General

I'll be really honest saying I don't like it. Heavy for an Ultrabook. Relatively short battery life for an Ultrabook. Folding laptop-tablet 2-in-1 design is a gimmick that may only see some practicality for Hearthstone. Touchscreens are really bad for note-taking. You can find live demos at a store like Best Buy to give it a try.

I will share another honest bit with you. At BlizzCon, Intel had lots of laptop demos including convertible laptop-tablets. Many of the the attendees, who are typical consumers just like you, noted how flimsy these designs looked and felt.

[quote=Burning]Laptops could change this summer and depends if Intel releases new mobile processors until then. If you're looking to buy now, I've listed two Ultrabooks. Do consider using a standalone keyboard and mouse. I have recommendations for all sorts of peripherals too by request.

$999 DELL XPS 13
http://www.dell.com/us/p/xps-13-9343-laptop/pd?oc=dncwt5130s&model_id=xps-13-9343-laptop
Intel Core i5-5200U 2.2 GHz (2.7 GHz Turbo) Processor
128GB SSD
Intel HD Graphics 5500
13in, 2.6 lbs

$878 + $7 shipping Asus ZENBOOK UX303LA-DS51T
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834232368
Intel Core i5-5200U 2.2 GHz (2.7 GHz Turbo) Processor
128GB SSD
Intel HD Graphics 5500
13.3in, 3.2 lbs

Sales tax will be applied to purchases from both these vendors.[/quote]

Thank you for your help! I have actually recently been looking at the Lenovo Flex 2 14. Here's the link: http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/lenovo/flex-series/flex-2-14/#tab-customize
More specifically, I've really been considering the $779 model, as its specs really seem great for its price. What do you think?

[quote=3xdex]In response to your questions:
I live in California
Yes, I can order online.
At the moment, I only play maplestory (not too often, to be honest)
Currently none of my classes require any programs

I prefer a laptop that's easy to take around, not too big, not too small.
As long as I feel comfortable typing (which is vague, I understand), I'll be fine. But honestly, I could probably get used to anything after a while.

I'm not very interested in getting a Mac, and I'm mainly looking out for Asus and Lenovo, but that doesn't matter all too much.[/quote]

Laptops could change this summer and depends if Intel releases new mobile processors until then. If you're looking to buy now, I've listed two Ultrabooks. Do consider using a standalone keyboard and mouse. I have recommendations for all sorts of peripherals too by request.

$999 DELL XPS 13
http://www.dell.com/us/p/xps-13-9343-laptop/pd?oc=dncwt5130s&model_id=xps-13-9343-laptop
Intel Core i5-5200U 2.2 GHz (2.7 GHz Turbo) Processor
128GB SSD
Intel HD Graphics 5500
13in, 2.6 lbs

$878 + $7 shipping Asus ZENBOOK UX303LA-DS51T
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834232368
Intel Core i5-5200U 2.2 GHz (2.7 GHz Turbo) Processor
128GB SSD
Intel HD Graphics 5500
13.3in, 3.2 lbs

Sales tax will be applied to purchases from both these vendors.

@daringwaffle: It's hard to explain if you haven't used a mac. It's just more value, i've used PCs for my entire life until my 3rd year of university when I decided to give Macs a try. Best decision. It's about functionality and being reliable. PCs are good too but with what microsoft is going with their windows platforms lately, not worth sticking with PCs. It's easier to learn to use a Mac (takes 30min) versus relearning everything with Windows8. Anyways, if you ever get time I would recommend you try a mac then you'll understand where I'm coming from.

One more thing, if you want to game then Mac would not be the best choice. Macs are good in the sense it's difficult to game on it = raises your grades (atleast for me). So it depends what your priority is: gaming versus grades/your future.

[quote=Burning]Stay classy Basilers.

Start your own thread. You nor the OP want this clutter. Put it here http://www.basilmarket.com/show/forum/51

So it's long obvious that this thread is about as healthy as Kentucky Fried Chicken for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Nearly every serious poster in this thread cares only to push their own personal opinions, their own limited experiences, their own narrow perspectives. I don't play that game when giving computer suggestions. I don't judge the preferences people have in mind for their future computer. It would be a waste of my time and theirs to try to force my own preference.

This questionnaire is for laying out and organizing your preferences for a future computer. Answer as many questions as you are capable and willing. The information you provide will narrow down the potential computers I look at.

What country/state do you live in?
Can you order online? If you cannot order online, what stores are around you?

How much hard drive space do you want?
Are there any other games you play or want to play?
What other programs do you use?

Do you have a preferred laptop weight?
Do you have a preferred screen size?

Mention any other special requests you may have that you have not yet posted. Be as detailed as you can with all your responses.[/quote]

In response to your questions:
I live in California
Yes, I can order online.
At the moment, I only play maplestory (not too often, to be honest)
Currently none of my classes require any programs

I prefer a laptop that's easy to take around, not too big, not too small.
As long as I feel comfortable typing (which is vague, I understand), I'll be fine. But honestly, I could probably get used to anything after a while.

