i3 + DOS

7. HP Pavilion G6 or 15x - Sceptical about the screen & speaker quality [think samsung's is better except for the speaker?]. But tempted by the 3 yr on site warranty offer

8. Acer-Aspire-V3-571G - Thinkdigit reportedly said that it has a good quality display? Don't need the i5 version though; GT 640 seems mighty powerful.


..

You get the drift. I want a good quality laptop with no compromise in screen & speaker quality, but with some compromises in cpu performance. [gpu performance greater than or equivalent to the old 5730m preferable]

 

[Akash Nandi]

found 2 good options for u... both under 40K

IdeaPad Z580 (White) - Ideapad - Laptops

this will have good CPU performance.... u will get an i5 with a gt 635m... its faster than ur hd5730m

HP Pavilion 15-e001ax Notebook PC (D9H74PA) | HP® India

And this would be my personal favorite among the 2... the APU is really decent... i'm not sure but looking at its datasheets... i believe that its performance should lie between i3 and i5. However... its gpu will be running in crossfire, thus giving it much faster performance in comparison to gt 635m...!




U did say that you don't mind refurbished laptops... so

Lenovo Y500-59346619- Buy Online @ GreenDust India

this.... is probably wayy more than u need... but its one heck of a laptop!

You can check the site for the above mentioned Hp and lenovo laptops too... They do provide 1 year warranty as is written in the Y500 page.... you'll probably have to call them up to know the terms of the agreement

 

[Hrithan2020]

found 2 good options for u... both under 40K

IdeaPad Z580 (White) - Ideapad - Laptops

this will have good CPU performance.... u will get an i5 with a gt 635m... its faster than ur hd5730m

This seems good. Going from the reviews, it seems to have decent screen. Performance wise, I'll be more than satisfied , I am more concerned about the screen and speakers [plus build quality]. Any inputs on that?

HP Pavilion 15-e001ax Notebook PC (D9H74PA) | HP® India

And this would be my personal favorite among the 2... the APU is really decent... i'm not sure but looking at its datasheets... i believe that its performance should lie between i3 and i5. However... its gpu will be running in crossfire, thus giving it much faster performance in comparison to gt 635m...!

I am concerned about the battery life on this one. Regarding the crossfire thing, most reviewers often cited microstuttering problems and driver problems with this combination leading to drastic performance problems with this. So would rather not go for this.

Apart from that, how does this laptop fare in sound quality and display?

U did say that you don't mind refurbished laptops... so

Lenovo Y500-59346619- Buy Online @ GreenDust India

this.... is probably wayy more than u need... but its one heck of a laptop!

You can check the site for the above mentioned Hp and lenovo laptops too... They do provide 1 year warranty as is written in the Y500 page.... you'll probably have to call them up to know the terms of the agreement

Yeah, had seen this link which is why I put the disclaimer. I will definitely be following up with them to know about the extended service warranty program they offer.

If you know about any laptop with lower specs, but refurbished which would come nearer 40k, it would be great.

Thanks for replying

PS:
I am seriously tempted by the Dell Inspiron 15 R SE [Full HD, Backlit]. OFC, only seller warranty. But, if I can get one lower specced version with similar specs for 45 or below, it would be awesome. Will check regarding that as well..

EDIT:
Seems like the battery life of the Y500 is below 3 hours .. Too bad, I would love to have 4hr+ battery life.

EDIT2:
Seems like Z580 also has bad screen quality .. Also, Inspiron 15 R SE also has poor battery life. Seems to be the problem with most full hd laptops?

Any alternatives? How is 14R special edition? Any good 768p screens?

 

[omega44-xt]

You have a 50k budget, but u want to spend as low as possible - fine. But u r complaining aganist bad screen quality- not fine. If u want a good all rounder laptop, get Samsung NP550P5C S01/04IN.
It has 900p matte display, JBL speakers with sub woofers, great GPU (can play all games for next 3-4 years) & i5 3rd gen. I would recommend S04 as S01 has heating issues while gaming for long hours(also out of stock in many places). It would cost around 51-52k(max).

