Need notebook recommendations!

[86technie]

Pc dreams should have some cheap laptop.
Those are outdated models for normal use should be more than enough.

 

[Ark Law]

Pc dreams should have some cheap laptop.
Those are outdated models for normal use should be more than enough.

Ah yes, PC Dreams and their factory outlet should have some decent models too. Abit more ex than small time people like the guy I bought my X230 from, but PC Dreams does have good customer and aftersales service. Good fit for people like TS who are unfamiliar with tech.

 

[Irrelevant]

Thanks all for the suggestions!! Will take some time to consider!!

 

[Sukoo]

Hi, thanks to TS for allowing to borrow his threat instead of starting a new one.

Me too looking for budget laptop around the $1k range.

I am considering Acer Aspire E15 i5-8250U and IdeaPad 320s i5-8250U.
I read that IdeaPad are sh*t and Acer is unstable. But they are within my budget..

Between this two sh*t brand, which is still the more preferred sh*t laptop to go for?

 

[I_LOVE_MOM]

Check out acer swift 3... Cost a bit more... But review looks good

 

[Henry Ng]

Check out acer swift 3... Cost a bit more... But review looks good

Can forget about Acer, not so good.

 

[s7460597]

For physical "store", you can try heading over to LaptopHouse at upper weld road (near SLT). If you have a specific model in mind just ask as sometimes they don't store it in the front store. For those with multiple units of the same model, be sure to go through each one, as they can vary in terms of cosmetic condition or even keyboard layouts (Thai, European, etc.)

This is just one of the several recyclers who obtain enterprise laptops from businesses when they do tech refresh.

The X230 I bought is from this guy. It was equipped with a Samsung PM830 SSD 128GB which is tremendous value compared to buying it from other places which only include HDD. It's located at an industrial store so you'd need to message and schedule a meetup time to take a look.

For battery, head for Unicell at SLS #02-40. They carry both originals and copies/OEM. In my experience, they've been cheaper than other battery shops on 4th & 5th floors.

If you want to buy the Dell Inspiron new and upgrade the RAM+SSD yet feel apprehensive about DIY, I'd recommend you head over to bro Nigel at SLS #02-32. I'm sure he can obtain the parts for you (I believe he will match PC Theme's pricing) and do the OS cloning, all for a reasonable labour fee without overcharging unlike other shop.

Thanks for the top. I'll should visit Nigel soon to swap my hdd to ssd

 

[Sukoo]

Meh, 2018 still want to stick with HDD meh? With the large number of small files everywhere and Win10's broken indexing, it will cause laptop to lag in no time.

Sub $1k want to get HDD+proper SSD is quite rare. Usually it's HDD + some bullsh*t 16GB SSD cache. More practical to just get a $799 laptop, spend <$150 on a 256GB Samsung 860 Evo, and swap out the stock HDD.

Example:
Dell Inspiron 3476
i5 8250U
4GB RAM
1TB HDD
$750

Warranty extension options:
3yrs w/ ADP - $288
4yrs - $200
4yrs w/ ADP - $414

Post-purchase upgrades:
Samsung SSD 256GB - $130
4GB RAM (total to 8GB) - $65
or 8GB RAM (total to 12GB) - $115

$1145 nett for a basic Inspiron with 4yrs standard onsite service. Laptop pricing from Dell direct, could probably get for cheaper from VARs.

Besides their online store which retailer carry the most Dell laptops? That I go can see and touch.

This Dell might be able to meet my budget and requirement.
http://www.dell.com/sg/p/inspiron-1...6852310sgw10&model_id=inspiron-15-5570-laptop

Probably will wanna swap out the HDD to SSD as well.
But hope to take a look at the actual laptop then cash & carry. Don't want to wait for a few weeks for the laptop to be delivered.

 

[tutonic]

Besides their online store which retailer carry the most Dell laptops? That I go can see and touch.

This Dell might be able to meet my budget and requirement.
http://www.dell.com/sg/p/inspiron-1...6852310sgw10&model_id=inspiron-15-5570-laptop

Probably will wanna swap out the HDD to SSD as well.
But hope to take a look at the actual laptop then cash & carry. Don't want to wait for a few weeks for the laptop to be delivered.

