College Laptop

[SeaIlluminate]

I wasn't sure where to put this, but I think here is the best.
I was looking at computers for college in the fall and I wasn't sure whether to pick an ultrabook or a convertible. Someone recommended an Surface Pro, but I don't know. I've been pretty enamored about the Acer Aspire S7 393... please input your opinions

 

[jlzimmerman]

What is your budget?

 

[SeaIlluminate]

Hmm... I'd say my budget is about 2500 for laptop and all accessories ie: mice, cases, adapters

 

[someone2639]

What are your exact uses for a laptop?

 

[SeaIlluminate]

Word processing, note taking, occasional video or movie. Lots of web surfing and portability will be a big factor. Maybe one or two games like the Sims, but that's not important.

 

[xandros9]

Man I want that budget!

But anyways, if you want a conventional laptop and won't do heavy gaming (like Planetside 2, Battlefield 4 caliber things), I'd recommend a business-class Lenovo ThinkPad or Dell Latitude.
Those business-grade PC's are generally better built and easier to repair should bad things happen, which is something I personally prefer.

If it were me, I'd either get a pen-enabled 2-in-1 like the ThinkPad Yoga or Venue 11 Pro or a more conventional laptop/ultrabook + docking station.

But that choice of laptop you already brought up is fine. There isn't really a definitive one-size-fits-all PC.

 

[SeaIlluminate]

Thank you, I did look at the Yoga line and its just that there's so many options, its hard to know. Now that Dell has its infinity screens, they also look appealing. I'll think about it a bit more and any other opinions are welcome.

 

[someone2639]

Man I want that budget!

But anyways, if you want a conventional laptop and won't do heavy gaming (like Planetside 2, Battlefield 4 caliber things), I'd recommend a business-class Lenovo ThinkPad or Dell Latitude.
Those business-grade PC's are generally better built and easier to repair should bad things happen, which is something I personally prefer.

If it were me, I'd either get a pen-enabled 2-in-1 like the ThinkPad Yoga or Venue 11 Pro or a more conventional laptop/ultrabook + docking station.

But that choice of laptop you already brought up is fine. There isn't really a definitive one-size-fits-all PC.

ThinkPad yoga fits the bill for my requirements (similar to OP).

 

[imnotevenhererightnow]

Your budget significantly exceeds your needs. That's a good thing.

Small/svelte: XPS 13, HP Spectre x360, Macbook Air, Surface Pro 3 (SP4 this Summer). Those are my four picks. Forget Lenovo, and do yourself a solid and forget about the Acer too (it doesn't even have a dedicated row of F-keys).

 

[SeaIlluminate]

Can you explain why not Lenovo? Beyond Superfish.

 

[someone2639]

Can you explain why not Lenovo? Beyond Superfish.

Probably poor customer service and hardware faults. Long story short, the Microsoft store is probably the best way to go for Lenovo.


(hey that rhymed)


<rant>those with software issues probably go onto weird sites</rant>

 

[xandros9]

Can you explain why not Lenovo? Beyond Superfish.

Personally, I think their ThinkPads are well-made (albeit perhaps not as they used to be under IBM) and their IdeaPad's are competent.

I would avoid HP PC's - their quality has been often questionable in my eyes for much of my time on the planet, and if unavoidable, use business-grade HP laptops.
I'm not a big fan of Dell consumer laptops, but I think they're turning/they've turned it around.

You certainly have room in the budget to splurge on supporting accessories, so I'd check those out too.

 

[Jack Janik]

You could get a cheap Windows 8 tablet for note taking, and a full powered desktop for gaming with that much!

 

[SeaIlluminate]

Thanks, I'll keep everything in mind when I have to decide. Anyhow, I'll have to take a look at them in August. New models are being released soon, might as well wait and see before deciding.

Skylake is coming soon, do you think a Skylake or a Broadwell processor would be better? Someone told me Broad well because we already know that it works and is more reliable, but Skylake will improve processing and battery life...

 

[someone2639]

Thanks, I'll keep everything in mind when I have to decide. Anyhow, I'll have to take a look at them in August. New models are being released soon, might as well wait and see before deciding.

Skylake is coming soon, do you think a Skylake or a Broadwell processor would be better? Someone told me Broad well because we already know that it works and is more reliable, but Skylake will improve processing and battery life...

Skylake is a whole new process, unlike broad well, which was an upgrade to haswell.

 

[thatdennis]

Thanks, I'll keep everything in mind when I have to decide. Anyhow, I'll have to take a look at them in August. New models are being released soon, might as well wait and see before deciding.

Skylake is coming soon, do you think a Skylake or a Broadwell processor would be better? Someone told me Broad well because we already know that it works and is more reliable, but Skylake will improve processing and battery life...

I personally would say avoid Acer brands, have a bad history with them and they are usually on the lower rungs when it comes to ratings. Asus has great choices, but for that budget I would say just get a Razer Blade, would last you long and you won't complain of any performance issues.

 

[jeffydude05]

Well MacBooks are pretty popular, the battery life is nice. But whatever you get I recommend it be light!