Best value light weight and thin quad core i7 laptop?

lemon07r

Distinguished
Mar 11, 2010
8
0
18,510
So I've spent some time researching and looking for a laptop that fits my criteria.

1. I'd like a quad core 6th gen i7 or i5 at least, so no ultra book sku cpus like the 7500u found in the razer blade stealth.
2. I'm looking for best in class thinness and weight, so I'm not trying to find the nonexistent ultra book thin quad core laptop. Just something thinner and lighter then most laptops.
3. Screen size and resolution isn't important to me, as long as it's bigger then 12 inches I'm happy. If the resolution is 1080p, I'm happy. Touch screen is a big plus for me, so are transformers/2in1s.
4. Hopefully decent battery and build quality.
5. I don't care about GPU, I'm doing light gaming at most like league of legends, etc. I'll be using this for university, a bit of programming, watching movies and such. iGpu is adequate enough.
6. I have no set budget, I'm looking for the best bang for the buck so cheaper is much much preferable but if it's really worth it I can shell out more.
7. I'm buying from Canada, so needs to be available here, and only pricing of what's available to me is really relevant.
8. Ram doesn't matter to me, unless it's soldered, in that case I want 16gb+. Same thing with hard drive, if it can't be swapped out, I'd prefer a 512gb+ SSD, otherwise I don't care what hard drive or ram is in there.

I haven't really found exactly what I'm looking for yet because most of my research just turned up ultrabooks (which aren't powerful enough for my needs), and thin gaming laptops like the razer blade, msi phantom, gigabyte, aero, etc. While these are good laptops, they are expensive. I don't want to pay premium for something I don't need, namely those beefy descrete gpus.

I'm hoping someone here can sell me on a good laptop! All input, opinion, suggestions, etc are welcomed and much appreciated.
 
Solution


XPS is a bit of a premium brand, but your requirements lead to high end systems. Thin with a quad core i7 is not a basic use laptop. http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=-1&IsNodeId=1&Description=i7%206700HQ&bop=And&Order=PRICE&PageSize=36

This one looks like a thin quad core i7, no gaming video card...

CelicaGT

Honorable
Jul 22, 2013
89
0
10,610
I would suggest researching he Dell XPS series, first glance shows it meets most of your requirements. The RAM seems like it may be only available in 8 gig configs however...
 

lemon07r

Distinguished
Mar 11, 2010
8
0
18,510
They seemed a bit overpriced for what you get at just a quick glance, but definitely going to take a closer look after work. I do like that they can be financed in monthly payments if ordered from their site.
 

Purpletalon55

Respectable
Apr 2, 2016
463
0
2,210
Lemon, dell's financing is crap, they dont approve like anyone. Dells are expensive I recommend you contact the dell outlet and talk to a sales agent they can negotiate and find the best laptop for you. I got av $1749 gaming laptop for $1100. Just give them a chance, it's text based chat.
 

CelicaGT

Honorable
Jul 22, 2013
89
0
10,610


This here, sadly I can't order from the Outlet here. And the real issue with Dell financing is the interest rate, and the difficulty making extra payments. I swear they will finance anyone, at least here in Canada.

 

Purpletalon55

Respectable
Apr 2, 2016
463
0
2,210


i tried and got declined, made me so mad, but i got a good deal on my unit. Outlet is great for those who can get a laptop from them. I know dell has a center in canada cannot see why you couldnt order from the outlet. I was using a vpn so they thought i was canadian long story, but they still let me order.
 

lemon07r

Distinguished
Mar 11, 2010
8
0
18,510
So after long talks with the chat person, they told me they could only discount the precision and latitude laptops, which are way more expensive then any XPS. Did I just get unlucky, or is this a Canadian Dell thing? The XPS 15 would be perfect for me. The exact thing I was looking for, but it's quite expensive, especially compared to similar spec laptops from other brands.
 


XPS is a bit of a premium brand, but your requirements lead to high end systems. Thin with a quad core i7 is not a basic use laptop. http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=-1&IsNodeId=1&Description=i7%206700HQ&bop=And&Order=PRICE&PageSize=36

This one looks like a thin quad core i7, no gaming video card http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA9JJ3VB1745&cm_re=i7_6700HQ-_-9SIA9JJ3VB1745-_-Product
 
Solution

orlbuckeye

Distinguished


I got Dell financing and they have interest free if paid off in I believe 18 months. Also basically every thin and light laptop, 2-in-1 (convertible) are going to have the Intel U processor. This and light is design for energy efficiency while big and heavy are designed for power.

 

CelicaGT

Honorable
Jul 22, 2013
89
0
10,610


TBH it was a few years back I used it (before the market crash). Good to hear they have better options now. As far as thin and light, there are quads available, though as noted by others these are typically pricey high end desktop replacements (thin and light being subjective). Otherwise it's the neutered dual core "U" series (bleh).