It is well past time to buy a new laptop. My old one went in a fiery screen of blue death over a year ago. (I had been trying to "wait just a little longer" to replace it and I waited too long.) Due to tech friends, I was able to pull the data off at least, thankfully. I've been using my dad's old discarded laptop since then but it's showing signs of both Alzheimer's and Parkinson's so before it explodes, I need a new one.
I found this deal:
http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/pdp/ASUS-Transformer-Book-Flip-TP300LA-Signature-Edition-Laptop/productID.308008300Would any tech-savy people recommend a different laptop?
I like that it is:
- Light(ish) at 3.9 lbs. After the last beast, I'm aiming for something preferably 3-4 pounds. I won't be carting it around daily, but even just moving it around the house/some travel, the beast has been annoying. I want a min of 13 inch screen though - even 12.5 is cutting it tight.
- 2 in 1 (360 degree rotate), although I recognize it'd be heavy/awkward in tablet mode. (I do not have a tablet)
- i5 core. I don't think I need to pay to go up to i7
- Haswell core, which I understand improves the battery life quite a bit
- 8 RAM. Seems 4 may not really be enough
- I read a review that ASUS is generally a good company (Apple best, Lenovo next, Asus on heels at third by 1 pt)
- Use is browsing, Microsoft suite for work/volunteer work/personal, and I will want to game on it some, but if I really got back into gaming I'd probably get a desktop (eventually). Other than maybe designing the odd holiday card, I won't really be doing heavy graphic editing or anything like that. Will probably port some things over to the TV with chromecast, assuming we can find the chromecast again...
- Note: If it matters, I tend to be a "bad" user and generally have multiple browsers/items open at all times. Drives people nuts. I've also needed to have fans replaced on some prior laptops/desktops. Maybe not unrelated...
I'd prefer a SSD, but the best deal I saw with comparable specs was the Lenovo Yoga Pro 2 (sale ends today) with 256 SSD for $969, $949 after email subscriber discount, which is more than I believe I really need to pay for a laptop, even if it does shave off some weight (3.1 lbs) /add more functionality as a tablet. So while I'd be willing to spend up to $1000, I don't think I need to if I can just keep my greedy piggy eyes off the Lenovo (it's easier after I realized the deal for it for $929, $909 with email subscriber discount, has expired, but the other deal dropping it to $969 expires today).