13.3" Laptops

Adrianr

Adrianr

Adrianr

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Joined
3 Feb 2008
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5,546
Apologies if this comes up over and over and over again.. If there is a comprehensive thread answering my questions please link away :)

Looking for a new little laptop, one with a 13" screen to be precise. It seems to me the best combination of size, weight, useability and power. It will have to do the usual word documents and internets, but also double up as a light photo editing/tethering machine (Used in conjunction with a larger screen in the studio). For this 4GB of ram is absolutely essential, as the smallest files it's likely to see are 21mp RAWs.

Good build quality is also a must. Laptops are something you tend to be a little more 'hands on' with, so it has to feel solid and generally nice to use. I've no shame in admitting i'm a bit of a tart.

Of course the first thing you're likely thinking is "Get a macbook!", and it is one of the options. However I do all my photo editing at home on a PC, as I get far more power and thus speed for my money. I work exclusively with cross-platform apps (Adobe CS4 suite mostly) so I wouldn't be missing out on anything going either way in that respect. The reason i'm posting this in here is because if i post it in the Apple forum it's not going to take a topic to guess what the replies will be :p

I've been looking at the Dell XPS 13" and I have to say it looks freakin awesome. Better screen than the Macbook (An obvious plus for photo work), better spec, and surprisingly more ram expandability (8GB max vs 4GB). This could lead to getting a little more life out of it.

So besides the Macbook and the XPS13, what else am i looking at around that size and price point? Say no more than £900. Cheers folks :)
 
Samsung don't seem to making much with any visual finese.. They all look a bit er, how do you say, office-ee?

Aod: Isn't the XPS range supposed to be higher quality than the Vostro range? I thought the XPS stuff was their best?

selven: Yeah my Sister recently got a Dell laptop actually and I was amazed at the amount of bloat on it. And that pitiful OSX top-dock effort, ridiculous! I'l most likely put the Win7 beta on it as it seems like a much better OS for laptops than Vista.

Must be some more choices than these two folks!!
 
I think I should have clarified as I didn't realise there were Studio and non-studio models, but i'm talking about the Dell Studio XPS13 in my OP, not the standard XPS.

The Macbook Air is priced and specced for a fantasy market IMO.. I'm a tart, but i'm not that much of a tart :p It would be too limiting for what I intend to use it for, if only for the lack of optical drive and single USB port alone.
 
Thanks for the sugestion TheLonely, but the samsungs really don't do any for me styling wise.. They look far too like my old P4 Sony Vaio sat behind me!

I'l have to try and get to a store to have a hands on with one of these Studio XPS13's I think. They seem like the only real contender so far.
 
kar said:
The suggestion for the Q310 was a good one, like the OP, the styling isn't so great and it was kinda close to the end of its shelf-life.

Funny then I should come across this, this morning.

http://crave.cnet.co.uk/laptops/0,39029450,49301675,00.htm

Q320, which looks fantastic and is brand new :)

Was a bit put off by the xps studio 13's heating issues so maybe this will be the win?
Click to expand...

Hmm, like certain bits and dislike others.. Not much compared to the Studio XPS13 or Macbook though IMO. I'm not liking all these stories of super hot S-XPS13's either :(
 
I'm starting to question this whole 13.3" malarky now.. It seems they all come with TN panels, and i'm sure some of the larger ones come with better types? I know the Dell Studio 16 can (if you spec it) come with an RGBLED screen, but thats only the backlight, it says nothing about the panel tech. If i've got 3 people trying to look at the same image the viewing angle could be problematic.. But I still want the portability! Gah!

Anyone know what (if any) laptops come with VA or IPS screens?
 
Thanks for your thoughts Andrew, i'l be looking forward to knowing what you think about it after some real world abuse too if you dont mind! My initial need to purchase a laptop has temporarily subsided so I can put a little more time into some research/seeing if anything else comparable comes out.
 
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