What's the best Ultrabook/Laptop?

[orangecat]

I currently have a pretty fast desktop PC but I want a laptop similar to a MacBook Pro without the cost of a Apple product. I have been looking at the Asus ZenBook lineup but I can't figure out their naming and whatnot. They don't make it easy to understand what one is the highest end and what one has certain features. I am looking for a laptop that has these specs...

 

Specs: 

 

CPU: Quad Core 1.5~2.5Ghz

RAM: 4~8GB

GPU: Dedicated Nvidia or switchable graphics.

HDD/SSD: Must have a 500~1TB HDD and room for a SSD

Screen: Full HD IPS display

OS: I don't care if it comes with windows 8 I will put windows 7 on it.

Formfactor: must be thin like a MacBook Pro.

 

 

Extra notes:

 

I don't care if it has a DVD drive or not. I must be able to play simple games like Minecraft on it. It must have fast wireless. It must have USB 3.0. It must not have a glossy display but its not a dealbreaker. I don't care if it does not comes with a SSD but I do want the ability to add one later on.

[eshbop]

Having a discrete GPU and IPS HD screen limits your choices a bit. A few of the Zenbooks have both but won't have a HDD and SSD, some have a hybrid drive (HDD with SDD cache) and some have 2 SSDs. You can't really open these ultrabooks up, and even so they use a custom SSDs/HDDs that you can't buy to put in yourself.

 

Something like the Zenbook UX52VS, U500VS, UX42VS are really the only ones that most closely fit your need

[DrSpychology]

You seem to be making some very strange demands. 2 HDD/SSD's in one device only happens on 17" laptops and sometimes on big 15" laptops. It's impossible to get it on a small laptop, unless you find a laptop which starts with a regular HDD and a mSATA chaching SSD, which you can replace with a bigger one and use as a boot drive. However, this usually happens on low-end ultrabooks, without a good screen.

 

Also, don't limit your screens to IPS only, there are quite some mobile TN screens that are way better than IPS screens.

 

CPU-wise, ultrabooks don't have Quad Core options. Also, Minecraft and similar games should run fine on standard built in graphics, unless they are not optimised enough.

 

SOME OPTIONS:

 

Samsung Series 7. 2mm thicker than the macbook pro, so probably not noticable. Full Quad Core i7 CPU @2.4Ghz. 8GB of RAM. AMD 8870m, which is on par with the GTX 670m. 1080p TN display with a picture that's close to the Macbook Pro. 1TB 5400rpm HDD, which unfortunately can't be replaced too easily, but I bet you'll be able to do it. All this performance and thin formfactor comes at a price, at €1700.

 

Dell XPS 15. Thin, full i7, 640m,1080p screen,... Does seem to have serious wireless and throttling problems.

 

UX51VS/UX52VS. 1080p IPS panel, full i7, 650m, 512GB SSD, but it's a propietary format, so you can't replace them at all. €2000

 

You seem to be asking quite a bit from your laptop, so this is the best I can do. If you don't mind a laptop that's a little thicker, or less performance (especially the CPU, you can get an AMD quad core 1.5Ghz CPU in a laptop for €400, but you can also get a 2.4 Ghz Intel quad core i7 in a laptop for €1000. Dual core i5 and ULV i7 CPU's perform way better than the AMD quad core CPU)

[orangecat]

The only reason I ask this much from a laptop is because Apple did it with the new MacBook pro's and I see no reason why a PC manufacture can't make a premium laptop also I have seen really high end laptops in the past but I have never been a laptop kind of guy I like my performance.

[mooommo]

check out the Asus S46C, it has a 635m and 1tb of storage. I like it and its very thin and fast like an ultrabook should be.