Buying a new laptop or ultrabook - high end/business grade

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#785033 21-Mar-2013 15:14

networkn:
billgates:
networkn:
The words with ease and windows8 shouldn't ever be in the same sentence!

Each to their own. 3 year old can use it fine.

That wouldn't be my benchmark for whether I consider a work centric OS is good or not!

Boots up 40% faster, shuts down faster, deploys 30% faster, uses less battery, more secure, BitLocker in Pro, EFI support, trusted boot, secure boot, more mobile with mobile broadband & metered wifi connections built in, hypervisor built in, antivirus built in

Not sure what there isn't to love about this modern OS, especially for a no compromise business tablet

blair003

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#785039 21-Mar-2013 15:29

nathan:
networkn:
billgates:
networkn:
The words with ease and windows8 shouldn't ever be in the same sentence!

Each to their own. 3 year old can use it fine.

That wouldn't be my benchmark for whether I consider a work centric OS is good or not!

Boots up 40% faster, shuts down faster, deploys 30% faster, uses less battery, more secure, BitLocker in Pro, EFI support, trusted boot, secure boot, more mobile with mobile broadband & metered wifi connections built in, hypervisor built in, antivirus built in

Not sure what there isn't to love about this modern OS, especially for a no compromise business tablet

What not to love = the metro/tile interface.

I would say its a good OS in spite of its interface, not because of it.

I have ordered the Lenovo X1 Carbon non touch, will post details in a bit in case someone else is buying soon.

benmurphy66

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#785076 21-Mar-2013 16:26

This seems really good value for what it is. (sale finishes tonight, but I am sure there will be another)

http://configure.ap.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=w5103p5nz&model_id=xps-15-l521x&c=nz&l=en&s=dhs&cs=nzdhs1&

blair003

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#785078 21-Mar-2013 16:33

Thanks for the headsup.

I have not been overly happy with my current Dell Studio XPS 16. And that XPS 15 is heavier like my current machine, more of a desktop replacement.

Hopefully I won't regret to moving to something with integrated graphics and a bit less powerful as my primary machine.

nathan

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#785080 21-Mar-2013 16:34

blair003:
nathan:
networkn:
billgates:
networkn:
The words with ease and windows8 shouldn't ever be in the same sentence!

Each to their own. 3 year old can use it fine.

That wouldn't be my benchmark for whether I consider a work centric OS is good or not!

Boots up 40% faster, shuts down faster, deploys 30% faster, uses less battery, more secure, BitLocker in Pro, EFI support, trusted boot, secure boot, more mobile with mobile broadband & metered wifi connections built in, hypervisor built in, antivirus built in

Not sure what there isn't to love about this modern OS, especially for a no compromise business tablet

What not to love = the metro/tile interface.

I would say its a good OS in spite of its interface, not because of it.

I have ordered the Lenovo X1 Carbon non touch, will post details in a bit in case someone else is buying soon.

No one is forcing you to use Windows 8 or the tile interface

right click, task bar, new toolbar, C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu

Or just pin your apps and shortcuts to desktop and or taskbar

benmurphy66

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#785082 21-Mar-2013 16:34

blair003: Thanks for the headsup.

I have not been overly happy with my current Dell Studio XPS 16. And that XPS 15 is heavier like my current machine, more of a desktop replacement.

Hopefully I won't regret to moving to something with integrated graphics and a bit less powerful as my primary machine.

yeah I was debating getting one of these myself. it ticks all my boxes except maybe touch screen but not sure I really need that on a business type machine. (can't see myself reaching for the screen).

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Krishant007

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#785083 21-Mar-2013 16:35

benmurphy66: This seems really good value for what it is. (sale finishes tonight, but I am sure there will be another)

http://configure.ap.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=w5103p5nz&model_id=xps-15-l521x&c=nz&l=en&s=dhs&cs=nzdhs1&

seems like a good buy. but i have found dell laptops to be a more hit and miss sort of machine. each individual machine can have various flaws - due to their manufacturing processes.

i would only resort to a dell laptop in order to save money - no other reason.

blair003

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#785093 21-Mar-2013 16:59

nathan:
blair003:
nathan:
networkn:
billgates:
networkn:
The words with ease and windows8 shouldn't ever be in the same sentence!

