PC Fair @ PWTC this weekend

[JoeJaffar]

I'm planning to go there this weekend since my sis in law wants to buy a notebook/laptop. Since I'm not really up-to-date with the latest ins and outs of notebooks, laptops and PC fairs, can anyone give me any advice on what to look for or expect of the PC Fair.

1) Is it worthwhile going to the PC Fair to purchase a notebook/laptop? Are there major price differences as compared to the normal outlets, or the PC Fair mainly rewards buyers with free gifts?

2) Since my sis in law is still studying, which is suitable for her, a notebook or a laptop? Cos I was informed that there are differences between a notebook and a laptop, or could I have heard it wrongly?

3) Besides looking at the system specs, softwares etc, what else do I need to look at; batteries, hardwares, network peripherals?

[aRwEn]

huh??? notebook = laptop la.... u mean desktop izit???

[usjarian]

huh??? notebook = laptop la.... u mean desktop izit???

I agree with arwen that for many of us, Notebook and Laptop are just the same thing to us.

A google search reveals the below:
http://whitecapcomputer.com/newslett..._vs_laptop.htm

[Firefly]

Get reputable brands. If it's going overseas, make sure they are covered by an international warranty or minimum, the country it's going to be in.

PC fair = pasar malam. Just watch out you don't get shortchanged.

A fren got short changed this way.... The vendor promised an Intel P4 with Intel Mobo, At delivery, it Intel P4 but Intel chipset mobo. What's the diff, stability. .

I shopped for a SD memory chip the last time and the price difference is huge. one stall quoted me RM400 for a piece of 512mb. another stall RM120 and then one stall RM90. I settled for the RM90 to later find another stall RM75

[bslee]

Since the last 2-3 weeks, DDR Ram for desktop pc's have dropped drastically to about RM200 for a 512MB module.(E.g. Kingston 512MB/PC3200/DDR-400). I've noticed that the current price is ROCK BOTTOM. Its never reached this level before. I highly suggest to anyone wanting to upgrade the onboard RAM to do it now.
The prices of older PC133 SDRAM modules are still very stiff going at RM380 for a PC133/512MB module.
OK..go grab it before the prices starts being volatile again.

Disclaimer : I'm not affiliated or associated with any shop, vendor or distributor. This is based upon my personal findings and monitoring of current hardware price trends.

[pcyeoh]

1. As what Firefly says, go for reputable brand eg IBM, HP or DELL. These three are manufacturer cum distributor and have principal presence here. When it comes to warranty, their pockets are very deep. Most of the time it is done with no question asked. Toshiba sounds good but in terms of features, I still prefer the the Big Three. Toshiba is distributed by Teledynamics and from past experience, I have issues with them. Turnaround time not up to mark.

2. Don't ever touch those unheard brand (clones) eventhough they are cheap. There are hardly any component or cards that can be easily swapped like the desktop. So any hardware problem is changing the whole motherboard which is equals to the price of a new notebook.

3. Go for three years warranty even though you will have to pay for the enhanced service and the additional two years where parts and labour are inclusive. This is be less painful when down the road you face hardware problems. Demand for the warranty card. Without the warranty card, suspect that it may be goods returned and resold again.

4. Buy from authorised resellers so that you can choke their neck if you are shortchanged. There are less chances you end up with parallel import where without international warranty, you are a lame duck should you have technical problem.

5. Try to purchase from the nearest shop. You don't want to go all the way to Cheras for assistance. HP service authorised centre in at SS 19 where the new flyover is being built.

6. Go for the Centrino as the wifi features make Internet surfing more mobile within the house (imagine surfing on your toilet seat. Not applicable to those squating ones) and in the city where hotspots are practically everywhere. If you smack with the law, they don't know where you are. They can't possibly pay you a friendly visit to learn about surfing.

7. Features wise, go for the 'must have.' Eg CD Writer, XGA screen, 256MB or 512Mb. To keep it affordable (between RM 4K - RM 5K), don't think of wide screen (can buy 17" TFT monitor when not on the move use), DVD Writer (can use external which you can share with your desktop), 1GB RAM, latest processor ot the very high graphic cards.

8. For best value buy, check out the new notebook offered by mysticalangel as she is disposing that.

9. Best of luck. If you can't find anything, PM me. I can get the many distributors that I know to sell you at dealer price usually about RM 200 - RM 300 cheaper. No credit card lah. Or you buy direct with your credit card over a 12-18 instalment at no extra cost. Your choice.