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

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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 ), 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.

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

_________________
"Standing on a well-chilled cinder, we see the fading of the suns, and try to recall the vanished brilliance of the origin of the worlds."
-Georges Lemaitre
"I fly through hyperspace, in my green computer interface"
-Gem Tos

Just looked it up, and it looks awesome! 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.

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

_________________
"Standing on a well-chilled cinder, we see the fading of the suns, and try to recall the vanished brilliance of the origin of the worlds."
-Georges Lemaitre
"I fly through hyperspace, in my green computer interface"
-Gem Tos

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.

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.

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

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:

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.