Buying a notebook for around 500$

[Guest]

I do not know much about laptops(or notebooks), having always stuck to PC in the past. But now it turns out I need one.
It will be really helpful if you guys recommend a few for me since I don't know where to start looking.
I am gonna need at least 500gb storage but I also want an ssd(about 128 gb)
I DO NOT need a gpu as all my gaming is done on my PC. An apu( or if not, a cpu) should do just fine
I'm going to be using the laptop for some net surfing, movie viewing, presentation making and other less intensive tasks, but I'm looking for a smooth, lag-free experience.

Thanx

[P.S. : It would be helpful if the laptop is light with a screen around 10 to 12 inches]

 

[Guest]

The main problem that I am having is the size as most 10 - 12 inch laptops only have ssd or a hdd but not both due to the size restriction.

I dont need both ssd and hdd. I have found that you cannot get such specs for around 600$.
I want my laptop to have at least 128gb ssd (or if not, a laptop with hdd that can be upgraded to ssd without voiding warranty)
I'm flexible about the size as long as it is light enough to be portable.

 

[velo3100]

I can think of a few laptops that could be the laptop for you:

1. Dell insperon range
2. Lenovo g series
3. Acer e series

 

[fudgecakes99]

If you don't plan on doing heavy editing or gaming then that asus laptop is fine. It's perfect for browsing the internet and watching videos.

 

[Guest]

I can think of a few laptops that could be the laptop for you:

1. Dell insperon range
2. Lenovo g series
3. Acer e series

How is the acer e5 573 NX.MVHSI.042? the specs seem good but I cannot find any info about whether it is upgradeable with ssd or not.

@fudgecakes99: I really like the asus. Its perfect for me(save the processor).
I'm keeping it as a last resort. If I dont find anything else I'll go for it.

 

[velo3100]

Yes you can swap the hdd for an ssd.

 

[fudgecakes99]

Yeah you don't have to worry about hdd's or ssd's that much sure it's nice to have it out of the gate, but ssd's and hdd's are always always replaceable. That and ram.If you find a laptop you like but has bad ram or hdd get it and just upgrade it later.

 

[0x1eef]

Personally I would look for a ulv chip rather than a y chip as this is really underpowered. Unless you plan on only doing 1 thing at a time I would not but that laptop.

What are you talking about? 5Y71 is as powerful as the new i5-5200U. It has more cache, (4MB vs 3MB), beats i5 in single-core, 10% (probably because of higher TB frequency), loses the same in multi-core. However it has less powerful iGPU, 5300, and i5 has 5500.

To the OP: I don't think Core M processors are underpowered. You almost never constantly stress your CPU to the maximum, and Core M are designed for race-to-sleep workload.
I am a developer and I'm looking forward to buy Zenbook UX305 with 5Y71. But just to be on the safe side, try to find it somewhere and test it.

 

[velo3100]

I just checked cpuboss and checked the benchmarks and it seems that the ulv chip is much stronger than the y chip. Which site did you use? Also wouldn't the y cpu throttle much faster as its tdp is lower than the ulv chip.

Personally I would look for a ulv chip rather than a y chip as this is really underpowered. Unless you plan on only doing 1 thing at a time I would not but that laptop.

What are you talking about? 5Y71 is as powerful as the new i5-5200U. It has more cache, (4MB vs 3MB), beats i5 in single-core, 10% (probably because of higher TB frequency), loses the same in multi-core. However it has less powerful iGPU, 5300, and i5 has 5500.

To the OP: I don't think Core M processors are underpowered. You almost never constantly stress your CPU to the maximum, and Core M are designed for race-to-sleep workload.
I am a developer and I'm looking forward to buy Zenbook UX305 with 5Y71. But just to be on the safe side, try to find it somewhere and test it.

 

[0x1eef]

I just checked cpuboss and checked the benchmarks and it seems that the ulv chip is much stronger than the y chip. Which site did you use? Also wouldn't the y cpu throttle much faster as its tdp is lower than the ulv chip.

http/www.cpu-monkey.com/en/compare_cpu-intel_core_m_5y71-453-vs-intel_core_i5_5200u-470

and

http/cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i5-5200U-vs-Intel-Core-M-5Y70/m22169vsm16573

However, the latter use their own benchmarking software which somehow calculates quad-core performance on a dual-core chips…

Throttling might be a problem depending on manufacturer. Marvelous long read from Anandtech: http/www.anandtech.com/show/9117/analyzing-intel-core-m-performance

Zenbook has some great cooling. I haven't found decent info about throttling in 5Y71 model yet but there's a thread in /r/laptopama with guy working on UX305 w/ 5Y71: https/www.reddit.com/r/laptopama/comments/3erf9k/ama_asus_zenbook_ux305_core_m_5y71_512gb_8gb_qhd/

I'm by no means trying to offend you but there's a strange idea going around the community that Core M processors are weak and doesn't even handle web browsing decently.

 

[Guest]

I just checked cpuboss and checked the benchmarks and it seems that the ulv chip is much stronger than the y chip. Which site did you use? Also wouldn't the y cpu throttle much faster as its tdp is lower than the ulv chip.

http/www.cpu-monkey.com/en/compare_cpu-intel_core_m_5y71-453-vs-intel_core_i5_5200u-470

and

http/cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i5-5200U-vs-Intel-Core-M-5Y70/m22169vsm16573

However, the latter use their own benchmarking software which somehow calculates quad-core performance on a dual-core chips…

Throttling might be a problem depending on manufacturer. Marvelous long read from Anandtech: http/www.anandtech.com/show/9117/analyzing-intel-core-m-performance

Zenbook has some great cooling. I haven't found decent info about throttling in 5Y71 model yet but there's a thread in /r/laptopama with guy working on UX305 w/ 5Y71: https/www.reddit.com/r/laptopama/comments/3erf9k/ama_asus_zenbook_ux305_core_m_5y71_512gb_8gb_qhd/

I'm by no means trying to offend you but there's a strange idea going around the community that Core M processors are weak and doesn't even handle web browsing decently.

The only UX305 available in my country has a 5y10.
It is the weakest core m (while 5y71 is the strongest)
So is it still worth going for the zenbook?

Here the reviewer says that the laptop stutters when one opens a bunch of chrome tabs
http/

There are several reviews all over the internet that say that the processor is underpowered

 

[velo3100]

This is a laptop that is designed for just the basics. I personally don't like y cpu's as I need more power but for the casual surfer it should be good. My best suggestion is to try it out in a store and see if it is what you need before you buy.

 

[0x1eef]

5Y10 is the slowest and you'd better give it a try somewhere. On the other hand, you'll hardly find a decent portable laptop for $700 a Zenbook costs. Also, they say Win10 pretty fast.