Help! Suggestions for a good mid range ultrabook

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panda123

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#142687 20-Mar-2014 21:32

Hey guys, so I was thinking of upgrading my current laptop to a new ultrabook. Do you guys have any suggestions on which ones I should look into getting?

Planning to only spend about $1400 max (preferably less), will be using it for mostly uni work, surfing the net and watching movies on it etc. An ultrabook with good battery life and good screen resolution for movie watching and USB3.0 would be ideal. Thanks

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#1010648 21-Mar-2014 15:04

For that money, MacBook Air 11".

Simply put; for that money you are not going to get everything.

Didn't anybody tell you I was a hacker?

bener

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#1010651 21-Mar-2014 15:16

On sale at PB, last 5 in stock: http://pbtech.co.nz/index.php?z=p&p=NBKASU31510I&name=ASUS-Zenbook-UX31E-Business-Ultrabook-Intel-i5-246

zaptor

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#1010662 21-Mar-2014 15:35

crackrdbycracku: For that money, MacBook Air 11".

billgates

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#1010667 21-Mar-2014 15:47

Surface Pro 2 4GB RAM and 128GB SSD. Has built in Wacom digitizer with pen so great with OneNote. Could also look at Surface Pro 1 which is $700 right now for staff and students at MS NZ store.

Do whatever you want to do man.

crackrdbycracku

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#1010674 21-Mar-2014 15:52

billgates: Surface Pro 2 4GB RAM and 128GB SSD. Has built in Wacom digitizer with pen so great with OneNote. Could also look at Surface Pro 1 which is $700 right now for staff and students at MS NZ store.

Good point, better screen than a MacBook Air. Current 2013 generation anyway.

You do have to factor in the key board cover mind you.

Didn't anybody tell you I was a hacker?

jonb

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#1010681 21-Mar-2014 16:07

Also at PBTech:

_Asus Zenbook i7 128GB SSD, $1138 this weekend

Samsung Ativ 13.3", 128GB SSD touch screen, $978 this weekend

panda123

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#1010725 21-Mar-2014 16:55

Thanks for the replies guys. If I wanted a decent ultrabook for what I wanna use it for how much would I be looking at spending minimum?

Lenovo

Shop now for Lenovo laptops and other devices (affiliate link).

billgates

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#1010746 21-Mar-2014 17:44

You can get a Surface Pro 1 for $701 and Type Cover 2 for $180 from the Microsoft store with your Student ID. You can take the offer over to Noel Leeming and I am sure they can price match it for you if you want to buy it locally from a physical store else it's free courier from the MS store. You can always add a Bluetooth mouse later if you feel that you need one. For $880 you get the below which you will be find hard to find anywhere in NZ with similar specs. It's really a good deal.

i5 Ivy Bridge CPU
10.6" 1080P display with Wacom Digitizer and Pen for hand writing support in the likes of OneNote application or Photoshop for drawing
4GB RAM
128GB SSD
Kickstand
Good Build Quality
Portability

http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msnz/en_NZ/pdp/Surface-Pro/productID.295930700

http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msnz/en_NZ/list/categoryID.67730700?icid=Stu_Featured_SurfaceAccessories

Surface Pro 2 will get you an extra stage Kickstand (2 stage instead of only 1 in Surface Pro 1), better battery life, better GPU and slightly better CPU. It costs $1500 for 4GB RAM and 128GB SSD model or $1299 for 64GB model with 4GB RAM.

With the requirements you have stated, you can easily get away with Surface 2 ($650) with Type Cover 2 ($180). It's running Windows RT which means you can only download and install applications from the Windows Store unlike the Surface Pro which will run both Windows Store applications and your traditional desktop applications (x86). Both models come with USB 3.0 and 1080p display.

If you do not need a lot of grunt and can live with a 1366 x 768 display then I highly recommend the Asus T100 which is around $660 and come with a physical keyboard and detachable tablet. Also includes full version of MS Office 2013 Student.

Do whatever you want to do man.

crackrdbycracku

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#1010747 21-Mar-2014 17:52

To be honest if 'uni work' means word processing you might consider the Surface 2 or the Asus T100.

I'm a big believer in not buying more power than you need.

Partly it depends on how you prioritize cost vs power vs portability vs construction quality.

Didn't anybody tell you I was a hacker?

blakamin

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#1010756 21-Mar-2014 18:22

If you're using it for uni, depending on your course, you'd want to stay away from windows RT for the reasons billgates said earlier... The only apps available are from the windows store.

panda123

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#1010763 21-Mar-2014 18:38

awesome will have a look into those. Well this will probably my laptop for everyday use so was hoping to get something alittle bigger (11-13inch) screen. the ultrabook could end up seeing a bit of video and photo editing too (not too much). would i be looking at spending $1600 if i were to get an ultrabook alittle more powerful with longer batter life?

billgates

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#1010767 21-Mar-2014 18:47

Dell XPS 12.5" LED 1080P Touchscreen. Top link is Haswell i3 CPU with 80GB SSD. 2nd link is Haswell i5 CPU with 128GB SSD. If you are going to do video editing then go for the i5 model. Because the CPU inside both is Haswell, the battery life will be good compared to an Ivy Bridge CPU.

http://www.dell.com/nz/p/xps-12-9q33/pd?oc=w5109m0nz&model_id=xps-12-9q33

http://www.dell.com/nz/p/xps-12-9q33/pd?oc=w5109m3nz&model_id=xps-12-9q33

Do whatever you want to do man.

Sideface

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#1010770 21-Mar-2014 18:50

panda123: ... Planning to only spend about $1400 max (preferably less) ...

panda123: ... would i be looking at spending $1600 if i were to get an ultrabook a little more powerful with longer batter life? ...

Specification creep - stick to your original budget (preferably less)

I would spend $1200 max.

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Batman

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#1010775 21-Mar-2014 18:57

10" is too small. If you want light get a 13" that is 1.3kg

panda123

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#1010776 21-Mar-2014 19:01

Sideface:
panda123: ... Planning to only spend about $1400 max (preferably less) ...

panda123: ... would i be looking at spending $1600 if i were to get an ultrabook a little more powerful with longer batter life? ...

Specification creep - stick to your original budget (preferably less)
I would spend $1200 max.

If i were to spend $1200 max the dell xps 12 is $1280, are there any other ultrabooks i can have a look at around that price?

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