2k budget - Ultraportable with long batterylife

RB44 · 26th November 2008, 10:02 AM

Hey i need a laptop for travel needs, must be 13" - maybe 12" - Have at least 4-5hrs battery life and be of good build quality. Been looking at a few but would like to hear some reccommendations from the pros. I normally go with dell for these types of things but their portable range isnt that great...

Best ive seen so far is the XPS M1330

jimlims · 26th November 2008, 11:01 AM

2k budget you can not go wrong with Toshiba R500 (Rx1 in Jap), super ultra portable with full opt.

Logistics · 26th November 2008, 11:26 AM

Best I have seen is the Sony VAIO Z series.

RB44 · 26th November 2008, 12:51 PM

Toshiba R500 with decent specs is about 3k, where you seeing for 2?

Vaio Z series looks good

dazzyd · 26th November 2008, 1:57 PM

best i have seen is Lenovo X200.

with the 9 cell battery you can get a whopping 9hr battery life.!!

RB44 · 26th November 2008, 2:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dazzyd

best i have seen is Lenovo X200.

with the 9 cell battery you can get a whopping 9hr battery life.!!

Still a bit pricy if it matches the specs of the dell, not bad though.

Any companies that specialize in international warranty? i know ASUS do but i hear they have shit computers.

jimlims · 26th November 2008, 4:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RB44

Toshiba R500 with decent specs is about 3k, where you seeing for 2?

Vaio Z series looks good

Current deal from harris tech, abit off budget though
http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/8134
I think my mate grab one which is Jap model, prrety much same spec except 80gb hdd and 1.5gb ram instead for 1.7k off ebay brand new.
Anyway best thing about this kind of toy is you chuck in an SSD or CF-IDE converter and you have one hell of portable machine with decent batterry life too.

Logistics · 26th November 2008, 5:41 PM

The problem with the X200 is that it doesn't have a CD/DVD drive.

Another minor issue for me is that the battery sticks out.

HellsAngel · 26th November 2008, 8:14 PM

New 13inch Dell should be coming soon if you can wait a bit

RB44 · 27th November 2008, 8:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HellsAngel

New 13inch Dell should be coming soon if you can wait a bit

How long exactly? Any idea of price?

Been seriously considering the R500 with an SSD so i guess my budget has increased..

Logistics · 27th November 2008, 11:30 AM

It's anyone's guess when it will come out.

NRGU · 27th November 2008, 12:05 PM

anyone except for hells. =P

would we know which is best for portable photoviewing?

Andres · 27th November 2008, 12:18 PM

GF's got a pretty upspecced XPS1330 and it's the best computer we've had ever (taking into account relative age). If the new XPS is going to better, I'd wait and check it out.

jlccarv · 28th November 2008, 1:45 AM

the XPS hasn't got anything on the R500, X200, VAIO Z or VAIO TT. for portability and battery life, pick from those...

Zardoz · 29th November 2008, 2:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimlims

2k budget you can not go wrong with Toshiba R500 (Rx1 in Jap), super ultra portable with full opt.

The R500 has been superceded by a newer model. This might be a good way to get one of these cheap, however the R500 is a very flimsy system with a poor quality keyboard and possibly one of the worst screens I have ever seen in a notebook computer.

If you don't mind something of about 1.3kg, I'd suggest the HP 2510p (or the current model which is the 2530p but is a bit heavier at 1.45kg)

26th November 2008, 10:02 AM	#1
RB44 Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: The Moon Posts: 154	2k budget - Ultraportable with long batterylife Hey i need a laptop for travel needs, must be 13" - maybe 12" - Have at least 4-5hrs battery life and be of good build quality. Been looking at a few but would like to hear some reccommendations from the pros. I normally go with dell for these types of things but their portable range isnt that great... Best ive seen so far is the XPS M1330

26th November 2008, 1:57 PM	#5
dazzyd Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Perth WA Posts: 201	best i have seen is Lenovo X200. with the 9 cell battery you can get a whopping 9hr battery life.!! __________________ Desktop:- Asus P5D2E Premium Intel 840D O/C 3.85Ghz -WD Caviar 2x250GB SATA II - 4GB Ballistix Tracers - Bfg 8800GTX OC2 HR03 Plus HSF Laptop Sager NP9262 (Clevo D901C) 17"WUXGA Core 2 Quad Q6700 (2.66ghz)- 8800mGTX Sli O/C - 4gb DDR 2 800mhz ram- 320Gb 7200 Sata II- Vista Ultimate x64

27th November 2008, 12:05 PM	#12
NRGU Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Sydney-2046 Posts: 979	anyone except for hells. =P would we know which is best for portable photoviewing? __________________ OCAU Trades List \| Camera Gear \| Flickr \|

27th November 2008, 12:18 PM	#13
Andres Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Adelaide Posts: 5,516	GF's got a pretty upspecced XPS1330 and it's the best computer we've had ever (taking into account relative age). If the new XPS is going to better, I'd wait and check it out. __________________ His: Acer 1682 Hers: Dell XPS M1330 \| MGB LE Project Car\|Over 50 OCAU Trades - PM for full list

28th November 2008, 1:45 AM	#14
jlccarv Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: melbourne Posts: 1,132	the XPS hasn't got anything on the R500, X200, VAIO Z or VAIO TT. for portability and battery life, pick from those... __________________ Sony Vaio Club Member #4

26th November 2008, 11:01 AM	#2
jimlims Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 26	2k budget you can not go wrong with Toshiba R500 (Rx1 in Jap), super ultra portable with full opt.

26th November 2008, 11:26 AM	#3
Logistics Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Sydney Posts: 1,001	Best I have seen is the Sony VAIO Z series.

26th November 2008, 12:51 PM	#4
RB44 Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: The Moon Posts: 154	Toshiba R500 with decent specs is about 3k, where you seeing for 2? Vaio Z series looks good

26th November 2008, 5:41 PM	#8
Logistics Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Sydney Posts: 1,001	The problem with the X200 is that it doesn't have a CD/DVD drive. Another minor issue for me is that the battery sticks out.

26th November 2008, 8:14 PM	#9
HellsAngel Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Sydney Posts: 3,836	New 13inch Dell should be coming soon if you can wait a bit

27th November 2008, 11:30 AM	#11
Logistics Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Sydney Posts: 1,001	It's anyone's guess when it will come out.