Need your opinions on shortlisted budget laptops

[victor_rambo]

Hello guyz,
I have been asked to suggest some technological upgrades for one of the organizations I am attached to.

They want a laptop and a projector. They don't want high-end, lavish stuff. Just something that is sturdy and cost-effective.

Their budget for a laptop is 35K. I have shortlisted 4 laptops under 35K but want an opinion about them from you. Link: Click here to go to the list of shortlisted laptops with detailed comparison. I think 'Compaq - Presario CQ60-104TU' would be the best choice. But let me know what you think about its processor specs.

The laptop would be used for simple office work. There would be a web server installed on that to run a web based application. No gaming, programming on that laptop.

Thanks
-Rohan

 

[Sukhdeep Singh]

Dual Core : emm

Few days back, i had my friend buy a TOSHIBA Laptop. Here are few Configs i rememeber from that time

TOSHIBA
Intel Core 2 Duo1.86
14inch
2GB RAM
120GB HDD
FingerPrint Reader
NO OS
Rs 37800


Another one
Intel Core 2 Duo1.86
15inch
2GB RAM
120GB HDD
NO OS

Rs 36500


HP
Core 2 Duo 2GHZ
2GB
160GB
No Webcam
For Students only.


I dont remember the model numbers now since we wrote them on a Piece of Paper and threw it when we settled for this

Toshiba
Intel Core 2 Duo1.86
14inch
2GB RAM
120GB HDD
FingerPrint Reader
NO OS

 

[comp@ddict]

GO for the first one..TOSHIBA...luks best out of these

 

[victor_rambo]

Ok, so it means that 2 Ghz is not a bad config.

Also I feel a finger print reader would be better because.

Thanks Sukhdeep and compaddict

Also, tell me if I can install windows XP on the 'HCL - Notebook P30-P3013' and 'HCL - Notebook P30-P3014'. Please bear in mind that they are bidget conscious people. So frills would be at minimum!

 

[desiibond]

^^ Better get ACER laptop instead of HCL.

eg: ACER 4520 costs around 26k and is more than enough for normal use

AMD X2 processor
1Gig RAM
nvidia 7100 onboard
bluetooth, wifi, webcam, 14.1" wide displayl, 160Gb

 

[comp@ddict]

Ok, so it means that 2 Ghz is not a bad config.

Also I feel a finger print reader would be better because.

Thanks Sukhdeep and compaddict

Also, tell me if I can install windows XP on the 'HCL - Notebook P30-P3013' and 'HCL - Notebook P30-P3014'. Please bear in mind that they are bidget conscious people. So frills would be at minimum!

No prob in installing XP...yes go for it..VISTA pissTa anyway

 

[victor_rambo]

^K thanks! got few!

Can someone tell me how are Celeron processors? I heard they are very slow?

Again, lemme tell you, I want it for simple offic work. There will also be a web server(WAMP) running on it to serve web applications(PHP-MySQL). But this wont be a publis server!

So will Celeron processor be enough?

 

[desiibond]

if you are ready to pay around 30k, better get AMD X2 based or Pentium Dual core based laptops. Don't go for celeron. There isn't much difference in price betwen the three and by picking celeron, you will notice performance drop.

Check compaq and Acer models for good reliability and service.

 

[victor_rambo]

^Even I am worried about the same: remarkable performace gap.

Btw I just got a comparison fo how various Intel processors may peform. Plz see teh below link:
*www.mydigitallife.info/2008/03/08/...celeron-m-processors-before-official-release/

 

[desiibond]

Acer Aspire 5920NWXMi Rs.34,000- 35000
Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T5550 @ 1.86GHz, Intel 965GM Chipset, 2GB DDR2 RAM, 160GB SATA HDD, 8X Dual Layer DVD Writer, 15.4" Crystal Bright WidescreenTFT, Integrated Blueetooth 2.0, Integrated Web CAM, LAN, 56K Modem, 5 in 1 card reader, 802.11a/b/g WiFi, 3 USB Ports, Linux , Dolby sterio Speaker, 1 year standard ITW.
===============================================
Compaq Presario C770TU
IntelPentium Dual Core Processor T2370 (1.73 GHz) / 1 MB L2 Cache / 1GB DDR2 / 160GB SATA HDD / 8X SuperMulti DVDRW with DL/ 15.4" Widescreen WXGA TFT Display with BrightView Screen Technology /Intel 960GL Express chipset/ Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) X3100 / up to 251 MB TAG Memory / Altec Lansing Stereo Speakers / 56K Modem /Integrated Wireless LAN 802.11 b/g / LiIon Battery / TouchPad / S-Video TV Out / 2 USB 2.0 / Integrated Webcam / DOS, Carry Case ( 1 Year Limited Warranty)
Price: Rs. 30470/-
======================================================
Compaq Presario V3749AU
AMD Turion64 X2 TL-60 (2.0 GHz) / 512KB L2 Cache /2GB DDR2 / 160GB SATA HDD / 8X SuperMulti DVDRW with DL/ NVIDIA MCP67M Chipset / 14.1" Widescreen WXGA TFT Display with BrightView Screen Technology / NVIDIA GeForce Go7150M GS/ Upto 799MB TAG Memory / Altec Lansing Stereo Speakers / 56K Modem /Integrated Wireless LAN 802.11 b/g / LiIon Battery / TouchPad / S-Video TV Out / 3 USB 2.0 / Integrated Webcam / Vista Home Basic, Carry Case ( 1 Year Limited Warranty)
Price: Rs. 35850/-
======================================================

