Help with finding laptop?

epicgamerz

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Jun 23, 2011
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18,510
1. What is your budget?
My budget right now is about $1000, I would prefer not to go over that point.

2. What is the size of the notebook that you are considering?
I think I am pretty set on a 14" inch as it needs to be portable.

3. What screen resolution do you want?
Doesn't matter to me

4. Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop?
Portable laptop for college

5. How much battery life do you need?
I would say at least 3 or 4 hours.

6. Do you want to play games with your laptop? If so then please list the games that you want to with the settings that you want for these games. (Low,Medium or High)?
The gamer part of me says yes (Diablo 3!) but I don't plan on gaming very much (or if at all) with my laptop (I'll probably bring my xbox eventually).

7. What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? (Photo/Video editing, Etc.)
I am planning on majoring in Computer Engineering so it should be able to run fairly intensive programs and electronics labs.

8. How much storage (Hard Drive capacity) do you need?
250gb

9. If you are considering specific sites to buy from, please post their links.
None

10. How long do you want to keep your laptop?
Obviously I want it to last all 4 years, but realistically I am hoping for at least two years.

11. What kind of Optical drive do you need? DVD ROM/Writer,Bluray ROM/Writer,Etc ?
A standard drive would be fine, I don't have a need for bluray, especially on a 14" screen.

12. Please tell us about the brands that you prefer to buy from them and the brands that you don't like and explain the reasons.
I'm open to all brand suggestions.

13. What country do you live in?
US

14. Please tell us any additional information if needed.
I've been looking at the Dell xps 14z and the Acer Aspire Timeline X, but I'm open to all suggestions. As well as a normal 14" laptop I would also consider an ultrabook (i like the form factor), as long as it still has at least 250gb of storage or so.
 
Solution
Another option to look at:
ASUS U46SM 14" notebook ~$850 about 1" thick and under 5lbs.
Standard Core i5-2450M 2.5Ghz CPU (not a ULV like many Ultrabooks).
8GB RAM, 750GB 5400rpm HDD (upgradeable), 14" 1366x768 LCD w/ GT 630M graphics card.
8 Cell (5600 mAh) Battery Pack. 2 year warranty and 1 year Accidental Damage Protection policy.

epicgamerz

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Jun 23, 2011
4
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18,510
I need it in late July at the absolute latest, but I would prefer to buy it a bit sooner just in case something comes up or I encounter a problem with it. I have heard about the Ivy Bridge notebooks coming out though, how much of a (general) performance difference will those have over a standard Sandy Bridge system?
 

game junky

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Feb 2, 2012
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18,660
I really like the Dell 14z - thin, light-weight and good battery life. Unfortunately, you won't be able to spec it with a quad core but I have the i7-620M in my laptop and it is a good balance of performance and battery economy.

I also really like ASUS - they have various laptop builds for every traditional need. I personally like the Zenbook for the same reason I like the 14z. Really good looks and functionality:
http://www.amazon.com/Zenbook-UX31E-DH52-13-3-Inch-Ultrabook-Aluminum/dp/B005SY32Q2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1338388120&sr=8-1