Need help finding the perfect laptop before Black Friday

Michigan Tech

Commendable
Jul 18, 2016
17
0
1,560
Hello. First off let me say Happy Thanksgiving!

Anyhow.. here's my issue:

I need a laptop for some AutoCAD-to-go. I cannot find anything that will suite my needs which include:

-i7 quad/dual core
-skylake
-under 3 pounds
-13" screen or less

Easy right? Well here's a catch -- money is an issue, and I need this laptop to see through for at least 5 years... so upgrade ability is a must. Not just ram and storage, but the whole deal. Dedicated graphics is okay, as AutoCAD doesn't need it, and I do not plan on gaming.

Does this even exist? If so does anyone have any suggestions? In a perfect world this will be under $1000

Thank you so much, I cannot express my gratitude. Have a lovely day and an even better tomorrow.
 
Solution


A Skylake...


A Skylake i7 in a 13.3" frame? And stay with you for "at least 5 years"? And "the whole deal" must be upgradable? My dear friend, you're not searching for a laptop - you're hunting for a unicorn!

My instinct says ThinkPad, but I haven't been able to find one under $1,000. The closest I can get to your technical specs is this 12.5" X260:
http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/x-series/x260/?menu-id=thinkpad_x260

But at $1,319 this dual-core Skylake i7 version puts you way past your price range. If you can settle for a Skylake i5, the price drops to $976. Weight is 2,9lbs and battery life is listed at "up to 21 hours".

After Lenovo took over the ThinkPad brand from IBM, even ThinkPads are now "segmented" in terms of quality and upgradability, i.e. lower-tier models will not necessarily exhibit the same (legendary) qualities as the upper-tier models, such as the T and P series. Still, an X260 should see you through the next 5 years without problems, but Lenovo may have dispensed with some upgradability options because of the small frame.

Best of luck, and Happy Thanksgiving to you, too.
GreyCatz.
 
Solution