Looking at a new laptop

[Mr. Pedantic]

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-SVP1321GG...s=svp1321ggxbi

Basically I want:

Ultrabook-style form factor. Definitely less than 4lb.
8GB RAM
256GB SSD.
Budget $1500 hard max. Very much prefer <$1300.

1080p display would be nice but optional. Pretty much everything else spec-wise is optional, though I would prefer a Haswell CPU and some kind of decent battery life.

The Sony Vaio I linked pretty much fits all my requirements and seems pretty cheap relatively speaking, compared to the other ultrabooks that Amazon has I'm surprised it wasn't more expensive to be honest.

Anyone have any other suggestions or alternatives? I have about a week to buy, I'll be placing the order next Saturday or somesuch.

Not really sure if Amazon is the cheapest place.

Budget is up to $1500 hard maximum, prefer as cheap as possible obviously.

Not sure about Newegg Open Box-type offers though, never ordered one like that and if they screw me over I won't be able to fix it before I go back to New Zealand. But if they're generally pretty good I don't mind. I'm not worried about missing a few driver CDs or a crappy seat of earplugs. What I'm more worried about is missing a power cable. It seems pretty essential but I have no idea what kind of stinginess they get up to when they say "we won't ship out accessories even if they're required for full functionality".

 

[Commodus]

Do I dare suggest a 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro?

It's right at the limit of your budget with the specs you want (although an educational or business discount will solve that), but it marks all the checkboxes so very, very well. 3.5 pounds, beautiful display, epic battery life -- that 9-hour claim is realistic. You can get more if you're careful with brightness or don't need an internet connection... say, on a long flight to New Zealand.

The VAIO Pro 13 is a nice machine, but the build quality isn't quite at Apple's level. That and Sony is offloading its PC business to someone else, so long-term support may be a concern.

 

[homebrew2ny]

I agree with Commodus, if a MBP is not out of the question for you, it would fit the bill nicely. And this is coming from someone who refuses to buy one. However, a certain price points and certain criteria, they are unmatched. I believe this may be one of those cases.

 

[crashtestdummy]

Yoga 2 Pro.

With tax, it sneaks in just under your preferred limit. My only complaint is that windows doesn't handle the 3200x1600 resolution perfectly. Other than that, it fits the bill nicely.

 

[Mr. Pedantic]

With the MBPs, is there a way to remove OS X? Or do I have to dual boot it? I was thinking of using some Linux distro. I know they are really good machines, I'm just hesitant about the whole OS ecosystem thing. Also, what do I lose going MBA instead of MBP?

 

[Commodus]

With the MBPs, is there a way to remove OS X? Or do I have to dual boot it? I was thinking of using some Linux distro. I know they are really good machines, I'm just hesitant about the whole OS ecosystem thing. Also, what do I lose going MBA instead of MBP?

You have to keep OS X installed, although you can minimize the partition when you're setting up Boot Camp, if you're really averse to giving the Mac side a try.

On that note, is there a particular reason for the hesitation, or is it just that you haven't used it before? I'd give it a fair shake... there are plenty of people who can help you here or on other forums if you run into something tricky. One tip if you do: go into the Security preferences and set it to allow apps from anywhere (Apple keeps it semi-locked down by default to avoid any rude surprises for newcomers).

If you go with the MacBook Air, you get a run-of-the-mill display (1440x900), switch to a low-voltage processor and drop the full-fledged HDMI port (you can use an adapter on the Thunderbolt port, though). On the plus side, you get a wild 12-hour battery life and a lighter chassis. All depends on your priorities, really -- if you're not doing anything too intensive, the Air will be just dandy.

 

[Mr. Pedantic]

Can anyone shed some light on how good refurbished units are? On most of the ultrabooks I've looked at I can save at least $100 getting a refurbished unit, is it worth it?

You have to keep OS X installed, although you can minimize the partition when you're setting up Boot Camp, if you're really averse to giving the Mac side a try.

On that note, is there a particular reason for the hesitation, or is it just that you haven't used it before? I'd give it a fair shake... there are plenty of people who can help you here or on other forums if you run into something tricky. One tip if you do: go into the Security preferences and set it to allow apps from anywhere (Apple keeps it semi-locked down by default to avoid any rude surprises for newcomers).

