Can anyone provide some good ultrabook suggestions?

Forums › Laptops and mobile computers › Can anyone provide some good ultrabook suggestions?

smokeandarrows

3 posts

Wannabe Geek

#139243 2-Feb-2014 00:31

Currently, I'm using a Sony Vaio E Series VPCEH18FG (you know, the one with the geometric surface thing). I've been using it for the past two years, and I'm not really having problems with it, but I'm looking to change to something lighter as the Sony Vaio is too heavy for my lifestyle (travel, commuting etc.) and using a netbook has really not worked out for me.

I initially intended on buying the Macbook Air, but I think its maximum storage capacity (256gb) is too small for me and just too expensive for what I'll be getting.

Hence, I thought an ultrabook would be a better option--though which one, I have no clue.

As already implied, a lightweight build and higher storage capacity (I currently use about 250gb on my 500gb laptop) is sought after. A decent amount of ram (4gb min.) and a good processor (i3/i5) is obviously important as I'd like to have a pretty good user experience with it. My maximum budget lies somewhere around $1100-$1200. I'm not particularly picky about design or brand.

I know my budget isn't huge in light of what I'm asking for, but any suggestions would be highly appreciated. happy

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#978733 2-Feb-2014 07:57

you don't mind going HDD instead of SSD? You'll have to for that price

Batman

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#978734 2-Feb-2014 08:04

U can have me quad core 10 hr win 8.1 tablet for half that price :D

Probably wont suit you but yeah wait for the suggestions

gzt

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#978773 2-Feb-2014 10:04

Can you use external storage? That would allow you to reconsider Air.

crackrdbycracku

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#980114 4-Feb-2014 14:12

I've looked and I'm about to go Macbook Air, probably 13", 128 GB.

There is really very little running Windows that gets close. Sure there is the Surface Pro but it doesn't suit me, plenty of discuss on other threads.

Samsung have the Ativ Book but the Lite is made of plastic and $1200 for basic spec while the Plus starts somewhere north of $2300.

You are really going have a hard time finding an Ultrabook without Flash storage these days, and for over 128 that is going to be expensive.

If you see anything post it, I'd love to have other options.

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surfisup1000

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#980127 4-Feb-2014 14:23

smokeandarrows:

I initially intended on buying the Macbook Air, but I think its maximum storage capacity (256gb) is too small for me and just too expensive for what I'll be getting.

Hence, I thought an ultrabook would be a better option--though which one, I have no clue.

As already implied, a lightweight build and higher storage capacity (I currently use about 250gb on my 500gb laptop) is sought after. A decent amount of ram (4gb min.) and a good processor (i3/i5) is obviously important as I'd like to have a pretty good user experience with it. My maximum budget lies somewhere around $1100-$1200. I'm not particularly picky about design or brand.

I know my budget isn't huge in light of what I'm asking for, but any suggestions would be highly appreciated.

I'm going through the same process, but this is for my child who needs one for intermediate.

Macbook air -- for the specs quailty & size, i just don't see any windows ultrabook comes even close. The 11" mac air is quite well priced for something that can famously fit inside an a4 envelope.

The closest win machine I could find, was maybe this...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DVFMDN8/ref=gno_cart_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

But after GST/shipping this will probably be around 2000 nz.

nathan

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#980212 4-Feb-2014 16:32

Lenovo X1 Carbon, Acer S7, Asus Zenbook are a few of my favourite Windows Ultrabooks. I can't use a MBA, the screen is too crap

tigercorp

668 posts

Ultimate Geek

#980226 4-Feb-2014 17:23

In sheer bang for buck terms in your price range and requirements, I'd just go for a lighter laptop like this Acer - i5 Haswell, 8GB of RAM, discrete graphics, 750GB hard drive and .7kg lighter than your Sony.

If I was set on an ultrabook (<1.5kg) for close to that budget it'd be a Macbook Air.

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smokeandarrows

3 posts

Wannabe Geek

#980244 4-Feb-2014 18:24

tigercorp: In sheer bang for buck terms in your price range and requirements, I'd just go for a lighter laptop like this Acer - i5 Haswell, 8GB of RAM, discrete graphics, 750GB hard drive and .7kg lighter than your Sony.

If I was set on an ultrabook (<1.5kg) for close to that budget it'd be a Macbook Air.

Thanks, that's a good shout. Though no one in NZ really seems to stock it, which is a shame as I'd like to actually physically look at it.

Anyone have any opinions on the HP ProBook 430 G1? It's got a good design, pretty light (starts at 1.5 kg), Haswell i5, 4gb RAM, 500gb storage, Windows 7 (with the option of upgrading to 8 if you want), and just over $1000? Sounds pretty good--I'm leaning towards that one right now. Reviews for it are pretty good, though complaints about its loud fan? Anyone care to share some insight?

