Looking for a new ultra portable laptop/notebook

kfactor1119

Honorable
May 5, 2012
5
0
10,510
I am looking for an exceptionally portable laptop in the $500 to $700 range. It will be used mostly for school work I do not expect to need it for intense gaming. I would prefer a 13-14" screen tops, a fast i3 or standard i5 processor, solid state if possible, and good battery life. Here is one for example that really pushes the price range, I wouldn't buy anything over this price:

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Series-NP530U3B-A02US-13-3-Inch-Ultrabook/dp/B006KYY0CY/ref=sr_1_18?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1336245911&sr=1-18

What can the community recommend? For one, I have never purchased a samsung laptop before, perhaps there is a review on their quality in the computer sector? Thanks for any help, it's appreciated.

P.S. I've extensively examined Asus' laptop line-up but nothing has really'clicked' for me, and a friend says that 'Acer' is a garbage brand, however I do own a monitor from them and it has been mostly perfect.

P.S.S. Should I really just wait until the ivy bridge line of ultrabooks and laptops is released early this June?
 
Solution
Besides the dual core Ivy Bridge standard and ULV notebooks and ultrabooks showing up in June - we should know shortly after May 15th if the new Trinity APUs are going to be serious contender for you as well.

There's talk about Trinity finding a place in some thin and light models.
Laptops with AMD's 'Trinity' chips coming this quarter
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9226404/Laptops_with_AMD_39_s_39_Trinity_39_chips_coming_this_quarter
The goal with Trinity is to reach "mainstream price points" and a wider range of customers, Read said. AMD has said it will push Trinity chips into ultrathin laptops starting at $500.

kfactor1119

Honorable
May 5, 2012
5
0
10,510
1. Budget?-- $750, prefer to go below that into the $600 range

2. Size of the notebook?-- 13" screen is ideal

3. Screen resolution?-- None specifically, not anything really low but nothing that will require a substantial GPU.

4. Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop?-- This needs to be extremely portable.

5. Battery life?-- At least 6 or 7 hours would be quite lovely.

6. Play games?-- Games will not be the priority of this laptop. I have a desktop for that (although maybe tribes ascend or minecraft, but again not priority).

7. Other tasks?-- Probably a lot of word processing, video watching and web browsing.

8. How much storage (Hard Drive capacity) do you need?-- 128GB solid state would be fresh, but if that adds to the cost too much then I will pass.

9. Specific sites.-- Amazon, newegg.

10. How long do you want to keep your laptop?-- Try my best to make it go for 4 years, smart enough to wipe it if it gets slow and stuff.

11. What kind of Optical drive?-- None, obsolete.

12. Brands that you prefer.-- I've been looking at many Asus branded laptops, as I have a netbook from them (it's falling apart though only a year old, but cheap) nothing has really clicked for a good price. I found a samsung I will post below, but I dunno about their current market reputation. I have been told to stay away from Acer, unknown if the validity of that statement is correct as I have a very functional monitor from them. I don't care for Dell or HP or whatever they are far too pricey without a cause (but so are many laptops I think)

13. What country do you live in?-- 'Merica

14. Please tell us any additional information if needed.-- Here's the link to the samsung that I found, most I'd pay for one of these also:
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Series-NP530U3B-A02US-13-3-Inch-Ultrabook/dp/B006KYY0CY/ref=sr_1_18?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1336245911&sr=1-18
 
An alternative to the Samsung:
ASUS U31SG-DS31 ~$639
Core i3-2350M 2.30 GHz CPU, 4GB RAM, 750GB 5400rpm HDD, 13.3" 1366x768 LCD w/ Geforce 610M graphics.
8 Cells (5600 mAh) Smart Lithium-Ion Battery Pack for extended battery life.
3.74 lbs, Asus 2-year warranty plus 1yr accidental damage protection.

SSD upgrade option available - starts about $137 for 120GB.
 
If you can wait, then wait.

The release of Ivy Bridge laptops will probably cause prices of current Sandy Bridge laptops to drop a little further to clear out inventory. But more importantly, it will give you more options to choose from which could be a good or bad thing 'cause it can add to confusion.
 
Besides the dual core Ivy Bridge standard and ULV notebooks and ultrabooks showing up in June - we should know shortly after May 15th if the new Trinity APUs are going to be serious contender for you as well.

There's talk about Trinity finding a place in some thin and light models.
Laptops with AMD's 'Trinity' chips coming this quarter
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9226404/Laptops_with_AMD_39_s_39_Trinity_39_chips_coming_this_quarter
The goal with Trinity is to reach "mainstream price points" and a wider range of customers, Read said. AMD has said it will push Trinity chips into ultrathin laptops starting at $500.
 
Solution