I'm looking for a small, light laptop that can keep up...

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mr_bigmouth_502
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15 Jan 2014, 4:11 am

Since I started my new job recently, I've been thinking of saving up for a new laptop. My current laptop, a 2010-era Alienware, performs nicely, and it can run most of the games that I play pretty well, however, it's rather large, heavy, and prone to overheating. The main thing that annoys me about it is that due to its large size and awkward cooling setup, it is not suitable for couch or lap usage, rather, it pretty much only works well when you have it set down on a desk or TV tray or other similar surface. As well, it has the WORST touchpad I've ever used on a laptop, with its godawful texture and lack of an ability to scroll properly.

Anyway, I did some thinking, and came to the conclusion that an ultrabook might suit my needs, since they're designed with a balance of portability and performance in mind. The thing is, I'm having a hard time finding one that can match up to (or exceed) my old laptop's specs. To give you an idea, here's what my Alienware has:

- Core i5 540m hyperthreaded dual-core CPU @ 2.53GHz
- 6GB DDR3 ram
- Radeon HD 5870m dedicated GPU, underclocked to half-speed to fix graphical issues
- 250GB 7200RPM Western Digital hard drive
- 17inch 1440x900 display

I want to find a small, light laptop that meets or exceeds these specifications (except for the screen size, I want something smaller than a 17inch :P), and has a decent cooling setup. Cost isn't really an issue for me, as I'm in a situation where I can probably save my money fairly easily.



cberg
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15 Jan 2014, 4:17 am

Look up the Eurocom Monster. It's a configurable 10" gaming laptop. Probably one of my next machines.


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mr_bigmouth_502
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15 Jan 2014, 4:42 am

Just looked it up, and it looks awesome! :D Now, it's a bit smaller than what I was originally looking for, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I'll show it to my friends, and at first they'll think it's a cheap netbook, then I'll fire up a game and show them that it's not. ;)

The Eurocom M3 looks pretty nice too, a little larger with better specs and in the same price range, though it doesn't quite have that "wow" factor. :P



cberg
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15 Jan 2014, 5:40 am

For that segment I'd rather have the Sony VAIO Z. It's a thin laptop with external GPUs available.


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superluminary
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15 Jan 2014, 10:10 am

A small light laptop with a 17inch display and awesome specs? That would be a pretty cool thing.

If you want it for gaming, you're probably better off getting something beefier.



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15 Jan 2014, 5:59 pm

What are you looking to spend on the computer, and what are you planning on doing with it?

If I was going to get an ultraportable notebook, and money was no object, I'd get a Panasonic CF-SX2. 12" touchscreen display, I5 CPU, ATI/AMD GPU, (model# currently unknown by me, but I'm pretty sure it's NOT a good one for serious gaming) Magnesium designed to withstand a minumum drop of 18 inches/45cm, waterproof/spill proof keyboard, and battery life of 10-14 hours. @ $2500, US.


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UndeadToaster
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15 Jan 2014, 6:53 pm

I think Asus has some (or maybe just one) smaller gaming notebooks that may be what you're looking for. Like this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6834231239



mr_bigmouth_502
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17 Jan 2014, 3:22 am

Right now, I'm thinking of getting a Eurocom M3. It's a 13 inch model with awesome specs, and with a copy of Windows 8.1 (since OSes for Eurocom's machines are provided as an option), it runs about $1300 CAD.

Anyhow, here are the base specs:

Quote:
VGA Technology: on-board NVIDIA GTX 765M with 2GB of DDR5 VRAM; Optimus 2.0
Chipset: High Performance Intel Mobile HM87 Express (Haswell)
Processor: up to Intel® Core™ i7-4930MX Processor Extreme Edition with HD Graphics 4600
Memory: up to 16GB DDR3-1600; two SODIMM sockets; Dual Channel
Storage: up to 2.5TB of storage; 3 physical SATA3 (6Gb/s) drives; 2x mSATA3 + 1x HDD/SSD
Keyboard: Backlit keyboard with 3-levels of intensity
Audio System: Sound Blaster Cinema; High Definition Audio; 2 built-in speakers and microphone
Ports: USB 2.0; 3x USB 3.0 (1x powered AC/DC); HDMI 1.4a out; VGA; Headphone; Mic; RJ45/LAN
Communication: 1Gigabit LAN; WLAN; Bluetooth
Weight: 2kg / 4.4lbs (with battery)
Dimensions: WxDxH 330x227x31.9mm; 13.2x9.98x1.28-inch
Battery Life: up to 300 minutes; 62.16WH battery
Security: Embedded TPM 1.2 (optional)


Here's where you can specify what you want in it: http://web.eurocom.com/ec/ec_model_conf ... ,242,0%29x



Max000
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17 Jan 2014, 6:38 am

mr_bigmouth_502 wrote:
Since I started my new job recently, I've been thinking of saving up for a new laptop. My current laptop, a 2010-era Alienware, performs nicely, and it can run most of the games that I play pretty well, however, it's rather large, heavy, and prone to overheating. The main thing that annoys me about it is that due to its large size and awkward cooling setup, it is not suitable for couch or lap usage, rather, it pretty much only works well when you have it set down on a desk or TV tray or other similar surface. As well, it has the WORST touchpad I've ever used on a laptop, with its godawful texture and lack of an ability to scroll properly.

