Weinertron posted:

Did you read the OP? You described what any current laptop in the world will do, including chromebooks and small tablets. 4GB is now the standard amount of RAM, with 8GB as a larger option. Youtube and facebook are really low demands and any modern processor can handle them comfortably. You say that she needs a fast processor, what would this be for?

Will she be saving video on this laptop? Video, games, or .RAW photos from a DSLR are the only things that take up significant amount of hard drive space. If she is really willing to spend $700, then a T430 would be a really excellent laptop but it also sounds like significant overkill for her. My mom has a $300 terrible consumer Dell Inspiron and she loves it, so if requirements are really low then any machine will do.

Really, for youtube, facebook, email and browsing a $200 Nexus 7 tablet would work. It even has the 2GB of RAM!

Brut posted:

Well you're also looking for a laptop larger than a 14 inch which you said feels cramped, with a 15+ inch are you planning to spring for a 1920x1080 screen? If not, 1600x900 at 14 and 15 inch is the same screen real estate and unless your vision is terrible should be fine with a T430. (But wait for a T440 unless you're in a hurry)

Uziel posted:

I posted earlier in the thread and based on advice given and the OP I was considering a Thinkpad T530 series but it seems like power and price overkill for what my wife would need it for, so I'm in the same boat as the person you quoted. Access to MS Word is a deal breaker since my wife is an English teacher and while a Chromebook would seemingly be perfect, lackluster editing options for Google Docs won't cut it. I thought about a Surface RT but once you add the type cover, the price starts to creep closer to a Thinkpad anyways.

Wintering Stinkbug posted:

It has a limited eMMC drive, there is about 12GB free. apart from that limitation I have been able to install whatever I want. (runs windows 8).

Edit: Best buy has them on display if you want to go look at it.

Flipperwaldt posted:

Not a chance.

mad_Thick posted:

For the price point, I was thinking between:

Refurb'ed Lenovo x250 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lenovo-Thin...=item4198ecf496
- Still has warranty to 2019

Or brand new Asus Zenbook http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/pdp/ASUS-Zenbook-UX303LA-US51T-Signature-Edition-Laptop/productID.313371600

They're roughly the same price and specs. I hear amazing things about Lenovo Thinkpads and the X series. I do not know too much about the Zenbook though. I imagine the x250 is more sturdy and has a better trackpad and keyboard. I would feel a bit more confident taking the x250 with me everyday to class, compared to the Zenbook, which though sexy, looks fragile.

bilperkins2 posted:

That looks really good to me but I'm not a good source. Anyone know if the S1's suck or not?

Bob Morales posted:

so-so. 1080p screen I hope.

Eletriarnation posted:

The N2940 in that thing is a variant on the Atom that's in the 100S, same chip really but with more thermal headroom. If you're concerned about processor capabilities you should probably keep looking, because it will be faster but not a lot.

etalian posted:

Dell XPS 15 is what I would recommend especially since you find older 9560 refurbs online in the $1200-1300.

For Budget:
Under $1000 Dell XPS 13
Over $1000-$1500 Dell XPS 15 9560 Refurb

etalian posted:

Don't have hands on familiarity with Lenovo but the Thinkpad X1 carbon has gotten pretty decent reviews overall especially the praise for the panel quality.

Unsinkabear posted:

Depends on what your graphics needs are. There's no Thinkpad equivalent to the GTX1050 XPS 15, unfortunately.

If you want a GPU but it doesn't have to be beefy, the T480s is really nice.

It sounds like you should get the X1 Carbon, though. It's mad light while still being milspec and having the keyboard and trackpad quality and port selection you're used to. And since you only use the screen a few times a month, you can get it from Costco! Their config comes with the basic 1080p screen and bitchin Costco support/warranty.

Chemical Shift posted:

I bought this in store last night from Costco after returning the T480 I ordered. I don't know if there was something wrong with it but the screen looked really washed out and the Track pad was grainy.

I love this thing. It's thin and light to an extreme degree (to me, at least, upgrading from a 2011 X230). The screen looks fantastic to me even though it's the basic 1080p version. It zipped through some stFFTs and phase coherence calculations in Matlab so quickly I couldn't believe it. It's just my first day using it but I'm extremely happy. I also mostly connect it to external monitors, and only use the screen here and there. I suggest you go check it out and see if you like it. Costco also had an XPS 13 with a 4k screen at the same price, but since I'm in academia I didn't want to be in dongle hell.


It's listed at $1499, I paid ~1600 after taxes and fees in California. Obviously taxes vary, but I'd expect something around that for the final price.

Bob Morales posted: