URGENT: What Laptop For $850 - 900?


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Hi Guys,

I need a replacement for my 3 months old Lenovo U510 Ideapad.

I am in the market for a laptop/Ultrabook which can be bought for $850-$900. A bit tight on budget, but I am sure you guys will help me out with the best option available.

I have listed my requirement in descending priority.

  1. Light Weight & Long battery life
  2. Should be 1.6GHz+ and i5/i7 since my work on languages like SQL, Python etc is bound to increase in coming months.
  3. Must have SSD
  4. Screen size: 13"-14"
  5. Sleek and Stylish
  6. Touchscreen

I would appreciate quick replies since the purchase has to be made next week.

Thanks in advance.
 
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Re: URGENT: What laptop for $850-900?

Not sure about requirement. I have a laptop at home with Core 2 duo on it bought in Dec 2008.

I work with Visual Studio 2012, SQL Server 2008, XAMPP installed. and still it works smooth.

Are you sure do you need i5/i7? I think i3 would be enough and then you can save that money. Once you start earning buy the new high end one in exchange offer. [;)]
 
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Re: URGENT: What laptop for $850-900?

Not sure about requirement. I have a laptop at home with Core 2 duo on it bought in Dec 2008.

I work with Visual Studio 2012, SQL Server 2008, XAMPP installed. and still it works smooth.

Are you sure do you need i5/i7? I think i3 would be enough and then you can save that money. Once you start earning buy the new high end one in exchange offer. [;)]
Thanks for the reply. Intel i5 is the requirement because even my current system has the same setup and with a new one, I wont want to downgrade. Further more, I intend to keep the laptop for a couple of years. Since I spend most of my time on web, I need something which is fast, light weight and offers good battery back up.


BTW I already have a job[;)].
 
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Re: URGENT: What laptop for $850-900?

Thanks for the reply. Intel i5 is the requirement because even my current system has the same setup and with a new one, I wont want to downgrade. Further more, I intend to keep the laptop for a couple of years. Since I spend most of my time on web, I need something which is fast, light weight and offers good battery back up.


BTW I already have a job[;)].
Ohh make sense then. I thought you were there for studies. Congratzz [clap]

Buy i7 for sure. let other gurus comment on the config then.
 
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Re: URGENT: What laptop for $850-900?

Not someone, he himself is in US. [evil]
Haha, awesome man! [clap]
I was wondering why the currency in dollars.

What about the new 2014 model Air? Light, great battery life, looks, build, powerful enough. Or if you wait, you'll get a retina one.

Other options:
Dell XPS 12
HP Spectre 13t (looks great)
 
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Re: URGENT: What laptop for $850-900?

Ohh make sense then. I thought you were there for studies. Congratzz [clap]

Buy i7 for sure. let other gurus comment on the config then.
I am here for my masters with a part time job at tge college itself. It pays me well enough to buy a fancy laptop [;)].

Haha, awesome man! [clap]
I was wondering why the currency in dollars.

What about the new 2014 model Air? Light, great battery life, looks, build, powerful enough. Or if you wait, you'll get a retina one.

Other options:
Dell XPS 12
HP Spectre 13t (looks great)
Well, I am apprehensive about Apple since my requirements are basically the Office stuff and programming. And I have many of my friends who had difficulty doing coding on their Macbooks!

I have shortlisted the following:

Lenovo Yoga 2 13
Acer S7 Ultrabook
HP Spectre 13

With HP and Acer, I am a bit hesitant due to online reviews.
While Acer is bashed for its not so good build quality (and battery issues after a year), HP is (in)famous for its fan noise and poor battery.

Please note that I intent to use this laptop for atleast 3-4 years, so reliability and battery is the prime concern.
 
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Thanks buddy. I am considering the Asus Zenbook. As a matter of fact, its going to be between the Asus Zenbook and Lenovo Yoga 2.
 
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Well, if I was ever to buy a Macbook, I'd install Windows ASAP. Buying an Apple hardware doesn't mean we should use their software also. Windows would run fine on that one.
Please tell me if I'm wrong here.

And oh, Acer S7 is cool too. HP has the best speakers (Beats I guess) though (the Acer one has poor speakers). Be sure to check the screen quality (particularly viewing angles) of the HP one.

