Light laptop for uni use

Lasupre2541 on 14/05/2013 - 16:57

Hi all!

I'm just looking for a laptop for pretty much uni use. Will be my main/only computer, so i will use it for web browsing and for watching movies etc. No gaming at all, but will need to be able to run matlab and solidworks without lag.

Budget of around 500 preferable, up to 700.

  • Moderately powerful, able to multitask and handle programs such as matlab and solidworks easily.
  • 15 inch screen
  • lightweight and robust
  • SSD
  • at least 1 USB 3.0 port
  • Windows 7 preferably, tried out 8 and i just got confused

i tried researching but there are just so many different laptops that i just end up being confused. Not a computer kind of guy haha. i understand not all the above criteria can be achieved and of course i can compromise.

If anyone has any recommendations it would be great, or brands/places to avoid.

Many thanks!

Electrical & Electronics

Comments

  • FrederickHandel on 14/05/2013 - 17:04

    "Lightweight and robust" and "15 inch screen" don't usually go hand in hand in this budget, unless you are splurging for the 15" retina macbook pro. What is more important to you - the 15 inch screen, or the lightweight and robustness?

    • asupre2541 on 14/05/2013 - 17:17

      the lightweight and robustness is more important. thanks for reply

  • issh on 14/05/2013 - 18:51
    +1

    What state do you live in asuspre?

    From the description, an ultrabook seems like it would suit your needs
    Example
    http://www.computeralliance.com.au/asus-s500ca-cj010h-15.6-c…

  • scrimshaw on 14/05/2013 - 19:58
    +1

    Some ultrabooks from Flingshot:

    14 inch option (with touch screen and hybrid SSD with 500GB drive) $777 delivered
    http://flingshot.com.au/collections/computers-ultrabooks/pro…

    13 inch option (no touch, but it has Backlit keyboard and 128GB SSD) $760 delivered
    http://flingshot.com.au/collections/computers-ultrabooks/pro…

    Both of these options are very good, and the shipping is free. They are about $70 dollars over your budget though, but it's well worth considering.

    The other option I recommend is a Lenovo E330. directly from Lenovo web store. Still fairly lightweight at 1.9KG, but it's cheaper at $499 and it is possible to choose Windows 7 rather than Windows 8. The drawback about the E330 is that it's mostly plastic and won't have a premium feel to it, and it's also not as thin as a real ultrabook. With the Core i5 option this laptop should be able to run MATLAB and other engineering SW with no issues.

  • asupre2541 on 14/05/2013 - 20:11

    im in NSW. wow these look really good. might just consider 13" and under if will bring the price down. thanks guys!

  • indium on 14/05/2013 - 20:25
    +2

    Hi

    Don't know much about laptops but I am currently using this laptop for uni and it is light weight and runs really well with a decent battery life.

    $694 but pay cash and maybe get it cheaper, also $99 cashback from acer

    http://www.thegoodguys.com.au/buyonline/Acer_S3-391_Core_i5_…

    • Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 14/05/2013 - 22:31

      I have this model. Highly recommend, tho battery life is closer to 5 hours than 7 using wireless.

  • asupre2541 on 23/05/2013 - 14:57

    Thanks all. im thinking about the ultrabook MemE linked as well. Tried out some 13 inches and i guess i can get used to working with it.

    http://www.thegoodguys.com.au/buyonline/Acer_S3-391_Core_i5_…

    Thanks a lot everyone! really helped me out. Researching for a laptop is so hard especially when the model names are so long/similar.

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