Why is it so hard to find a good laptop?

[Kroze]

define exceptional?

surface pro 2 meets most that.

7+ hours of real world battery life. My Lenovo T410 advertise a ridiculous battery life, best I can get is about 2:45 with the 6 cell and 4:30 with the 9 cell.

I realized this 3 years ago and bought a MBA, you simply cannot find comparable PC machines at any price.

I may have to go with the Macbook pro, I just wanted to make sure there's a Laptop that I'm missing out on & cheaper than the MBP

Where do you go to find a bad laptop, they are portable limited function, deal with it.

Huh? I don't think that's what i'm asking.

 

[Kroze]

Bootcamp?

I heard running MBP with bootcamp cut at least 2 hours of battery life. I guess the Windows OS isn't as efficient at managing power.

 

[Kroze]

Apple does have some of the best laptops with exceptional battery life and build quality. You've gotta check their refurb store. Here's exactly what the OP is looking for for $1099
http://store.apple.com/us/product/FE...retina-display

Refurbished Macs direct from Apple come with the same warranty as the new ones, and are usually just as good.

Don't forget you can also run Windows on them natively using Bootcamp.

Have you bought a refurbished one? I'm just afraid that a used one would have scratches/nicks on it. And it's only $100 cheaper than a brand new one (after discounting the educational discount)

 

[HeXen]

I heard running MBP with bootcamp cut at least 2 hours of battery life. I guess the Windows OS isn't as efficient at managing power.

with Windows 8? I'd be curious to know how the comparisons was performed and what was running in the background.

 

[sze5003]

Have you looked at the Dell xps 15? I had one couple years back and it lasted a while. Screen was nice and performance was too. But I dont think you can compare the Mac battery life.

 

[Kroze]

with Windows 8? I'd be curious to know how the comparisons was performed and what was running in the background.

http://www.zdnet.com/the-other-hidden-cost-of-running-windows-on-a-mac-battery-life-7000000906/

A quick google search and it shows a lot of people have the exact same issue of battery life being killed with windows installed.

 

[khha4113]

http://www.zdnet.com/the-other-hidden-cost-of-running-windows-on-a-mac-battery-life-7000000906/

A quick google search and it shows a lot of people have the exact same issue of battery life being killed with windows installed.

There is a reason for that if you read the comments from your link.

 

[r0n]

I used MacBook pro 2009 model for a few years but I moved back to thinkpad line, have a T430s now. I miss the battery life but nothing else MacBook was too slippery for my hands I was always sacred that I was going to drop it. It was nerve wreaking, I hated the texture less metallic feel. My finger tips would feel icky opening it up. Now I do carry an extra battery but I don't mind at all.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I'm happy with my Acer V5-131. It's an IB Celeron 1007U, 4GB RAM, and a 500GB HDD, which I replaced with an X25-M G2 SSD. With the SSD, and a fresh install of Windows 7 SP1, I get nearly 8 hours of battery life, web browsing. Less when I'm on Skype (but still a good 5+ hours, pretty sure)

Edit: Shipped from Newegg, it was ~$350. Came with a six-cell battery, which protrudes from the bottom like a stand.

I give Acer credit for including the 6-cell, and bucking the trend of "thin and light". Not that it isn't fairly lightweight, or thin, it is. But the protruding battery means it's no "Ultrabook".

 

[saratoga172]

Problem (or benefit) is that Apple did a lot of optimizing within OS X for the Haswell proc. The os was already pretty well optimized for battery and they increased it a lot.

Rumor was Windows 8.1 was supposed to have some Haswell optimizations but don't think they completely panned out. Windows isn't optimized to run on a Mac.

 

[AViking]

I'm in the market. Wouldn't mind if we actually had a thread comparing all the ultrabook and macbook equivalents. When someone says they're getting less than 3 hours on a charge that really concerns me and it might be good to have a thread with some real world experience for Thinkpads, ATIV book 9 plus, Yoga Pro 2 and more.

Macs look like the best but I really want to buy a PC.

 

[saratoga172]

I've got a think pad t430 for work. Get 5-6 hours average of work use on it. I've gotten upwards of 7-8 before but not always. Specs in sig. It's got the standard battery that ships with it. Only downside is it has the 1366x768 screen

 

[sze5003]

I'm in the market. Wouldn't mind if we actually had a thread comparing all the ultrabook and macbook equivalents. When someone says they're getting less than 3 hours on a charge that really concerns me and it might be good to have a thread with some real world experience for Thinkpads, ATIV book 9 plus, Yoga Pro 2 and more.

Macs look like the best but I really want to buy a PC.

That would be a good idea. I'm also looking for something to keep around the house and use when I'm looking stuff up or helping someone when there is a computer problem. I only have a desktop now and it's mainly for games and some work.

Hp has a really thin ultrabook too, so does Sony but those are pretty much the same price as a macbook if not more.

 

[AViking]

I need something but to pay through the nose for an ultrabook with 4 hours of battery life that's half the speed of my 2500K bothers me. I'm going to have to suck it up but I can't get a laptop with shitty battery performance. I'm going to be using it while travelling and it's no fun to have a dead battery after 1.5 movies or dead at your destination.

 

[sze5003]

Post any links you find. I've been putting off looking for a laptop for a while now just because it's as annoying as shopping for a new car.

