I generally recommend Lenovo for reliability.
Couldn’t say what current models you might check out, as I’ve not been in the market for one in a while, but I think your price range should get you something reasonable.
Does the giveaway link work? I cleaned up the address but it goes nowhere
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Here is a list of PC stores in Australia, I've added location details and the website for you as well:
PC Case Gear (#1 for 2023 in Australian PC Awards) - Victoria - https://www.pccasegear.com/
BPCTech (Highly Recommended in APCA) - Victoria - https://www.bpctech.com.au/
MWave (Highly Recommended in APCA) - New South Wales - https://www.mwave.com.au/
Aftershock PC - Victoria - https://www.aftershockpc.com.au/
Allied Gaming PC - South Australia but online only - https://www.alliedgamingpc.com.au/
Austin Computers - Western Australia - https://www.austin.net.au/
CentreCom - Victoria, New South Wales & South Australia - https://www.centrecom.com.au/
Computer Alliance - Queensland - https://www.computeralliance.com.au/
CPL Online - Victoria - https://www.cplonline.com.au/
IJK Computers - New South Wales - https://www.ijk.com.au/branch/ijk/
JW Computers - New South Wales - https://www.jw.com.au/
PLE - Western Australia & Victoria - https://www.ple.com.au/
Scorptec - Victoria, New South Wales & Queensland - https://www.scorptec.com.au/
TI Computers - New South Wales - https://www.ticomputers.com.au/
Umart - Queensland, New South Wales, Western Australia, Victoria & South Australia - https://www.umart.com.au/
MSY - All states except Northern Terrority (shares some locations with Umart) - https://www.msy.com.au/
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+1 for MWave, Scorptec & IJK, I've done business with them multiple time over the years and have never had any trouble with support or exchanges. IJK was even willing to price match a couple of times when I was buying a big enough order, but that was quite a few years ago now.
If I can just give my two AU cents about one though, it's to avoid MSY if you have any interest in good support or warranty, at least for their Sydney stores, don't let their prices fool you. I had an abysmal experience with them about 6yrs ago over a misrepresented pack of RAM, had to contact both the ACCC (consumer watchdog) and the NSW Ombudsman before they were willing to refund my purchase, and they've been fined in the past for similar conduct over warranties.
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Thankfully the few times I did use them, I was really specific about what I was buying and did so in store to make sure they got it right. After they moved out of my area however, I stopped using them.
I have heard similar stories to yours however and they have had news reports about bad service over the years so I kind of agree they should be avoided. Not sure how they even got nominated for the PC Awards! I only included them because they have a store in Tasmania which none of the others do.
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Probably what I should have done, I ordered online and picked up on store, didn't occur to me to look at it more closely untill I got it to the PC shop where my PC was being put together. 2 months of argy bargy back and forth when I was too skint to put out additional money somewhere else for replacement RAM, my shiny PC sat in the shops backroom waiting. 😭
The only thing I'll put my hand up to is that i should have done better research, trusted too much in comments from people I knew from computer fairs/markets and was a bit blinded by their parts price sheet (probably how they get so much legitimate attention from reputable sites), which often was the cheapest. It was only the 2nd PC I put together, so I plead stupidity guv 😄.
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Thanks for sharing your experiences with MWave, Scorptec, and IJK will start with those shop~ 💖
It always great to hear personal feedback about reliable stores. And thanks for the heads-up about MSY
I'll be sure to be avoid and be extra careful of them based on your experience. 👍
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Most of my stuff I get from PC Case Gear, MWave and JW. I avoid Umart and MSY. No experience with the others.
I won't recommend any laptops, but once you decide on the model you might even check a consumer electronics shop called JB Hi-fi that can be found in a lot of shopping centres to see what they are charging for it.
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Hmm... maybe the price is a bit high, but my Lenovo Legion 5 is serving me well. I use my laptop all the time, either for browsing, light games or programming (I also use MATLAB, along with other programs). I give my laptops a lot of shit and this computer has been pretty much the only one to keep up with it. The downside is that it's pretty heavy.
Just don't pick ASUS.
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Just don't pick ASUS.
After your experiences with the brand your advice is understandable. I'd go for whatever product has the best specs at a given price as all laptops are crap with manufacturers skimping on components which are superior but would cost a few cents more. There's no exception to this behavior by any brand.
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Yeah Jesus Christ on that ASUS laptop there ended up being 3 screen replacements (the original screen that got a crack, the replacement screen that arrived with a crack, and the extra replacement screen that started to black out after a few months and I had to order a new screen to replace myself, no replacement screens came with the promised touch function), 1 fan replacement and god knows how many charging cable replacements. And ASUS support wiping the computer after taking like €300 from me. After the last cable replacement I was DONE. They're still a fuck no in my book.
I had to wade through a lot of crap to get an alright laptop for its price. The Lenovo hasn't betrayed me yet, other than the touchpad freezing randomly a few times a day.
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I think that Asus gives a better price compare to Dell or Lenovo.
Personally, I have two Asus laptops, one for 13 years and another for 6 years, both are still operating.
I didn't treat my laptop like a brick, though.
The only problem is that their battery sucks.
It barely lasts for 8 hours and requires replacement every 3 years.
Dell and Lenovo are doing better in this regards.