I'm not very interested in getting a Mac, and I'm mainly looking out for Asus and Lenovo, but that doesn't matter all too much.

@antycleax: lol ive never had a laptop die on me that quick. only way it dies that fast is if you abuse it. which you cant with a mac, because it cant do anything.

not to mention who the hell has ever kept one laptop for 8 years? 99% of the time people keep one for at MOST 4 years. you can easily make a pc last long! even if you didnt, and paid for 2 pc's in 4 years, still better deal than 1 mac, that would now be 4 years outdated(not really that big a deal since apple never brings out anything new), compared to you're at worst 2 years dated pc.
new mac book STARTS at 1550$.for the most basic edition of it.(for a puny ass 12 inch screen) thats easily triple what you could pay for a pc. and it doesnt come with a single normal USB port. you cant even charge your laptop and plug in anything at the same time... I would literally rather buy 3 laptops, and use the 3rd one as big black's bathroom scale than buy a mac.

but seriously, with 1600$ i would just buy a decent laptop for school work for like 500$ then use the rest to built a good desktop set up, so i can run actually demanding games.

Ill admit, macbooks are sexy, and if they built a windows laptop like that, for a reasonable price, i would buy it. but its not cost efficient in any way.

lets not forget you cant even play maplestory right out of the gate on mac os yet

I must be missing SOMETHING because I just cant justify the cost of buying a macbook.

[quote=daringwaffle]rich kids get them, or classes actually make you get one yes, but no getting a mac book is ridiculous.
dropping 1200$ on a PC for school work, also ridiculous.

Get a PC, anything under 600$ will absolutely do the trick. you're talking about school work, which is doing basic computer tasks, running basic computer programs(would be helpful to tell us what programs you'll be using)
maplestory is NOT a demanding game, and any average laptop will run it.

I could never and will never recommend a Mac book to an average user ever. the cost for it is so unjustified its retarded. for 1200 i could get a WAY more powerful PC, and ill be able to do more on it.
mac book is maybe worth looking into for PS and heavy media editing programs, but even then, eh.

dont pay a premium for something you dont need. but for the love of god dont get a notebook, or a tablet and try to pass it off as a laptop

Edit: looking at your laptop listed, its not bad, but again you're paying extra just because its a touchscreen. If you dont need it, dont spring for one with it. My brother got a touch one, and ended up almost NEVER using the touch screen, its just not all that convenient for most people. being that you can basically turn it into a tablet is nice I guess though[/quote]

Rich kid? LOL. Dude everyone knows PCs last for 2 years and maybe 3 years if you're lucky.
Macs last for seriously 8+ years. It's not about being rich, it's about using common sense.

Stay classy Basilers.

[quote=MeMagicalPie]i'm debating on building a tower / buying a new laptop (i'm probably going to bring to college)
for a laptop, how loud / hot will it get when i play games and what's this about SSD?[/quote]

Start your own thread. You nor the OP want this clutter. Put it here http://www.basilmarket.com/show/forum/51

[quote=3xdex]Okay, but I would like to see some actual laptop suggestions :o. Is the laptop that I posted a good choice?[/quote]

So it's long obvious that this thread is about as healthy as Kentucky Fried Chicken for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Nearly every serious poster in this thread cares only to push their own personal opinions, their own limited experiences, their own narrow perspectives. I don't play that game when giving computer suggestions. I don't judge the preferences people have in mind for their future computer. It would be a waste of my time and theirs to try to force my own preference.

This questionnaire is for laying out and organizing your preferences for a future computer. Answer as many questions as you are capable and willing. The information you provide will narrow down the potential computers I look at.

What country/state do you live in?
Can you order online? If you cannot order online, what stores are around you?

How much hard drive space do you want?
Are there any other games you play or want to play?
What other programs do you use?

Do you have a preferred laptop weight?
Do you have a preferred screen size?

Mention any other special requests you may have that you have not yet posted. Be as detailed as you can with all your responses.

i'm debating on building a tower / buying a new laptop (i'm probably going to bring to college)
for a laptop, how loud / hot will it get when i play games and what's this about SSD?

I don't like PC laptops because most OEMs drop support for them after two to three years, and because of PC fragmentation that means after two to three years, it will be hard to look for troubleshooting answers and find things like replacement OEM parts at reasonable prices.

Asus ROG GL551 it's around 1100$ and it is a beast of a laptop. its only 15.6" to boot and looks sexy especially in the dark.

Honestly, unless you're spending large amounts of time in the library, I'd build a PC my friend. If you have an awful laptop, it'll do for school. Build yourself a $800 powerhouse of a PC for home.

I will swear by Macs, but playing MS on them is annoying. I'd say Macs are better overall for college (unless you're going into a major where you need specific programs that don't work with) but PCs are better for MS. So you've got to decide which you care more about.

Ask yourself this question: Are you really buying the computer for class?

