Can you help me find...

[fcoliver]

...a general use Win7HP-64 notebook w/ the following: (listed in order of importance)

User-replaceable battery
15.6" matte (anti-glare) 1920x1080 display (1600x900 might be okay)
i5 Ivy Bridge w/ Intel HD4000 integrated graphics (maybe a 3rd-gen i3 w/ HD4000 IG)
Chiclet-style backlit keyboard w/ number pad
Fast boot and rapid wake - mSSD for OS; if not included, want to add it later, i.e. make sure the slot (? PCI e) is available
Dual-band b/g/n wireless (Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205 or 6235) since I have a dual-band router
Multi-gesture touchpad (prefer 2-button vs clickpad; prefer Elan vs Synaptics)
4-8 GB RAM (6 GB is ideal; if it comes w/ 4 GB, I'd want to add 2 GB)
USB 3.0 (at least one)
Decent sound; 5-hour battery life; thinner & lighter is better

I think the T530 can be built with all of above, except the number keypad, but with all those options (FHD- $150, mSSD- $120) it's pretty pricey. The E530 is budget-friendly and has the number keypad, but no available HD+ or FHD resolution, best I can tell.

The HP dv6-7014nr is over-spec for my needs (i7 3610QM, Nvidia GT650M, BluRay) but has Beats Audio, and I 'built' one for $920+tax after a 33%-off coupon. I've not seen that good a discount/coupon since early June. (Are there concerns about HP build quality and heat issues?)

The ASUS N56VM looks pretty good, but I haven't seen it w/ dual-band wireless and wonder if I could correct that issue with a $25 after-market Intel Centrino 6205 or 6235 card.

The Sony E series has, I believe, a user-removable battery and a number of other features matching my needs, but I don't recall seeing a HD+ or FHD display.

Are there errors in the statements above, and are there other series/brands I should be checking?

After months of shopping and online research, I'd be very appreciative of any input, suggestions, or other thoughts from those of you more knowledgeable and more familiar with these notebooks.

Thanks in advance for sharing your expertise.

 

[fcoliver]

Anybody..... ?

 

[fcoliver]

Was it something I said?

 

[crab0]

Was it something I said?

Yes

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834127653
(Might be cheaper elsewhere, didn't look)

Isn't Ivy (though has low end GPU and I would think i5 Sandy > i3 Ivy anyway)
No number pad
no mSSD (don't know if it has slot, could remove optical drive and use caddy...?)
Is 15.5 inch not 15.6
Might be glossy.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/5722/sony-vaio-se-an-ips-laptop-for-under-a-grand/1

Just an idea, I know its lacking in a few key areas you mentioned (though I do love non-TN laptops).

 

[fcoliver]

Thank you, Crab0, for responding.

I've looked at the Sony notebooks a lot. The reviews speak highly of the display quality, and the ones I've seen in the stores are beautiful. And the S Series (which I believe includes the SE) has a matte screen.

I also love the thin & light slim profile. However, best I can tell, the only Sony with a user-replaceable battery is the E Series, which has no HD+ or FHD option.

The user-replaceable battery is at the top of my requirements list, since I'm willing to give up thinner and lighter for that. I wonder how many people with wonderfully thin & stylish Ultrabooks will be unhappy in a couple or three years, when the battery dies and they have to either void their warranty or ship a data-laden notebook back to the manufacturer.

After almost another month of additional research (since the original post) I think I'm still looking at two main possibilities:

T530 w/ i5 IB, FHD matte display, 4GB RAM (and add 2-4GB), Centrino 6205, and add my own 32GB mSSD cache for the OS. I get a pretty good display, fairly decent audio, fair battery life, a heavier-but-better-built machine, a 2-button clickpad and pointing stick. I give up the number pad.

or the ASUS N56VM... but only IF I can add the 32GB mSSD cache and dual-band wireless card.

My thinking on the Ivy Bridge i5 is that the Intel HD4000 graphics would suffice for my (non-gaming) needs and eliminate the cost and battery drain of a discrete GPU.

My reading tilts me away from Acer, HP, and Dell, but I wonder if there's an upper grade Toshiba that fits the bill. (I don't like the looks of the lower end Toshibas I've seen at Best Buy.)

I'm certainly open to any suggestions. (MSI, Cleo, Sager, etc. although these seem to be aimed at the gamers and marketed for high-end graphics and more CPU than I need.)

Thanks, again, for chiming in. Anybody else?

 

[crab0]

The user-replaceable battery is at the top of my requirements list, since I'm willing to give up thinner and lighter for that. I wonder how many people with wonderfully thin & stylish Ultrabooks will be unhappy in a couple or three years, when the battery dies and they have to either void their warranty or ship a data-laden notebook back to the manufacturer.

I could totally be wrong on this but I think regular laptop batteries are usually rated for 300 charges and need to be replaced every 1.5-2 years. Ultrabooks use batteries are rated for 1000 (I've seen Samsung ones say 1500) charges and I think if your the ultrabook kinda consumer your not getting it to use in a decades time (and really by that point the battery replacement charge is about the value of the laptop itself).

Edit: Granted I've never had a notebook computer survive to year 2 so if my current one (MBA 13 2011) can actually live long enough for battery to be a concern would be amazing.

 

[ther00kie16]

Yea, get a Lenovo. They're built for exactly your needs and is one of the few that has mSATA. You could maybe get a usb numpad.
Other option would be a "gamer laptop" like a Sager or MSI. From what I remember, MSI has lots of things including mSATA and their gamer laptops tend to be lighter than others (like 5.3lb as opposed to almost 6lb). It'd be faster but probably more expensive if you look for lenovo deals.
http://www.xpbargains.com/st_deals.php/Lenovo_coupons.htm

A cheaper alternative is the y580, which has a numpad & mSATA. It's significantly cheaper than the T series after deals because it's more of their consumer line.