Recommend me an Ultrabook type thing

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Laworder

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#133586 27-Oct-2013 13:48

Something as light as possible with SSD, up to about $1000.
I do not need touchscreen or a screen any bigger than about 11-12 in.
Happy with a smallish SSD (64-128Gb) as wont be storing huge amounts of data on it
Happy to consider a cheaper machine and get it upgraded to SSD too
Dont really care if its Win7 or 8, a backlit keyboard would be a bonus though.
Wont be used for Photoshop or video editing, mostly web surfing/ email / Skype and text editing
I need a keyboard so a tablet isnt really ideal

aim

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#923750 29-Oct-2013 19:03

http://shopap.lenovo.com/nz/en/laptops/thinkpad/x-series/x230/

What I would get if I were in your position.

Technofreak

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#923842 29-Oct-2013 22:08

AIM

The problem with what you've recommended there is the SSD version is nearly $2300. The OP was looking for something around $1000, which I think is slightly optimistic for the spec he/she was after.

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thelimoman

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#923848 29-Oct-2013 22:15

I know you said you don't need touch or a tablet... but a Surface 2 could fulfill your needs. By the sounds of things Windows RT would be more than enough for you. Plus the new touch and type covers are backlit. $960~ all up for a 64gb with Type Cover 2 :)

aim

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#923972 30-Oct-2013 08:49

While true - solid laptops at a reasonable price IMHO. Just throwing the option out there :)

timbosan

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#923975 30-Oct-2013 08:55

Are you looking for new or second hand?

I have a Samsung series 9 Ultrabook - the NP900X3A, which almost matches your specs except it has a 13" screen. I have upgraded the RAM to 16GM, upgraded the SSD to a faster 128GB one, it is really light and even has back-lighting on the keyboard.

I think they go for under $1000, depending on specs, but you cannot find the new models for anywhere near that. There are a lot of these on eBay and they have the advantage of easy access to lots of parts (screens, keyboards, batteries, etc.)

hairy1

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#923976 30-Oct-2013 08:56

aim: While true - solid laptops at a reasonable price IMHO. Just throwing the option out there :)

The Lenovos are all gen 3 Intel CPU's. Haswell (gen 4) is going to offer some big power savings. The problem is that they are very slow to hit the market in NZ. Hopefully later in November we should see a lot more options.

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aim

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#923979 30-Oct-2013 09:02

hairy1:
aim: While true - solid laptops at a reasonable price IMHO. Just throwing the option out there :)

The Lenovos are all gen 3 Intel CPU's. Haswell (gen 4) is going to offer some big power savings. The problem is that they are very slow to hit the market in NZ. Hopefully later in November we should see a lot more options.

I suspect that's why they're very reasonably priced. In my experience (as long as the drivers are mature) the screen burns most of the power lol.

surfisup1000

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#924008 30-Oct-2013 09:56

hairy1:
aim: While true - solid laptops at a reasonable price IMHO. Just throwing the option out there :)

The Lenovos are all gen 3 Intel CPU's. Haswell (gen 4) is going to offer some big power savings. The problem is that they are very slow to hit the market in NZ. Hopefully later in November we should see a lot more options.

I'm waiting for the Lenovo t440s.

T440s was announced beginning of september -- here we are , nearly into november and still no t440s.

I find chinese companies a bit strange - they often have terrible websites and their product announcements are months before the product is actually released.

Laworder

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#926915 4-Nov-2013 11:09

I got something, picked it up Friday
Acer Aspire One 756 11.6 in with Windows 7 Premium 64bit for $479, got a 128Gb SSD put in for an extra $200
Does all that I need and nothing that I dont, has 3 USB ports and HDMI out
Dual core Celeron 1.4Ghz so while its not the fastest thing out there its a lot faster than the single core Atom in my previous Lenovo netbook
Also weighs only 1.35 kg which is lighter than some of the machines out there marketed as Ultrabooks
Ideally would have liked something a bit lighter but for under $700 its a pretty good compromise