New Laptop Suggestions

[tranquil]

Hey all,

I'm due for an upgrade for my work lappy, has been a few years since i got my current HP DV6. These are the specs i'm looking for:

- Budget of around $1200-$1600
- 13.3"-14" screen with at least 1600x900 resolution
- Ivy Bridge CPU, at least i5
- Have at least 4GB+ RAM with 2 DIMM slots to expand later
- Prefer a SSD but might be cheaper to buy one separately(?)
- Be fairly light/thin, don't want a beefcake

Just wondering if anyone has some suggestions? I'm a bit out of the loop with current notebook models. So far all I've had a look at is the Asus Zenbook UX31A.

Cheers

[Linxus]

ThinkPad L430 would fit the bill, based on current prices. We all use Lenovos here at work and are pretty happy with them.

[GoToadGo]

I have a Zenbook UX31 and highly recommend it. Great battery, very portable and comes with a sleek little cover as well as some connection accessories you may or may not use. I haven't seen the new Ivy bridge ones yet but I think they're coming with a backlit keyboard as well which mine doesn't have.

[Treloar]

How a Lenovo Thinkpad E530, its on special at the moment at Centrecom $749

Features:

Processor: Intel Core i7-3612QM Processor (6MB Cache, 2.10GHz)
Operating system: Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit)
Operating system language: Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 - English
Display type: 15.6" W HD (1366x768) AntiGlare, Midnight Black
System graphics: NVIDIA N13P-GL Graphics with 2GB (WWAN or mSATA capable)
Total memory: 4 GB PC3-12800 DDR3
Keyboard: Keyboard with Number Pad - US English
Camera: 720p HD Camera
Hard drive: 750GB Hard Disk Drive, 5400rpm
Optical device: DVD Recordable
Battery: 6 cell Li-Ion Battery 62WH - 75+
Integrated WiFi wireless LAN adapters: ThinkPad a/b/g/n Wireless BT Combo (2x2 ABGN & BT4.0)

I/O Ports:

1x VGA
3x USB 2.0
1x HDMI
1x Card Reader
1x Headphone/Mic
1x Powered USB Port
1x Ethernet

Would something like that be in the right ballpark

Does it need to have Win 7 Pro on it cause you want it for business

[tranquil]

The 1366x768 resolution is a deal breaker for me on those ThinkPads, also they're pretty chunky. For the OS i will load my own Win7 Enterprise image onto it.

When i say for work, i mean work is buying it =D (within reason, hopefully). I will be using it at home or when traveling around aswell, so form factor and weight is a bonus which is why i'm after something slightly smaller this time (14" max).

I have a Zenbook UX31 and highly recommend it. Great battery, very portable and comes with a sleek little cover as well as some connection accessories you may or may not use. I haven't seen the new Ivy bridge ones yet but I think they're coming with a backlit keyboard as well which mine doesn't have.

Yeah it's a very sleek looking lappy, forgot to add the backlit keyboard is another thing i was after =) The new Zenbook is looking like a winner so far.

[tranquil]

The new Dell XPS 14 Ultrabook looks fantastic and has everything i'm after, think i will be ordering one of these http://www.dell.com/au/p/xps-14-l421x/p ... s-14-l421x

[sid]

This might be right up your alley. We've sold a few Toshiba R830's and only the one Z830. Now they models have been superceeded(sp?) with the Z930.

When I picked up a Z830, I thought the box was empty. But no, they are just that light. I've used one for a bit and I'm pretty impressed with it.

http://www.mytoshiba.com.au/ultrabook#z930

[steve_rogers42]

We do XPS 13's at work, very nice kit, and the XPS 15 is also nice, but i would try and get hands on a HP Spectre... OH BILLY :3

[GoToadGo]

This might be right up your alley. We've sold a few Toshiba R830's and only the one Z830. Now they models have been superceeded(sp?) with the Z930.

When I picked up a Z830, I thought the box was empty. But no, they are just that light. I've used one for a bit and I'm pretty impressed with it.

http://www.mytoshiba.com.au/ultrabook#z930

The one thing about those is the screen is incredibly flimsy. I'm also not a big fan of dell but each to their own I guess.

[tranquil]

I spent a good hour or so at work today looking at the Asus Zenbook, Toshiba Portege, Samsung Series 9, Sony Vaio, Dell XPS & HP Envy ranges. Some very nice options but they either had 1366x768 res which is no good for me, or 128GB SSD which is too small, or stuck with 4GB RAM which is soldered to the mainboard..

So far the Dell XPS 14 Ultrabook was the only one that met all the specs that i was after, most importantly higher screen res, backlit, thin/light enough while still a solid build, i7 Ivy CPU, Nvidia GPU, hybrid 500GB HDD & 8GB Ram that can be replaced. Also it fits the budget nicely.

Nothing is official yet though, will probably have another look what's around on Sunday before putting in an order on Monday.

[tryonthis]

Possibly something like this?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/8 ... _13_3.html

[tranquil]

Possibly something like this?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/8 ... _13_3.html

yep i did see them, has everything i need. If i can't get the Dell through work i will try go the Vaio for sure.