13" or 15" Laptop without Optical Drive - Recommendations?

Lmarquise on 15/06/2011 - 20:39
Last edited 16/06/2011 - 11:11

Please help me find a suitable Windows 7 laptop for my dad, who will use it at home and work. He wants something fairly portable but still with decent speed. Hopefully can find something to purchase before EOFY.

Preferably Sandybridge processors, but will settle for previous generation (definitely don't want Core 2 Duos or AMD).
At least 4 GB RAM, HD space doesn't matter as much as he can use an external drive. Optical drive not needed, so it can be more portable. Preferably 15" screen, but may settle for 13". Has to be LED backlit (I think they all are now?). Budget is around $1200.

Thanks in advance for your recommendations/discussion.

Find Me A Bargain

Comments

  • evol on 15/06/2011 - 20:58

    You might want to look at the Lenovo clearance deals on Thinkpads: http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/46565

    They also have more models (both Sandy Bridge and previous generation Core i3/i5 processors) on clearance now on the Lenovo website.

    I ordered the Edge 13" Elite myself, very nice specs and very portable 1.74kg weight for the $485 price tag (with coupon).

    Thinkpads are also built slightly better than your average consumer laptop (eg. Acer, HP etc)

    • scotty on 15/06/2011 - 22:00
      +1

      Use MYTHINKPAD to get 10% off this weekend :) Gonna post that later this week but if you are looking for a cheap Edge 13, do wait for a few days…

      • marquise on 16/06/2011 - 07:30

        Thanks guys

      • marquise on 16/06/2011 - 07:58

        Do these codes only work on weekends? I've tried all the recent ones on the Edge and they don't seem to work?

        • scotty on 16/06/2011 - 09:06

          MYTHINKPAD is for this weekend only (18-19 June).

    • marquise on 16/06/2011 - 11:56

      Close! But I want a compact, not Compaq. =)

  • StewBalls on 16/06/2011 - 07:07

    Budget is around $1200

    Dude, there's some powerhouse machines within that budget…EOFY you should be able to hook up with i7/8gb/17" discrete GPU rocketships for that ATM! There's been a few on here of late IIRC! :)

    IMHO, nothing HP or Compaq…just my own bad direct & vicarious experiences with the reliability of the brand and numerous bad personal/professional dealings with HP Australia! ;)

    • marquise on 16/06/2011 - 07:31
      +1

      Yup, agree you get some powerful machines, but the selection starts getting limited when you want something slimmer, esp. in 14" or 15" size screen.

  • marquise on 16/06/2011 - 07:41

    OK, so far I have identified a couple that appeal to me:

    Lenovo Thinkpad Edge 13" Elite - ~$500

    Asus U36JC-SSH-RX106V 13" - $1397
    http://www.jbhifionline.com.au/computers-laptops/laptops/asu…

    Huge difference in price (though I'm sure the Asus can be acquired a bit cheaper). Is the price difference warranted? Can anyone identify a suitable model in between these two?
    Is there something like this with a 14 or 15" screen?

    • scotty on 16/06/2011 - 09:13

      Asus U36JC is definitely a much better notebook. It's lighter, uses a normal i5 processor (i.e. not slower ultralow voltage i3 like in Lenovo). Has dedicated graphics, whereas the Lenovo uses previous generate Intel discrete gfx which means you can forget about gaming on that.

      Btw you get U36JC cheaper elsewhere. Like Centrecom or OnlineComputer.

      Is there something like this with a 14 or 15" screen?

      Like the Asus or Lenovo?

      • marquise on 16/06/2011 - 09:45

        Cool thanks. Yup, is there a similar machine, i.e. no optical drive, but in a 14/15" screen?

        I think discrete gfx would be nice, but not a necessity.

      • marquise on 16/06/2011 - 10:03

        btw I hope the touchpad on this Asus is better than the ones on the other machines in their range. I have an eeepc and a recent Asus that I bought from Harvey Norman for $597 and I have to say the touchpads really suck. Sometimes the pointer moves to places you don't intend it to. Scrolling is not great either.