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Oh yeah, the battery too. Towards the end I barely had an hour of charging. Jesus fucking Christ ASUS sucks.
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for casual games, which the author writes about, it will be more than enough
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Not sure about the situation in Aus, but when I was buying my laptop I decided Aorus represented the best price-quality ratio on anything I could find, and I'm so satisfied with my decision. One of the only manufacturers who insist on quality components, and really exceptional screen quality. Love it.
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Not Australia specific, but I would keep an eye on /r/LaptopDeals/, even if it's just for comparison purposes. They also have good "buying guides" with different tiers
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Not from Australia, so can't comment on the after sale services, availability, and other factors. However, imo, the general build quality of laptops have declined in the past few years. So, I would strongly recommend getting the brand that offers good accidental warranty and get that too.
I have tried a only a few of brand, so I am not the best to recommend a brand but I'd say go for either only Asus and Dell rn, provided you are able to one of their better models (not necessarily the flagship ones). Most manufacturers cut corners when it comes to the build quality, or any of the not-major components (CPU, GPU, etc).
I'd say a better way would be to get whatever the cheapest option is that fulfils all your needs, and a little more for future-proofing. Go for nVidia GPU + Ryzen CPU if possible, imo. Expandable RAM and storage would be great too.
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Machine Learning & AI (Intel)
MATLAB, Python, and R Programming
My answer: any laptop with latest FPU best perf
16+16g RAM DDR5
+nv GPU (OpenGL)
https://se.mathworks.com/support/requirements/choosing-a-computer.html#_Hardware_Considerations
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Hmmm, it looks like integrated GPUs might not be an attractive option after all 🐼
I'll have to consider NVIDIA CUDA and Tensor Cores for acceleration on AI as well 🍌
Will also have do some research on the equivalent options available on the AMD 🍎
Thanks for bringing this to my attention 🥝
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to be clear, in MATLAB this "GPU-accelerated computation" is not automatic, you'd have to be explicitly using gpuArray from the Parallel Computing Toolbox
https://www.mathworks.com/help/parallel-computing/run-matlab-functions-on-a-gpu.html
gpuArray is CUDA-based, it only supports a subset of functions.
what I'm trying to say is you actually rarely use gpuArrays unless you specifically adapt whatever you are coding to a workflow which minimizes data copying between RAM and GPU-memory to avoid the incurred overhead
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Lenovo Legion Pro series is one of the best, you can find older models in your price range.
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I usually shop at Schenker or PC Specialist, but not sure how Australia shipping goes with them...
That being said:
Battery Life: Since they'll be on the go most of the time, a laptop with at least 6 hours of battery life would be ideal for uninterrupted usage.
I don't think you'll get this kind of autonomy with a powerful laptop doing machine learning. Still my Ryzen 6800H is very usable when I configure it at 15W, so with a 99Wh battery who knows, maybe you could get this kind of autonomy with the right CPU and the right tweaks even under load (forget about loading the GPU for this kind of autonomy though). Last time I checked, Intel Core (12th gen) was underperforming much more than the Ryzen when reducing power so this may be something to consider if you really want strong autonomy
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https://www.fujitsu.com/global/products/computing/pc/notebooks/lifebook-e5511/
It's a bit above your budget but worth it:
https://www.cybershop.com.au/notebook-tablets/fujitsu-e5411,-14-inch-fhd,-i5-1135g7,-8gb,-256gb-ssd,-wifi,-bt,-w10p,-3yr-2259-2260-detail
Will have to upgrade the memory of this one, though as 8GB is pretty weak nowadays.
Or:
https://www.fujitsu.com/global/products/computing/pc/notebooks/lifebook-a3511/
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Hello everyone,
I'm in need of your expertise and recommendations in choosing a new laptop for a family member who off to college in Australia (Reverse Case). His old laptop is on its last legs, and I want to make sure the new one meets their requirements without breaking the bank. Also any good website to shop laptop & IT relate in Australia would be really appreciate Here are the specifications and usage details:
Budget: $1100 - $1400 AUD [$750 - $950 USD] (with a bit of flexibility for future-proofing or upgradability if there are good deals)
Usage:
Basic Browsing and Office Work: They'll need a laptop that smoothly handles web browsing, word processing, and other office-related tasks.
Size: Thicker with better cooling is okay. As long as the fan is not too loud and can be use in quiet setting like in Class or at Library
Casual Gaming: It would be fantastic if the laptop can handle some casual gaming during leisure time.
Machine Learning & AI: It would be great if the laptop can also handle tinkering with machine learning and AI projects.
Requirement Software:
Display: We're looking for a 15-inch display for comfortable viewing.
Battery Life: Since they'll be on the go most of the time, a laptop with at least 6 hours of battery life would be ideal for uninterrupted usage.
Size and Noise: Thicker with better cooling is acceptable. As long as the fan is not too loud and can be use in quiet setting like in Class or at Library
Brand: We don't have a specific brand preference; we're open to considering laptops from different manufacturers.
Please feel free to suggest any laptop models that fit these requirements. If any of you have personal experiences with recommended laptops, I'd love to hear your insights and feedback.
Your assistance is greatly appreciated, and I look forward to your valuable suggestions!
Thank you in advance for your help! 💖
Obligatory Giveaway
PS: Appreciate everyone input been checking out various recommendation slowly and to support my OCD here the spreadsheet
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