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#1 2011-12-17 12:16:18

16Skittles
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Looking at Various Laptops, Looking For Reccomendations!

Stupid iPad clicked submit, this is still being written!!!

I'm looking at laptops. Note that I currently can NOT buy one, I only have 100 dollars, so the price is irrelevant to a certain point, as I'll have to make more money anyways.

I am looking for a portable laptop primarily for coding. It should be thin, relatively small screen, (11-inch) and be capable of running some minor games. If it can effectively run Minecraft, it's powerful enough. Long battery life and light weight are important, and I want it to be quiet when not doing significant tasks.


I am looking at a few options.

Ultrabooks
The Ultrabook class is what I have looked at the most. The reason for this is that they are small, portable, and powerful. Many of them take advantage of i-core processors and nvida Ge-Force graphics cards. They are sometimes considered MacBook Air clones, and I'm perfectly okay with that. (I'll add a section explaining why I dislike Apple in the end)

ASUS Zenbook

The ASUS Zenbook is one of my favorites that I've seen so far. It is stylish, light, and seems to be very popular and well reviewed. It has a GeForce GPU and 4 gigabytes of RAM.

ASUS u36

The u36 seems to fit my needs as well. Rather than going for a brushed metal finish, it has a sleek black design. It takes advantage of the i core CPU, and also has dedicated graphics.

Sony VAIO Z class

This is the way high end  of my price range. It has carbon fiber body, and once again many of the advantages if the others. It has received excellent reviews from critics, but many average users feel that it is way overpriced and I've heard that Sony support was legendary for being horrible.

Alienware m11x, the exception to the rule.

This is raw power. I put this on, but I have doubts on its portability. As a gaming rig  t was designed for power, not portability.


Why the MacBook Air was not put on this list

The MBA  has nearly everything that I need. However, as I said, I want a DEVELOPER laptop. Macs get less viruses than Windows is all I seem to hear. Macs are so secure that they are locked down. I will NOT buy an expensive piece of hardware in order to pay Apple $99 every year to develop. I will also not buy a Mac hardware, inevitably coming with Mac software, just to buy a Windows OS. I have also heard that the MBA has mediocre battery life, and I am annoyed by Apple fanatics ranting about their "superior" operating system, even though I admire their hardware. The default 64GB is also quite pathetic when used in a computer.

Last edited by 16Skittles (2011-12-17 12:38:32)


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#2 2011-12-17 12:23:29

GLaDOS2
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Re: Looking at Various Laptops, Looking For Reccomendations!

Be sure to get a laptop with good resolution, else you can't play Minecraft.


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#3 2011-12-17 12:39:06

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Re: Looking at Various Laptops, Looking For Reccomendations!

I finished editing my post.


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#4 2011-12-17 13:16:39

16Skittles
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Re: Looking at Various Laptops, Looking For Reccomendations!

Don't you just love when people ignore your posts?


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#5 2011-12-17 14:02:41

16Skittles
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Re: Looking at Various Laptops, Looking For Reccomendations!

still love being ignored  smile


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#6 2011-12-17 14:27:12

owetre18
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Re: Looking at Various Laptops, Looking For Reccomendations!

Toshiba. Any netbook-sized toshiba can run Mc at max graphics smoothly.

Most are around the $400 U.S.D range, so better save up.

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#7 2011-12-17 14:40:27

16Skittles
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Re: Looking at Various Laptops, Looking For Reccomendations!

owetre18 wrote:

Toshiba. Any netbook-sized toshiba can run Mc at max graphics smoothly.

Most are around the $400 U.S.D range, so better save up.

that's actually not that bad compared to what I've looked at XD

I'm willing to make a larger investment into my own computer (especially since I'm not too excited to upgrade to windows 8, I might as well get a good comp that will stay working) and am not necessarily looking at netbooks. (at least the ones I've seen, most are thick in a triangle shape with a weird battery)
Also, for coding, the small keyboard can get annoying, and I'd be fine with a larger screen. In the end, I guess I'm looking more for of thin small and not small screen.

Last edited by 16Skittles (2011-12-17 14:42:33)


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#8 2011-12-17 22:08:13

16Skittles
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Re: Looking at Various Laptops, Looking For Reccomendations!

bump! I'm thinking seriously about the ASUS u36. It has discrete graphics, and I won't be needing to run anything much more powerful than minecraft, which runs on anything. now just a matter of how to make the money for it  tongue  maybe I can find some local businesses and make a simple web site for it? Either that or the Zenbook. ASUS has many computers that would be good, but it's hard to find somewhere that sells them. (don't see much on the 1st page of google search results)

Last edited by 16Skittles (2011-12-17 22:09:48)


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#9 2011-12-17 22:20:22

CheeseMunchy
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Re: Looking at Various Laptops, Looking For Reccomendations!