There's a Dell shop at Plaza Sing. I literally just went there 2 days ago. Weirdly enough, they don't have the new XPS 13 on display (the one where they shifted the camera to the center at the bottom).

 

[Ark Law]

Besides their online store which retailer carry the most Dell laptops? That I go can see and touch.

This Dell might be able to meet my budget and requirement.
http://www.dell.com/sg/p/inspiron-1...6852310sgw10&model_id=inspiron-15-5570-laptop

Probably will wanna swap out the HDD to SSD as well.
But hope to take a look at the actual laptop then cash & carry. Don't want to wait for a few weeks for the laptop to be delivered.

My opinion is either go to Marina Square, or Bugis area. Marina Square, there are a number of dedicated brand stores (mostly owned by Newstead iirc) all in one area of the mall. At Bugis, you have SLS so the usual Newstead stores and shady small time shops. You also have Bugis Junction, so Challenger at one end, and Addon Systems (also dedicated brand stores) at the "IT zone" end.

Do read on your preferred model's service manual before purchasing so you know how self-upgrading is on the laptop (some are more finicky than others to service): https://topics-cdn.dell.com/pdf/inspiron-15-5570-laptop_service-manual_en-us.pdf

 

[Sukoo]

My opinion is either go to Marina Square, or Bugis area. Marina Square, there are a number of dedicated brand stores (mostly owned by Newstead iirc) all in one area of the mall. At Bugis, you have SLS so the usual Newstead stores and shady small time shops. You also have Bugis Junction, so Challenger at one end, and Addon Systems (also dedicated brand stores) at the "IT zone" end.

Do read on your preferred model's service manual before purchasing so you know how self-upgrading is on the laptop (some are more finicky than others to service): https://topics-cdn.dell.com/pdf/inspiron-15-5570-laptop_service-manual_en-us.pdf

Thanks dude!
So it's Marina Square, Bugis Junction or SLS.
Do you think will it still be possible to get price lower than Dell's RRP at SLS?

 

[Ark Law]

There's a Dell shop at Plaza Sing. I literally just went there 2 days ago. Weirdly enough, they don't have the new XPS 13 on display (the one where they shifted the camera to the center at the bottom).

Going there the only benefit is can molest whatever is on display. Buying stuff there is as good as buying yourself online.

Thanks dude!
So it's Marina Square, Bugis Junction or SLS.
Do you think will it still be possible to get price lower than Dell's RRP at SLS?

Depends on the salesperson. Some will not budge, some will change subject convince you buy other brand, some will plead say boss will scold if lower price further, some will only give way if you barter well. Give Dell a call and ask them to email you pricing for a particular model or even series, as each model will have a few price points due to varying parts. That will give you a good baseline and know where each seller stands.

For example, my Latitude 7480. Dell online price (usually also the RRP) was $2931. Dell direct price was $2162. Addon's fixed price was $2099. All Newstead staff could only undercut online price. Across the many Newstead stores in SLS, only 1 guy offered to match direct price claiming "is already no margin".

 

[Sukoo]

Going there the only benefit is can molest whatever is on display. Buying stuff there is as good as buying yourself online.

Depends on the salesperson. Some will not budge, some will change subject convince you buy other brand, some will plead say boss will scold if lower price further, some will only give way if you barter well. Give Dell a call and ask them to email you pricing for a particular model or even series, as each model will have a few price points due to varying parts. That will give you a good baseline and know where each seller stands.

For example, my Latitude 7480. Dell online price (usually also the RRP) was $2931. Dell direct price was $2162. Addon's fixed price was $2099. All Newstead staff could only undercut online price. Across the many Newstead stores in SLS, only 1 guy offered to match direct price claiming "is already no margin".

Looks like selling laptops machiam like selling cars. High-end spec laptops can fetch higher margin.

 

[s7460597]

If buying for uni use checkout the ownership program. Same for poly. Price may not be cheaper by a lot but usually 3 year warranty. Iirc NTU program there's a few models around $1k, screen not great though.