If you go with the MacBook Air, you get a run-of-the-mill display (1440x900), switch to a low-voltage processor and drop the full-fledged HDMI port (you can use an adapter on the Thunderbolt port, though). On the plus side, you get a wild 12-hour battery life and a lighter chassis. All depends on your priorities, really -- if you're not doing anything too intensive, the Air will be just dandy.

Well, I've played with it a bit on friends' units, and I didn't really like what I saw, though that could just be because I'm not used to it. The thing I'm worried most about is compatibility - all my other computers run Windows, and all the programs I've bought are for Windows, and I don't really relish the thought of having to buy new programs - e.g. Office - to have a Mac. I'd rather just get a Windows machine with slightly worse build quality than have an awesome machine that I'd have to spend more money on to get back to where I was.

Also, and you'll probably think this is a hugely trivial issue - is gaming. I originally wanted Haswell because on Windows the performance will be plenty for Dota 2, which is the game I'll be playing most often, but with Mac I'm no longer sure, and there seem to be a lot of stuttering and crashing issues regardless of resolution and IQ settings.

 

[TheStu]

Can anyone shed some light on how good refurbished units are? On most of the ultrabooks I've looked at I can save at least $100 getting a refurbished unit, is it worth it?



Well, I've played with it a bit on friends' units, and I didn't really like what I saw, though that could just be because I'm not used to it. The thing I'm worried most about is compatibility - all my other computers run Windows, and all the programs I've bought are for Windows, and I don't really relish the thought of having to buy new programs - e.g. Office - to have a Mac. I'd rather just get a Windows machine with slightly worse build quality than have an awesome machine that I'd have to spend more money on to get back to where I was.

Also, and you'll probably think this is a hugely trivial issue - is gaming. I originally wanted Haswell because on Windows the performance will be plenty for Dota 2, which is the game I'll be playing most often, but with Mac I'm no longer sure, and there seem to be a lot of stuttering and crashing issues regardless of resolution and IQ settings.

Apple's refurbished units are as good as new. They aren't scratch and dent, they are returned systems that have been restored to fresh off the floor standards, and still carry the same warranty as new. The only difference is that they come in a plain cardboard box.

Others... from what I have seen, Dell and Lenovo both offer 2 separate categories of refurb: regular, and scratch & dent.

What all are you planning on using this system for? Is Office actually a requirement?

 

[Mr. Pedantic]

Apple's refurbished units are as good as new. They aren't scratch and dent, they are returned systems that have been restored to fresh off the floor standards, and still carry the same warranty as new. The only difference is that they come in a plain cardboard box.

Others... from what I have seen, Dell and Lenovo both offer 2 separate categories of refurb: regular, and scratch & dent.

Awesome.

What all are you planning on using this system for? Is Office actually a requirement?

Yes. Doesn't necessarily have to be MS Office, but I'm not looking forward to having to use Libre or OpenOffice.

 

[TheStu]

Awesome.



Yes. Doesn't necessarily have to be MS Office, but I'm not looking forward to having to use Libre or OpenOffice.

I hear that.

If you get a new Mac, you get iWork for free now, if you just need the occasional word processor.

There's also google docs online depending on how you feel about that.

 

[Mr. Pedantic]

I hear that.

If you get a new Mac, you get iWork for free now, if you just need the occasional word processor.

There's also google docs online depending on how you feel about that.

I assume it's fully compatible with MS Office and normal Windows file formats?

How is it compared to Office and the FOSS alternatives?

 

[TheStu]

I assume it's fully compatible with MS Office and normal Windows file formats?

How is it compared to Office and the FOSS alternatives?

It's mostly compatible, the only thing in my experience that's 100% compatible with Office is that exact version of Office (sometimes even on the same computer).

I haven't used the new iWork too much yet, but my understanding is that it is a little under-featured compared to the other options out there. Like I said it's free. And in the past it's been good enough for most of what someone needs.

If Office compatibility is important, then Windows is really the way to go. I hear lots of good things about the Yoga 2 Pro.