No good options in 13-14" range

T

Tosicc

Limp Gawd
Joined
Feb 19, 2008
Messages
265
I'd like to upgrade from my Asus U31 13" but it seems like there are only bad options out there.

I was looking at the new XPS13 and the X1 Carbon...

XPS13 has no HDMI, only minidisplay which is nearly a full on dealbreaker for me

X1 Carbon has mixed reviews, soldered on RAM...

What is the best notebook in the 13-14" range? Price is less of an option, closer to $1000 is ideal but will pay up to $1500 for quality.

Not looking for anything very specific... Just needs to be a solid machine. I'd like upgradable RAM, removable battery, HDMI, non-touch screen. I really don't want to get a MacAir... Help me out here -- it is discouraging to see the PC manu's haven't made a decent machine after all these years.
 
Nontouch is ideal but I dont care I just need ANY good option. I've looked at the Samsungs in the store and I'm exactly sold.

I'm back to looking at this option: http://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-Y40-80...F8&qid=1424371688&sr=8-11&keywords=lenovo+y40

no backlit keyboard and poor display reviews holding me back a bit... seems like a lot of bang for buck, i like the dedicated gfx as well for light games -- but the reviews say its a crap card anyway, i wonder if they are being too critical and trying to compare to desktop power
 
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I would not recommend any Lenovo machines right now. They are shipping their machines with man in the middle adware which completely disables HTTPS security. Your HTTPS is literally wide open to anyone with the know how to capture it and decrypt it (the private key for the MITM adware that Lenovo installs is publicly available). http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/...re-that-breaks-https-destroys-system-security

I think the XPS13 is the best option. Buy a 14$ HDMI adapter if you absolutely need HDMI. Get the i5/8GB/FHD option and you will have 15 hour battery life for $1000. http://www.anandtech.com/show/8983/dell-xps-13-review/ Repairability is pretty good on it too, but the RAM is soldered in as pretty much everything else in this class of machine is. https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Dell+XPS+13+Teardown/36157
 
I always fresh format when I get a machine... so that may not weigh in on my choice? or should it?

Y40 -- $999 from Lenovo.com on special right now
i7-5500u 2.0ghz
16GB RAM
512GB SSD
Radeon R9 M275 4GB

vs.

XPS13 -- $999
i5-5200U 2.7ghz
8GB RAM
128GB SSD
Intel HD Graphics 5500

I like the XPS form factor / sleekness but it seems like a huge drop in specs. The real question I guess is if that 8GB can be upgraded to 16gb.... Anatech says max 8gb -- kinda of the most important spec for me or anyone really.
 
Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro
$1200
13.3" 3200x1800 screen
8GB RAM
256GB SSD (Default)

As noted, the default install from Lenovo is compromised right now.
I'd recommend a clean reinstall on receipt of the device. Which would also get rid of any other crapware they have installed.
 
Tosicc said:
I always fresh format when I get a machine... so that may not weigh in on my choice? or should it?

Y40 -- $999 from Lenovo.com on special right now
i7-5500u 2.0ghz
16GB RAM
512GB SSD
Radeon R9 M275 4GB

vs.

XPS13 -- $999
i5-5200U 2.7ghz
8GB RAM
128GB SSD
Intel HD Graphics 5500

I like the XPS form factor / sleekness but it seems like a huge drop in specs. The real question I guess is if that 8GB can be upgraded to 16gb.... Anatech says max 8gb -- kinda of the most important spec for me or anyone really.
Click to expand...

Those are two completely different machines. Just because one has a 14" screen and the other has a 13" screen doesn't make them remotely comparable.

The Lenovo is twice as thick, twice as heavy, and 1/3 the battery life of the XPS 13. There is a huuuuge difference in portability and usability in those two different machines.

If you need gaming, get a gaming notebook. If you don't need gaming other than occasional light games then look into the machines you initially mentioned like the X1 and the XPS13. I think right now in the portable ultrabook market the XPS13 is the hands down winner. The FHD battery life is seriously impressive.


What is your typical use case for this machine? If you are using it for web browsing, school assignments, and maybe the occasional quick game of Civ or League of Legends then an ultrabook will be just fine. If you need CAD work, 3D modeling, some hardcore Battlefield sessions, then you need to look into the beefier gaming/workstation machines that have dedicated graphics.
 
This would be my everything machine (power user). I do game, but only TF2 so the vid card is little value to me. A machine needs some decent specs, 8GB of RAM seemed like a lot in 2005 but I think most people need more. Battery life is less of concern when compared to specs. I really like the XPS13 but I will NOT be locked into 8GB of RAM for the next 2-3 years.

I've been using a $700 Asus U31 with i5 and 8GB of RAM since 2011... Looking for a performance upgrade, not a side grade.
 
If Lenovo's current indiscretions have not swayed you, I always recommend checking out the Lenovo Outlet. You can usually get some really good deals if you are patient, even on new product. I have purchased a couple Thinkpads from there and have had nothing but good experiences so far. The only caveat would be that you would miss out on newer models (e.g. Broadwell) atm.

Dell's outlet is also decent. Ordered an Alienware M11x from there several yrs ago and had a good experience as well.
 
You might want to also consider the Razer Blade and XPS 15 laptops based upon your stated needs. It is too bad the XPS15 hasn't been updated with newer chips, because it is a really nice machine although it might be a bit out of your price range.
 
The Lenovo options are pretty solid. Don't know enough about the XPS line, but I like the specs for the price. HP ProBook 640 is damn good...we're deploying them where I work and they have had the lowest field failure rate out of all prior laptop deployments, including older HP, Dell, and Gateway models.
 
Tosicc said:
Not looking for anything very specific... Just needs to be a solid machine. I'd like upgradable RAM, removable battery, HDMI, non-touch screen. I really don't want to get a MacAir... Help me out here -- it is discouraging to see the PC manu's haven't made a decent machine after all these years.
Click to expand...
Er, other than the non-touch screen the MacBook Air meets none of the remaining things you want.
 
If you're going to look at a Mac in that range, you'd want the 13-inch MacBook Pro anyway.

Speaking of which, why not that? It has HDMI, a great display, a really nice trackpad and long real-world battery life (you actually can hit 9 hours with it). The 8GB of soldered RAM and non-removable battery are slight concerns, but in my experience the very fast SSD (it's PCIe) and long battery life offset those limitations.
 
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