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Old 04-11-2013, 08:51 PM   #41
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Thank you all for your help, we went with the Yoga 13. All your suggestions got me comparing different devices and eventually led me there.

First view- not as pretty as some devices out there, and she cares about that
-Keybored little squished
-Screen looks very nice
-possibly slow wifi alreadu

-very cool ability to flip it backwards
-weird velvet surface on frame is really cool


Windows 8 looks sleek, thank you Windows 8 thread, already installed Start 8 or whatever its called.


Pretty cool device, glad I got before sale went away tonight, well its her device.... but ya

Lastly, they have had trouble with the Partitions on the hard disk from the eariler models, so I ran this hotfix:

http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/down...DocID=DS033035

My model must be newer as I only gained a gig of space, but it removed the D drive, which is nice, it was only 3 gigs (the previous mentioned gig includes this).

Does anyone who actually understands what the Hotfix does think it could of harmed the new computer?

Thank you all again for your help getting me here with her new laptop
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Old 04-11-2013, 11:13 PM   #42
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Nope hotfix just looks like it makes better use of the space.
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Old 04-24-2013, 01:35 AM   #43
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I'm going to revive this thread from the not so deep grave that it's buried in.

My mom (yeah, I know) is looking at getting a new laptop (She was initially looking at buying a netbook, but typing on a netbook really isn't all that comfortable and I convinced her on a laptop).

Her usage
- MS Office
- Probably just the regular windows games (solitaire, minesweeper, etc...)

Requirements (I am setting these, haha):
- Windows 7 (We'll live with Win 8, but would much rather have 7)
- Easy to carry around (not too heavy, not too big)
- Enough RAM for office to run smoothly (I've read from some that Office uses a lot of RAM)
- Reliable, Dependable
- Prefer not to go over $500.

Any help you guys could offer would be great
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Old 04-24-2013, 09:04 AM   #44
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We just got some 14" Vostro 2420 and 3560's in that are pretty good for that type of use.

Very compact, and I think they were $350 and $450, respectively.
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Old 04-24-2013, 09:14 AM   #45
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Quote:
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We just got some 14" Vostro 2420 and 3560's in that are pretty good for that type of use.

Very compact, and I think they were $350 and $450, respectively.
Those sound like decent prices. I shall look into those some more.

The quality of Dell has certainly gone up since my parents last owned a Dell (that desktop died in about 3 years).
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Old 04-26-2013, 08:08 AM   #46
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Hey all,

Thanks again for everyone's help that led me into the direction of my purchase. All laptops suggested help me figure out what would be perfect for her.

Unrelated to the current laptop discussions as that poster needs are different, but to the laptop I bought just would like to give it 5 stars (yoga 13, i5 processor with 8GB of ram, got it for $999 plus tax, can't find that deal anymore however, closer to $1200 now).

I stayed away from hybrids as I found generally you get less specs for $$ when compared to laptops as you are paying for the hybrid technology (whether that’s the fact the device can bend or they have to cram parts into different areas of the laptop). However, I had picked out a laptop for her, and nearly bought it, when I saw this one which had better specs for $100 more, plus the hybrid ability with a touchscreen, so it became a no-brainer.

This thing is really nifty. She loves the hybrid ability of a laptop/ tablet that runs full windows 8, not RT.

I compared it to surface pro and it just seems a better computer for the price you pay overall, however, I think it is heavier.

Other than one online review from a person who could not find anything nice to say about it, I have read pretty much nothing but good things and tend to agree.

Some cons
- touchscreen the old time takes a couple swipes, if you had a screen protector this might make it worse
-Battery life doesn't compete with a tablet
-One of the most common concerns, which is true - this thing is too heavy for a tablet and the 13" screen size makes it impossible for your fingers to each across when holding it in tablet form on either side.

Other than the battery life and touchscreen minor sensitivity issues, the other cons are not really a problem, as this isn't a tablet, it is a laptop running 8 GB or ram and an I5. She wanted a laptop, with a 13" screen size or larger, so the fact your fingers can't reach across when holding it from the side doesn't really matter.

As for the weight, compared to my MSI gaming laptop, or my old Dell Insiprion (8 years old), this thing is a feather. Compared to a tablet, it is a little heavy, but it isn't a tablet.

