Looking for an ultrabook for college...or just build a desktop?

[Ray5]

I'm looking for an ultrabook that suits my needs since I'm going to college soon. I'm on a tight budget, around $800.
My requirements:
1. Portable, thin and light enough to commute.
2. Screen size of 13~14 inch with resolution of 1366x768 will suffice.
3. Touch screen is a must. I'm one of the few that likes Metro UI of Windows 8.
4. Processing power high enough to handle video editting. i5~i7? Haswell would be good but optional.
5. Chiclet keyboard with ample tactile feedback.
6. I can't ask for a SSD so HDD will suffice.
7. minimum 4GB of RAM
8. Dedicated graphic card: Any Kepler Nvidia's GTs or AMDs will be fine. I don't do much gaming but it's mainly for video editting so I'm looking for your opinion on this.
9. I have no brand loyalty/bias whatsoever.

I personally think these requirements are irrational since I've not been able to find the perfect model that falls for this criteria.
So my alternatives will be building a desktop while taking a Surface RT to college, which actually spares me more money to build an awesome machine. I have a 4y/o desktop that has mid-range spec list even for 2007 so it will be reconfigured for this case. The reason I choose Surface RT is because it's thin, light and cheap enough as a Metro UI device. Nonetheless, my college does have PCs in its library. But eventually I will still get a notebook of my own, so this is just a prolonging method to save money. And I'm not sure if it's really worth the wait.

I know the dilemma is immature but even for a self-admitted tech geek like me, I'm still struggling to find a device that suits my needs, all thanks to my limited budget.

Any opinion is welcomed and appreciated. Thanks.

 

[The Stealthinator]

If you need to move around a lot with it, then yes get an ultrabook. That is the one purpose for which I say if not required, build or get a desktop. They are much cheaper, and will give you more processign power.

Ultrabooks however are not made for heavy-duty work. So if you need something that's very portable get an ultrabook, but you will not get the same productivity for video editing as you might on a more powerful desktop. And plus, I think it will be hard to get an i7 touch screen ultrabook within $800... that's just my insight into the topic. Hope it helped.

 

[Ray5]

If you need to move around a lot with it, then yes get an ultrabook. That is the one purpose for which I say if not required, build or get a desktop. They are much cheaper, and will give you more processign power.

Ultrabooks however are not made for heavy-duty work. So if you need something that's very portable get an ultrabook, but you will not get the same productivity for video editing as you might on a more powerful desktop. And plus, I think it will be hard to get an i7 touch screen ultrabook within $800... that's just my insight into the topic. Hope it helped.

Thanks for the opinion. I'm currently looking at acer v5, lenovo u410 and asus s400ca. All of them have their pros and cons which makes them equivalent. Any notebook with the same price range and specs? I would've gotten what I want if I neglected the touch screen but using windows 8 without touch is a pain in the ass.

 

[Momo Iko]

Thanks for the opinion. I'm currently looking at acer v5, lenovo u410 and asus s400ca. All of them have their pros and cons which makes them equivalent. Any notebook with the same price range and specs? I would've gotten what I want if I neglected the touch screen but using windows 8 without touch is a pain in the ass.

thats pretty good choice IMO. Lenovo is also good at gaming so that might be a plus point for you