Proper Ultrabooks--though lovely--are out of the picture really due to budget constraints. Same with the MacBook Air.

billgates

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#980251 4-Feb-2014 18:50

Dell Inspiron 15R Touch. Also has a touch screen. $1299 incl delivery straight from Dell or you can get JB HiFi to price match it who sell it for $1357.

Has a 4th Gen Haswell i7 CPU, 8GB RAM, 1TB HDD, Windows 8.1, AMD Radeon 8670M with 2GB dedicated memory

Edit - It's not an ultrabook but it's not too heavy either and the build quality is good.

http://www.dell.com/nz/p/inspiron-15r-5537/pd?oc=w51tt11nz&model_id=inspiron-15r-5537

Could look at buying Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro from overseas like Best Buy or Amazon. Has a qHD display along with Haswell CPU, GB RAM and 256GB SSD. Will have to pay GST when it lands in NZ though. Also has touch screen built in and takes around 35 minutes to fully charge to 100%.Best buy link

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Buzz Bumble

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#980263 4-Feb-2014 19:17

surfisup1000:
Macbook air -- for the specs quailty & size, i just don't see any windows ultrabook comes even close. The 11" mac air is quite well priced for something that can famously fit inside an a4 envelope.

Personally I wouldn't bother with the 11" - the screen is just too small (and I worked on a Mac Classic with a 9" screen for years!). Go for the 13" instead. I would also suggest buying from Apple's online store and checking the custom build options. If you want to wait, there are rumours of a 12" MacBook Air, but that may or may not actually happen. (I'm not sure how user-accessible the RAM slots are on the newest MacBook Air, but you may have no choice and have to agree to Apple's extortionate RAM upgrade prices :-( ).

For price, try the 10% off sales at Dick Smith or JB Hi-Fi, or keep an eye on Apple's online store for their refurbished stock. Unfortunately these cheaper options wouldn't allow for customisation though. Students (with an ID, but you could try going to a shop in uniform) can also get an education discount, although it's not a huge amount on the lower-end of the product line.

Also, unless you can get one of the "occassional bundle deals, don't forget to add in the price for a copy of Microsoft Office if you need it (there is no Microsoft Access database on the Mac). New Macs do now come with Apple's iWork applications for free and there are free "Office compatible" alternatives if you don't need 100% compatibility.

As for storage, you could always get a small external hard drive to plug in when needed.

raytaylor

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#980902 5-Feb-2014 18:08

crackrdbycracku: I've looked and I'm about to go Macbook Air, probably 13", 128 GB.

There is really very little running Windows that gets close. Sure there is the Surface Pro but it doesn't suit me, plenty of discuss on other threads.

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nathan

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#980917 5-Feb-2014 18:54

Toshiba "ultrabook" at PB Tech for NZ Day sale $599 + GST

nathan

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#980919 5-Feb-2014 18:55

Buzz Bumble:
surfisup1000:
Macbook air -- for the specs quailty & size, i just don't see any windows ultrabook comes even close. The 11" mac air is quite well priced for something that can famously fit inside an a4 envelope.

Personally I wouldn't bother with the 11" - the screen is just too small (and I worked on a Mac Classic with a 9" screen for years!). Go for the 13" instead. I would also suggest buying from Apple's online store and checking the custom build options. If you want to wait, there are rumours of a 12" MacBook Air, but that may or may not actually happen. (I'm not sure how user-accessible the RAM slots are on the newest MacBook Air, but you may have no choice and have to agree to Apple's extortionate RAM upgrade prices :-( ).

For price, try the 10% off sales at Dick Smith or JB Hi-Fi, or keep an eye on Apple's online store for their refurbished stock. Unfortunately these cheaper options wouldn't allow for customisation though. Students (with an ID, but you could try going to a shop in uniform) can also get an education discount, although it's not a huge amount on the lower-end of the product line.

Also, unless you can get one of the "occassional bundle deals, don't forget to add in the price for a copy of Microsoft Office if you need it (there is no Microsoft Access database on the Mac). New Macs do now come with Apple's iWork applications for free and there are free "Office compatible" alternatives if you don't need 100% compatibility.

As for storage, you could always get a small external hard drive to plug in when needed.

the RAM is not user replaceable

I doubt there is a 12" MBA coming when they have a 11" and a 13", maybe you mean a 12" iPad ("Pro")

smokeandarrows

3 posts

Wannabe Geek

#980978 5-Feb-2014 20:26

raytaylor:
Acer S3
We have been selling them to lawyers around napier. They been going like hotcakes.

Whereabouts do we sell them in NZ? Can't seem to find any retailers/sites that stock them.

kiwigander

231 posts

Master Geek

#981024 5-Feb-2014 22:07

You can order a MacBook Air with a 512 GB SSD. According to the Apple NZ Web site it adds NZD 480 to the price.

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