Anyway, I did some thinking, and came to the conclusion that an ultrabook might suit my needs, since they're designed with a balance of portability and performance in mind. The thing is, I'm having a hard time finding one that can match up to (or exceed) my old laptop's specs. To give you an idea, here's what my Alienware has:

- Core i5 540m hyperthreaded dual-core CPU @ 2.53GHz
- 6GB DDR3 ram
- Radeon HD 5870m dedicated GPU, underclocked to half-speed to fix graphical issues
- 250GB 7200RPM Western Digital hard drive
- 17inch 1440x900 display

I want to find a small, light laptop that meets or exceeds these specifications (except for the screen size, I want something smaller than a 17inch :P), and has a decent cooling setup. Cost isn't really an issue for me, as I'm in a situation where I can probably save my money fairly easily.


11-inch or 13-inch MacBook Air
1.7GHz dual-core Intel Core i7 processor
Turbo Boost up to 3.3GHz
Intel HD Graphics 5000
8GB memory
512GB flash storage

MacBook Air



superluminary
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17 Jan 2014, 9:36 am

An Air is very clearly the best thing going. Not so great for games though. You could run Windows on it but that kind of defeats the point I think. I'm typing this on a mac.



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17 Jan 2014, 4:47 pm

http://www.staples.com/Acer-Aspire-V5-5 ... uct_275654

I believe this is a very good deal, though it is not a beast of a gaming laptop of anything, it should run up to modern games on medium. Resolution is the biggest downside to this laptop, though it appears to be very thin and light. At 480 dollars, you typically do not find a real GPU or a 4 pound device.

There have been some excellent suggestions in this thread, so I feel that instead of offering another expensive ultrabook or Mac option, I'd show you something that is a compromise between performance and budget. This Acer is only on sale until the end of tomorrow, though, I think, as it is normally around 600 dollars.

Laptops are not something I typically keep up with very much, as I tend to not have a lot of need for them, I use my desktop a lot and when I am out somewhere, my Lumia 1520 is basically a 6 inch tablet that accomplishes all casual computer needs. Maybe someday I will get a cheap refurbished ultrabook.



mr_bigmouth_502
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18 Jan 2014, 2:51 am

I briefly considered looking at a Macbook, but considering how expensive and unsuited to expansion they are, I'm not even going to consider bothering with one now. As well, a "cheap" laptop may work fine as a temporary fix, but I want something that will last me a while. I don't like computers that are built to be disposable, which is one of the main reasons why I prefer to assemble my own desktops, but unfortunately I cannot assemble a laptop, so that's why I'm settling for buying one.



Max000
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18 Jan 2014, 3:38 pm

First you said "Cost isn't really an issue for me". Now you are talking about getting a "cheap" laptop. Your first step should probably be figuring out how much you want to spend on it. Then find the best specs you can in that price range.



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18 Jan 2014, 8:39 pm

Again, Panasonic Toughbook CF-SX2, or if you can deal with a Japanese keyboard and having one shipped from Japan, The LetsNote SX3, which is not sold in the US Market yet, but will be at some point as the Toughbook CF-SX3. The newer LetsNote model also has an option for an I7 CPU.


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mr_bigmouth_502
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18 Jan 2014, 11:08 pm

Max000 wrote:
First you said "Cost isn't really an issue for me". Now you are talking about getting a "cheap" laptop. Your first step should probably be figuring out how much you want to spend on it. Then find the best specs you can in that price range.


I don't want a "cheap" laptop long term, and I'm still willing to spend on a gaming laptop. "Cheap" laptops do work fine for web surfing, I find, but I want to find something that works for couch websurfing AND gaming. :P



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22 Jan 2014, 1:15 am

mr_bigmouth_502 wrote:
Max000 wrote:
First you said "Cost isn't really an issue for me". Now you are talking about getting a "cheap" laptop. Your first step should probably be figuring out how much you want to spend on it. Then find the best specs you can in that price range.


I don't want a "cheap" laptop long term, and I'm still willing to spend on a gaming laptop. "Cheap" laptops do work fine for web surfing, I find, but I want to find something that works for couch websurfing AND gaming. :P


You can get i5 or i7 ThinkPads with switchable dedicated graphics and tons of configurations, all with remaining Windows 7 options. Most of those might need HDMI adapters, but that's the only caveat I can think of. For the record, leaving my NVidia laptops on high-power graphics gives me better battery life anyway...


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"I fly through hyperspace, in my green computer interface"
-Gem Tos :mrgreen: