Moderately powerfull thin & light laptop $600-700 for couch use?

[EliteRetard]

Need power and portability for business, HDMI and can handle 1080P video. Thinking 13" chasis or smaller. Im looking for my dad, he has a serious back injury and thus can't sit or stand for long. Hes looking for something he can use while laying down so he doesn't have to stop working.

Hes got an old 2GB 2.8GHz AMD 64 X2 rig that gets frustrating and bogged down with multiple programs open, a 4GB 3GHz C2D system thats a bit better, but he really wants something faster...and I think part of it is the slow HDD. So I may need to get an SSD for it (I think 128GB will do if theres a fast external connection like USB3).

I was thinking something like an ultrabook might work, but I don't know how akward that would be laying down. The price is also a huge downside.

So what can you guys come up with? Has anybody used a laptop laying on the couch? Are there any decent thin and light laptops in the price range Im looking at, or is it all just Intel Atom garbage? I dont think the AMD E series is any better. I'd like to get a SNB i5 or better if possible.

 

[robertdrumm]

i would wait, in the new acer w700 review the author mentions that the w700 could be the start of a whole new line up of windows 8 tablets. if you can wait i would.

 

[EliteRetard]

Thats like 6 months or more away (its just a prototype isnt it?), he kinda needs something now.

I figure all you couch surfers might have found something that works while laying back.

If Windows 8 works on ARM though, is there a chance that it could work on the Transformer Prime? If so, would it then be able to run MS Office?

 

[EliteRetard]

Hrm...searching for tablet laptop yeilds some results, but it seems either shitty atom units or stupid expensive thinkpad options. I really dont understand...

 

[robertdrumm]

Im not aware of any tablets out there that are going to be what you want. Window 8 is a big hope for people wanting the same thing you want. the next best thing i can think of is an ultraportable.

 

[robertdrumm]

but if you find one please let me know please.

 

[dagamer34]

Sadly, you aren't going to find any new hardware until Windows 8 is released, and then you're going to have tons of choices. But right now, nothing really hits the performance, price point, and form factor you need.

 

[EliteRetard]

And theres no reason for it...take an i5 Dell 14z and put a different hinge in it so the screen can flip back around. There are plenty of other small laptops that could make a simple change and be just what we need. Theres gotta be somebody out there with one.

The Asus Transformer prime is simply awesome with the detatchable keyboard dock/battery. Use it as a laptop while your sitting at a desk or making a presentation, then go tablet when your on the go or need to lay down. Right price and excellent form factor...they just need different hardware in it. I wouldn't even mind if it had a lower quality screen and was a bit bigger and heavier if it meant laptop parts and Windows 7.

But even if I cant get a detachable screen, why cant I find a flipable one? I guess the question should no change to, whats the best thin and light laptop 600-700$ for use while laying down?

 

[mikeford]

Couch / recliner laptop was what I was just shopping for and ended up getting a Lenovo X120e, which is small, but not too small even for my big XL hands. Paid $382 incl tax at Fry's for a E350 2GB 320GB Win7 home premium system. Only regret is Win7 home, its a little boned in what they turn off in features, but so far easy to work around them.

You can get stands where the legs go under the sofa and the laptop is held exactly however you want, looks like a big C from the side. Works for a regular PC and LCD screen as well.

 

[sm625]

I've pretty much given up on waiting for a decent windows tablet. They are just outrageously unbelievably expensive. Way way waaaay more than they should be. A sb celeron with more than enough power to meet my tablet needs only costs about $50 more than an atom. Examples are the celeron 797, 807UE, or even the new celeron 725C that just came out. Even though these parts would only drive the bill of materials up about $100 beyond the price of an atom tablet, no one does it.

One can only assume that there is some kind of conspiracy at work here. I dont know. It makes no sense to me. But I dont expect it to change any time soon. Intel has thrown away a $20 billion market and they dont seem to care too much...

Just look at the specs of a 725C. And the price. It makes no sense that no one is using these parts in their designs does it?

 

[N4n45h1]

I feel like your desires would pretty much be completely satisfied with the Asus Transformer Book.

One issue though... I'm not exactly sure when it will come out... the hardware is probably ready, but there's little chance of it being released before Windows 8...

Link

 

[podspi]

What exactly is your dad doing on the machine? If I am understanding you correctly, he has a 3ghz C2D laptop with 4gb of RAM that is too slow? Chances are it isn't too slow, it just has an I/O bottleneck.

Assuming your father isn't doing anything that requires a ton of storage space, buy an SSD for the laptop. This is pretty much risk-free because if it turns out the machine is STILL too slow, you can still use the SSD in the new machine If he needs lots of storage for media, just use a network drive.

Word of warning, if he's doing audio/video editing or some other heavy-duty task, it is going to be very difficult getting enough power in an ultraportable chassis. But for general productivity tasks (email, word, browsing the web) a 3ghz C2D should be fine if you feed it with fast storage (SSD) and pair it with enough RAM (which it sounds like you already have). Throw in a re-install of Windows and you should be good to go.

 

[evident]

lenovo x220?

 

[EliteRetard]

What exactly is your dad doing on the machine? If I am understanding you correctly, he has a 3ghz C2D laptop with 4gb of RAM that is too slow? Chances are it isn't too slow, it just has an I/O bottleneck.

