Most Thinnest/Powerful Ultrabook as of today

rockymegaman

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Jul 14, 2012
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I am willing to wait a few months if necessary, if a really decent product is going to be released then.

I will be using it primarily for mathematical/physics processing and computations on-the-go, when I am travelling to conferences and such.
We do have a main rig (supercomputers) at my research institution to do most of the main legwork, so the ultrabook's function isn't as much priority as its sleekness/thinness (I'd like 14" or smaller). I just need something to do the computations when I don't have access to the internet (which, in my experience, is surprisingly a majority of the time I am travelling). But if most of the ultrabooks are similar sizes, then of course I want the most powerful one.

Battery life should last at least a trip from New York City to, say, Berlin (about a ~9 hour flight).

One product I will not purchase is Apple. I've had half a dozen Macbook Pros and Macbook Airs fail on me (various hardware parts) within the course of a couple months. It wasted precious research and work time, so I would prefer to not have to resort using the warranty.

What is your budget?
<$3,000

What is the size of the notebook that you are considering?
14" or less (maybe 14.1")

Would you consider a refurbished laptop?
No

What are the primary tasks you need this notebook for?
Computer Programming
Maths/Physics computation


Where will you be using this laptop?
Will be used in a lot of different places/travel a ton

How many hours of battery life do you need?
6-12

Will you be buying online or in store?
online or in store

Which OS do you prefer?
Windows 7 or no OS (I have my own Windows 7 disc)
I have never used Windows 8 before, so I am unsure if I want this or not.

What screen resolution do you want?
High Resolution (1600 x 900)
Max Resolution (1920 x 1080)
(Higher res is preferable)


Do you prefer a glossy or matte screen?
Matte
(Glossy is fine too as long as there is no glare)


Is the laptops design important to you?
Yes

Approximately what date will you be buying this laptop?
Now or soon

How long do you want this laptop to last?
5+ years

How much storage capacity do you need?
Any amount

Are you interested in SSD for storage?
Yes

Do you want a built-in optical drive, what type?
No

What country do you live in?
USA (I don't mind shipping overseas)
 
Solution


So this is my suggestion:

DELL XPS XPS13ULT-7857sLV-1YR Notebook Intel Core i7 4500U (1.80GHz) 8GB Memory 256GB SSD Intel HD Graphics 4400 13.3" Touchscreen Windows 8.1 64-Bit

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834300943...

rockymegaman

Honorable
Jul 14, 2012
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No I can't, as math/physics software do not utilize GPUs at all so they are useless to me.
Also your suggested laptop is a bit too thick for me.
 

gopher1369

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Jan 20, 2012
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I'm not sure what you are asking is possible - a powerful processor will need sufficient cooling, which will mean thick. Thin = low voltage parts = low performance. The Razer Blade was what immediately sprung to my mind as well, there isn't anything that I am aware of that is thinner that would also still class as high performance.

 

rockymegaman

Honorable
Jul 14, 2012
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I am willing to sacrifice processing power for slimness.

 

Rookie_MIB

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Jul 27, 2013
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There are several possibilities, the problem is that the more powerful you make it, it takes a very obvious toll on battery life. You also want a smallish chassis, which again leads to limitations on the battery while you're doing hard-core calculations.

That being said, here are some options:

Asus Zenbook UX303LN. Core i7, discrete graphics (GT840M), 12GB ram, 3200x1800 resolution screen (!!!), 50W/hr battery.

Gigabyte Aorus. Core i7, discrete graphics (GT870M) with Optimus support, 16GB ram, screens from 2500x1400 up through 3200x1800, 73W/hr battery.

There are more options available, but there's a direct correlation between size and battery life and speed in that bigger size == cooler CPU (can run without throttling) and more battery. Smaller size == slower CPUs and smaller battery. The ones I mentioned are more specifically gaming laptops, which actually isn't a bad thing as they tend to be better designed to be hammered on, contain discrete graphics (GPU co-processing for your work), and generally larger batteries due to the higher end hardware.

You could look into some of the low end HP workstation laptops, they make a 14" mobile workstation (i7, 16GB ram, AMD FirePro M4100 graphics, 50w/hr battery), configured for under $3k, and I'm sure Lenovo offers a configurable one as well.
 

filippi

Honorable
Oct 18, 2012
159
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10,710


So this is my suggestion:

DELL XPS XPS13ULT-7857sLV-1YR Notebook Intel Core i7 4500U (1.80GHz) 8GB Memory 256GB SSD Intel HD Graphics 4400 13.3" Touchscreen Windows 8.1 64-Bit

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834300943

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-Core-i7-4500U-Notebook-Processor.93562.0.html

Anyway http://www.slashgear.com/nvidia-powered-computers-break-pi-calculation-record-15274237/ :D
 
Solution