Acer Aspire 5920NWXMi is a sweet deal for Intel
Compaq Presario V3749AU is a sweet deal for AMD

 

[victor_rambo]

^Awesome, I was about to ask the same stuff to you. BTW which website are you using for collectiong all details? Can you please pass me the link?

Can I install XP on Compaq Presario C770TU? Most probably I can, but just asking for confirmation.

 

[furious_gamer]

Can I install XP on Compaq Presario C770TU? Most probably I can, but just asking for confirmation.

Sure, why not?
Just get Compaq Presario V3749AU... Nice deal...

 

[desiibond]

*www.computerwarehousepricelist.com/productlist.asp?ctg=46

For office use, best brand is Thinkpad.

I am using 3yr old T43 and still it rocks and even runs Vista on a gig ram without a hiccup.

If they are going to buy in bulk, let them check with Lenovo sales rep and get good price.

 

[victor_rambo]

Sure, why not?
Just get Compaq Presario V3749AU... Nice deal...

But that will cost 5k more. Also, we don't need 2 Gb RAM. 1 Gb will suffice.

*www.computerwarehousepricelist.com/productlist.asp?ctg=46

For office use, best brand is Thinkpad.

I am using 3yr old T43 and still it rocks and even runs Vista on a gig ram without a hiccup.

If they are going to buy in bulk, let them check with Lenovo sales rep and get good price.

Coll website man!
btw they won't buy in bulk, we got to get it through retail.

 

[desiibond]

But that will cost 5k more. Also, we don't need 2 Gb RAM. 1 Gb will suffice.


Coll website man!
btw they won't buy in bulk, we got to get it through retail.

but V3749AU comes with vista basic and C770TU comes with FreeDOS. Moreover, the GPU on V3749AU is much much better, resulting in less amount of load on processor.

 

[furious_gamer]

but V3749AU comes with vista basic and C770TU comes with FreeDOS. Moreover, the GPU on V3749AU is much much better, resulted in less amount of load on processor.

Thats what i am gonna say... +1

 

[iMav]

I'd suggest not to go for HP, they are the costlier cousins of Compaq, if it's HP that you want to go for, buy an equivalent Compaq variant considering looks are not of prime importance.

Toshiba's laptops, I personally don't like for some reason, uncle bought one and I hate it, works fine though. I'd stay away from HCL for their not known customer service.

Budget laptops would be - Compaq or Acer. See whatever fits in your budget and go for it. Now-a-days laptops have fixed price brackets, you won't get a similar config at a drastically different price. So it's more of your budget and from where you buy. Vijay Sales; Sony Mony or Croma may offer different prices for the same laptop. Won't be a huge difference but will vary depending on their offer, as it is the festive season.

 

[victor_rambo]

k, got the math! thanks a lot!

 

[desiibond]

Acer Aspire 5920NWXMi Rs.34,000- 35000 is an even better option. THis one outperforms V3749AU easily due to it's superior core2duo processor and still costs 1k less.

 

[victor_rambo]

Budget laptops would be - Compaq or Acer. See whatever fits in your budget and go for it. Now-a-days laptops have fixed price brackets, you won't get a similar config at a drastically different price. So it's more of your budget and from where you buy. Vijay Sales; Sony Mony or Croma may offer different prices for the same laptop. Won't be a huge difference but will vary depending on their offer, as it is the festive season.

yep, since Diwali is on cards, I am planning to get some discounts too!

Will the below one be a better choice? I will also have a look again at the Compaq models!

*www.computerwarehousepricelist.com/proddetails.asp?pr=y&Id=1338