Best Ultrabook under 1000 usd?

[basedthirst]

Looking to buy an Ultrabook, need something with atleast 8gb ram, an i5, and 256 gb storage

[Mira Yurizaki]

Probably an XPS 13, though the storage bit may bump it close to $1000

[DrMacintosh]

2 minutes ago, M.Yurizaki said:

XPS 13

Everyone recommends this for just about everything. However I would struggle to call it a ultrabook.....Although I guess it does count since it is reasonably thin and light. 

[TheDankKoosh]

Just now, basedthirst said:

Looking to buy an Ultrabook, need something with atleast 8gb ram, an i5, and 256 gb storage

Honestly, you don't need to spend 1k on an ultrabook. Just go for a used thinkpad x230 like this

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lenovo-ThinkPad-X230-12-5-Laptop-PC-Intel-i7-3520M-240GB-SSD-8GB-RAM-Windows-7-/192155523615?hash=item2cbd5c9a1f:g:cBYAAOSwmmxW6ZCj

Although I would get a lower spec version (one with a hdd and 4gb ram) and then just upgrade it myself.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lenovo-ThinkPad-X230-Tablet-IPS-2-90GHz-Core-i7-4GB-RAM-128GB-SSD-WIN10-/162547652737?hash=item25d8985881:g:AxQAAOSw-3FZCKti

[Le Sulfur]

Yoga 720 13" isn't bad

[doomsriker]

Mackbook air?...... naw jk

[DrMacintosh]

This is one of the few Windows Machines I would be willing to buy

 

http://store.hp.com/us/en/pdp/hp-spectre-x360-convertible-laptop-13t-touch-y5w39av-1

 

It was heavily considered in my choices of buying a laptop. 

 

Decent screen, decent I/O, decent keyboard, good build quality, etc. 

 

Still prefer a MacBook Pro tho. 

[DrMacintosh]

1 minute ago, doomsriker said:

Mackbook air?...... naw jk

I mean if it weren't for the screen it would be a decent machine. 

[dizmo]

XPS 13 if you want the best battery life.

Asus also has tons of great options. Their model names are ridiculous though so it's best to check the website.

31 minutes ago, DrMacintosh said:

Everyone recommends this for just about everything. However I would struggle to call it a ultrabook.....Although I guess it does count since it is reasonably thin and light. 

How do you figure it's not an ultrabook?

31 minutes ago, TheDankKoosh said:

Honestly, you don't need to spend 1k on an ultrabook. Just go for a used thinkpad x230 like this

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lenovo-ThinkPad-X230-12-5-Laptop-PC-Intel-i7-3520M-240GB-SSD-8GB-RAM-Windows-7-/192155523615?hash=item2cbd5c9a1f:g:cBYAAOSwmmxW6ZCj

Although I would get a lower spec version (one with a hdd and 4gb ram) and then just upgrade it myself.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lenovo-ThinkPad-X230-Tablet-IPS-2-90GHz-Core-i7-4GB-RAM-128GB-SSD-WIN10-/162547652737?hash=item25d8985881:g:AxQAAOSw-3FZCKti

Eh, if he's looking for an ultrabook chances are he wants great battery life, and something thinner, neither of which an older Lenovo provides.

[DrMacintosh]

1 minute ago, dizmo said:

How do you figure it's not an ultrabook?

The whole thing screams cheap PC Imo. It doesn't feel premium which is what I expect from an ultrabook. IMO its just a standard laptop. 

 

[dizmo]

5 minutes ago, DrMacintosh said:

The whole thing screams cheap PC Imo. It doesn't feel premium which is what I expect from an ultrabook. IMO its just a standard laptop. 

 

It meets all the requirements to be considered an ultrabook. Right price, weight, battery life, thickness, Intel processor.

[TheDankKoosh]

4 minutes ago, DrMacintosh said:

The whole thing screams cheap PC Imo. It doesn't feel premium which is what I expect from an ultrabook. IMO its just a standard laptop. 

 

what would make it feel more premium? MacOS  

[TheDankKoosh]

9 minutes ago, dizmo said:

XPS 13 if you want the best battery life.