Each to their own. 3 year old can use it fine.

That wouldn't be my benchmark for whether I consider a work centric OS is good or not!

Boots up 40% faster, shuts down faster, deploys 30% faster, uses less battery, more secure, BitLocker in Pro, EFI support, trusted boot, secure boot, more mobile with mobile broadband & metered wifi connections built in, hypervisor built in, antivirus built in

Not sure what there isn't to love about this modern OS, especially for a no compromise business tablet

What not to love = the metro/tile interface.

I would say its a good OS in spite of its interface, not because of it.

I have ordered the Lenovo X1 Carbon non touch, will post details in a bit in case someone else is buying soon.

No one is forcing you to use Windows 8 or the tile interface

right click, task bar, new toolbar, C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu

Or just pin your apps and shortcuts to desktop and or taskbar

Uhhh.. with all due respect, how the hell do you know nobody is forcing me to use Windows 8? I am forced to use microsoft operating systems at work whether I like it or not.

As I stated, I do think Windows 8 is a good OS, but for desktops and servers without touchscreens it is certainly in spite of the UI changes they have made not because of them. I don't really understand the few people I have seen who think the Windows 8 UI is better on the desktop (however my experience is using it in server 2012, mostly via Remote Desktop, and at home on a non-touch screen... which is why I asked whether I should go touch on this notebook)

To me, the interface changes just make it harder to access the likes of the power menu and infrequently used things in the old start menu. I tend to just use the search now and type a few characters because using the mouse to navigate doesn't really make sense to me like it did in 7.

billgates

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#785095 21-Mar-2013 17:02

@blair003. Do you know about Windows key + X power menu combo?

Do whatever you want to do man.

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#785112 21-Mar-2013 17:26

That dell's normal price is about 2.5k give and take. Plug in a medium ssd price becomes 5k! Bull!

blair003

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#785113 21-Mar-2013 17:27

billgates: @blair003. Do you know about Windows key + X power menu combo?

Nah I didn't know that one. Usually at work I run multiple windowed instances of Remote Desktop so it won't work there, could be helpful at home though (and when I move to a Win 8 desktop machine at work).

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blair003

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#785139 21-Mar-2013 18:30

So I have ordered the Lenovo X1 Carbon non-touch. The base unit was an i7-3667U, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD for $2100+GST.

I got the following upgrades and additions:
- Windows 8 Pro 64-bit
- Office 2013 Home and Business
- 3 Year Onsite Warranty (probably wouldn't have ordered this if it wasn't a work/non CGA purchase)
- 90W Ultraslim AC/DC Combo Adapter
- USB 3 Dock
- USB 3 External 750GB Secure Hard Drive ($299, versus the $600 for the 256GB SSD option)

I called up to query the combo adapter (which was missing a $20 fitting needed for the X1 Carbon, and that fitting couldn't be ordered as part of the online process). In the end I did the order over the phone because it was cheaper.

Total cost was $3749 inc GST, versus online price of $4054 (without the $20 fitting).

nathan

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#785146 21-Mar-2013 18:47

It's bizarre that power converter adapter is not orderable. I've heard that before myself.

bener

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#785265 21-Mar-2013 23:29

Wow!

blair003

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#792201 3-Apr-2013 11:23

The laptop itself (not the extras) arrived today. First impressions are good. I was worried about the screen but it's a sweet resolution and perfect for its size.

Keys on the keyboard have heaps of play, but what is up with putting the Fn key where the Ctrl key should be? Maybe I need to use functions more and I will find this more useful, at the moment it just means I keep wondering why ctrl-c and ctrl-v are not working.

Also notice the surface shows oils etc from hands. Keen for the dock to arrive so I can start using my external monitor, but so far it seems like a good machine for what I was after.

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