You've sure got an expensive list.


6418,

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#10 2011-12-17 22:25:51

16Skittles
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Re: Looking at Various Laptops, Looking For Reccomendations!

CheeseMunchy wrote:

You've sure got an expensive list.

Lol. I'm 13, and don't need to pay anything on a regular basis. At the same time, I despise how Windows 8 is turning into a mobile OS, and would pay plenty to have a laptop that gets me well into that time. Much of these prices are because of mega expensive SSDs, which are quieter (win), more secure (double win) and faster (triple win) than normal HDDs.


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#11 2011-12-18 00:21:02

a1130
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Re: Looking at Various Laptops, Looking For Reccomendations!

I have an Acer laptop that is pretty good,but I need to check... Right now I'm on my iPad...

It's Acer ASPIRE 5750-6636 and it has an Intel i3 processor and Windows 7... I got it for, um, $200-ish? It can run Minecraft fairly well, but a major drawback that it's big. I also have a really old Sony VAIO VGN-TX790P (?) and it's small and rather fast... (for Intel Centrino and Windows XP)

There is no way I am upgrading to Win8, it's too much of a mobile OS.

Also, a MacBook Pro is good, MacBook Air is not bad but Apple is not for developing and for you it might seem mediocre... (never mind, you already said that)

A Chromebook is speedy, but it's not for developing, it's good if you are the gaming kind, except you cant download Minecraft  sad

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#12 2011-12-18 01:19:43

veggieman001
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Re: Looking at Various Laptops, Looking For Reccomendations!

a1130 wrote:

A Chromebook is speedy, but it's not for developing, it's good if you are the gaming kind, except you cant download Minecraft  sad

You can play it online though.


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#13 2011-12-19 13:27:07

maail
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Re: Looking at Various Laptops, Looking For Reccomendations!

I say go for M11x. I am running on a M14x, the M11 is light, can play MC with great configuration and it is quite good looking too. But the only problem is it is very expensive.


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#14 2011-12-19 14:09:44

TheCatAndTheBanana
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Re: Looking at Various Laptops, Looking For Reccomendations!

My friend got a Lenovo Y570 For £400 in South Korea, but its about $1000 in America. It's quite powerful, he can play a Need For Speed game with EVERYTHING on full  at a good 50-60fps. It scores 5.9 on the rating thing. Might be what you want, if you can find it cheap enough..


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#15 2011-12-19 14:23:21

16Skittles
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Registered: 2009-08-26
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Re: Looking at Various Laptops, Looking For Reccomendations!

maail wrote:

I say go for M11x. I am running on a M14x, the M11 is light, can play MC with great configuration and it is quite good looking too. But the only problem is it is very expensive.

Compared to my current list, it is on the cheap side. I surely have no doubts that it can handle Minecraft and much much more, the catch-22 here is portability. The others on my
list are small, just 1-2 centimeters thick. The m11x is surely capable of any gaming tasks, but I actually want to ask you some questions regarding your personal experience.

Does the thickness get in the way of portability? Some of the others are half as heavy. Starting weight on the m11x is 4.5 pounds.

Is it noisy and hot taking on simple tasks? The current family laptop is essentially desktop replacement. It is located in the living room and it STAYS there. It is a Gateway nv59c, and it constantly has the fans on and is hot. We've had overheating problems in the past, including one time where it literally had a rattling sound in the fan and smoke came out of the vent. I want something quiet and cool. The MacBook Air perfectly fits this, but read the bottom of my opening post.

Is the power worth the extra space? The u36 has a discrete graphics card, and I play most of my games on larger computers with sucky integrated graphics. Will the u36 be better than that despite not being designed for gaming?

Lastly: how bad is the glossy screen? This is one of the major complaints on the web, and one of my complaints with the iPad. When at certain angles in the light, visibility is horrible.

@thecatandthebanana: Looks okay specs-wise, but 15 inch screen is a bit too big for me. I'm looking in the 11-13 inch range.  wink

Edit: fixed a touchscreen typing fail >.>

Last edited by 16Skittles (2011-12-19 14:26:55)


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#16 2011-12-19 14:30:35

TheCatAndTheBanana
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Re: Looking at Various Laptops, Looking For Reccomendations!

16Skittles wrote:

@thecatandthebanana: Looks okay specs-wise, but 15 inch screen is a bit too big for me. I'm looking in the 11-13 inch range.  wink

Ah.

