New laptop time?

[♪Twiggy♪]

Let's ignore used laptops for now... Feel free to compare any of these laptops that I'm planning to buy very soon after I trade in my Mac.

Current laptop: MacBook Air (11", mid-2011)
Intel Core i5-2467M (dual-core with HT, 1.6 GHz, up to 2.3 GHz, ULV, 3M cache)
Intel HD Graphics 3000
4 GB RAM
128 GB SSD
No optical drive
Unknown Bluetooth version
8 months left in warranty

Maximum trade-in value: SGD 700


Toshiba Satellite L840-1027X
Intel Core i5-3210M (dual-core with HT, 2.5 GHz, up to 3.1 GHz, standard voltage, 3M cache)
AMD Radeon HD 7670M /w 2 GB of video RAM
8 GB RAM
750 GB HDD /w shock absorbers
DVD Super-Multi
Bluetooth 4.0
Comes with a 1-year subscription of Norton Internet Security
2-year warranty

Price: SGD 999

Acer Aspire V3-571G-73614G75Ma
Intel Core i7-3610QM (quad-core with HT, 2.3 GHz, up to 3.3 GHz, standard voltage, 6M cache)
NVIDIA GeForce GT 640M /w 2GB of video RAM (hard to believe, but this is faster than a NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GTX+! 4 years is a lot in the tech world...)
4 GB RAM
750 GB HDD
DVD Super-Multi
Bluetooth 4.0
1-year warranty
Possibly shoddy build as tested (!)

Price: SGD 999

HP Pavilion g4-2009TX
Intel Core i5-3210M (dual-core with HT, 2.5 GHz, up to 3.1 GHz, standard voltage, 3M cache)
AMD Radeon HD 7670M /w 1 GB of video RAM
4 GB RAM
640 GB HDD
DVD Super-Multi
Bluetooth 4.0
Comes with a copy of Trend Micro Titanium Internet Security (unknown sub period)
Warranty covers accidental damage, theft, and flooding/fire/lighting
1-year warranty

Price: SGD 899

HP Pavilion g4-2002TX
Intel Core i7-3612QM (quad-core with HT, 2.1 GHz, up to 3.1 GHz, standard voltage, 6M cache)
AMD Radeon HD 7670M /w 2 GB of video RAM
4 GB RAM
750 GB HDD
DVD Super-Multi
Bluetooth 4.0
Comes with a copy of Trend Micro Titanium Internet Security (unknown sub period)
Warranty covers accidental damage, theft, and flooding/fire/lighting
1-year warranty

Price: SGD 999

Lenovo G480
Intel Core i5-3210M (dual-core with HT, 2.5 GHz, up to 3.1 GHz, standard voltage, 3M cache)
NVIDIA GeForce GT 630M /w 2GB of video RAM
8 GB RAM
500 GB HDD
DVD Super-Multi
Bluetooth 4.0
Comes with 3-year subscription of McAfee Antivirus
$0 Windows 8 Pro upgrade on request
1-year warranty

Price: SGD 899

[SNOR(es)LAX]

Singaporean? Me too, but this post is not for that kind of thing, VMs/PMs are.

Personally, I would either choose the:
HP Pavilion g4-2002TX

But that's just me, because it has the i7, but many people say that there's really not much difference between the i5 and i7. Go for the i7 if you do video editing if you are a heavy gamer, otherwise stick with a i5 laptop.

If you are planning to get a i5 just go with the HP Pavilion g4-2009TX if you like HP, with all the beats audio and all that good stuff, otherwise go and get the Lenovo G480 because of its 2GB video card, that $0 Windows 8 upgrade and if you are a NVDIA fan boy. If you really do not care about the price, just go for the Toshiba, since it has 8GB RAM, but RAM's not really everything right? The 2 year warranty is nice as well.

Customer Service and Laptop conditioning wise, I'm using a Acer laptop, have been using it for 4 years already and its still in "good" condition, it just cannot compete with today's games. Once I accidentally spilled my coffee onto it and I sent it to Acer, they told me to send it to a shop Sim Lim Square for repair and cleaning.
I personally do not trust HP, since I had a very bad experience with them, but that's just me.

I hope my post have helped you to choose what Laptop that you will want to buy. Just don't go to Sim Lim Square to buy it, you might get scammed. :D

[♪Twiggy♪]

Originally Posted by SNOR(es)LAX

Singaporean? Me too, but this post is not for that kind of thing, VMs/PMs are.