I had a 15 inch macbook couple of years ago. Great for around the apartment and some web development. But I had to sell it to help a family member with some college courses. I think I paid nearly $1400 for it, maybe a little more with the Apple care plan. I drove down to the Apple store in Delaware to buy it. I believe I sold it for $1350 almost a year later.

 

[frozentundra123456]

I used to think Macs were grossly overpriced, but not really anymore. The only problem is if you want to run boot camp, you lose battery life and need a windows license. I agree with a previous poster that windows laptops are very confusingly equipped/marketed. It is even more confusing now that there are convertibles and detachables to deal with. And nearly all of them have some design mis-step.

I went to best buy the other day to see what was available and left totally confused. The only device I left really impressed with was the surface pro with a keyboard, and some of the 8 inch tablets. Unfortunately they did not have the Asus T-100. The convertible laptops sound great, but most of them don't really work that well as a tablet. The HP split seems like the ideal concept, but the one they had was a 13 inch with an inefficient amd processor for 600 bucks. And you would need arms like a pro wrestler to hold the 13 inch screen in one hand for tablet mode.

 

[khha4113]

I'm in the market. Wouldn't mind if we actually had a thread comparing all the ultrabook and macbook equivalents. When someone says they're getting less than 3 hours on a charge that really concerns me and it might be good to have a thread with some real world experience for Thinkpads, ATIV book 9 plus, Yoga Pro 2 and more.

Macs look like the best but I really want to buy a PC.

HP Spectre 13T-3000. I got average 8 hrs. I bought it for $1200 (with $300 off coupon) almost two months ago.
Intel Haswell I7-4500U with Win 8.1 Pro
8 GB DDR3-1600
256GB Sandisk SSD
13.3" 2560x1440 QHD Touch screen
802.11 AC WLAN and Bluetooth
2 USB 3.0, SD card Reader, Full size HDMI and mini Display port
51Wh 4-cell battery
It has premium built and sturdy as well as fast and responsive.
I was kind surprised to see how well it was built, and it came with no bloatwares (unless you call some HP programs like Update services).
For its base model it's priced $999 with I5-4200U, 4GB RAM, 128GB SSD, 1920x1080 HD Touch screen and Win 8.1

Only .59" thick and 3.3lb weight.

 

[TheThirdMan]

I'm sort of in the same boat. It might be worth checking out dell's new XPS 15:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2082260/dell-xps-15-review-a-practically-perfect-laptop.html

It's almost as expensive as the equivalent macbook pros (at least in the UK) but has higher res screen. It has a similar SSD-only/no optical drive setup and are as light, with carbon fiber base.

 

[r0n]

I've got a think pad t430 for work. Get 5-6 hours average of work use on it. I've gotten upwards of 7-8 before but not always. Specs in sig. It's got the standard battery that ships with it. Only downside is it has the 1366x768 screen

You can change the screen. A new OEM 1600x900 screen will cost your around $70.00. Google 'how to install new screen on T430 video'

Here are some resources

http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Replacing_T430_screen_with_a_better_one

https://www.laptopscreen.com/English/model/IBM-Lenovo/THINKPAD T430 SERIES/

 

[TwiceOver]

That spectre looks nice.

For $2200 that Dell better come with a sexual favors contract.

 

[saratoga172]

You can change the screen. A new OEM 1600x900 screen will cost your around $70.00. Google 'how to install new screen on T430 video'

Here are some resources

http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Replacing_T430_screen_with_a_better_one

https://www.laptopscreen.com/English/model/IBM-Lenovo/THINKPAD T430 SERIES/

Wasn't aware they were that cheap. Thanks. However since it's a work laptop in not inclined to put anything into it. I connect it to a Dell U2713h at the office so res at work isn't a big deal. Plus I'll have to turn in the system at some point. I order most new systems but didn't get to order this one. Sigh. Become one of my favorites.

 

[tfinch2]

Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro is $949 at Best Buy. 13.3" at 3200x1800 resolution. You can get the i7/8GB RAM/256GB SSD one for $1200.

 

[HeXen]

I'm in the market. Wouldn't mind if we actually had a thread comparing all the ultrabook and macbook equivalents. When someone says they're getting less than 3 hours on a charge that really concerns me and it might be good to have a thread with some real world experience for Thinkpads, ATIV book 9 plus, Yoga Pro 2 and more.

Macs look like the best but I really want to buy a PC.

PCWorld has had some comparisons to MBP and Consumer Reports has some excellent graph comparisons.

 

[khha4113]

Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro is $949 at Best Buy. 13.3" at 3200x1800 resolution. You can get the i7/8GB RAM/256GB SSD one for $1200.

It's one of the nice built 2-in-1 laptops, but its battery life is mediocre. I had one last Thanksgiving (i7, 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD), and I could only get about 4-6 hours at best. Used for 2 weeks before its screen broke down (no power). I wanted to exchange but BB didn't have any in stock at that time, so I returned it and got HP Spectre instead.

 

[FwFred]

Using the MacBook Pro as a benchmark, I can't find a single laptop PC that can compare without costing the same as or more than the MacBook Pro 13.3" ($1300).

People who are looking at high end laptops understand that Apples are generally pretty fairly priced. That being said, I'm not sure you'd really notice the difference between a 15W haswell and a 28W haswell unless you game. Turbo on the 15W i7 is pretty good.

At 15W, there are many decent options out there. My Yoga 2 Pro won't get the battery life you are looking for, but it's considerable cheaper (always some sale going on) than the Macbook Pro.