Help me pick a laptop - the lighter the better

[slackerinabox]

My netbook refuses to charge (loose contact, not battery issue) and I figure it's about time to upgrade anyways. I don't want another netbook as I've found it too limiting, but I'd like something as light as possible.

I'm not a gamer and will be sharing this with my wife- so think light weight productivity, web browsing (no compromises for flash HD), maybe some x264 watching. What should I be looking at? I don't want to spend more than $1,000.

Here are some options I've looked at:
Acer Timeline Series
HP Probook
ASUS ULV30t
Dell Vostro v13

I don't really need an optical drive
Anything else I should look at?

Questions:
Is modern integrated Intel video good enough for HD video (say 720p + flash) with a core 2 processor?
Celeron processor - I've heard they're much better these days and are just conroes with less cache - true?
AMD processors - battery life still crappy on them in comparisson?
I3 any better than standard Core 2 duo, or is it just a name change? I've read a lot about i5 and i7 but not alot on i3

Thanks!

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

I would like to know this as well. Intel's naming schemes are so frickin' confusing nowadays and I have no idea what processor to get ><

I'm eyeing the new Acer Timeline 1830T but it's not out yet.

http://www.techspot.com/news/38261-acer-timelinex-1830t-specs-revealed-packs-core-i5.html

 

[fatpat268]

Out of curiosity, what's your definition of light?
Sub 5lbs?
Sub 4lbs?

Only mentioning this because it makes a huge difference in what you'd recommend.

 

[Anonemous]

ul30vt would be good for you. Last I checked they were around 700 after bing cash back from jr.com or amazon. Check slickdeals.

Questions:
Is modern integrated Intel video good enough for HD video (say 720p + flash) with a core 2 processor?
Celeron processor - I've heard they're much better these days and are just conroes with less cache - true?
AMD processors - battery life still crappy on them in comparisson?
I3 any better than standard Core 2 duo, or is it just a name change? I've read a lot about i5 and i7 but not alot on i3

Yes on i3 and up should be ok (not for C2duos though). UL30VT has a discrete nvidia 210M which is sufficient for this and gaming (SC2 and MW2).
Yes Celeron processors are cheap and fast for their price.
Yes, AMDs for laptops are not there yet.
Yes, 10-20&#37; faster clock for clock (depending on benchmarks). i3 and i5 have integrated graphics and hyperthreading (4 threads, 2 cores) included on their chips. i5's and i7's have turbo boost which overclocks one cpu when there is only one cpu being utilized.

 

[beginner99]

I would go for the lightest i3/i5 based laptop you can afford.
CULV laptops offer more battery life but they usually come with
crappy 4500mhd graphics. supposedlly it is possible to play 720p but image quality sucks and it's pretty old tech (eg. don't except any support from intel side like better drivers).

i3 is much faster than CULV and has better igp but you loose battery life.

New timeline series will soon come out. they are rather lightweight, i3 models are available and depedning on size they probably won't have a dvd drive.

http://www.techspot.com/news/38261-acer-timelinex-1830t-specs-revealed-packs-core-i5.html

this one has a "CULV" i5 in it. Don't reall know how fast they are but alot slower than normal i3/i5

 

[slackerinabox]

Out of curiosity, what's your definition of light?
Sub 5lbs?
Sub 4lbs?

Only mentioning this because it makes a huge difference in what you'd recommend.

Thanks for the reply. Based on my budget (sub-$1,000), I'd be happy with sub 5.

 

[Fingolfin269]

What about something like ASUS U30JC-A1? I only ask because I'm kind of looking at it myself. Supposedly high battery life, less than 5 pounds, and switchable graphics (use discrete when you really need it).

http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-U30JC-A1-.../dp/B0036ZEANO

I assume it's sold in black as well.

Product Features
Intel Core i3-350M Processor (2.26 GHz)
NVIDIA&#174; GeForce&#174; 310M Graphics Engine with 512MB DDR3 Dedicated VRAM with NVIDIA&#174; Optimus&#8482; technology
4GB of DDR3 1066MHz DRAM (2GB x 2 slots), 4GB Max; Wireless 802.11 b/g/n
320GB Hard Drive (5400 RPM); Super Multi Optical Disk Drive; Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit) Operating System
13.3-Inch HD (1366x768) LED Display; 0.3MP Webcam; HDMI Port; 8 cell 5600mAh battery