IMO, you don't really need any computer for class. Type your notes? Yeah right majority of people just sit through class on 9gag or go through their facebook feed. Anything that has microsoft office installed is basically all you need to last you through college in terms of homework unless your major desperately requires it such as classes that require other programs. Other than that, outside of class that's what you are really aiming towards getting your computer for majority of the time.

Would I say get a mac? Sure why not. Recommend it for MS? Not in particular but you can still use it for it but why would you get a mac just to bootcamp/parallels it for just your gaming? Other than that if you're an average user, you don't really need a mac but if you have an iphone or ipad or any other apple device, you may choose it out of convenience but you're still overpaying. But if you want one, go head. But if you're not really using the mac half of it, I'd say don't bother.

Would I suggest a windows computer? Sure why not. Though this will give you more options and you will probably get more bang for your buck in terms of specs. However, I never recommend lower end windows computers because they're always garbage and people always blame that it's not a mac when they go this route. You can get a pretty good windows computer for budget but don't computer a 1k macbook to a $200 windows pc.

Would I suggest a 2-1 tablet/laptop? Sure but do know that you're paying more and sacrificing performance and specs because these are made to bait people into pouring their pockets out for. These are more liking to overheat as well.

Do note that a desktop will last you longer than a laptop because they are more likely to overheat. I am not saying that they do all the time but chances are higher. I also personally think all-in-one desktops are garbage but that's just my opinion and people still like them; good luck getting repairs or work done on them though. It's a pain.

References? I own all the devices above and use them for different purposes as I work with a lot stuff I don't wanna get into.

MAC will last you through college.

@Pumpk1nPie: My laptop is touchscreen but I just disable it. It has it's uses depending on the person though.

OT: The new Lenova Thinkpad X series is a really great option for college students albeit a little expensive. Very good speccs packed into a small laptop.

Macs are a waste of money unless you have a very specific reason for wanting one. My laptop was $800 new, 5 years ago (and I probably overpaid, but I was in a crunch). It has a dedicated DDR5 Radeon graphics card, 8gigs DDR3, Windows 7, i5 processor. All of my MMOs play fine on it on mid to high settings (depending on the game), including Maple, WoW, FF14, D3, etc. You could probably find one with the same specs nowadays for very cheap.

Don't spend a ton of money on a laptop you'll be lugging to class everyday - it's going to get beat up. And definitely don't spend a ton of money just to play Maple.

Also.. Touch screens are gross.

laptops tend to overheat

I just bought a toshiba satellite P 50t and its great. Runs maplestory as well as several other high-demand programs very smoothly. Although it is a bit pricey
Don't get a mac, just get a tablet if you have the funds. (But I preferred writing out my notes as opposed to typing in class).

[quote=antycleax]Go with a macbook. Trust me, when you go to college 90% of students go with mac for a reason.
I was like you and made the mistake with going for a PC, dropped $1200 on a PC and it lasted me 2 years and then got a mac, best decision ever.[/quote]

rich kids get them, or classes actually make you get one yes, but no getting a mac book is ridiculous.
dropping 1200$ on a PC for school work, also ridiculous.

Get a PC, anything under 600$ will absolutely do the trick. you're talking about school work, which is doing basic computer tasks, running basic computer programs(would be helpful to tell us what programs you'll be using)
maplestory is NOT a demanding game, and any average laptop will run it.

I could never and will never recommend a Mac book to an average user ever. the cost for it is so unjustified its retarded. for 1200 i could get a WAY more powerful PC, and ill be able to do more on it.
mac book is maybe worth looking into for PS and heavy media editing programs, but even then, eh.

dont pay a premium for something you dont need. but for the love of god dont get a notebook, or a tablet and try to pass it off as a laptop

Edit: looking at your laptop listed, its not bad, but again you're paying extra just because its a touchscreen. If you dont need it, dont spring for one with it. My brother got a touch one, and ended up almost NEVER using the touch screen, its just not all that convenient for most people. being that you can basically turn it into a tablet is nice I guess though

School library!

Surface Pro 3 !

Go with a macbook. Trust me, when you go to college 90% of students go with mac for a reason.
I was like you and made the mistake with going for a PC, dropped $1200 on a PC and it lasted me 2 years and then got a mac, best decision ever.

OP: "I have 30 bucks to spend on a really good pizza, where should I spend it"

Everyone else in this thread: "Pizza is pizza man, any pizza is good"

OP: help me

Any regular size windows laptop thats less than 3 years old will run maple and work fine for school.

i always lol at these threads

Dell XPS 13 (2015) w/ touchscreen or Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro are the top of the line in the ultrabook market imo. The Yoga 3 is thinner and lighter with longer battery life but it's weaker compared to the Yoga 2 Pro. Don't get the normal Yoga like the one you linked to get the pro version for the i7 and larger ssd.

Okay, but I would like to see some actual laptop suggestions :o. Is the laptop that I posted a good choice?

any new laptop worth 1k usd will do just fine for ms and college