I've had my ThinkPad T61p for a number of years now, and its time for a new laptop. Does anyone know of any good deals or have recent experiences on buying a laptop that will help me make my decision? I'm used to Thinkpads, but I'm willing to try something new. I'd like for it to be < $1300. I don't use it for gaming, but I do watch movies, listen to music, programming, office apps, web-browsing/email. Other things I'd like: - high resolution screen - at least 14 inch display - < 5 lbs - good battery - runs quiet
Yeah, I'll have to check out the current deals for macbook pros. But as I remember they are pricey, and won't they require that I buy a bunch of extra Apple accessories?
I've been looking at some Dell's because I want to upgrade too, but all the models come with windows 8 now.
I'm in the same boat, have a thinkpad t500 on its last legs, looking for something 15 inches, thin, light, discrete graphics, have had no luck around 1200$
Like what? I can't really think of anything you'd need extra for standard use. It's too bad you have your screen size limit, otherwise at that price you could get a nice Ultrabook; Samsung has some nice ones, Dell has the XPS 13and of course the Macbook Air. Those come with 13" screens though. If you're staying 14" or higher, there are some Dell XPS in that range. I don't know what the latest Lenovo model is but they are workhorses in my experience. Here's CNET's laptop ratings. Might help.
I don't know about these specific specs, but I've bought 3 different Asus laptops recently (one of em for myself). All 3 users extremely happy with performance and reliability and it's been 1-2 years of heavy useage for all of them. Highly recommend the brand and they were priced decently. I'll try to post the specific models later today.
Depends on what you use it for. I have a Macbook Pro and honestly can't even begin to imagine how I went all these years prior having a Dell. However, Dell/Microsoft are superior when it comes to office work and stuff like that, but if you just want a laptop for personal use, Macbook Pro is the only way to go.
Macbook Pro Retina. I know it's more expensive than what you are looking for, but considering how much time you will spend looking at that screen, I say it's worth it.
No games, I would go Macbook unless you can get a screaming deal on a higher end windows laptop like an Alienware. At any rate, you're buying at just the right time with Black Friday a few days away.
This. I had a Dell for years and then went with a Macbook Pro and won't ever go back. If it is for personal use and you won't need Microsoft for work/school or anything like that, go with the Macbook. You will be happy you did. You won't need to purchase anything extra other than maybe a laptop case to protect it. I kept my old Windows laptops just in case I needed to access Outlook or some Microsoft files.
I'm thinking about upgrading from my MacBook an "Ultrabook". Love the whole, laptop to tablet idea now that pc makers know how a tablet should work.
Picked up the 17.3in Chronos this year, I think the smaller one might be down your alley. I love the thing, it's a high res Sammy screen, but not retina quality. But hey that's only like another $1,500. I'd put a SSD in it but that's not a must for everyone.
I think the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga is freakin sexy. It's a convertible ultrabook w/touch. Well in your price range as well. I have a few co-workers with these and the reviews have been nothing but positive. I'm hoping to get one soon. Edit: Just saw your requirement for a 14 inch display. This one is 13.3.
Yeah, I took a close look at that. Lenovo is also putting out a ThinkPad "MultiTwist" Ultrabook (I guess for people like me who are used to the ThinkPad brand), but the display isn't as nice I think.
The new HP Envy and the Samsung Series 9 are extremely nice laptops. http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/06/samsung-series-9-review-13-inch-mid-2012/ http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/14/hp-envy-14-spectre-review/
Thanks for all the great suggestions, guys. I'm leaning towards a ThinkPad t530. Here are the specs for the configuration I'm thinking about: Processor: Intel Core i7-3610QM OS: Windows 8 64 Display: 15.6" 1600x900 LED Backlit, AntiGlare Display Graphics: NVIDIA NVS 5400M (1GB DDR3 Memory) Total Memory: 4 GB DDR3 - 1600MHz, 1 DIMM (I plan to separately purchase 1 or 2 8 GB DIMMS) Camera: 720p HD Camera Hard Drive: 320GB Hard drive, 7200 rpm (I intend to separately purchase an SSD and use that instead) Optical Device: DVD recordable 8x max (I intend to buy a HD caddy to plug into this Bay slot for a second hard drive) Battery: 9 cell Li-ion TWL 70++ Bluetooth: Bluetooth 4.0 Wireless: Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300 AGN Warranty: 3-year accident warranty (this is about $170, not sure if its worth it but its "Lenovo recommended") The current configuration + the extra warranty costs me $1190. If I tack on the additional couple hundred for the SSD drive, the extra hard drive caddy, and the 8 GB memory DIMMS, I'm looking at around $1400 with this configuration. A bit more than I wanted to pay. Does anyone know if I can get something with similar features/quality for a better price?
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