Personal computing discussed

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dale77
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In the market for a netbook/ultrabook - ideas?

Tue Sep 25, 2012 10:56 pm

Similar to the HP dm1z, the machine will be for a teenager to do homework on, facebook, that sort of thing.

What is the best value out there at the moment?

If it is too much better than the dm1z his big sister might get jealous and ask for an upgrade as well, but I can cross that bridge later...

Thanks!

Dale
 
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Re: In the market for a netbook/ultrabook - ideas?

Wed Sep 26, 2012 12:07 am

Netbooks are a "dying breed" - many manufacturers are pulling out of this market, though HP still seem to be selling them (the dm1z model), and also Acer, with their Aspire One models. So maybe you should simply get another dm1z (while they're still available), or look at whatever Aspire One models which are also still available... Ultrabooks are still widely available, but their prices are significantly higher, especially for very slim models with "shiny metal" bodies. Even the "almost-ultrabooks" like Dell's Inspiron 14z begin at about $600... Anyway, it may be more helpful if you'll ask this question in a more dedicated forum like this:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/
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Re: In the market for a netbook/ultrabook - ideas?

Wed Sep 26, 2012 7:14 am

What is your budget? Does any gaming need to happen on the machine? If a netbook is okay, is an AMD C- or E-series processor okay too?
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ludi
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Re: In the market for a netbook/ultrabook - ideas?

Wed Sep 26, 2012 11:13 am

The DM1Z is probably the "best in class" at 11-12" and the $400 price point. For anything cheaper, you generally end up in the 9-10" screen size and slower hardware.

http://www.shopping.hp.com/en_US/home-o ... title=dm1z
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Re: In the market for a netbook/ultrabook - ideas?

Wed Sep 26, 2012 11:19 am

If you're OK with a E450, the Lenovo Thinkpad Edge E125 is sturdy, the keyboard is the absolute best, the screen's resolution is good given its 11.6 inch size, and the CPU is fast enough for the applications you listed.

In fact, I have a friend who uses a laptop with the E350. I never noticed it was an E350 until I looked at the System Information.
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Chrispy_
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Re: In the market for a netbook/ultrabook - ideas?

Wed Sep 26, 2012 11:21 am

You really can't get a better netbook than a Thinkpad X131e

You can choose a bobcat or ULV sandy bridge, based on your needs.
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superjawes
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Re: In the market for a netbook/ultrabook - ideas?

Wed Sep 26, 2012 11:28 am

Considering this is a student, I doubt any gaming beyond flash apps will happen.

However, what kind of "homework" are we talking about? Word and PowerPoint might be okay on a netbook, but a heavier app would probably need a full processor as found in a laptop/ultrabook. Also, is this really a mobile platform or a desktop-replacement?
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Re: In the market for a netbook/ultrabook - ideas?

Wed Sep 26, 2012 11:41 am

If I'm not mistaken, there's a huge price gap between Netbooks and Ultrabooks, when looking at the "usual" prices for them (because I'm sure you can find $1k Netbooks, but "usually", they are $400 and lower).
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Re: In the market for a netbook/ultrabook - ideas?

Wed Sep 26, 2012 12:36 pm

if you have the budget an ultrabook is a better choice. I found the net book too confining in screen resolution. Also look for higher resolution... working on a 1366x768 screen can be a little tough with a lot of scrolling depending on what they are working on.
I have a preference for 1050 or 1080 screens on the machine.
Even with Ultrabooks you have to watch for this as this is the first place the manufacturers cheap out.
 
ericfulmer
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Re: In the market for a netbook/ultrabook - ideas?

Wed Sep 26, 2012 12:55 pm

I have HP DM1Z with the E350 for law school... it is light, cheap, and works great. It handles all of my class needs (research, writing, etc) and I can play Skyrim on low settings when I travel.

A friend of mine bought 3 for his teenage sons in school, and they love'em.

I think the new version come with the E450 for the same price.
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Re: In the market for a netbook/ultrabook - ideas?

Wed Sep 26, 2012 2:03 pm

ericfulmer wrote:
I have HP DM1Z with the E350 for law school... it is light, cheap, and works great. It handles all of my class needs (research, writing, etc) and I can play Skyrim on low settings when I travel.

A friend of mine bought 3 for his teenage sons in school, and they love'em.

I think the new version come with the E450 for the same price.


Law school and Skyrim? A dangerous combination, timewise!
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dale77
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Re: In the market for a netbook/ultrabook - ideas?

Wed Sep 26, 2012 9:26 pm

Thanks for the good replies.

There is no need for gaming on this device, but some gaming will be tolerated as long as it doesn't interfere with homework ;-) So yes, probably a E series is fine. He does want to use inkscape for SVG drawing, tougher stuff can migrate to the home desktop.

The dm1z is working well for big sis, so I'm really looking for dm1z or better, for roughly the same money, which probably does rule out ultrabooks.

I'll check out the Lenovo Edge series.
 
dale77
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Re: In the market for a netbook/ultrabook - ideas?

Wed Sep 26, 2012 9:34 pm

Yikes, just doing a customize on a Edge 535 and upgrading to a 128Gb SSD they want to add $320 on a $520 laptop...

And the SSD would make such a difference...
 
Chrispy_
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Re: In the market for a netbook/ultrabook - ideas?

Thu Sep 27, 2012 4:20 am

buy the SSD yourself.

SSD "upgrades" are like RAM "upgrades" on pre-built systems. The "upgrade" cost is often more than the cost of the original part and the upgrade part put together.

Do it yourself, get a $10 2.5" usb caddy and swap the disk over yourself using a clone utility like clonezilla. You'll save a bunch of cash and get a "free" portable hard drive at the same time
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Re: In the market for a netbook/ultrabook - ideas?

Thu Sep 27, 2012 4:32 am

Spyder22446688 wrote:
ericfulmer wrote:
I have HP DM1Z with the E350 for law school... it is light, cheap, and works great. It handles all of my class needs (research, writing, etc) and I can play Skyrim on low settings when I travel.

A friend of mine bought 3 for his teenage sons in school, and they love'em.

I think the new version come with the E450 for the same price.


Law school and Skyrim? A dangerous combination, timewise!


He's studying labor law, playing Skyrim gives him practice dealing with worker's comp...THEN I TOOK AN ARROW TO THE KNEE.
 
superjawes
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Re: In the market for a netbook/ultrabook - ideas?

Thu Sep 27, 2012 8:33 am

Chrispy_ wrote:
buy the SSD yourself.

SSD "upgrades" are like RAM "upgrades" on pre-built systems. The "upgrade" cost is often more than the cost of the original part and the upgrade part put together.

Do it yourself, get a $10 2.5" usb caddy and swap the disk over yourself using a clone utility like clonezilla. You'll save a bunch of cash and get a "free" portable hard drive at the same time

Yup. SSD's in laptops are really easy.

Although...if you have the Windows key, you might not even need to clone, right? Couldn't you just do a clean install to avoid any bloatware that comes on the system?
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ludi
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Re: In the market for a netbook/ultrabook - ideas?

Thu Sep 27, 2012 11:32 am

Nothing like buying a new laptop and then possibly voiding the warranty with a hard drive swap.

An SSD is a nice upgrade to a laptop, but for the described usage profile I don't see the need. It could always be next year's Christmas present, as the system warranty will be expired by then.
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