        • evol on 16/06/2011 - 17:42

          Thinkpad L series is also now on sale, L420 14" starting at $809.00 with coupon code 2DAYDEALS for Sandy Bridge i3 model, might want to check it out. The coupon gives 10% off orders >$800, 20% off orders >$1200.

          I played around with it, and for $1066 ($1333 before applying coupon code) you can get Sandy Bridge i5 2410M, 14in LED screen, 4gb ram, ATI HD565v discrete graphics, 500gb 7200rpm hdd, dvdrw drive, fingerprint reader, 720p webcam, 9 cell battery, bluetooth 3.0, win7 64bit.

          Won't be as light or thin as the U36JC, but the specs will be newer/better and slightly cheaper too.

  • marquise on 16/06/2011 - 18:06

    Thanks evol. Any idea if there are any stores in Melbourne where I can see one in person?

    • evol on 16/06/2011 - 21:05

      Not sure, use: http://dealerlocator.lenovoincentives.com/ to find a Lenovo reseller near you, but I doubt most of them stock a wide range of Thinkpads, they usually just sell the Ideapad's.

      IMO:
      U36JC (have a friend who has one):
      Pros: solid build quality (alloy construction), is very light and thin (1.6kg), very good battery life, has a HDMI port, discrete graphics, Asus support and warranty are fantastic from my experience.
      Cons: previous generation processor, pricey but nothing new since we get ripped for tech in Australia.

      Edge 13:
      Pros: small and light (1.75kg), decent/good battery life, Thinkpad build quality, great keyboard, HDMI port, superb price with the coupon, best specced laptop for $500 IMHO (usually you find Core2Duo ULV's or 12" netbooks with ION in this price range).
      Cons: not that fast a processor, previous generation processor, integrated graphics.

      L series: basically a better built and more business oriented version of your average $1000 HP pavilion laptop

      Both Asus and Lenovo make great laptops from my experience, so you can't go wrong with either. Of course there's other brands out there too so go read reviews, photos, youtube vids etc to find something that suits your needs best :)

      Oh and you might also want to consider buying your laptop from overseas where it's MUCH cheaper. Eg: B&H Photo Video sell the U36JC for USD$909, and ship to Australia for USD$80. Works out to around AUD$938 in total, which is a huge saving over local ripoff prices. Asus warranty is global too so it doesn't matter where you buy from.

      Sorry for long post! Just thought I'd share my research since I was looking for a laptop myself just 2 weeks ago :)

      Edit: Just remembered the Edge E420 line. Lightish (2.1kg) with 14in screen for <$1000. Worth a look with all these Lenovo coupons flying around ;)

      • scotty on 16/06/2011 - 22:46

        Yup bought a E420 back in May. Very nice keyboard. Huge touchpad, and trackpoint for the ThinkPad die-hards. Relatively light weight and good looking. Very solid build.

        Lenovo is having 10% off all ThinkPad under $1000 using coupon code MYTHINKPAD this weekend so you'll be able to get a good deal on it.

  • marquise on 17/06/2011 - 07:20

    The Thinkpad seems to be the better choice here, but my dad seems keen on the Asus. Thanks all for your help. Now he wants a desktop PC too. Great…. Might have to start another thread on that one.

  • marquise on 18/06/2011 - 00:13
    +2

    Thanks for your help guys. Bought a U36JC Asus today for around $980 from Harvey Norman as they had 30% off. However, the model number at the end is slightly different. Sales guy said Asus make it exclusively for HN. It is pretty much the same model except it has Windows 7 Home Premium instead of Professional.

    Really nice well built machine! I wouldn't mind owning one myself. And to answer my own question, the touchpad works helluva lot better than the one on my Asus laptop.

    • evol on 18/06/2011 - 03:58

      Good job on the purchase :D

    • scotty on 18/06/2011 - 09:25

      Nice one :)

  • cdfe on 18/06/2011 - 00:22

    Congratulations.

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