Yoga 2 13, the reviews so far are not pretty good.


Maybe this http://www.samsung.com/global/ativ/ativbook9plus.html
A bit more expensive but worth the price.

Edit: Just as a note, Ultrabook processors are not powerful as normal laptops, so if you prefer performance over style, I suggest you to get a normal laptop.
 
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I used this site for purchase items during 2004-6 when i was there. Gave me lots of discount.

Lenovo some models are of great build. Do not go for a Windows RT (old yoga came with RT) which you can not install your regular software.
Dell Latitudes are coming in smaller size. Nicely built laptop from Dell. Check them too.

Apples are faster because of their OS ! If you install windows, it wont perform the way it was working with apple OS.

I would suggest you to check this with the processor of the particular model you are interested. There are many i7 performs lower than i5. Same way, there are plenty of i5 which performs worse than i3. It is not just i3,i5 or i7. It is the processor, generation & the speed which makes the difference.

My personal suggestion : - Avoid dedicated graphics (1gb/2gb by NVIDIA or ATI) if possible. After an year, the laptop gets too much heated up because of a dedicated graphics. If you are into gaming, no suggestion !

All the best
 

350Z

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I need a replacement for my 3 months old Lenovo U510 Ideapad.
I'm in the same boat with similar requirements but the budget is under 40K. Heard all positive reviews about Lenovo. What's the reason for replacing yours so soon? SSD?

Drive Safe,
350Z
 
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And oh, Acer S7 is cool too. HP has the best speakers (Beats I guess) though (the Acer one has poor speakers). Be sure to check the screen quality (particularly viewing angles) of the HP one.

Yoga 2 13, the reviews so far are not pretty good.
Maybe this Samsung ATIV Book 9 Plus - Superior performance in craftmanship design legacy
A bit more expensive but worth the price.

Edit: Just as a note, Ultrabook processors are not powerful as normal laptops, so if you prefer performance over style, I suggest you to get a normal laptop.
Yes, even I am not very confident of Yoga 2. I went to check it out at Best Buy and found a few of the issues that are floating over the net being true. When used as a regular touch laptop, the screen isnt stable.

No offences meant, but I dont see a reason to buy a macbook, then get a copy of windows, install it and then use it as a regular Windows Laptop.

Yeah, Acer S7 was one of the top contender in my list when I came across the real users of the Acer S5 and similar laptops. As confirmed by most of them, the battery loses it juice in just one year.
My main priority is the ease to carry around and the battery backup, hence the ultra-book.

I used this site for purchase items during 2004-6 when i was there. Gave me lots of discount.

Lenovo some models are of great build. Do not go for a Windows RT (old yoga came with RT) which you can not install your regular software.
Dell Latitudes are coming in smaller size. Nicely built laptop from Dell. Check them too.

Apples are faster because of their OS ! If you install windows, it wont perform the way it was working with apple OS.

I would suggest you to check this with the processor of the particular model you are interested. There are many i7 performs lower than i5. Same way, there are plenty of i5 which performs worse than i3. It is not just i3,i5 or i7. It is the processor, generation & the speed which makes the difference.

My personal suggestion : - Avoid dedicated graphics (1gb/2gb by NVIDIA or ATI) if possible. After an year, the laptop gets too much heated up because of a dedicated graphics. If you are into gaming, no suggestion !

All the best
Into gaming: Not at All!

Yes, completely agree on the processor part. Its not just the processor which determines the performance of the computer. I am looking for atleaset 1.60GHz with Turbo-boost upto 2.5-2.6GHz.

I'm in the same boat with similar requirements but the budget is under 40K. Heard all positive reviews about Lenovo. What's the reason for replacing yours so soon? SSD?

Drive Safe,
350Z
To be honest, my bag is always full of stuff so at least if my laptop is a bit lighter, it will save me from a percent of fatigue and since I am getting a good price for it, I dont mind investing a few more bucks for a system which suffices my needs.


You can have a look at following systems for your requirements.
Dell Vostro 2420
Samsung NP530U4C (i3)
HP 450

Right now, Asus Zenbook is what is exciting me the most. Opinion about the same would be appreciated. Second choice is still the Lenovo Yoga 2 13.
 
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