Laptop Recommendation

Microtomer

Microtomer

New Member
Hey guys. Just starting at a new school/job and hoping someone had some recommendations on a good laptop.

Short version:
Portable to travel to and from work each day, often by bike or bus
with good battery (for presentations and taking notes in class)
doesnt need all day battery life because usually I will be at my desk
I want it to be fast obviously, but won't be running anything too intense
Microsoft office, web browser,
Good size screen because will be reading PDFs all day long
graphics totally optional (already have gaming computer)

Slightly longer version:
I'll be bringing it to and from campus everyday so I want something on the lighter side.
I will however be using it as a primary computer all day so I don't want it to be too small.
I will be doing a lot of Microsoft office , as well as a lot of reading, and then of course email and web browsing.
I have a desktop at home that I'm very happy with for games and such so I don't need any extra graphics capabilities. In fact I'd probably be better off without it to avoid being tempted... although as I say it I'm craving playing SC2 and minecraft on trips so honestly IDK.
I've always been a windows guy and while I'm not opposed to getting a mac I guess I feel like they arent worth the price. Open to opinions though.
Finally the price. Obviously I'd like to save money, that said, my budget is pretty flexible. I'm thinking like 600-1000 range right now. But if the consensus is I need the retina display MBP I could make it work.

Thanks guys.
 
I'm looking at the Lenovo T430 i5-3210. Around $800. Any opinions on Lenovo or other options?

http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/...=FC448E05D12BD000069CA73F6D0D1FA8&action=init

Also, I can get NVIDIA NVS 5400M Graphics with Optimus Technology, 1GB DDR3 Memory for $50. I don't really plan on playing games on this, but I probably would use it to play some SC2 on trips or what not.

First off, this should run SC2 pretty decently right? Second, will having a graphics card significantly reduce the charge duration during day to day web browsing and word processing? I know the Optimus tech is supposed to reduce power consumption, but I don't know how well it works.

Finally, if anyone has experience with lenovo, would you recommend the 6cell or 9cell battery ($50 more). I don't expect to need to use the computer away from a power outlet for really long periods, so I guess I would only go for the 9cell if it made the battery life longer (as in how many cycles it will it hold a charge, not how long one charge last). I kinda think saving the 50 bucks and putting it towards a new battery in a year or two would be the better investment but i'm looking for opinions.

Thanks.
 
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Microtomer said:
Yeah, Starcraft 2. I've heard bad things about Toshiba in the past, also I'm a little worried about the screen resolution since I'll be doing a lot of reading.
Click to expand...
Reading is a lot easier if your resolution is low, if you get a higher resolution for a smaller screen, then websites don't scale properly and texts look much smaller and need to be zoomed in. If you are watching videos or gaming the higher resolution is recommended.
Toshiba is known for it's quality, if you need higher resolution around 800 then this sony will be good, but it has dual core CPU only.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834127653
 
Just my 2 cents, even if you aren't gaming, I would highly recommend going for a computer with discrete graphics.
RAM on your computer has limited bandwidth, and is the second biggest bottleneck when it comes to performance (RAM size>>RAM bandwidth). Using on-board graphics would use up a lot of your RAM bandwidth (because on-board graphics don't come with a large dedicated video memory).
Plus, since this is a laptop, it would be awfully difficult (in most cases) to add an extra graphics card in future, and upgrading would mean purchasing a whole new laptop altogether.
Take a look at HP ProBook series of business laptops. I've had one for some time, and I am extremely happy with it. :)
And I one hundred percent agree, if i were you, i would purchase a windows computer instead of Apple, and spend the rest of the money purchasing some nice cool windows software :-)

PS: I highly recommend upgrading to windows 7 professional.
Windows 7 home (premium) doesn't have a group policy editor or XP mode.
And windows 7 ultimate is just a waste of money.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HP_ProBook
 
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Just get one of those Samsung (Series 9) or Asus Zenbooks, they are ridiculously thin and performs exceptionally well (my sister owns the Series 9, and not only is it beautiful, but it's also slim, fast and very light).

Battery life on those are very durable too.
 
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