CVByrne Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 Right I need an ultrabook. I've no pc, just my old and no dying NC10 netbook. I'm using my brothers old laptop instead. So new computer needed and I think it needs to be an ultrabook. But which one Obviously the Zenbook is the one I'd want if money was no object. But I won't use it for anything other than web browsing and watching movies so do I need an i7 processor? the new Dell XPS 13 looks stunning and it's tiny for a 13inch screen. But man are the expensive. Then there is Toshibas Satellite Z830 either the 10U which is i5 or the 10T which is i3. They are cheaper £800 or £700 and unbelievably light 1.1kg compared to 1.4kg for the Zen and Dell. Maybe the Acer S5 which is out soon might be worth a look too. So wise people, give me some advice please. I dont need to rush to get one now, I hear there is new Ivy Bridge processors coming out soon which will make Ultrabooks cheaper? When will this be happening is it like end of year or next few months? Cheers for advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Rev Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 I havent been looking at individual models, nor do I think Ivybridge will make Ultrabooks cheaper. It will make them better though and its release is imminent. A lot of people say that Intel have been delaying its release until their surplus Sandybridge chips are all sold, but Ivybridge should be in new machines in the next month or two. Im not sure what kind of a grip Apple has on Ivybridge supply either, but I would wager they are getting a significant chunk of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tegis Posted March 31, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted March 31, 2012 I've ordered the Dell for a test at work. Will probably arrive next week. I'll post initial thoughts and comparison to the Air which is the only one I've used in the ultrabook segment Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
limpid Posted March 31, 2012 Administrator Share Posted March 31, 2012 Let us know how you get on with (k)ubuntu 12.04 on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CVByrne Posted March 31, 2012 Author Share Posted March 31, 2012 The Dell does look fantastic and they fit a 13inch into the size of an 11inch body. Exceelnt stuff, but it's a bit too pricy. Read a good review of someone who loaded up linux on the Toshiba 10U. The 10T for under £700 looks a good price to me, especially given it weighs only 1.1kg which is just unbelievable. I'm not up to date with the new processor tech. How long would and i3 and 3gb ram ultrabook last before it starts to slow? I'd be hoping for 18-24 months. I'd only be using it for ms word, excel and internet browsing plus watching movies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
limpid Posted March 31, 2012 Administrator Share Posted March 31, 2012 Change Word and excel for online equivalents and it'll last until the hardware falls apart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CVByrne Posted March 31, 2012 Author Share Posted March 31, 2012 Like google docs? Or Open office? Not used much else. I just like the idea of a 1.1kg 13.3 inch laptop. For a good price. now to find where to buy one, you have any suggested sites? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
limpid Posted March 31, 2012 Administrator Share Posted March 31, 2012 Open office (libre office) is not online. If you want a future-proof machine, assume that all you will need in the future is a browser. Everything will run in that. The chromebooks are a little expensive for what you get, but their like is the future Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CVByrne Posted March 31, 2012 Author Share Posted March 31, 2012 Yeah I know Open Office is not online, just was listing the only ones I've used, MS Open and Google. Yo're making me more confident to get the lower end i3 now. Any idea hwere would be good to buy one? cheers for the info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
limpid Posted March 31, 2012 Administrator Share Posted March 31, 2012 No idea at all, it's ages since I've looked at prices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tegis Posted March 31, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted March 31, 2012 Let us know how you get on with (k)ubuntu 12.04 on it. Will do Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PussEKatt Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 Your most important considerations should be the GFX card and the CPU that runs it.You could browse the web on an old 1990 PC but for watching movies you need a really good GFX card and like I said a CPU ( processor ) to run it. Having said that, as far as future proofing goes always buy the most powerfull PC that you can afford. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
limpid Posted April 1, 2012 Administrator Share Posted April 1, 2012 Why? With everything moving to online services, why is the "most powerful" important? You'd be better choosing based on the screen/keyboard you find best for you. You can't buy a laptop that can't display video in fullscreen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PussEKatt Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 Why? With everything moving to online services, why is the "most powerful" important? You'd be better choosing based on the screen/keyboard you find best for you. You can't buy a laptop that can't display video in fullscreen. Cause the more powerful a Pc is the longer it will stay future proofed, also he likes to watch movies and GFX take up more CPU and memory than anything else. Also as far as powerful goes you only have to look at PC games to see how that works.Look on the back of any game box and it tells you the minimum and recommended specs for that game.Compare that to any old game and you can see the difference.So as I said GFX and CPU power are what matters for futureproofing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Rev Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 I think you are missing the point of an ultrabook PussEKatt. If you want a gaming rig then build a desktop, an ultrabook is supposed to be a lightweight machine for web browsing, writing/office work and consuming media. Size and weight are the most important thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PussEKatt Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 I think you are missing the point of an ultrabook PussEKatt. If you want a gaming rig then build a desktop, an ultrabook is supposed to be a lightweight machine for web browsing, writing/office work and consuming media. Size and weight are the most important thing. You"r right,sorry. I only know about PC"s but when he said about watching movies I got a bit confused. :oops: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheDon Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 watching movies doesn't need a powerful graphics card. Hardware video decoding is cheap as hell and even the most basic system should have it these days. All of the latest low end graphics have hardware accelerated video. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
limpid Posted April 1, 2012 Administrator Share Posted April 1, 2012 Also, future gaming is probably going to look a lot like OnLive which means if you can stream video, you can play any game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheDon Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 I dunno about that. OnLive is quite laggy for twitch based gaming, and the quality of the video isn't really up to a high end system. I can't see them ever getting the latency down to the point where it feel as smooth as normal gaming does, not least because the broadband networks in this country are a joke when it comes to latency and jitter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Rev Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 OnLive and the likes are years away yet. Possibly decades before they are the norm. There are still far too many people in the USA (the market which drives all of this kind of stuff) who simply do not have internet connections good enough to cope. We still have another full console cycle to look forwards to. PC games will continue to be console conversions, interesting indie stuff and the occasional exclusive RTS or MMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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