Time for a new laptop

mh348 said:
What about the warranty? I only ever purchased 1 notebook overseas, but that was from a store in a Mall, it came with an International warranty (1 year).. But never had problems so far.. I lent it to someone so now I need to get a new notebook. Do you mind sharing the ebay link.. I might go that route if I can get it with an international warranty.
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Unfortunately I didn't go into depth at Ebay yet. After reading a great review of the laptop on CNET I just searched for the XPS 15 and browsed through the results to get an estimated of what it would cost. Not too many people selling them on Ebay and watch out for the Refurbished ones. Was quite a few when I browsed the results.
 
mh348 said:
What about shipping, do you use DHL/FedEx etc and what are the costs..

I've used ebay a few times for low priced items, and used usps which was a bit expensive but didnt mind paying as the item it's self was much cheaper and the total cost (incl shipping) was much cheaper than buying locally..
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It will vary from seller to seller and sometimes it is a challenge just to get a seller willing to ship internationally. Had too sweet talk the seller of the second HP to ship to me.
The laptops came via USPS but the diamonds were shipped via DHL.
I usually just add $100 shipping to the price anyway. It is the average price and that is what I always paid for the bigger stuff like laptops.
 
Oh did I mention the new XPS 15 comes standard with USB 3.0.

I have no real clue what that means but I'm struggling to find other laptops under 10k with USB3.0 included.
 
Landmark Computers said:
Consider the Asus range of notebooks as well.
For a little over R8K you can get a Asus K53SJ Intel Core i5 2410QM 2.3GHz 15.6'' 4GB 500GB HDD nVidia GeForce GT 520M.
This is Sandy Bridge i5 2.3GHz (with revised SATA controller fix), 1366x768 LED screen and a nice amount of RAM.

I've always been a big fan of Dell but with Asus's build quality and price/performance ratio they are a force to contend with.

We're expecting these units to arrive on Friday 11/03/11.
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A very big +1... http://www.comx-computers.co.za/Buy...85V-Asus-N-Series-N53SV-Notebook-lp-42057.php .....
 
For interest sake. How much crap does the Dell come with?
I know with the HP and Sony laptops it had loads and loads of crap and useless applications installed straight out of the box. Took me forever to get rid of everything. Eventually I just reinstalled Windows on the Sony to get rid of everything.
 
Why not get a Mac? They have the best build quality, trackpad and battery life. Even if you do run Windows.
 
The Asus come with a fair amount of bloat ware which is why I did a fresh install on mine. Then downloaded the drivers Windows update couldn't find off the Asus website.
 
Synaesthesia said:
Why not get a Mac? They have the best build quality, trackpad and battery life. Even if you do run Windows.
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I'll be completely honest and say. I've never touched a Mac so don't know what to make of them. But I am open to suggestions and willing to hear what they offer.

Trackpad and battery life is not so important to me. I am always plugged in while at home and at the Rugby stadiums there are always power points in the media boxes. I also use a wireless mouse as the trackpads are simply too slow and frustrating to use when you need to do quick updates.
 
Well I reckon a MBP is the best PC laptop. I way prefer it to my Dell. Doesn't get hot on your lap, battery life good. The trackpad is so good you don't need anything else.
 
Landmark Computers said:
Consider the Asus range of notebooks as well.
For a little over R8K you can get a Asus K53SJ Intel Core i5 2410QM 2.3GHz 15.6'' 4GB 500GB HDD nVidia GeForce GT 520M.
This is Sandy Bridge i5 2.3GHz (with revised SATA controller fix), 1366x768 LED screen and a nice amount of RAM.

I've always been a big fan of Dell but with Asus's build quality and price/performance ratio they are a force to contend with.

We're expecting these units to arrive on Friday 11/03/11.
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I'm with you on this one. The new Asus range is also pretty amazing.
 
Had a look at some Macbook Pros. Phew...Bit pricey, hey?

As for the ASUS range. Really tempting stuff and the prices are good too.

Might have to get some hands on a new model ASUS before I decide. At the moment it is still the XPS 15 but the ASUS are making me doubt my decision which means I really should research ASUS a bit more.
 
I'm getting the Dell too! It's great value for money. HP's are just way too pricey.

Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk
 
Dammit. Now I saw the XPS 14. Will cost me about R500 more but might be worth it. Quad core and 2GB video card.

But it doesn't have USB 3.0 - Is that such a big deal?

14.0 in HD WLED 720p (1366 x 768)
Intel Core i7-740QM 1.73Ghz( 2.93GHz Turbo mode, L2 cache 6 MB cache)
4 GB DDR3 1333 MHz
500 GB SATA 7200 RPM
Windows 7 Home Premium
8x CD/DVD burner (dual layer DVD+/-R drive)
9-in-1 memory card reader
JBL 2.0 w/Waves Maxx Audio 3
NVIDIA GeForce GT 425M
Ports
2 USB 2.0
HDMI
eSATA
LAN (RJ-45)
Headphone output
Microphone input
DisplayPort
6-cell lithium-ion, 56 WHr (5.23 hours)
Built-in 2.0-megapixel HD Webcam
 
dell is good, but have a look around at prices because for the specs i've seen similar go for under 10k. as for ebay, yeah i also order but would caution about buying expensive electronics cause the shipping will cost you more plus you may have to pay around 40% of the declared value to customs. so it may not be worthwhile. oh and you may not really know what you are buying from whom. i like ebay, but when it comes to laptops buy either from the company or an authorised seller. check out the company's site, they should list sellers in sa. i once bought a nokia from an authorised seller listed by Nokia, they turned out to be R1000 less than the service providers or anywhere else.
 
Synaesthesia said:
Isn't that pricey?
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Hehe. :)

Slight difference between R8'500.00 and R13'000.

I'm going to wait to see what Landmark has to offer on the ASUS. Otherwise I will be going the Dell route.

And I am very tempted to go the 14" route now. Does that extra inch really make that big a difference to you?
 
Sure, Macs are more expensive. ^ I much prefer 14" to 15" myself. Especially when the 15" are only at 1336x768.
 
The more I think about it the more I start to like the idea of a 14".

I don't watch movies on my laptop and the little bit of photo editing I do will not influence my choice in the end.

The 14" will also be much lighter to carry around and take up less space, especially in the crowded media boxes. And I guess if I do need it the battery life will also be better on a 14".
 
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