Yes, I am NOT kidding you *winks* Can you believe it?!
Yesterday when I was in the office, I received a call from Annie. She asked me to get a new laptop because mine is already half a decade old.
I was reluctant to get a new laptop because, why.. My loyal Acer is still functioning! I can still use it to do my (much-dreaded) paperwork, to tabulate my raw experiment data as well as to run basic statistical tests, I can still use it to design a very pretty poster, to chat with my sister, the list is endless..
Moreover, I am really not that kind of person who buys a new product unless the current one breaks down. Like I was telling J the other day that I would not get myself a new car, even after I have started working. Instead, I would use my car until it dies on me one fine day and I would have to leave it by the roadside. “But by then, the old car will have NO value whatsoever anymore! Why don’t you sell it and get a new car when the old car has still got some value?” he would argue. Makes perfect sense to me though *smiles*
I digress.
Anyway, I was telling Annie the same thing. But she insisted that she would like to learn to use the computer and that the dinosaur at home takes way toooo long to startup. Plus there are a lot of stuff in that dinosaur and that she was always afraid she would accidentally erase any of our “data” in it. She wanted to learn to surf the Internet, to play mp3s and to chat with Mei Mei and I.
The dinosaur, by the way, refers to the 10-year-old PC we have at home. I remember receiving it from my paternal grandmother when I scored straight As in my PMR. It was our first computer, and we had a lot of sophisticated software installed in it. It is still useable today, but the speed of the processor (or what-nots) has been slashed down to one-fifth of the original. It takes quite some time to start up but takes only a jiffy to shut down (lazy PC). Sometimes the PC hangs whenever we open one too many applications at the same time.
Mei Mei has this tendency to name the old, big bulky stuff we have at home. The dinosaur is one. Our Canon Prima Super 130 is another one. The Canon film camera was the newest one we bought before we went to Hong Kong in 2005. It cost about RM 600+, if I am not mistaken, one of the best we could afford back then. But now that we both have our own digital cameras, she calls the Canon camera “an elephant” *smacks forehead*
I digress again.
So Annie was offering me RM 1,000 for my old Acer. And Mei Mei, who happened to be at the background said that it was too much. According to Smart Alec Sister, RM 800 should be sufficient.. ARGH…!
I was browsing through Dell’s website, and came across Inspiron 6400 and Inspiron 640m which I thought was OK, price-wise la. Now, my budget is about RM 3,500 but the cheaper (AND powerful), the better 
So I need some advice and suggestions from you guys. One, what laptop brand/model would YOU recommend? Two, who wants to adopt my sister? Kekkkeke *winks*
By the way, Annie = Mum *grins*
If you think this post might benefit other bloggers:
I still regret the day I chosed Acer (hot, hang, lousy sound) over Dell. I have several people feedbacks on the type of laptops they preferred here:
http://chanlilian.net/index.php?s=dell+laptop
You can check out the comments for the good and bad of it. Dell is a good buy and do get their 3-year all-in coverage. Pay a bit more for the peace lah. If you need a contact, do email me ‘cos a few are my blog readers.
pelf: Thanks for the link, though I have already done that search < -- I remember you were looking for a laptop, but bought an Acer in the end. So I thought maybe it could be better than Dell.. Didn't know that you regretted it :(
I agree with Lilian.
I also don’t like Acer. Too many problems.
My own personal laptop is also a Dell.
For work I use MacBook.
pelf: I have heard a lot of complaints on Acer laptops, but strangely enough, the one I bought over 5 years ago didn’t give me any major problems..
Dell Dell Dell Dell Dell…
pelf: WOW.. Strong DELL supporter ar..
Between an Acer or a Dell, I pick a Dell. But be warned, Dells have been exploding in flames of late. So take care to keep them cool haha.
pelf: EXPLODING?! True or not?!
And I’ll adopt your sister lol
pelf: Muahahaha :))
Mmm…Dell heats up a bit fast…but I guess it’s ok. I’m using mine as I type this.
If you buy one, just make sure the vents are aired.
pelf: Yea, OK, will make sure.. :))
I used to use both the R40e and R60 from IBM and currently I use a Dell sometimes (Inspiron) All are good models though wondering now the quality of the R series maybe affected that Lenovo has taken over from IBM….
pelf: Don’t know what you’re talking about..
If it were up to me, just get an Alienware (which is now owned by Dell anyway) and play Shoot the Terrapin Killer 3D hehehe
pelf: Shoot your head la, shoot terrapin..
Shoot the Terrapin Killer la (Bunuh Pembunuh not Bunuh)
IBM R40e and R60 is entry-middle level notebooks with enough hardware resources for light gaming, run office suites and programming.Its not recommended for heavy gaming or hosting services.
Inspiron is a Dell middle range notebook slightly better than R40.Its cheaper by comparison.
pelf: Hmm.. OK.. So, now, what would you recommend?!
jie, do you need opinion from people who worked in dell and ibm? do you need opinion from a person who sells heaps of notebooks every month? i could ask my friends if you want =) let me know if you need my assistance… how cool… someone’s getting a new notebook!
pelf: If your friend(s) could give me inside tips on when the next promotion will be on and how low will the prices be, yes, why not?! :))
To scare you a bit:
http://www.geekologie.com/2006/06/dell_computer_explodes_during.php
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/07/31/dell_laptop_burned_in_sinagpore/
pelf: OMG…
toshiba is one of the best (or so my technician insists). it costs a bit though (comparatively) and comes with original win xp + international warranty.
but for 3500 and because you want super duper canggih specs, get acer lo~ so far it’s specs for laptops are so cool for the amount you pay for them. (bluetooth, super super fast processor, big big ram space, 80GB space, multilayer dvd player + writer, wide screen, etc.)
imo, dell is ok. st jo teachers get supplied with dell lappies so i suppose the government uses it.
i dunno abt west msia but back in kuching, the after sale service was horrible. if you wanna replace smtg, it’ll take half a year (as everything comes from kl). even the office ppl (in kl) were a bit rude.
p/s: if you wanna try out a toshiba lappie, come look for me.
pelf: Telling me that Toshiba is one of the best but costs a lot is like adding salt to injury, OK?! ARGH!
a course mate of mine says compaq is ok too. cheap + powerful.
and i envy his graphics card.
pelf: THIS, sounds soo much better.. Thanks
compaq’s not that good. all of my friends who uses a compaq has hardware problems. dont!
pelf: OK, OK.. No worries :))