Good ultrabook for programming and light gaming

[Arcturus314]

Hi all, I have been looking to get a new laptop for a while now. I will be using this laptop for programming, and maybe light gaming, as well as for using Solid works. I want this laptop to last for at least 4 years and have a fairly good battery life (would prefer 6 hours+). No matter what I choose all the specs would be maxed out. Here are my options right now:

Samsung ativ book 9 plus: seems like a good ultrabook but only 256 gb ssd max

Asus zenbook: prefer the design of the ativ book 9 plus but this has a faster processor and more storage

Razer blade 2013/2014 14": both of these seem like much more powerful choices that will let me play games on the go. However the battery life on the 2014 model is pretty terrible, only at 4 hours. I do love the design of these laptops though, and they include more ports than the other ultrabook.

So which of these laptops is better for my use? Feel free to suggest other options, but I would like an all metal body and at least 256 gb of storage, as well as a fairly light weight, as I will be carrying this laptop around with me, and a good battery life.

I know I posted this in the systems forum but I just found this one...

 

[bistwo]

Look into Lenovo's Thinkpad X Series. They are great for typing, and some models are available with dedicated graphics. If you are really concerned about size more than gaming performance, than an ultrabook with a Core i5 or i7 and Intel HD 4400 will work for casual gaming. The Thinkpad X1 is the most compact and is available with an SSD up to 512GB, and is easily upgradeable in the future. I have a Thinkpad and I love it. Nobody has a better keyboard.

http/shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/x-series/

 

[oczdude8]

I agree, the x1 carbon from Lenovo is the best

 

[Arcturus314]

The X1 Carbon looks pretty awesome, actually. However, it has a worse runtime than other Ultrabooks and only has an i5 compared to the other laptops i7,only 4 GB RAM, and has some really poor reviews on the Lenovo site. I also will hate not having physical function keys. Aside from that it looks like a good ultrabook.

EDIT: Wait nevermind about the specs. Found out you can customize them lol

 

[Arcturus314]

What do people of the razer blade as a programming/ general use laptop? It has gaming capability too, and is far more powerful than any of these ultrabooks. Plus it has an awesome design. Is the battery life acceptable?

 

[oczdude8]

Its not really an ultrabook. Plus it likely has a huge, heavy power brick you will need to carry. If you are worried about weight, stay away from that. If not, it seems like a really good laptop (also very expensive). I've never owned a razer laptop, but I have heard some bad things about the old ones. You'd have to read some reviews on it before buying.

4 hours of battery life seems good to me, but it may not be enough for you. If you are sitting at a desk all day though, you shouldn't be too concerned. Also keep in mind you cant do gaming on battery(the gpu and cpu are downclocked to prevent overheating of battery).

 

[Brainie_J]

I have a Lenovo X1 Carbon with i7-3667U (2 GHZ/ 4 CPUs), 8GB, and 250GB SSD. Since there is ok... but gaming??? what are u guys talking about? Its has a Intel HD Graphics 4000 with 1GB, you play Left 4 Dead 2 as much in high....

The keyboard I can say is nice, the keys are more high than normally. In my case, I feel this laptop goes to slow, it gets frozen when doing hard tasks in excel... soo.... for the price os a X1... I would look for other thing with more GHz sincerely,...

If you look for an ultrabook, with integrated graphic card.. i dont know if you are interested to wait and see what happens with these new AMD FX processors.

 

[Arcturus314]

The power brick isn't that heavy actually, only 350 grams. Right now I'm thinking about the blade, I'm fine with the form factor and it's pretty powerful. Still not that much
battery life though, and it's pretty expensive.

I still have a pretty good gaming rig at home though so I don't know if I need a gaming laptop.

 

[Brainie_J]

The power brick isn't that heavy actually, only 350 grams. Right now I'm thinking about the blade, I'm fine with the form factor and it's pretty powerful. Still not that much
battery life though, and it's pretty expensive.

I still have a pretty good gaming rig at home though so I don't know if I need a gaming laptop.

yes, x1 brick is extremely light. I also think the razer blade is very expensive in comparison with other brands. However, probably what you are looking for is a nice and powerful Asus zenbook.. but not sure how the great is the keyboard. Anotehr option, if you wait some month... is wait for the new Zenbook: https/www.asus.com/Notebooks_Ultrabooks/Zenbook_NX500/,

 

[Arcturus314]

That actually looks like an amazing laptop. Price isn't a problem for me though, as work will pay for any laptop I choose.

 

[Arcturus314]

Just checked I only have this week to place my order. So that awesome zenbook isn't available for me

 

[Arcturus314]

Thanks for all the help I think I'll end up getting the Blade, it has an awesome design and the features I need. Poor battery life though.

 

[Brainie_J]

Thanks for all the help I think I'll end up getting the Blade, it has an awesome design and the features I need. Poor battery life though.

Well, tell us how did it work. I'm also looking for my new slim and powerful notebook. The blade, as is 14inches I think is to small for me. But if is so great as they they in the advertisment,... It can be a possible option.