One last thing, only 128 GB SSD, however, there is an extra slot you can install another SSD. As you need to open it up, and the how do online methods seem over my head, memory express said they could do it for $50 to $100. My plan here is to wait till she needs the room then buy a 256 gb SSD, or hopefully prices have come down even more for larger ones.

Thank you all so much again!
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Old 04-29-2013, 08:57 AM   #47
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Quote:
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We just got some 14" Vostro 2420 and 3560's in that are pretty good for that type of use.

Very compact, and I think they were $350 and $450, respectively.
Rathji, where do you find them for $350 and $450, the Dell website is at a higher price
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Old 04-29-2013, 09:31 AM   #48
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http://www.dell.com/ca/business/p/vostro-2420/fs

http://www.dell.com/ca/business/p/vostro-3460/pd

Actually, I got the model number on the second wrong, it was 3460, which is the 14" model (the 3560 is a 15.6, which isn't what I was intending), is $450

Keep in mind, these are base models, which is fine on the 3460 (4GB RAM, i3, 320GB HDD) but if you wanted a bit more power on the 2450, you might want to look at either the $369 or $419 (with Windows 8) versions to meet those specs.
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Old 05-06-2013, 10:28 AM   #49
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Need help with a question.

Can I run AutoCad on a macbook pro? not using parallels or bootcamp, but on mac itself?
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Old 05-06-2013, 10:41 AM   #50
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If you purchased the Mac version, yes.

If you want to run the Windows version on OSx, then no.
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Old 05-07-2013, 07:47 AM   #51
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after sifting through the posts, I still have a few questions about tablets.
can someone recommend a tablet that would function as a laptop.
I need to be able to do the same things as a laptop, (run office on it, itunes, etc)
I would like it to have a bluetooth keyboard cover and usb ports (to attach printer)
I dont want a full blown laptop but something smaller as I am road warrior in the oil patch.
I also can live with a tablet screen size.
I currently have an ipad but have become disenchanted with it due to its limitations.
any advice would be appreciated.
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Old 05-07-2013, 08:43 AM   #52
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Quote:
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after sifting through the posts, I still have a few questions about tablets.
can someone recommend a tablet that would function as a laptop.
I need to be able to do the same things as a laptop, (run office on it, itunes, etc)
I would like it to have a bluetooth keyboard cover and usb ports (to attach printer)
I dont want a full blown laptop but something smaller as I am road warrior in the oil patch.
I also can live with a tablet screen size.
I currently have an ipad but have become disenchanted with it due to its limitations.
any advice would be appreciated.
Short of an ultrabook, the only that matches is the Surface Pro. Will run all the same things as a laptop, has USB ports, you can choose to get the touch/type keyboard which acts as a cover as well, and is a little more than 10.1"
Something like 11"?
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Old 05-07-2013, 09:26 AM   #53
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I use the MS Surface (RT, but same form factor) and unless you do a lot of your 'laptop work' on a desk or a table, it is useless. No way you can set it on your lap and type while on the couch, for example.

I would browse this list before I considered a Surface - although as a Tablet, I think it really is better for your use compared to an iPad, just in what it is able to do.

The ones that stand out for me are the following form factors, but I have no idea about the specs of these machines, although with the Yoga being classified as an Ultrabook, it is likely pretty hefty.

Dell XPS Duo 12


Samsung Ativ


The Lenovo Yoga, with a 360 degree hinge.
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Old 07-16-2013, 10:19 PM   #54
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Time to revive this again.
I'm probably in a really awkward purchasing time with the Haswell chip laptops starting to trickle out, but I'm wondering what kind of alternatives are out there for a portable laptop with gaming potential.

I know the y410p is already carrying the 4th gen Intel along with some solid specs for a good price, but considering the weight of it I can't help but to hope for something lighter with similar gaming power.

Also, is the 24GB SSD cache significantly helpful?
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Old 07-16-2013, 10:26 PM   #55
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Quote:
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Time to revive this again.
I'm probably in a really awkward purchasing time with the Haswell chip laptops starting to trickle out, but I'm wondering what kind of alternatives are out there for a portable laptop with gaming potential.