Assuming your father isn't doing anything that requires a ton of storage space, buy an SSD for the laptop. This is pretty much risk-free because if it turns out the machine is STILL too slow, you can still use the SSD in the new machine If he needs lots of storage for media, just use a network drive.

Word of warning, if he's doing audio/video editing or some other heavy-duty task, it is going to be very difficult getting enough power in an ultraportable chassis. But for general productivity tasks (email, word, browsing the web) a 3ghz C2D should be fine if you feed it with fast storage (SSD) and pair it with enough RAM (which it sounds like you already have). Throw in a re-install of Windows and you should be good to go.

Those are desktops, his only laptop is a P4 based system with like a mobile ATI 9700 or something. It weighs like 12lbs. He uses pretty much all the office suite and runs a few websites and such, and also likes playing some less demanding games like Civ2/AC and some newer indie games and such. He loves leaving those games open so he can just switch back and forth. I was also thinking its a HDD issue...but was thinking that an i5 SNB/IVB would probably be faster than his 3GHz C2D desktop. Whatever we get though, really don't want anything slower.

I keep eyeballing the XPS 14z because of the 14" screen in the smaller chasis (and the low res should be fine). The price is low enough, and build quality seems above average. It even offers a GT520M but Im not sure if thats any better than the HD3000 (and requires complicated drivers and eats battery life). The problem is the regular HDD that can't be changed to SSD and the battery life aint that great and there is no way to swap batteries or replace them in a few years when the battery goes to crap.

Are there any other laptop options 1" or less thick and smaller than a 14" laptop in the price range Im looking at? Im having a hard time finding anything. You can't just search for ultrabook...

Anybody know how the GPU performance would compare to an ATI 3870? Thats the card he has currently (in the C2D system) and it seems to do OK for most of the games.

 

[EliteRetard]

lenovo x220?

Why the X220? The price ($900+) definately seems WAY to high for what it is...just a 12" notebook with an i5, unless Im missing something? Either way, I don't think the budget can go that far.

 

[evident]

Why the X220? The price ($900+) definately seems WAY to high for what it is...just a 12" notebook with an i5, unless Im missing something? Either way, I don't think the budget can go that far.

why? because it fits your exact needs that you wrote in the OP.

you can often find it on sale, especially now that the X230 is out.
I picked one up last year around this time for around $700 with the upgraded IPS screen and memory for my fiance. it's very light and portable, and well made. the battery life is great too. we get about 7-8 hours out of it.
she uses it on the couch and for looking at recipes when cooking food.

I really can't find any flaws with the thing and its way nicer than my consumer level sony vaio nehalem based laptop. my philosophy going forward for purchasing laptops is either go for the business level laptops or dont get one at all. every consumer level laptop i've had has had some kind of drawback or lack of support.

another option is asus zenbook, but that's out of your price range as well unless it goes on sale.

 

[Herr Kutz]

A Dell Vostro v131 can be had with full voltage sandy bridge processors for as low as ~$400 in the dell outlet.

http://outlet.us.dell.com/ARBOnline...x?c=us&cs=28&l=en&s=dfb&brandid=2801&fid=8585

A few reviews:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/5025/dell-vostro-v131-a-lesser-business-laptop-for-less
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Dell-Vostro-V131-Notebook.60602.0.html
http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=6293&review+dell+vostro+v131+business+laptop

 

[Tom]

I bought a Samsung Series 3 when it was on sale at Staples for $350; its very light and has an i3 cpu.

http://www.cnet.com/laptops/samsung-series-3-np300u1a/4505-3121_7-35001907.html

Battery life isnt great but otherwise it might fit the bill.

 

[EliteRetard]

That V131 looks like another good option with a full power i5.

What the hell, since when did Dell become so great and mighty? So far the only two options that look to work are from them.

MAYBE an X220 if I can actually find one under $700.

 

[N4n45h1]

I recommended a v131 with i5 to a friend and it's great. He put in an SSD and there's definitely nothing office suite related it cannot do. Also, battery life and build quality are pretty good. I think my friend may have dented a part of the metal exterior, but other than that, he hasn't run into any issues.

 

[robertdrumm]

I found a company that has a large selection of tablets. They are more geared toward business use but they might be what your looking for. Box Technologies under mobile. Im not sure if they are a good brand but you could look into it.

 

[EliteRetard]

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2251919

So much for my order with Dell...wont be reccomending them to my dad.

 

[EliteRetard]

I think he will just end up getting a crappy generic 14" unit for $500 or something. See how it goes and play the waiting game for something more reasonable to come out.

 

[Fayd]

Why the X220? The price ($900+) definately seems WAY to high for what it is...just a 12" notebook with an i5, unless Im missing something? Either way, I don't think the budget can go that far.

the x220 tablet has a screen that will rotate around and fold flat, making it exactly what you want. a 12" tablet/notebook with an i5.

 

[EliteRetard]

I didnt realize it had a flip screen...still, finding the right price isn't easy. Ill keep an eye out as long as I can.

You sure it can flip? It really doesn't look like it.

Thanks for the input everybody.