Laptop buying advice : Help a picky student choose an ultra portable!

by Mcorlew - 11/6/09 5:22 PM

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Post 1 of 8

Help a picky student choose an ultra portable!

by Mcorlew - 11/6/09 5:22 PM

Hi Folks! I am looking for a very specific type of laptop. I am kind of stumped at this point. The problem is my ideal does not exist; an ION with a dual core CULV processor. Any advice would be helpful.

MY price range: $500-$700 ish

I have a desktop that I am very happy with, I use it for gaming and my primary computer. I am looking for a laptop to carry to class to take notes , surf, and play the occasional game.

How I will use it:
Need to able to multitask reasonably: mostly just run Chrome or Firefox with excel 07 or word 07 and Onenote 07 (all three) at the same time. As such I prefer a dual core Intel CULV.
Will use it to watch movies occasionally (not high def). Will Play older games with it (such as games from GOG and turn based strategy; Heroes of Might and Magic 3, Civ 3, Dominions 3 and so on, perhaps some UT2004)
Will pug in a Bamboo pen and touch tablet and use that to take notes in class.

THINGS I NEED:

10-13 inch screen.
8 hours battery life real world
Light, 3 pounds ideal, but under 4 pounds is acceptable.
3 or more USBs.
Windows 7 Capable (is not necessary to come pre-installed, I get Win7 for free from MSDAA)

Do not need:
No DVD drive needed. Blue Tooth, large hard drive not needed (160 is plenty)
Will not accept a MAC, yuck :P .

I have looked at these:

Eee PC 1201n
HP Mini 311
Acer Aspire Timeline 1810T
Gateway EC1410u
HP dm3-1035dx
DM3Tz
Dell Inspiron 11z
Studio 14z
ASUS UL30A-X5
ASUS UL80Vt
Acer Aspire Timeline AS1810TZ-4174
ASUS UL30A-A2
Acer Aspire Timeline AS1810T-8679
Asus N10J-a1

of them the Asus UL30A is in the lead followed closely by the HP DM3T series. I am also excited about the upcoming Asus 1201N.

THanks in advance for any advice.

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Post 2 of 8

You have the lsit.

by R. Proffitt

- 11/7/09 6:56 AM In reply to: Help a picky student choose an ultra portable! by Mcorlew

Now put that in a spreadsheet and try adding 2 columns.

One is the price and the next is the warranty period. I bet you can dismiss the highest price unit and the unit with 90 day warranty.

Work the remainder from lowest price up. Be sure to see the unit in person. Do not buy on spec.
Bob

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Post 3 of 8

thanks

by Mcorlew - 11/7/09 10:28 AM In reply to: You have the lsit. by R. Proffitt

Thanks for the advice.
Its funny you should mention that but I already have a spread sheet with 17 columns. None of them are warranty. But As far as I can tell all of these come with at least 1 year and a couple come with 2 years. I doubt any have a 90 day warranty, who does that?

Seeing the unit in person is a problem for me. I live in Hawaii, don't have easy access to computer stores. I do watch video reviews but that is not the same.

Price is a funny thing for me. It is important, but if I can pay $100 more for a machine that will be snappier or will not frustrate me I will do it. I am going to sort by price and see if that helps...Thanks.

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Post 4 of 8

Ok. Snappier.

by R. Proffitt

- 11/7/09 10:55 AM In reply to: thanks by Mcorlew

Find CPU benchmarks and add that in. Then give any DDR3 equipped machine an edge. Now add in the drive RPM. if speed is an issue, only the 7200 RPM drives. Dismiss any sub 5000 RPM drives.

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Post 5 of 8

hmmm

by Mcorlew - 11/7/09 11:24 AM In reply to: Ok. Snappier. by R. Proffitt

that is true. I would never consider below a 5400rpm. I upgraded my desktop from 5400 to 7200 and it is a noticeable difference. The problem is manufacturers tend to stick with 5400 on ultra portables due to battery life. I think of my list only one comes with the option of 7200 rpm. Its an HP and it is overpriced and heavy (DM3T/ DM3Tz). HP's battery specs don't take into account increased power draw from the 7200 HHD, so I have no idea of real world battery.

like I said, I am way to picky. :P

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Post 6 of 8

It's OK to be picky

by RonS [WINDOWS-TEAM]

- 11/7/09 12:41 PM In reply to: hmmm by Mcorlew

A PC isn't a spur of the moment decision, especially for a college kid. I think you're on a good track here. You might want to check out the PC Scout from Microsoft that can help you see the different PCs out there, and then narrow searches with the sliders for things like memory, price, etc. Then, once you narrow things down, definitely go see the PC somewhere and actually use it. Check the keyboard size, check the screen to see if it has glare or not - run it through the paces.

Here's that Windows link: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/pc-scout/laptop-set-criteria.aspx?mode=landing

Good luck,

Ron