Personally, I would either choose the:
HP Pavilion g4-2002TX

But that's just me, because it has the i7, but many people say that there's really not much difference between the i5 and i7. Go for the i7 if you do video editing if you are a heavy gamer, otherwise stick with a i5 laptop.

If you are planning to get a i5 just go with the HP Pavilion g4-2009TX if you like HP, with all the beats audio and all that good stuff, otherwise go and get the Lenovo G480 because of its 2GB video card, that $0 Windows 8 upgrade and if you are a NVDIA fan boy. If you really do not care about the price, just go for the Toshiba, since it has 8GB RAM, but RAM's not really everything right? The 2 year warranty is nice as well.

Customer Service and Laptop conditioning wise, I'm using a Acer laptop, have been using it for 4 years already and its still in "good" condition, it just cannot compete with today's games. Once I accidentally spilled my coffee onto it and I sent it to Acer, they told me to send it to a shop Sim Lim Square for repair and cleaning.
I personally do not trust HP, since I had a very bad experience with them, but that's just me.

I hope my post have helped you to choose what Laptop that you will want to buy. Just don't go to Sim Lim Square to buy it, you might get scammed. :D

I don't really have any good experience with my Acer laptop in the past, but maybe it's because it's running a really hot AMD processor with a weak IGP.

I know that my dad likes his Toshiba, but the maximum display brightness is on the low side, compared to the MacBook Air that has a really bright screen if I need it to. But I don't really mind it anyway, since I have a monitor to plug it in...

The laptops with Core i7s and GeForces tempt me a lot, and I know that the 7670M is barely competitive with the 630M, and the 640M smokes them both... and gives me comparable performance to my now-dead custom-built desktop which lasted 4 years. (Power supply failure?)

I've heard of bad things with HP and Acer personally, and I try to stay away from them. If that means not using a 640M, so be it. It's still way better than HD 3000.

By the way, none of the laptops listed have listed battery life. I wonder what are they?

I'm leaning strongly on the Lenovo, followed by the Toshiba.

Some notes after having a hands-on on most of the laptops listed:

• All these laptops seem to have the same maximum brightness when it comes to their screens, but the Acer's screen is undersaturated and yellow-ish compared to others. The Toshiba has some vertical striping pattern on the whole screen which is usually unnoticable. The HP's screen's whites are perfect.
• The Acer trackpad tracks rather poorly with sharp acceleration drop-off. The HP trackpad works well, but has a very rough surface. The Toshiba trackpad is what I feel at home the most - despite it not being clicky, the trackpad is very friendly to gestures and responsive, with a silky-smooth surface.
• All these laptops are rather hefty. Don't even think about holding it with just one hand.
• All of these laptops have keyboards that work equally well. The Acer has a numeric keypad.
• All these laptops have switchable graphics. They all default to using Intel HD Graphics 4000 while not gaming, which is still faster than the HD Graphics 3000. The GeForces and Radeons kick in once you get into games, for a world of awesome. Checking out NotebookCheck reveals that they should be able to handle modern games at around medium or high settings, even games that are released as recently as yesterday! Some even get maxxed out!
• The Toshiba and HP are very colourful.
• All but the HP and Lenovo come with 750 GB of space. The Toshiba's hard disk is shock-proof. Makes sense for me - I drop things all the time.
• All the laptops are rather sturdy, but I don't trust Acer or HP, not with negative feedback.
• The Toshiba flies off shelves! Do people really like it?

[Para-Dox]

Stay away from HP like it's a unholy abomination sucking all the life force away from it. My experience with their computers are awful. Oh, and avoid compaq as there a subsidiary of them. Acer have been improving recently, although I wouldn't outright recommend them.

Toshiba and Lenovo however are another story. My relative has a Toshiba laptop which is doing very well after about 4 years. Very durable, although quite sticky for some reason. I'm currently typing on a Lenovo computer myself. And, I'm very impressed by how well it runs, although the OEM software on it is rather buggy.

I, myself, would probably go with the Lenovo option, seeing as it has more up to date software compared to the Toshiba.

(As a side question, why are you selling your MacBook?)

[♪Twiggy♪]

Originally Posted by Para-Dox

Stay away from HP like it's a unholy abomination sucking all the life force away from it. My experience with their computers are awful. Oh, and avoid compaq as there a subsidiary of them. Acer have been improving recently, although I wouldn't outright recommend them.

