So, I got myself a laptop. Yes, my very own. After years of using whatever laptops the companies that I have worked at have given me, I decided to get one for myself. Partly because the new company that I have just joined... Whatever.. Let us just get straight down to the basic comparison first. I had zeroed down on three models before I decided on the one that I ultimately bought.
And those three are, with more or less similar configurations and their very own pluses and minuses
a - Dell Inspiron 14R
b - Lenovo Ideapad Z460
c - ACer Timelinex 4820T
Why these three?
Allright, I am basically a user who does not want power all the time from his laptop. I would rarely use it for intensive gaming, although I might play the unreal tournament once a while, without stressing too much on the graphics side. I would be using the laptop to install a couple of softwares (for additional office work which I would never ever open again), watch youtube clips, browse all day, watch movies, chat with my friends, while filling out occasional blog posts.
So I did not really want an i5 processor, and i wanted something that is portable (kicking 15 inchers out of my purview), and I really do not want any additional graphics card.
For me, the satisfaction was -
in order of priority
1. Price (under 35-36 K)
2. i3 processor
3. 4 gigs of RAM
4. Good looking
5. Battery life.
These were my prerequisites and the three laptops mentioned above fit my bill.
But there was something different among the three of them.
I will try to list down the advantages and disadvantages that I felt. I repeat, the things that I felt about them and it need not be necessary the same that you feel. I strongly urge you to take a well-informed decision on this by carefully gauging the three laptops.
Dell Inspiron 14 R
--------------------------
Plus Points :
Great Customer Service
Brand Value
Exciting Colors to choose from/Trendy colors.
Minus Points :
Battery
Delivery of models sometimes takes weeks.
Weight of the laptop (although not much, but looks quite bulky)
Heat Generation/Noisy Fan
Lenovo Ideapad Z460
-----------------------------
Plus Points:
Amazing Keypad
Build quality
Lenovo Proprietary Software
Brand
Minus Points :
not really anything. :)
Screen resolution is not the best in its class.
Acer Timelinex 4820T
----------------------------
Plus Points:
Excellent Battery
Sleek Design
Lighter among the three
Minus Points :
Typing (as some websites suggest otherwise) is not that great.
Build quality is not like, say, a lenovo or a dell.
Well I chose the Acer Timelinex 4820T.
And for the following reasons :
- Very sleek
- Some good shortcut keys
- multi gesture touchpad
- Batter life is fantastic
- very sleek (again) :)
I initially thought that the keyboard would be good on this one (considering the reviews from Engadget) but I sincerely dont think that the keyboard in this one is the best. I would let the Lenovo keyboard take the first place regarding this. But I think, over time, one gets used to this. I really do hope so :)
And most importantly, I was getting a good deal on this :)
So chose wisely, all the best.
This was just the first post, to let you know about a typical customer's view on the budget laptops as well as a test for the typing in my new laptop. And hey, it isnt that bad :)
Cheers!
