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Seeking ultrabook suggestions

wyndslash

wyndslash

Android Expert
Or any form of laptop, I guess. There are so many out that it's hard to just rely on reviews. I would like to hear from actual users. Ultrabooks are very appealing to be, but they seem to be rather pricey.

My use case for a new laptop would be for the usual document needs, multimedia, Skype (for doing online tutoring), and to last a few years. I'd love a decent display and a bigger screen.

I don't mind investing in a really good one if it can last me for some time. I'm also not sure about Windows 8, but it seems that I can load linux if I can find a decent tutorial.
 
I forgot to include that I also do a bit of light onlone gaming. Namely neopets. Some of the features have become rather flash intensive.
 
Another alternative is to get a chromebook and install ubuntu so I can still use skype on it. I just wonder how reliable that is and which chromebook to get for best performance for linux.
 
If you need Skype and you go with a Chromebook, you will need to install some other Linux alongside (most likely ChrUbuntu)
 
My missus really likes her Mac Air - but then, it's a work machine so she didn't have to pay for it :rolleyes: Have to reluctantly admit that it is super light. Of course, it's a Mac and I'm an IT pro so it would be completely useless to me ..

Sounds to me like your requirements are relatively modest (apart maybe from the gaming) so I'm pretty sure any laptop from a reasonable brand would easily cope.
 
I bought an "old" Toshiba R600 "ultrabook" off craigslist for less than $100, installed Win7, then Linux Mint and have been absolutely loving it. I don't do any gaming, but even this old laptop keeps up with the load I do put on it (mostly streaming netflix/pandora and school work) quite well.
I am currently considering buying one of the cheapy knock-offs from ********** for $50 just to see what happens.
I like the method of looking to see what is available in your area and in your price range, narrow it down to less than 6 or 7 of them with feature sets you want, then start looking at as many reviews for each one you can and pick the best from that lot.

Good luck!
 
It's not an mmorpg. Just an online pets site :D

I'm mostly thinking of my budget...my other option is the new nexus 10 (when it's released) but I don't know how acceptable that would be for work.
 
wyndslash said:
It's not an mmorpg. Just an online pets site :D

I'm mostly thinking of my budget...my other option is the new nexus 10 (when it's released) but I don't know how acceptable that would be for work.
Click to expand...

Oh, I wish I could have all the Nexus tablets.
What do you need for work exactly?
 
wyndslash said:
It's not an mmorpg. Just an online pets site :D
Click to expand...
The games at neopets.com work fine for me on my Chromebook (which is running Kubuntu):

neopets.png
 
wyndslash said:
Can you dual boot linux? I don't plan to use it unless I need to use skype
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As sf said, dual booting is quite annoying. At least in my opinion! :)

You'll already be running Linux, since that's what ChromeOS is. But I understand what you're asking, i.e., Kubuntu (or Ubuntu) alongside Chrome. I personally can't think of any reason to use ChromeOS. I mean, to me, it just makes better sense to install Kubuntu and be done with it. With C you're basically stuck using Google's apps, logging in with Google's account info (gmail), using and storing things on Google's servers, etc. With K you can install whatever you want, store it wherever you want, log in with whatever username you want, customize the living daylights out of it, etc., and not have Google KNOW everything you're doing.

Don't be afraid of installing Kubuntu. It's not a big deal--and if you should irrevocably screw things up, we'll help you put it all back to ground zero so you can start fresh.
 
There are a few considerations:

Gaming. Are you certain that you'll never want to use the device for more intensive gaming? If the possibility exists, I'd make sure I could boot (or run) Windows. That's still the best OS for gaming.

Dual booting. Not really a problem with the number of virtual environments available. Boot to Linux and have VM available, set up to tun Windows, Android, different Linux distros, etc. You can get a powerful enough laptop these days to run an OS in a VM as well as it ran natively only a few years ago.

Price and quality. Chromebook? I haven't spent much time on one, but they seem pretty cheaply built to me. I still opt for ASUS, ACER and, if and when Gateway comes out with a good one, theirs. (The last good one they came out with was the 7811, so they may have fallen back into the "any crap for a profit" mode again.)

Windows? I can handle 8, run as 7. Desktop boot, Start menu, etc., unless it has a touch screen. Running 8 in 8 mode seems to be geared to touch, not mouse. (But then it took 3 years for them to drag me, kicking and screaming, from DOS to Windows back in the day. If it's not broken, I can't see "fixing" it, and Windows 7 wasn't broken for mice.)

Linux? Your favorite distro. Android? Now available for laptops, so that's not a problem, although it'll probably be a while before we see a KitKat iso. I won't mention the Mac, but those who know, know.

So until they come out with a self-aware OS, I'd opt for hardware that can run all current software and choose which ones to install. But I'd want a fast multi-core CPU, a good GPU and at least 2 drive bays. And preferably modular construction - everything plugged into a backplane, so it can be replaced if it goes bad and upgraded at least for a while. No on-board grphics "card" that'll become obsolete the day before they start shipping it.
 
Have a look at es-corporate laptops. Any recent(ish) ex-corporate laptop is more than adequate for your needs. just zap Windows with your choice of Linux Distro and you're good to go. I'm running PCLinuxOS LXDE on my ex-corporate HP Probook and it handles Neopets just fine (I'm a very casual gamer).
 
I'm using samsung series 5 ultrabook and it is amazing. It is superlight and can handle gaming well. The specs and pictures of it are in the attachments. I quite like windows 8. You get used to it fast. I haven't yet upgraded it to windows 8,1 because the feedback from people who have upgraded wasn't great. If any of you have a different experience let me know.
2013-11-10 14.23.05.jpg

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2013-11-10 14.24.15.jpg

Capture.JPG
 
Now that I've had my Chromebook for a month, I definitely give it a big :thumb:

If you're looking for an ultra-portable, small laptop, it's a terrific choice. Mine is an Acer, and I haven't seen ChromeOS since shortly after I got it; Kubuntu 13.04 runs great on it.

One of my concerns before I bought a Chromebook was quality--or lack thereof. I was worried they'd look/feel/be cheap. But the Acer doesn't seem that way at all. Of course, time will tell, but right now I'm very pleased with it and definitely recommend it.
 
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