13"ish laptop shopping...

J

Jordan1

[H]ard|Gawd
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I'm shopping for someone else. Not a whole lot of prerequisites except for for the following:

1) Needs to be light because of lap use which means...
2) Needs to dispense heat somewhat decently/not make a lot of heat
3) Decent battery life..a given, I think.
4) Well under $1k USD
5) Optical drive isn't a must

Based on the needs I thought a ~13 inch i3 notebook would fit. Here's my list of current considerations, but I would like more input:

1) Acer Aspire TimelineX - 3.97 lbs - $530
2) ASUS U31 Series U31JG-A1 - 3.74 lbs - $700 ...a bit more pricey but includes 2 years warrenty / 1 year accidental coverage.

What else should I consider?
 
12.5" but the Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E220s might be worth considering. Price is between the two you listed.

How is the keyobard on the Acer? I had a U-Sesries Asus before, and loved the chicklet keyboard. It just felt 'right.' Almost Mac-like. :)
 
I have a friend who brags about this one -- http://www.bestbuy.com/site/HP+-+Pavilion+Laptop+/+AMD+A-Series+Processor+/+14%22+Display+/+4GB+Memory+/+320GB+Hard+Drive+-+Pewter/2715258.p?id=1218346636604&skuId=2715258

He says that it can... "Play 1080p video and Oblivion at the same while also installing WoW and OpenOffice."

It's a 14" not a 13", but given the price and specs it might be worth considering. Otherwise I'd suggest having a look at various thinkpads in your price/size range. Try the T, X, or Edge series options.
 
Sony 13.1" S-Series. Wife has it, and been very happy. Picked it up form BB and it included the WiDi adapter. Meets all your requirements and also supports a slice battery.

I did look at a lot of other laptops..but that was the only one that met her needs and was cost reasonable.
 
HP dm1z Series

My sister has this and freaking loves it. (Similar kind of spec list)

The processor is a little limited, but it's plenty for what she needed/wanted it for.

11.6" Screen with an AMD E-350 APU. I set it up for her, and it was really impressively speedy. And under $500, which counts as (well under $1k).

The proc being limited didn't seem to slow it down, and the graphics capability actually more then made up for it, W7 felt snappier then on any i3 laptop I've ever played with.

She get's 6ish hours battery, and this is a computer-illiterate who has no idea of how to stretch battery.
 
If you can get a Lenovo X220 for a price within that budget, that would be my choice.
 
Zumino Zufeilon said:
HP dm1z Series

My sister has this and freaking loves it. (Similar kind of spec list)

The processor is a little limited, but it's plenty for what she needed/wanted it for.

11.6" Screen with an AMD E-350 APU. I set it up for her, and it was really impressively speedy. And under $500, which counts as (well under $1k).

The proc being limited didn't seem to slow it down, and the graphics capability actually more then made up for it, W7 felt snappier then on any i3 laptop I've ever played with.

She get's 6ish hours battery, and this is a computer-illiterate who has no idea of how to stretch battery.
Click to expand...

I agree. I have that laptop as well and love how well it works. The bottom stays very cool, so leaving it on your lap is no problem. I get almost as many hours of use and I leave it in gaming mode. (most of the time). And shortly it will be my main PC. Hard to take desktop to Afghanistan.
 
I would second the Thinkpad X220. By far one best small all around portable laptops out now. :D
 
I too have been shopping for a new laptop. The one that really has grabbed my attention is the Toshiba Protege r835 series laptop. The specs are pretty decent and the price is also very nice. The only major drawback for me is how the laptop sits.

The Levono e220 is also a sexy option, I really like the look of this laptop. This would definitely be my choice, however the major draw back is that the CPU is undervolted and it is 1st generation i5.

The other laptop that is pretty nice is one you mentioned, Asus U31JG. However I would also suggest looking into the Asus U41JF-A1. This laptop is similiar but has a little bit more processing power than the U31JG, but still has a slick look to it.

One of the benefits of getting a laptop with a DVD drive is to swap out the DVD for a secondary HDD, and replace the main HDD with a SDD. This way you have a fast responding laptop with storage cababilities.

Good luck, and let us know which one you go with.
 
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There are occasionally amazing deals for the X220 (e.g. http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?t=3175625 ) but you'll have to play with coupons. No rebates though.

I did get a X220 tablet though at an amazing price, after 1. Coupon, 2. Lenovo Mastercard Perks, 3. American Express Link/Like/Love $150 off deal of $870 after tax for one of the best tablets on the market. And yes, it was an i5. Hard to beat that if you're looking for it, but the deal's dead now.
 
Love my x220. Picked it up with an i3 processor and an IPS screen and no OS for under $600. Then added a SSD for $200 for a great lightweight machine.
 
I would never buy one of HP's "consumer" level laptops. The EliteBook series on the other hand is worth looking at. You can regularly find them a year off corporate lease (2 year warranty remaining) for pretty reasonable prices. I have a 2510P which is fairly old at this point, at least 3 generations, but I like it and may end up replacing it soon with a newer variant like the 2560P. They run around $1000-1500 from HP, but you can get them for $300-400 less on Ebay.
 
i looked at a DM1 at microcenter last night. just couldnt bring myself to buy it. just looked too cheap. (but the plus is it IS cheap..) but for a NETBOOK, its probably the best reviews i seen anywhere.

I have to go to a 13.3" Sony SA series range, and i know im gonna have to spend a lot of money.
 
thirding the X220

if you're concerned about things feeling cheap, i think there's not much choice here

i tend to pass up specs for build quality / parts availability and thinkpads have never let me down..ever. they are solid machines, well worth the premium
 
I ended up ordering a ASUS U31JG-A1 for myself. $450 for a refurb. The person I was originally shopping for is indecisive atm...

I had a thinkpad before and loved it. X220 with an IPS screen looks awesome but went the budget route this time.
 
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