This tool by Lenovo may help:

http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/cont … der-for-me


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#17 2011-12-19 15:06:54

a1130
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Re: Looking at Various Laptops, Looking For Reccomendations!

veggieman001 wrote:

a1130 wrote:

A Chromebook is speedy, but it's not for developing, it's good if you are the gaming kind, except you cant download Minecraft  sad

You can play it online though.

Oh  tongue  I forgot

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#18 2011-12-19 15:08:16

henley
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Registered: 2008-06-21
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Re: Looking at Various Laptops, Looking For Reccomendations!

16Skittles wrote:

iPad

Why do you need a laptop?

[/loljk]

I would suggest a MacBook Air.

If you get the chance or the money to afford it.


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#19 2011-12-19 15:10:20

16Skittles
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Registered: 2009-08-26
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Re: Looking at Various Laptops, Looking For Reccomendations!

henley wrote:

16Skittles wrote:

iPad

Why do you need a laptop?

[/loljk]

I would suggest a MacBook Air.

If you get the chance or the money to afford it.

-.-

Ugh. I have said MULTIPLE TIMES that I want a DEVELOPER laptop, and IMO Apple hates developers. *braces for flaming*


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#20 2011-12-19 15:19:51

henley
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Re: Looking at Various Laptops, Looking For Reccomendations!

16Skittles wrote:

IMO Apple hates developers.

I hope you realize that doesn’t make since.

Wouldn’t be Apple’s opinion? Since it’s not really opinionated. It’s more of a fact.


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#21 2011-12-19 15:44:27

16Skittles
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Re: Looking at Various Laptops, Looking For Reccomendations!

henley wrote:

16Skittles wrote:

IMO Apple hates developers.

I hope you realize that doesn’t make since.

Wouldn’t be Apple’s opinion? Since it’s not really opinionated. It’s more of a fact.

Well, my opinion can be a fact, no? Either way, I've said it many times. I will NOT pay for an expensive computer just to end up paying Apple $99 each year to develop for them. If I am advancing their Device's capabilities shouldn't THEY pay ME?

Also, a quote I found while looking at laptop reviews: "Believe it or not some people actually do not want OSX."


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#22 2011-12-19 15:49:59

henley
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Re: Looking at Various Laptops, Looking For Reccomendations!

16Skittles wrote:

henley wrote:

16Skittles wrote:

IMO Apple hates developers.

I hope you realize that doesn’t make since.

Wouldn’t be Apple’s opinion? Since it’s not really opinionated. It’s more of a fact.

Well, my opinion can be a fact, no? No. An opinion is an opinion. It’s all based on perspective. So you can’t say something like “in my opinion, this chair is a liquid” because there is proof that the chair is NOT a liquid, and it is therefore a fact that the chair is not a liquid. Either way, I've said it many times. I will NOT pay for an expensive computer just to end up paying Apple $99 each year to develop for them. Okay. I’m not going to insult you for your dislike of Apple products, because if I did, it would go against your goal of not starting a flame war. But it seems like you’re trying to. If I am advancing their Device's capabilities shouldn't THEY pay ME? Not if it’s for selfish reasons. You don’t work at Apple. You’re simply enhancing their computer. Hypothetically.

Also, a quote I found while looking at laptop reviews: "Believe it or not some people actually do not want OSX.” Jeez, It was just a suggestion. I thought you said you didn’t want a flamewar.

I know you said you didn’t want a flame war, but your post looks a lot like flamebait.

Last edited by henley (2011-12-19 15:50:14)


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#23 2011-12-19 17:00:40

fire219
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Re: Looking at Various Laptops, Looking For Reccomendations!

I would suggest an HP Pavilion dv7 (what I have), but they have alot bigger screens than 11". Not to mention it runs hot (107F when idling, 140-170F while playing MC), and is 8 or so pounds.  tongue

If I were you, I would go for one of these:



Asus U36JC-B1 (Not 11", but is only $800, not bad when it has a Core i5 at 2Ghz)
Toshiba M11-S3430 ($613, Core i5, 3GB RAM)
HP Pavilion DM4-1160us (14", $577, Core i5, 4GB RAM)
HP EliteBook 8560w (15.6", but is worth it, with a 2.7Ghz Core i7. $1500 though.)

Last edited by fire219 (2011-12-19 17:01:55)


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#24 2011-12-19 17:03:51

svinnik
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Re: Looking at Various Laptops, Looking For Reccomendations!

If you want a gaming rig go Alienware.


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#25 2011-12-19 17:18:21

fire219
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Re: Looking at Various Laptops, Looking For Reccomendations!

svinnik wrote:

If you want a gaming rig go Alienware.

xD That is the funniest thing I have heard in a while.

Alienwares are overpriced and break at the drop of a hat. Make your own gaming desktop if you really need a gaming rig.


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