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I've been looking for a new laptop recently, but I can't seem to find a good. My primary concerns are: - not to have open it up and clean from dust. That's wh
by Keyframe 10y ago
I've been looking for a new laptop recently, but I can't seem to find a good.
My primary concerns are:
- not to have open it up and clean from dust. That's what all of my laptops, except Air, suffered from. They get dust inside and then get hot and loud. I move around a lot and it's inevitable. I don't want noise and I want as little heat as possible.
- Multitouch Trackpad like on Macbook Air. It's wonderful!
- Long battery life with moderate to high power cpu.
- Great 13" monitor that you can see what's going on in direct sunlight.
- As much as possible of internal fast storage.
- Lots of RAM.
- Great typing experience. I'm fine with chiklet on Air. It's just fine. I write a lot, more than typical programmers - treatments, instructions, screenplays on a daily basis.
Currently, only Air fits the bill, but it's getting old.
So, a high(er)-powered Air 13" with longer battery life and more RAM and disk space and better screen with updated CPU and graphics would be great. I haven't found one. I don't care which OS it runs. They're all the same these days.
- johnloeber 10y agoYour criteria appear to be "I want the best possible for every component." The issue here is that there are trade-offs involved: e.g. a high-powered CPU will drain your battery life. With your criteria, only the Lenovo X Carbon series comes to mind. (Maybe the Dell XPS series?)
- HaseebR7 10y agoI'm pretty sure the new MPB fits the criteria.
- Keyframe 10y agoYour criteria appear to be "I want the best possible for every component." That and that it's compact (13") and lightweight and that it makes coffee! I know, but that's what I want. As for high-powered CPU, I would be OK with some super-duper i5 mobile or something. i7 is not a must. Also, I was under the impression that CPUs, these days, do not drain battery more than low-powered one if you're not hitting the gas pedal?
- naspinski 10y agoRazerblade Stealth? http://www.theultimateultrabook.com/ http://www.theultimateultrabook.com/
- Keyframe 10y agoThis looks interesting. I'll have to check out battery life.
- razed_in_blecch 10y agoTerrible suggestion. Razer's products do not remotely meet the fit and finish of Apple's products. I'm typing on a Razer Blade Stealth right now that I've had since February and it is already falling apart, with most of the screws on the bottom plate falling off and a trackpad that constantly sticks. The fans buzz and brush against their metal grills often enough that you have to gently slap the side of the laptop to make it stop. I've also had its USB-C charger literally fall apart when the USB-C connector came off, which then had to be replaced in its entirety. The 2015 MacBook charger at least let you swap the cable, which was a lot more sane since it appears USB-C is fragile. After 10~ years of owning Apple laptops, this was a rude awakening of how bad it can be not buying one. I'm hoping moving to a Thinkpad next will not be a similar disaster. This is all ignoring the insanely bad support from the Razer Web store, which was probably the worst ordering experience I've ever had. Their support is so infamously bad, that even the fans on /r/razer usually defending the company beyond any sense of proportion will admit it is bad.
- dhruvrrp 10y agoIf it suffers from the the problems you mentioned, then consider getting it replaced. I've had a razer blade for 3 years now and never had issues related to build quality. The only problems I faced was getting the drivers for certain Linux distros.
- razed_in_blecch 10y agoHave you ever spoken to Razer's 'support'? Good luck with that! Not to mention, you don't have to look very far to see others with the same issues. Here's a sample from /r/razer. USB-C issues: https://www.reddit.com/r/razer/comments/4b6gj5/razer_blade_stealth_buyers_remorse/ https://www.reddit.com/r/razer/comments/4b6gj5/razer_blade_s... Screws falling out: https://www.reddit.com/r/razer/comments/3vq4pu/do_not_buy_a_blade_my_horror_story_long/ https://www.reddit.com/r/razer/comments/3vq4pu/do_not_buy_a_... Fans buzzing: https://www.reddit.com/r/razer/comments/4eoh15/razer_blade_stealth_buzzing_fan/ https://www.reddit.com/r/razer/comments/4eoh15/razer_blade_s... Sticking trackpad: https://www.reddit.com/r/razer/comments/4l1v00/razer_blade_stealth_3_days_in_broken_trackpad/ https://www.reddit.com/r/razer/comments/4l1v00/razer_blade_s... Various threads complaining about their support: https://www.reddit.com/r/razer/search?q=support&restrict_sr=on https://www.reddit.com/r/razer/search?q=support&restrict_sr=... Hope your Razer laptop never has a problem.
- ksk 10y agoWhy are you looking for a MB Air-replacement when you want a MB Air?
- burnitdown 10y agoNot everyone like osx
- doodpants 10y agoHaving Apple hardware doesn't mean that you need to run OS X.
- Keyframe 10y agoBecause I have an Air, albeit an older model and I want to get a new laptop. Buying a new Air doesn't make sense since it's outdated a bit and doesn't fit most of what I want.
- ksk 10y ago>Buying a new Air doesn't make sense since it's outdated a bit and doesn't fit most of what I want. Um, this is what _you_ said -- "Currently, only Air fits the bill, but it's getting old." Sorry, I still have no idea why are you're looking for a MB air replacement instead of upgrading to a newer model.
