dentaldoc Posted June 20, 2012 Report Share Posted June 20, 2012 Hi guys, I know there's another thread on this topic but I wanted start a new one because the other thread is very long and convoluted (well for a person who don't know as much about comp). I am thinking of buying a new laptop and I need your advice. I will be mostly using it for school purposes (no gaming no video or whatever editing): web surfing, taking notes, viewing online lectures, ppt, excel and word. I need it to be light and have a long battery life. Price is not really a factor but I guess cheaper the better. So should I get Mac Air or Pro or wait for new ultrabook tablets (there's a rumor that it will come out soon). I've seen some ppl take notes on their ipads and that kind of made me want to do that as well. Not because it looks cool (well i gues it is kinda) but more because it looks very convenient. Any suggestions? Thanks!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polarbear89 Posted June 20, 2012 Report Share Posted June 20, 2012 I'd go for the Mac Air. It's light and extremely portable. I've had no problems using it for tv, downloading, making presentations, word processing etc. Also, it has a decent battery life as well (~4-6 hours with a dimmed screen). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vanillabear Posted June 20, 2012 Report Share Posted June 20, 2012 I'd go for the Mac Air. It's light and extremely portable. I've had no problems using it for tv, downloading, making presentations, word processing etc. Also, it has a decent battery life as well (~4-6 hours with a dimmed screen). Really?! I'd think it would be much more -- perhaps in the range of 8-10 given that many of the other "ultrabooks" are around there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebouque Posted June 20, 2012 Report Share Posted June 20, 2012 After 3 years of usage, the battery life of my macbook air with a dimmed screen is 45 minutes (or 20-30 minutes if you're using a program). It's a 1st gen mba though. Hopefully the new ones are better. It's not a good computer. Overheats very easily, quite slow, not enough usb ports. As I said the new ones seem more adequate. I'd still go with the pro or with a pc laptop if I were you. Forget about the ipad they're worth nothing (very fragile, don't last very long, no usb, no office, extremely expensive for what you get, ie an ipod that doesn't fit in your pocket... etc). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dentaldoc Posted June 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2012 thanks guys for your suggestions. bouque, if that's true then I guess I'd have to stay away from mac air. does anyone have any info on ultrabook tablets that are expected to be released later this year? And wth is SSD? I did some google search on it and ok... it doesnt have any moving parts but hows it different from flash storage and why is it better? :confused: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
technicity Posted June 20, 2012 Report Share Posted June 20, 2012 And wth is SSD? I did some google search on it and ok... it doesnt have any moving parts but hows it different from flash storage and why is it better? :confused: An SSD is a "solid state drive". It uses non-volatile flash memory (NVRAM - non-volatile random access memory, most modern SSDs use NAND flash), somewhat similar to the memory in your camera's SD card, or in your iPhone, except the array of memory is much, much larger. These banks of memory are made up of little transistors, each of which stores a bit (1 or 0) of information. An SSD incorporates a controller (most lately are Sandforce controllers) that handle read/write requests and garbage collection: it coordinates reading from, erasing, and programming NVRAM blocks. An HDD (hard disk drive) doesn't store information in arrays of flash memory; instead, it stores it on a spinning magnetic plate. Again there's a controller, but when you request a read or write, it has to do more than simply access the correct block of NVRAM in an array - it has to move a head over the disk to the appropriate spot, then use the head to read/write to the magnetic plate. Instead of transistors storing bits, bits are stored in concentric circles on the disk. There are some tricks to beat seek time, like caching frequently accessed information. TL;DR, SSDs are faster and are less prone to mechanical failure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psychoswim Posted June 20, 2012 Report Share Posted June 20, 2012 I just bought a Pro today... I was hesitating between that and the Air, but in the end I decided it was worth it having a cd slot and more storage, and that the weight difference really wasn't such an issue considering I've been using a 14" for the past 2 years. Also, I got the base 4G of RAM but it's an easy upgrade if I decide I want more later on while you can't do that on the Air. HDD is fast enough for me as well so no SSD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerkstore Posted June 20, 2012 Report Share Posted June 20, 2012 Well if all you're doing is taking notes with no gaming or video then you should absolutely be spending $1500. What year is this, 2012? