Ultrabooks for less than $1500??

Forums › Laptops and mobile computers › Ultrabooks for less than $1500??

panda123

172 posts

Master Geek

#165896 23-Feb-2015 22:06

Any suggestions on what ultrabook I can get for under $1500 (the less the better)? Planning to use it at uni so want decent battery life when surfing the web, using microsoft office etc but also be able to handle some light to moderate gaming like League of legend.

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#1245248 23-Feb-2015 22:26

Microsoft Surface Pro 3 i5, 128GB Tablet
$ 1079.00

https://www.noelleeming.co.nz/shop/computers/windows-8-tablets/microsoft-mq2-00007-surface-pro-3-i5-128gb-tablet/prod130391.html

panda123

172 posts

Master Geek

#1245255 23-Feb-2015 22:32

Thanks for the reply. not really looking for a tablet

nathan

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#1245260 23-Feb-2015 22:42

buy the Type Cover too, then its a tablet that can replace your ultrabook

Uni you will be able to use it standing up, in all sorts of interesting ways with the kickstand, probably even better the Pen will let you highlight, draw, markup PDFs, equations, digital ink
The 2160x1440 3:2 aspect ratio 12" screen is pretty useful for doing real work, lots of horizontal screen resolution compared to most laptops

Andib

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#1245261 23-Feb-2015 22:45

+1 on the surface pro 3, Best of both Ultra book and tablet form factor.

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panda123

172 posts

Master Geek

#1245280 23-Feb-2015 23:14

Thanks, I've looked the the surface pro 3 before but still prefer an ultrabook over the surface pro. :D

nathan

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#1245283 23-Feb-2015 23:22

no worries, can I ask why? what is it about the laptop clamshell form factor you prefer?

billgates

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#1245284 23-Feb-2015 23:24

Dell XPS 13 (2015 model). If you are a student, you can hopefully find dell discount codes from somewhere or ask dell to give you a discount over the phone.

Do whatever you want to do man.

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benokobi

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Ultimate Geek

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#1245285 23-Feb-2015 23:32

nathan: Microsoft Surface Pro 3 i5, 128GB Tablet
$ 1079.00 https://www.noelleeming.co.nz/shop/computers/windows-8-tablets/microsoft-mq2-00007-surface-pro-3-i5-128gb-tablet/prod130391.html

Just got mine for ~$1600 including the type cover literally 2 days before they went on sale. Still worth the $1600 price tag but really annoyed as I could have got the docking station as well for what I paid.

Love the kickstand and pretty much everything. Only problem I have is google chrome being blurry which is not really any fault of the surface.

nathan

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#1245287 23-Feb-2015 23:32

the Dell is a beautifiul machine with an amazing screen and bezel. I think the decent models will see you go over 1500 incl tho

nathan

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#1245391 24-Feb-2015 09:22

benokobi:
nathan: Microsoft Surface Pro 3 i5, 128GB Tablet
$ 1079.00 https://www.noelleeming.co.nz/shop/computers/windows-8-tablets/microsoft-mq2-00007-surface-pro-3-i5-128gb-tablet/prod130391.html

Just got mine for ~$1600 including the type cover literally 2 days before they went on sale. Still worth the $1600 price tag but really annoyed as I could have got the docking station as well for what I paid.

Love the kickstand and pretty much everything. Only problem I have is google chrome being blurry which is not really any fault of the surface.

Sucks about the price drop. Such is life.

The other problem Chrome has is it is very battery unfriendly. I can literally shave 2-3 hours off my battery run time if I use Chrome.

Krishant007

1403 posts

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#1245438 24-Feb-2015 10:33

benokobi:
nathan: Microsoft Surface Pro 3 i5, 128GB Tablet
$ 1079.00 https://www.noelleeming.co.nz/shop/computers/windows-8-tablets/microsoft-mq2-00007-surface-pro-3-i5-128gb-tablet/prod130391.html

Just got mine for ~$1600 including the type cover literally 2 days before they went on sale. Still worth the $1600 price tag but really annoyed as I could have got the docking station as well for what I paid.

Love the kickstand and pretty much everything. Only problem I have is google chrome being blurry which is not really any fault of the surface.

I think some companies can give you a refund!! Have a look at their policies because if it is the exact same thing that you purchased that goes on sale a day or 2 later, then they may give you a refund.

Alternatively, companies like Warehouse Stationary have a 14 day return policy (dont know if Noel's has it), it might be worth to have a look into.

And back to the original topic, yes, is there a particular reason you prefer an ultrabook?

But another thumbs up for the Dell. Else consider Mac Air (or Macbook Pro Retina).

Acer S7 is also a really good device, but would be out of your budget I believe.

Asus Zenbooks are pretty awesome too.

panda123

172 posts

Master Geek

#1245452 24-Feb-2015 11:38

wanted an ultrabook for a longer battery life and light weight. didnt anythink bulky to take to uni and wanted longer battery life so I dont need to take a charger with me

Krishant007

1403 posts

Uber Geek

#1245457 24-Feb-2015 11:53

Yup that makes sense. For uni purposes, I cannot recommend any machine more than Mac Air. Lightweight, brilliant battery life, has most of the apps you need, works well. Unless you have a specific reason for going with Windows, I'd recommend Mac Air. Alternatively, Macbook Pro Retina. Personally, I would go with Retina. It is about 300g more than Mac Air, battery life does take a little hit, but it is worth it. You get HDMI without any adapters, you get a slightly powerful processor, and that screen.....

panda123

172 posts

Master Geek

#1245459 24-Feb-2015 11:58

yah, i wanted the pro retina but it was outside my budget. are there any windows ultrabook that fits my criterias + a little bit of gaming?

wasabi2k

2096 posts

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#1245462 24-Feb-2015 12:00

panda123: yah, i wanted the pro retina but it was outside my budget. are there any windows ultrabook that fits my criterias + a little bit of gaming?

None of the ultrabooks currently (that I have found) have secondary GPUs - they murder battery life. So unless you can live with the integrated intel graphics (which can run stuff on low-medium at middling resolutions) - no.

However there are newer "slimmer" gaming laptops (e.g. Razer Blade) which do. They might not be ultrabooks but not too far different. Just be aware that gaming will use your battery, quickly.

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