Please use IRAC

Ali is a first-year university student, who has just arrived in Melbourne for the first time. Ali wants to buy a computer recommended for his course with some specific programs and a hard drive with high capacity. While exploring the city and its shopping centre, he goes into "HiFi Computers" and asks for advice about buying a laptop for his course. Ali tells the salesperson that it is very important that the computer is powerful enough to run the programs that he needs.

The sales executive recommends a specific model and assures Ali that it is ideal for him and that it will run all the programs he requires. As soon as he hears this, Ali buys the computer.

Ali tries to run some specific applications and programs on the laptop, but unfortunately the laptop lacks capacity to run some of the programs and it turns out that the laptop is not the required one for the course. The following day, he returns to the store and tells the sales executive that the computer is unsuitable, so he wants to change it for a less expensive model. The sale executive refuses to change it.

Can the verbal statement about laptop's suitability be treated as a term of the contract or a collateral contract? (DO NOT DISCUSS MISREPRESENTATION OR THE AUSTRALIAN CONSUMER LAW.)