Laptop budget below $900

vuzuuu

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Hi, I am thinking to get a laptop for myself. Just for downloading drama series files and surfing fb. I don’t need latest processor like i7 or high end product. I think an i3 would be good enough for me. Wondering which brand is reliable, HP, Asus and etc??
Thanks
 

SpecialKeyboardService

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Search dell outlet for latitude.....

Aim for amd in Inspiron series.

If want Intel, i5 latitude 5420/5520 can do wonders.
 

R6exR6

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Personally, I'd rather get something better at around $1500+.

I've got a $1000 Dell Inspiron 17 (3793). Was OK at first, then problem comes in.

(1) Noisey fan - Fan kept spinning, even doing simple things like surfing web. Fan noise profile is loud and annoying. Especially annoying when watching video!
(2) Insufficient RAM - 8GB is not enough for me, coz I open lots of Chrome tabs, have dual displays, open several programs simultaneously. Need 12GB at minimum.
(3) No backlit keyboard - A chore to use in the dark. I can't see the keys.
(4) Hot laptop & CPU - Laptop base feels hot and the CPU temperatures kept hitting 100 degrees. Putting laptop on top of an external USB Cooler unit doesn't help at all.
(5) Short battery life - Only 2.5 hours max. when watching video at full screen brightness. Pathetic!
(6) Lousy keyboard - Small, low-height keys make for an unsatisfactory typing experience. HP Probook keys are not much better. ASUS Vivobook ain't good either. I like the Lenovo Thinkpad full-sized keys better.
(7) Inability to output to my 4K TV - The Inspiron's i5-1035G1 CPU is fully-capable of outputing visuals to a 4K display (like my TV), but somehow, Dell's software only allows it to output at 1080p. Damn the restrictions!
 

SpecialKeyboardService

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Personally, I'd rather get something better at around $1500+.

I've got a $1000 Dell Inspiron 17 (3793). Was OK at first, then problem comes in.

(1) Noisey fan - Fan kept spinning, even doing simple things like surfing web. Fan noise profile is loud and annoying. Especially annoying when watching video!
(2) Insufficient RAM - 8GB is not enough for me, coz I open lots of Chrome tabs, have dual displays, open several programs simultaneously. Need 12GB at minimum.
(3) No backlit keyboard - A chore to use in the dark. I can't see the keys.
(4) Hot laptop & CPU - Laptop base feels hot and the CPU temperatures kept hitting 100 degrees. Putting laptop on top of an external USB Cooler unit doesn't help at all.
(5) Short battery life - Only 2.5 hours max. when watching video at full screen brightness. Pathetic!
(6) Lousy keyboard - Small, low-height keys make for an unsatisfactory typing experience. HP Probook keys are not much better. ASUS Vivobook ain't good either. I like the Lenovo Thinkpad full-sized keys better.
(7) Inability to output to my 4K TV - The Inspiron's i5-1035G1 CPU is fully-capable of outputing visuals to a 4K display (like my TV), but somehow, Dell's software only allows it to output at 1080p. Damn the restrictions!
HDMI 1.4b or HDMI 2.0?

My experience side is avoid latitude 3420/3410 the lack of thunder bolt and poor battery life are common complaints I heard.......

5000series onwards should be better.

Not to mention alder lake Intel has worst battery life than tiger lake
 

R6exR6

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HDMI 1.4b or HDMI 2.0?

My experience side is avoid latitude 3420/3410 the lack of thunder bolt and poor battery life are common complaints I heard.......

5000series onwards should be better.

Not to mention alder lake Intel has worst battery life than tiger lake
HDMI 1.4b. Even so, should still be 4K30-capable. Yet, output signal resolution is just 1080p on 4K TV. Must be some stupid intentional limitation Dell puts on its budget laptops by design, despite having a 4K-capable processor (to make consumers buy their more expensive stuff): https://www.dell.com/community/Insp...detecting-4K-monitor-on-HDMI-port/m-p/7490704
 

caterham7

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Hi, I am thinking to get a laptop for myself. Just for downloading drama series files and surfing fb. I don’t need latest processor like i7 or high end product. I think an i3 would be good enough for me. Wondering which brand is reliable, HP, Asus and etc??
Thanks
$800 can get i5 already, 1 example below
https://shopee.sg/HUAWEI-MateBook-D...UAWEI-FullView-Display-i.181050132.3534691151
$666 i3
https://shopee.sg/Acer-TravelMate-P...indows-10-Professional-i.60315503.13121310582
 

dappermen

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caterham7

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no, haven't used that huawei notebook

for reference, can check out reviews online
 

firesong

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Have a few friends who had Huawei laptops. When lockdown happened and everyone had to be on Zoom/Teams/etc, a lot of Huawei owners ended up having to buy webcams. Form factor and all are decent, but the stupid location of the camera (on the keyboard) means that people have a more up-nose perspective when on video calls, and it's quite unflattering.

It's cheap for what you get, so those who are on a budget can consider Chinese laptops. The Xiaomi ones are also fairly okay.

Personally, I'd still buy from Dell Outlet or look to online sales. There are always laptops on sale on Shopee/Lazada, although there was an incident where one of those retailers was found to have swapped parts, seemingly sold an open box/returned unit, and repackaged it to the buyer as BNIB even though product registration date was a few months prior, so that makes me not want to buy from Shopee/Lazada at all,
 

vuzuuu

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Wondering when is the PC show, should I wait for the coming PC show or just get it from shoppee/Lazada sales?
 
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