Toshiba and Lenovo however are another story. My relative has a Toshiba laptop which is doing very well after about 4 years. Very durable, although quite sticky for some reason. I'm currently typing on a Lenovo computer myself. And, I'm very impressed by how well it runs, although the OEM software on it is rather buggy.

I, myself, would probably go with the Lenovo option, seeing as it has more up to date software compared to the Toshiba.

(As a side question, why are you selling your MacBook?)

If you have not noticed it yet, it is cheaper for me to just sell it and get a better laptop in terms of storage and graphics than getting an aftermarket SSD and risking ruining the laptop with a slip of the hand.

[Archer]

In the last 2 years, Toshiba has turned to rubbish and Acer has improved 10-fold. HP is still crap, although less-so than before. Lenovo is good, but their consumer-level stuff is so-so.

If I were you, I'd grab the Acer without a second though. You could upgrade the RAM to 8GB for next to nothing.

Brandwise, from what you've listed and my experience over the last year:

Acer>Lenovo>Toshiba>HP

Remember that moving to a spinning drive is going to be a shock after your Mac's SSD.

And the keyboard/trackpad on the HP G4 is an abomination.

[♪Twiggy♪]

It's a good thing that I am allowed to type and touch on the keyboards, eh? I was also able to do viewing angle tests with the laptops, and they are nothing special. Run-of-the-mill TN screens are nothing to write home about, and they are glossy.

Speaking of Acer, the laptop that I have now given to my aunt is still going strong after five years, but it is toasty.

Really? My dad's Toshiba is bought very early this year. For the Acer, I'm not sold on the screen though, although it's not remotely important... It's also not plastic for some reason, but the USB port placement is off for me.

[ShinySearcher01]

Originally Posted by Archer

Remember that moving to a spinning drive is going to be a shock after your Mac's SSD.

SATA is SATA. If you don't mind it looking odd, you can swap out the DVD drive for a boot SSD.

[♪Twiggy♪]

And just as I say it, mmm, new Windows 8 PCs came in. Hmm...

I suppose I'll have to live with Windows 8 for a while, no? Now that's all said, I'm leaning evenly towards both the Acer and the Toshiba, from your recommendations and my own experience.

[ShinySearcher01]

Originally Posted by ♪Twiggy♪

And just as I say it, mmm, new Windows 8 PCs came in. Hmm...

I suppose I'll have to live with Windows 8 for a while, no? Now that's all said, I'm leaning evenly towards both the Acer and the Toshiba, from your recommendations and my own experience.

You can disable locked boot on x86 PCs, just install Windows 7/XP over it if you don't like W8

[X3]

Depending on what you wish to do with the laptop, I'd say the Toshiba. Mainly for the RAM and the hard drive. But thats just me. I like to multi-task a lot.

As for the windows 8, it seems that it runs slightly faster (not a lot) and you can switch the look of it back to the normal/tradisional look just by pressing the windows key + D. The same with the start button, press Win + X and vola, it's back to how every other OS has looked.

[♪Twiggy♪]

Originally Posted by ShinySearcher01

You can disable locked boot on x86 PCs, just install Windows 7/XP over it if you don't like W8

I think I'm so going to spend some quality time with the final version before saying anything. It's going to get some time getting used, though, and I prefer things in one single coherent workspace... I think I might consider requesting a downgrade.

Originally Posted by X3

Depending on what you wish to do with the laptop, I'd say the Toshiba. Mainly for the RAM and the hard drive. But thats just me. I like to multi-task a lot.

As for the windows 8, it seems that it runs slightly faster (not a lot) and you can switch the look of it back to the normal/tradisional look just by pressing the windows key + D. The same with the start button, press Win + X and vola, it's back to how every other OS has looked.

Hmm...

I think I'll hold off on purchases for now, since I've heard of some expo going on in 22 November. Maybe then I'll impulse buy.

[ShinySearcher01]

Originally Posted by X3

Depending on what you wish to do with the laptop, I'd say the Toshiba. Mainly for the RAM and the hard drive. But thats just me. I like to multi-task a lot.

As for the windows 8, it seems that it runs slightly faster (not a lot) and you can switch the look of it back to the normal/tradisional look just by pressing the windows key + D. The same with the start button, press Win + X and vola, it's back to how every other OS has looked.

Don't know about the speed, but you're mistaken about going back to the normal look - there's no way to get rid of Metro, and there's no way to bring the start menu back. There are, however, some free third-party apps which will do both. Twiggy, I don't think they'll give you a downgrade, you'd have to already own the OS. Or there are other ways of obtaining it.