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dentaldoc Posted June 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2012 Well if all you're doing is taking notes with no gaming or video then you should absolutely be spending $1500. What year is this, 2012? my spidy sense's tingling and i feel a sarcastic vibe in your reply LOL. Okay, what do you suggest? Like I said I just need it for school and I want something light and has a long battery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerkstore Posted June 20, 2012 Report Share Posted June 20, 2012 my spidy sense's tingling and i feel a sarcastic vibe in your reply LOL. Okay, what do you suggest? Like I said I just need it for school and I want something light and has a long battery. Look at the "recommend me a laptop" thread and look at the vaio S. Optional "sheet" battery you can attach to the bottom for really long life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KMMD Posted June 20, 2012 Report Share Posted June 20, 2012 I have an ultralight ASUS that gives me a good 8-9 hours doing word processing, surfing the web etc. and a good 6 hours (if not more) watching movies and it is now 2 years old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holiday1001 Posted June 20, 2012 Report Share Posted June 20, 2012 the 2nd gen (ie not the new one just announced) air's life isn't 8-9 hours. it's probably around 7-8 if you do minimal things/min brightness (girlfriend has one) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerkstore Posted June 20, 2012 Report Share Posted June 20, 2012 the 2nd gen (ie not the new one just announced) air's life isn't 8-9 hours. it's probably around 7-8 if you do minimal things/min brightness (girlfriend has one) Aw cool you have a girlfriend!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
technicity Posted June 20, 2012 Report Share Posted June 20, 2012 Aw cool you have a girlfriend!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holiday1001 Posted June 21, 2012 Report Share Posted June 21, 2012 sigh. i'm just offering support for the contentions i make. unlike another particular user.. unless he really has owned or has friends who have had every single laptop he's been pulling out (i'll let you decide which one's more likely) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhoenixFlare500 Posted June 21, 2012 Report Share Posted June 21, 2012 TL;DR, SSDs are faster and are less prone to mechanical failure. This is true, although SSDs could theoretically have a shorter lifespan because they have a smaller limit for write cycles or something like that. And they're kind of ridiculously expensive at the moment, at least if you want over 250GB of space. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhoenixFlare500 Posted June 21, 2012 Report Share Posted June 21, 2012 I can see how using a tablet to take notes would be nice in that you could draw pictures and diagrams, but for most purposes a keyboard is pretty essential. I'd probably get an Asus Zenbook before a Macbook Air, then again I don't know the specs for both offhand, or price. I just know that Windows MS Office is a lot nicer to work with than the Mac programs. Sure Macs can annotate PDFs just using preview but you can always download Adobe Reader (or Acrobat if you like) for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerkstore Posted June 21, 2012 Report Share Posted June 21, 2012 This is true, although SSDs could theoretically have a shorter lifespan because they have a smaller limit for write cycles or something like that. And they're kind of ridiculously expensive at the moment, at least if you want over 250GB of space. Just get two 120gig drivers for $110 each. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
technicity Posted June 21, 2012 Report Share Posted June 21, 2012 This is true, although SSDs could theoretically have a shorter lifespan because they have a smaller limit for write cycles or something like that. And they're kind of ridiculously expensive at the moment, at least if you want over 250GB of space. The latest generation of SSDs should outlast a comparable HDD, easily - with a budget 120 GB Intel 330 SSD, you get a lower bound of 3000 program/erase cycles before you start losing NAND flash bits. That's good for 20 GB of writing a day (an enormous amount) for 3 years, and that's a low estimate. Chances are you'll replace it or something else catastrophic (power surge, etc.) will happen before the SSD dies. Yes, still more expensive than HDDs, but the prices have been dropping fast this year. 120 GB and 180 GB SSDs have just dropped under the $.90/GB mark (I picked up an Intel 180 GB SSD for $140 a couple weeks ago) and are set to keep dropping. 256 GB drives are going for about $240 right now? Hopefully by New Year's we'll see them drop to the mid-$100s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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