Looking to get something pretty decent, not too worried about budget right now. Willing to go mac or pc at this point.


Need for school:

Convertible/2-in-1 laptop. Something that can lay flat. Also would consider a tablet.
Touchscreen

Some strong wants:
i7 or better processor (whatever's out there)
all SSD drive no hybrids
Fast as shit


Lesser wants
Lightweight would be nice
battery life doesn't suck terribly
don't really need an optical drive, prob will just buy an external one. If it comes w/one i wont complain though.


Go!

5/5/2014 12:45:12 PM

and by not worried about budget i mean as long as its not absurd like $3k+

5/5/2014 12:51:26 PM

You can't go mac due to your first two requirements.

5/5/2014 10:36:53 PM

The Yoga 2 and Dell XPS 12 meets your requirements, but I would skip the 2-in-1 and buy something better instead. All of the 2-in-1's are too heavy and bulky to really use as a tablet.

5/5/2014 11:12:40 PM

There's a laptop thread...

I got the Yoga 2 Pro and it's awesome. Decent battery life. Much cheaper than similarly spec'd computers.

I got my i7, 8gb ram, 256 ssd, backlit keys, 3200 by 1800 resolution model for $1199. I use tent and stand mode way more than I thought I would (reading in bed, recipes in the kitchen, DJ machine). Tablet mode is pretty fun too although the best is using it at a 45 degree angle in stand mode on your lap. It's like having a tablet but you can angle it however you want.

5/6/2014 9:29:36 PM

^ isn't it better to stay away from these new-fangled devices which try to be too many things at once, at least for the time being until they work out all the kinks? i am just afraid that one of the functionalities/modes will die due to too much electronics stuffed into too little a space, relative to regular laptops.

5/6/2014 10:27:25 PM

Lenovo Thinkpad Helix. I've used one extensively at work, there are a few quirks (mainly centered around the keyboard) but they're a lot of power in a very small package.

5/7/2014 2:47:33 AM

Quote :

"^ isn't it better to stay away from these new-fangled devices which try to be too many things at once,"

I wouldn't really say it's new. It's the second version of the device and the only "all in one" feature is it can rotate the screen all the way around. The hinges are pretty legit. I don't think it's going to have any issues.

If you're concerned about quality Lenovo makes the Thinkpad Yoga as well. It's the business version of the Yoga 2 Pro. The screen is only 1080 and it's slightly heavier and thicker (only by .5 lbs) but it's also really nice.

5/7/2014 10:41:58 AM

Be sure to shell out a bit extra for a 3yr warranty. Its almost ALWAYS worth it for laptops, the 1yr mark is when things start to go wrong if they're going to.

5/12/2014 11:49:03 PM

Yeah I'm hoping to catch anything before the one year mark. Although I usually try and sell it within 1-2 years anyway.

5/12/2014 11:50:49 PM

Also hugely increases the resale value if it's still "under warranty". And generally its not expensive.

5/13/2014 12:29:13 AM

my friend in med school has a yoga 2... I'm quite jealous. it's pretty badass

5/13/2014 9:13:44 PM

Yeah I love mine. My co-worker has the Thinkpad Yoga which is only slightly heavier and has only a 1080p screen but the keys retract when you move it past 180 degrees and it feels more like a Thinkpad.

I really like the Yoga 2 Pro though. It's a pretty solid machine. Only modification I did was it came with only the Intel wireless N card and not the AC card so I did a swap of that. ~$30.

5/14/2014 12:58:14 PM

Thanks for the tip. Thinking i might go Yoga Pro 2, checked it out at best buy ysterday


^idk the difference between wireless N and AC. Worth changing? Would I know the difference? Easy to install?

6/12/2014 1:09:50 PM

You want to get AC.

[Edited on June 12, 2014 at 2:24 PM. Reason : yes there is a considerable difference]

6/12/2014 2:23:52 PM

Went ahead and got the yoga 2, had it a couple weeks now and it's great. love it


can someone recommend a good stylus for it? I'll be taking notes in class, would like something that works well with the Y2P, good quality, etc. won't do much drawing/graphics, just want something to write with. Thanks

7/1/2014 12:28:39 PM

writing notes with a capacative stylus and no palm rejection? yuck, that sounds terrible.

7/1/2014 12:54:16 PM

So I think they actually updated the Yoga 2 Pro they're selling at Bestbuy. It now comes with the dual band AC card instead of the single band AC card on the older version (neither came with only N). Plus an updated processor.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/ideapad-essential/735166-yoga-2-pro-owners-thread-281.html

Quote :

"Turns out it has the Intel 7260-AC card and the newer Core i7-4510u processor."

So that's cool. See which version you got.

Quote :

"can someone recommend a good stylus for it? I'll be taking notes in class, would like something that works well with the Y2P, good quality, etc. won't do much drawing/graphics, just want something to write with. Thanks"

Unfortunately the Yoga 2 Pro doesn't have digitizer support like the Microsoft Surface does. If you're really into taking notes on a tablet then I would look at the Microsoft Surface. The LCD on the Yoga 2 isn't really made for a stylus. You can probably pick up a stylus made for like an iPad and give it a try but it's not going to be anywhere near as accurate or fast as a Surface or Samsung Note or something that has dedicated digitizer support.

^And yeah you're not going to like the experience.

[Edited on July 1, 2014 at 12:58 PM. Reason : s]

7/1/2014 12:57:46 PM

^^i saw a forum that suggested keeping a microfiber cloth under your hand to prevent touch issues, ill give it a shot.

^i think mine still has the old card, but i bought direct from lenovo, not BB. Honestly it works just fine for me, haven't had any issues. I don't see my 5GHz signal but unless it starts giving me major connection issues ill prob just stick w/it. I watched a youtube video on how to upgrade the card, doesn't seem like it would be too difficult to do if i need it.

I know there isn't a dedicated Y2P stylus, just thought maybe there's something that someone knows works well w/it. i've been using my finger with one note and its really responsive, works great, but my handwriting would be a lot better with a stylus and make it easier to do write-to-text conversion, especially with writing equations.

would this one work at all?
http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/itemdetails/AMM01TBUS/460/ECBF758B22E043D7AA80E287D05CEE39

7/1/2014 1:09:49 PM

Yeah give that one a try.

7/1/2014 1:11:13 PM

just take your laptop to Best Buy and try out different stylus while there to decide which is the best least terrible

7/1/2014 3:45:27 PM