Other option is new Sony vaio series with dedicated GPU

Also Y500 @ 49k is a great deal. Its only con is low battery life(~2.5- 3hrs in normal usage) but other things are great, it has 1080p display(best u can get in your budget) & backlit keyboard. Speakers are great but not better than Samsung. Other specs are obviously great

 

[Hrithan2020]

You have a 50k budget, but u want to spend as low as possible - fine. But u r complaining aganist bad screen quality- not fine. If u want a good all rounder laptop, get Samsung NP550P5C S01/04IN.
It has 900p matte display, JBL speakers with sub woofers, great GPU (can play all games for next 3-4 years) & i5 3rd gen. I would recommend S04 as S01 has heating issues while gaming for long hours(also out of stock in many places). It would cost around 51-52k(max).

Other option is new Sony vaio series with dedicated GPU

Also Y500 @ 49k is a great deal. Its only con is low battery life(~2.5- 3hrs in normal usage) but other things are great, it has 1080p display(best u can get in your budget) & backlit keyboard. Speakers are great but not better than Samsung. Other specs are obviously great

Yes. It is just that I am taking loan to buy this laptop and 50k is the max I can get. But, don't want to buy a cheap laptop as I plan to use this one for a long time to come. But would be difficult to justify a purely gaming laptop.

I just read through the entire Y-500 thread and feel that Samsung laptop would be a safer bet as it has better outdoor visibility and battery life.

Wish there was some cheaper option (less than 50k- refurbished or otherwise) available for it

By the Sony laptop, are you referring to the vaio fit e version which is also above 50k?
I am seriously considering buying the Y-500 now and opt for an extended service warranty program if I can't find any good deal for the Samsung NP550.

Edit:
Can you tell me what exactly is the difference between S01in and S04in ( or S02in and S05in ). From the specs, it seems to be Windows 7 vs 8 only. ?

 

[omega44-xt]

Except OS difference there maybe a difference in mobo or something because S01 had over heating problems but it is solved in S04

 

[Hrithan2020]

Except OS difference there maybe a difference in mobo or something because S01 had over heating problems but it is solved in S04

Ok. Thanks, will try to get the S04 version then. I am trying to find the best deal for it. Hopefully, I can get it below 50k.
Else, settle for the Y500 which unfortunately doesn't have the extended service program and seems too much of a risk.

 

[RON28]

Don't suggest him a S04IN if he wants a good contrast ratio. it has terrible colours, i would say better go for Dell 15R SE. and don't go by battery standards written on paper. I suggest you to ask Dell 15R SE owners ( Dell thread ), i guess they get around 4-4.5 hours battery back up.

 

[Hrithan2020]

Don't suggest him a S04IN if he wants a good contrast ratio. it has terrible colours, i would say better go for Dell 15R SE. and don't go by battery standards written on paper. I suggest you to ask Dell 15R SE owners ( Dell thread ), i guess they get around 4-4.5 hours battery back up.

Thanks a lot. I just finished reading the S550p thread and noticed that the contrast ratio listed is lower than 200:1 in which case, I'd definitely not want this laptop. Thanks for being impartial despite owning the laptop [saw ur posts as well in the thread)

I'll now start reading the Dell 15R SE thread, but don't really want to go above 50k [it is above 50k, that too for the 1 yr seller's warranty on Ebay].

I guess either I'll have to settle for Y500 or 15 R or just opt for the much lower priced NP300 . [In comparison with the S04IN, it doesn't have better speakers and slightly better display for all I care. Other aspects are not much important to me.]