I know the y410p is already carrying the 4th gen Intel along with some solid specs for a good price, but considering the weight of it I can't help but to hope for something lighter with similar gaming power.
Weight wise, it really won't happen, unless you buy the Razer Blade or it's bigger badder brother, the Blade Pro. Both run Haswell and 7xx series GeForce GPUs.

They are anything but cheap (but sure are light and damn powerful for a gaming laptop). The Blade is 2 Gs and the Pro is 2.5 Gs.

Of course, you can also look at a Razer Edge or Edge Pro, but they're only passable at gaming (and have mediocre screen resolution). Much cheaper than the Blade however, and even lighter.

Quote:
Also, is the 24GB SSD cache significantly helpful?
Yes, but you're better off getting a 128 or 256 GB mSATA drive and shoving it in the thing so you can run more than just the OS off it.
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Old 07-16-2013, 10:36 PM   #56
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Weight wise, it really won't happen, unless you buy the Razer Blade or it's bigger badder brother, the Blade Pro. Both run Haswell and 7xx series GeForce GPUs.

They are anything but cheap (but sure are light and damn powerful for a gaming laptop). The Blade is 2 Gs and the Pro is 2.5 Gs.

Of course, you can also look at a Razer Edge or Edge Pro, but they're only passable at gaming (and have mediocre screen resolution). Much cheaper than the Blade however, and even lighter.



Yes, but you're better off getting a 128 or 256 GB mSATA drive and shoving it in the thing so you can run more than just the OS off it.
I was hoping there were others similar to the Blades, but obviously not paying through the nose was only a pipe dream.
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Old 07-16-2013, 11:26 PM   #57
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There are good alternatives to the Razer Blade at much cheaper prices (depending on how you want to spec things out). Here's a list of portable gaming machines I've been keeping an eye on...

Sager W230ST - 13.3" full HD, i7 quad core cpu (4700-4900), 16GB ram, GTX765m video card, up to 3 drives (2 mSata) with RAID supported, 4.4lbs, 1.2" thick. Around $1400-$2800 (high end includes 3x 512gig Samsung SSD drives). Configure one here

MSI GE40 - 14" HD+, i7-4702MQ, up to 16gb ram, GTX760m video card, up to 2 drives (1 mSata), 4.4lbs, .87" thick. Around $1300-$3000. Configure one here

Gigabyte P34G - 14" full HD, i7-4700HQ, up to 16gb ram, GTX760 video card, up to 2 drives (1 mSata), around 3.75 lbs, 21mm thick. Around $999-$1599 (estimated - not released yet)

Asus Zenbook Infinity - 13.3" 2560x1440 resolution, i7-4558U, Intel Iris 5100 integrated video, 15.5mm thick. Price unknown (not released yet).
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Old 07-17-2013, 08:33 AM   #58
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Never thought the spun metal design by Asus could get so much more beautiful... Damn.
Edit: And holy crap, I can thank in Tapatalk now!
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Old 07-17-2013, 09:53 AM   #59
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Never thought the spun metal design by Asus could get so much more beautiful... Damn.
Edit: And holy crap, I can thank in Tapatalk now!
Yeah, Photon upgraded the api for the site and now we have nice shiny new features to play with on Tapatalk.

The Asus laptop is going to be pricey, but it is definitely a gorgeous looking machine. Very slim and weight is apparently tablet-like.
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Old 03-11-2014, 10:37 AM   #60
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So I'm resurrecting this long dead thread again, a friend at work wants help buying a laptop and I'm more a desktop guy.

Budget: $1000 max

Her only real requirements are a screen size in the 14-15" range and good battery life.

Nice to haves are a separate numpad on the keyboard, optical drive, a touch screen, and while not a deal breaker, she'd really like the ability to detach the screen from keyboard or turn/flip the screen around.

It'll just be your basic web surfing/office using/media playing general use laptop, but trying to future proof her a little bit with nothing drastically underpowered.

I'd like to try and get her a laptop with an SSD drive, there's the 24GB cache ones that are new to me that seem to provide some of the value and I'm guessing is probably all she'd need... ideally there's a larger SSD but I'm not sure the budget would allow that.

We went to memory express to just look around and see some floor models and this one seemed like a reasonable deal that would suit most of what she was looking for:

http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX44435

But I'm not sure of brands anymore and I figure you guys might have some other suggestions.
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