13" Ultrabook

[ChrissyT88]

Hi all,

I'm looking to pick up a 13" laptop / ultrabook in the next couple of weeks, and I'm after some advice on what to get. In terms of spec, I'd like a decent i5 or i7, 8GB RAM and a good screen. I'm not fussed about gaming performance, and I'd prefer to stick with Windows / Linux.

I've looked at the following, but not really sure which to go for:

• Dell XPS13
• Asus Zenbook
• Lenovo Yoga Pro 2
• Lenovo X1
• Macbook Air / Pro (I gather not ideal for running Windows / Linux?)

Can anyone provide any advice, or does anyone have any of the above and would recommend?

 

[OhEsEcks]

I would probably have the Dell or Lenovo X1 if I was sticking with a Windows / Linux machine.

The Macbook Pro will run Windows fine with Bootcamp. It's more of a headache trying to get Linux installed, but it's doable. But you lose a lot of good things to do with OS X and the hardware when you install either. The Windows and Linux trackpad drivers are nowhere near as good as the OSX ones for instance. And there's the power saving features too. Sure you can use Windows and Linux ones, but they're not as good as the OS X ones and battery life won't be as good. If it's a matter of software, there's things like MacPorts, Fink and HomeBrew for various *nix application ports on OS X. All you need to install is the command line tools from Xcode.

But for the least hassle, as I said, it would be the Dell or X1 for me.

 

[oli356]

Just a note about the Lenovo X1s, the first generation are good, the 2nd gens are total ***. WiFi issues daily.

Source: work use them.

I loved my 2012 13" rMBP and used VMware for Windows - runs great. Now I'm using a late 2013 15" rMBP and its great but I'm having issues with it not waking from sleep. Not sure if its a software issue - Apple after extended diagnostics for a week found "nothing", but they reinstalled the firmware... so going to see how I get on.