- 6stringmerc 10y agoI have met several former Macbook owners who swear by their MS Surface Pro units. Usually the Pro 3, not a lot of talk with people with 2s or 4s yet.
- Keyframe 10y agoDefinitely considering one, but I have yet to see one in person :/
- waiseristy 10y agoThey're great. The keycover leaves some to be desired, but if you're doing any serious typing just connect a bluetooth keyboard and mouse.
- overcast 10y agoIs a high powered CPU, and the fastest, most dense storage really that high of a priority for a mobile device? Your target should be portability, and battery life. Not something easily achieved with your list of requirements. Nothing you listed sounds particularly resource intensive.
- Keyframe 10y agoI work on film and television. My work consist of writing a lot (A LOT) of text and emails and spending a lot of time in Photoshop and Premiere. Sometimes even After Effects. Also, I'm mostly not around power outlets and am carrying the damn thing in my hands around. Air is really where it's the sweet spot for me - considering build and weight. I had several HP pro ones before (two different models), but they didn't really fit the bill. Too heavy and get hot and noisy real fast. Battery life was crap too. I really hate when laptops get noisy and hot due to dust (which I can't avoid and can't bother to clean often/at all). Air, for some weird reason seems to be mostly immune to dust. It's wonderful. Sure, it gets hot and a bit noisy after you push it, but it reverts to normal ops soon enough when you lay off the gas pedal. Not sure if it makes sense, but I presume anyone that manhandles laptop around a lot can relate those being important. I'd get a new MBA if there were a new one with updated specs and a better screen.
- overcast 10y agoYou're just expecting too much out of an ultra lightweight form factor. You can't get the power you request, out of a laptop designed for maximum portability.
- Keyframe 10y agoBut I did with MBA. I can write for a whole day, almost, edit videos and do fast compositing works on it all on the go. I would like an updated model, and there isn't one. If there isn't one by the end of the Autumn, I will get another manufacturer. Just looking for which. Surface Book seems to be the likely candidate.
- yareally 10y agoSurface Book perhaps? If you want similar build quality to Apple in a laptop, I can't think of much else comparable. I bought one a few months ago, been pretty happy with it so far. With two batteries in it (tablet and base) the battery life is outstanding (6 to 8 hours depending on what I'm doing). When connected, both batteries are used to power the laptop.
- bluthru 10y agoApple is rumored to release updated MacBook Pros at the September event. I would wait for that before making a decision.
- Tehnix 10y agoI would definitely also say wait for September. We at least know new CPUs are coming in, but there are also other nice rumors. Especially since you practically want a MBA again, just more updated (I myself am also waiting for the updates in September and have been for a while).
- acabal 10y agoI have a 2015 Razer Blade that I really like. I use it as a my daily Linux work computer and it runs Ubuntu great (with the caveat that I don't use sleep, hibernate, or the nvidia card; and the webcam doesn't work). Pros: - Almost unbeatable specs for the chassis size - 14" display, which seems to be getting rarer now, but I really appreciate the extra inch of screen space - High quality display, if you get a good IGZO panel. Some panels have color issues, but this seems to be common to all IGZO type panels--my Nexus 6 has the same issue. You can return it until you get a satisfactory panel. - Can dual boot to Windows and play modern games at high quality if that's your thing - Clean and simple chassis (excluding the silly bright green logo) - Excellent Linux compatibility - You can purchase an aftermarket SSD and upgrade it yourself if you're OK with voiding your warranty - Very nice trackpad with multitouch that even works in Linux. It has physical buttons which I personally prefer, and that's also getting harder to find Cons: - Absurdly expensive - Parts are proprietary so you have to mail the unit in for even the most basic repairs (changing the battery for example), and repairs are expensive - Matrix-green keyboard and logo color scheme is a little silly and might not look professional. I put a matte black round sticker over the lid logo which helps - A poster below mentioned screws falling out; I've noticed this with mine too. I think since the chassis is aluminum and is itself part of the system's heat sink, the heating and cooling expands it and gradually pushes the screws out. But pulling out your Torx screwdriver once every few months is enough to fix the issue Overall I very much like the machine and even moreso since it supports Linux without headaches.
- sprat101 10y agoWait, If sleep/hibernate, nvidia, and webcam don't work, how does it have good linux compatibility?
- acabal 10y agoYes, well, that's basically the story of laptop Linux unfortunately. I wish it were otherwise! In my experience "Linux compatible" always carries the "except for..." rider, and outside of old Thinkpads you're going to have a hard time finding otherwise. In this case the machine is excellent and compatibility could be much worse. Wifi, Bluetooth, multitouch trackpad, touchscreen, etc., all work out of the box. The Nvidia card might also, I just don't use it at all so I don't know.
- sandGorgon 10y agoI would seriously recommend the Dell Xps 13. It is the size of a 12 inch laptop because of zero bezels. Comes with easily replaceable nvme ssd (soldered 16 GB RAM though) and the integrated Intel 540 graphics helps me play Dota, Bioshock,etc easily... Superb Linux compatibility...and can be charged using the Dell companion battery pack !! And if I might add - excellent swag appeal.
- aclimatt 10y agoI've had the XPS 13 for a year and can't agree more. There is no other laptop out there other than maybe the MacBook that has its size, weight, and power profile. You won't be disappointed.