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.

[JoeJaffar]

notebooks = laptops to some, notebooks are not laptops to some.. aiyoh

anyway, thanx for the input. i'm always wary of these pc fair lah, home fair lah etc. and the big crowds pushing and shoving each other is a major turn off.

[kwchang]

Notebook or laptops (Joe, I'd like a bit of tuition to tell the difference between them, please?) - they are both mobile and main targets for theft. Leave it in a hotel room or in the car and it could disappear when you come back.

2nd bad point is that all the parts are more expensive than Desktop varieties. So either have a good service with parts warranty or hope nothing fails within 3 years. Why 3 years? After 3 years, everything is so "old" that you'd want to get a new one!

One good point - notebooks are now becoming popular. In fact I read somewhere that desktop sales are being eroded by notebook sales.

[JoeJaffar]

What I read was that notebook is a term used by the tech savvy and computer industry, while laptop is what is normally used by the consumers. So basically it's the same, as what was written on the website referred by usjarian. It also said size wise, notebook is smaller than laptop because a laptop incorporates a built in disk drive (floppy or cd) while a notebook has none. It must be connected externally.

I am a bit worried that my sis in law wants a laptop instead of a desktop. It's prone to theft, and she may lose the laptop. And it's pricier than an equivalent desktop. Oh well, she wants one, and it's her money. I'm just here to drive her to the fair and stores

[CCY]

If you do not really need the mobility , then the cost of one notebook can get you 2 decent destop . You can put one in the office and one at home . Maintainance cost much lower .Choice of accessories to tweak your pc are plenty . It doesn't disappear into thin air that easily . Less to worry about broken car windows ...

[HTH]

a notebook to some is buku 3 lima

anyway, thanx for the input. i'm always wary of these pc fair lah, home fair lah etc. and the big crowds pushing and shoving each other is a major turn off.

Try to go on Friday or Sat morning. Less crowded. And don't bring any kids.

[pcyeoh]

The first version of the mobile computing hardware is called the LUGGABLE. Compaq was the first to introduce mobile computing. It is the size of the luggage similar to the one being lugged along by our airline pilot or stewardess. Then it was downsized further and was called PORTABLE. At this point, you couldn't possibly place it on your lap without breaking any bone. You need a strong arm to carry it. The screen is still the CRT 9in size and inside the box, they still use those desktop peripherals like the graphic cards,floppy disk, hard disk and therefore needed the power supply instead of batteries. That explains the size.

It was only in the late eighties that we come across the laptops which for the first time have dual source of power supplies - batteries operated and the 230 volts current. They no longer used the CRT but plasma (not the same as today's plasma TV). It still came with one expansion slot just in case.

It is only in the nineties that we start to call this gadget notebook as now it resembles a book where the internal components are fully integrated onto the motherboard. It does not have any expansion slots and USB ports are there for connectivity to external devices such as monitor, mouse, keyboard, scanners, digital cameras etc etc. Floppy drive, CD/DVD Drive, additional batteries become interchangeable. The display has also improved till we are getting XGA with wide screen capabilities as notebook nowadays has a varied usage. It is not solely use as a computer but rather as infortainment gadget. The price has fallen from the good old days of RM 25,000 down to averagely of RM 3,500.00.

Today, there is a thin line between a notebook and a PDA with Windows O/S. What can they think of next?

[CS Chua]

I suggest that you do your homework first before going to the PC Fair. Identify the brand and the model you want to buy and know the market price very well. Then stick to that chosen model and look out for discounts at the Fair. Do not be sway by the cheap sale here and there for they will lead you astray. I highly recommend IBM Thinkpad. After using a few brands, I bought Thinkpad 12 months ago and I am very pleased with this purchase.

If a notebook is not essential to your sister-in-law, buy a desktop instead as they are cheaper and more powerful. For classroom and library usage, buy a PDA and a detachable keyboard. She can "sit" the PDA on the detachable keyboard and use it like a notebook. When she goes home, she can transfer the notes to the desktop. It is very handy and convenient. My son loves it.

[JoeJaffar]

CS Chua,

That's a good idea, I've never thought of that before. A desktop and a PDA, and that should be just about the price of a decent laptop.

[Firefly]

Chua's idea is good only thing is how far are you going to take it overseas. Not logical to lug a desktop to UK for 6 months.

Care looking at the Apples? they are suppose to be pretty cheap now and very reliable.