Any inputs on the NP300? Does it have working drivers for Win 8? [Going to buy the dos version]

 

[RON28]

frankly speaking when i went to Samsung CC to submit my laptop for servicing, there were dozens of NP300 series new brand laptops, they have all common problem. screen problem, screen goes black while working.

so if this is your first laptop, either go for Dell or Sony ( i know you want a best screen )

keep an eye on compuindia.com, there Dell 14R Turbo comes with I5 3230M, 4GB RAM, 1TB HDD and GT 640M with windows 8 for 45k, and 2nd option is Sony 15E, also has best screen with subwoofers and fairly good looks, and last is Lenovo z500 in 45k range

 

[dashing.sujay]

Sadly, the indians don't have much option when you want a "quality" screen. As Ron said, try getting dell or sony, also consider lenovo. All companies have screwed up with display. I still have some old laptops in my friends' group, which have very good display. The current pavillion series by HP has got worst display. Even the last gen inspiron had bad viewing angles.
Sony also screwed their line up, 2012 was much better and cheaper. But the new fit series is good. I've used it and it's very good except the unified touchpad, as I couldn't handle it, but it's not an issue.

 

[Hrithan2020]

frankly speaking when i went to Samsung CC to submit my laptop for servicing, there were dozens of NP300 series new brand laptops, they have all common problem. screen problem, screen goes black while working.

so if this is your first laptop, either go for Dell or Sony ( i know you want a best screen )

keep an eye on compuindia.com, there Dell 14R Turbo comes with I5 3230M, 4GB RAM, 1TB HDD and GT 640M with windows 8 for 45k, and 2nd option is Sony 15E, also has best screen with subwoofers and fairly good looks, and last is Lenovo z500 in 45k range

Not my first laptop. I had checked regarding the turbo versions, but they seem to be unavailable at the moment.
Lenovo Z500 again doesn't seem to have good screen quality right?

It is quite pathetic that one struggles to get a good quality screen in laptops while you can get much higher density screens for tablets at much lower prices. [OFC, other component prices plus OS etc play a role].

I am thinking to go for Y500 and settle for the mediocre battery life, but spectacular perf,screen etc and hope for the best.

Sadly, the indians don't have much option when you want a "quality" screen. As Ron said, try getting dell or sony, also consider lenovo. All companies have screwed up with display. I still have some old laptops in my friends' group, which have very good display. The current pavillion series by HP has got worst display. Even the last gen inspiron had bad viewing angles.
Sony also screwed their line up, 2012 was much better and cheaper. But the new fit series is good. I've used it and it's very good except the unified touchpad, as I couldn't handle it, but it's not an issue.

Really sad. You are right. It seems nowadays most customers care about specifications [proccy,gpu etc.] , so companies don't feel pressure to opt for better quality screens for a few hundred rupees more.

The new sony fit which has good screen is above 50k right? Is there a cheaper i3 /DOS variant available for it?

 

[nandu26]

ebay seller cglobal.in is selling Dell laptops with seller warrany. He is having 100% +ve feedback. I am not his customer but I contacted the seller and he replies fast.

 

[dashing.sujay]

Re: Need Laptop - Good Screen, Decent gaming performance,speaker &amp; battery life; &lt; 50K

The new sony fit which has good screen is above 50k right? Is there a cheaper i3 /DOS variant available for it?

The one I used was under 50k, IIRC it was around 42k.

 

[Hrithan2020]

Re: Need Laptop - Good Screen, Decent gaming performance,speaker &amp; battery life; &lt; 50K

ebay seller cglobal.in is selling Dell laptops with seller warrany. He is having 100% +ve feedback. I am not his customer but I contacted the seller and he replies fast.

Yeah, I also contacted them. But the deal he is currently offering is above 50k. In addition, I saw that they had deals of Core i5+Full HD+Backlit KB+8G+1TB at 42.5k earlier plus the current laptop configuration at 45.x k or so. [not to mention the one with 32 GB SSD being just 500 Rs more in a previous deal]

Hence, was reluctant to buy from them.

The one I used was under 50k, IIRC it was around 42k.

Oh, you have the link for it?

 

[dashing.sujay]

^Will search and tell, currently no access to pc.