[♪Twiggy♪]

Originally Posted by ShinySearcher01

Don't know about the speed, but you're mistaken about going back to the normal look - there's no way to get rid of Metro, and there's no way to bring the start menu back. There are, however, some free third-party apps which will do both. Twiggy, I don't think they'll give you a downgrade, you'd have to already own the OS. Or there are other ways of obtaining it.

Hmm

Well, it's going to be a good time to think about it.

Downgrade rights seem to apply only for systems that came with Windows 8 Pro in the first place. Looks like either I'm going to live with Windows 8, or get a system that came with 7 in the first place. It'll depend on whether the next system has a touch screen or not.

[Chuck̄]

Originally Posted by ♪Twiggy♪

Let's ignore used laptops for now... Feel free to compare any of these laptops that I'm planning to buy very soon after I trade in my Mac.

Current laptop: MacBook Air (11", mid-2011)
Intel Core i5-2467M (dual-core with HT, 1.6 GHz, up to 2.3 GHz, ULV, 3M cache)
Intel HD Graphics 3000
4 GB RAM
128 GB SSD
No optical drive
Unknown Bluetooth version (It's 4.0 btw)
8 months left in warranty[/b]

After reading through this thread, I'm still not sure why you think It's time to upgrade? Your 2011 MacBook Air should have plenty of power for anything other than heavy gaming. Looking at these specs, the CPU is still quite relevant, The Intel 3000 graphics should provide enough power to watch any HD video streaming or not and handle minor gaming titles well. The fact that the only features that Mountain Lion leaves out for this that I know of Might be Power Nap, but I think there was an EFI update for these not too long ago that enabled that. At 4GB of Ram it should be able to run any program you throw at it today.
You mention having a monitor you plug it into, so screen resolution probably isn't a concern, so the only logical conclusions I can speculate are that you either need a built in optical drive, want to play more intensely graphic games, or that you are always running out of HD space. (the first and last options can easily be remedied with external devices to store and play content.)

[ShinySearcher01]

Originally Posted by Chuck̄

After reading through this thread, I'm still not sure why you think It's time to upgrade? Your 2011 MacBook Air should have plenty of power for anything other than heavy gaming. Looking at these specs, the CPU is still quite relevant, The Intel 3000 graphics should provide enough power to watch any HD video streaming or not and handle minor gaming titles well. The fact that the only features that Mountain Lion leaves out for this that I know of Might be Power Nap, but I think there was an EFI update for these not too long ago that enabled that. At 4GB of Ram it should be able to run any program you throw at it today.
You mention having a monitor you plug it into, so screen resolution probably isn't a concern, so the only logical conclusions I can speculate are that you either need a built in optical drive, want to play more intensely graphic games, or that you are always running out of HD space. (the first and last options can easily be remedied with external devices to store and play content.)

My thoughts exactly. You know, even the second can be fixed cheaply with an external device, though USB DVD drives are getting a bit harder to find. That said, any of those laptops could probably be made into nice OSx86 machines if you want to put the time into that.

[♪Twiggy♪]

Originally Posted by ShinySearcher01

My thoughts exactly. You know, even the second can be fixed cheaply with an external device, though USB DVD drives are getting a bit harder to find. That said, any of those laptops could probably be made into nice OSx86 machines if you want to put the time into that.

Heh.

You know it's a problem when your computer chokes on Minecraft or even while trying to browse the web or play some Flash-based games. Doesn't help that my media collection seems to eat up a lot of spaces. (Note to self: short 1080p videos, even if YT quality, take up hundreds of megabytes.)

I checked, and Mountain Lion is full-fat on the 2011 MacBook Airs.

Yeah, I know, and I do have a 1 TB external drive, but it IS unwieldy - I use it more as a big, fat backup drive. I prefer to keep my media in one place with backups, OK?

The GPU upgrade was probably necessary anyway, since I've noticed that some of my games on Steam pretty much won't run at anything above 15 fps. Neither does Minecraft at a playable viewing distance (128 blocks/Normal).

Thank goodness the external SuperDrive behaves like a generic DVD drive when connected to any PC, as I've discovered when I was having trouble ejecting a disc from my Mac and used my dad's Toshiba to attempt to do so.

I suppose I can hold off on the purchase, but a laptop swap is still kinda... inevitable, unless something really changes my mind.

...

Maybe then, I think I'll just also trade in my tablet and just get a Windows 8 convertible...