Asus also has tons of great options. Their model names are ridiculous though so it's best to check the website.

How do you figure it's not an ultrabook?

Eh, if he's looking for an ultrabook chances are he wants great battery life, and something thinner, neither of which an older Lenovo provides.

I figure that it is small enough to fit his needs, also the battery life on the old thinkpad machines is still great.

[dizmo]

Just now, TheDankKoosh said:

I figure that it is small enough to fit his needs, also the battery life on the old thinkpad machines is still great.

Eh I didn't find the battery life on the X230 to be overly great. Definitely nothing compared to the current ones. The X230 in particular was also pretty uncomfortable to type on because of it's short wrist area. It might be ok if you go out and buy all of the extended batteries, but compared to what else is available it just falls behind with the older processor.

[DrMacintosh]

5 minutes ago, TheDankKoosh said:

what would make it feel more premium?

A metal construction. MacOS would certainly help any PC 

[TheDankKoosh]

2 minutes ago, dizmo said:

Eh I didn't find the battery life on the X230 to be overly great. Definitely nothing compared to the current ones. The X230 in particular was also pretty uncomfortable to type on because of it's short wrist area. It might be ok if you go out and buy all of the extended batteries, but compared to what else is available it just falls behind with the older processor.

3520m isn't really much slower than other dual core offerings honestly, and the high capacity (6-cell I believe) was and still is great. I just don't see the point on spending 1k on a machine that doesn't even include dedicated graphics when you can get similar qulaity from older machines.

Edited June 11, 2017 by TheDankKoosh

[TheDankKoosh]

1 minute ago, DrMacintosh said:

A metal construction. MacOS would certainly help any PC 

Metal construction won't always make a device feel more premium.

[DrMacintosh]

Just now, TheDankKoosh said:

Metal construction won't always make a device feel more premium.

Aluminum is certainly better than plastic. The truth is the truth. 

[TheDankKoosh]

Just now, DrMacintosh said:

Aluminum is certainly better than plastic. The truth is the truth. 

I would prefer a much more sturdy plastic construction over a flimsy metal construction any day, and many manufacturers make the mistake of doing the latter.

[dizmo]

4 minutes ago, TheDankKoosh said:

3520m isn't really much slower than other dual core offerings honestly, and the high capacity (6-cell I believe) was and still is great. I just don't see the point on spending 1k on a machine that doesn't even include integrated graphics when you can get similar qulaity from older machines.

It's not so much speed as it is energy consumption.

You also get a warranty, thinner device (the x230 was thiiiick comapred to an ultrabook), much better screen, the trackpad on the Lenovo was tiny...it just had tons of areas that could have used a great deal of improvement.

 

I agree with the older device statement though (just not that one ) the Series 9 from Samsung for instance is an excellent choice. The Zenbook line was also quite nice.

3 minutes ago, DrMacintosh said:

Aluminum is certainly better than plastic. The truth is the truth. 

True, except the XPS is made of aluminium and carbon fiber. So. There's that.

 

[DrMacintosh]

Just now, TheDankKoosh said:

a flimsy metal construction

[TheDankKoosh]

1 minute ago, DrMacintosh said:

 

? Are you trying to say that all metal is superior to a plastic construction? I guess I should make a laptop chassis out of pure gold then, at least by your understanding.

[DrMacintosh]

Just now, TheDankKoosh said:

I guess I should make a laptop chassis out of pure gold then

It would certainly increase the value of said laptop. 

[DrMacintosh]

1 minute ago, TheDankKoosh said:

Are you trying to say that all metal is superior to a plastic construction

All I can say is that Apple makes the best feeling laptops in the world and they use Aluminum. 

 

There may or may not be a correlation, but that is for you to decide. 

[TheDankKoosh]

1 minute ago, DrMacintosh said:

All I can say is that Apple makes the best feeling laptops in the world and they use Aluminum. 

 

There may or may not be a correlation, but that is for you to decide. 

What I said in my earlier post was that not all metal constructions are as good as a sturdy plastic construction. I never brought up apple in that sense.