(3 BTC bounty) What laptop should I buy?

[El Cabron]

I will send you 3 BTC if I buy the laptop you find me.

I will need to use BTC or Amazon.com.

Price range is $1,000 to $2,000 USD.

It needs to be...

highly portable (light).

long battery life.

high screen def (full HD would be great)

at least 4 GB of ram.

Needs to have at least a 2 year international warranty.

SSD might be a plus, SSD with a HDD as a back up might be a plus.

I like the brand ASUS.

This computer must be able to run Ubuntu.

Must have wifi.

Must be better than what I am looking at now   http://www.amazon.com/Zenbook-Prime-UX31A-DB51-13-3-Inch-Ultrabook/dp/tech-data/B00863L2PK/ref=de_a_smtd

I don't like the one linked cuz the screen is a bit too small.

Thank you.

[1713973583]

1713973583

[1713973583]

1713973583

[John (John K.)]

I will send you 3 BTC if I buy the laptop you find me.

I will need to use BTC or Amazon.com.

Price range is $1,000 to $2,000 USD.

It needs to be...

highly portable (light).

long battery life.

high screen def (full HD would be great)

at least 4 GB of ram.

Needs to have at least a 2 year international warranty.

SSD might be a plus, SSD with a HDD as a back up might be a plus.

I like the brand ASUS.

This computer must be able to run Ubuntu.

Must have wifi.

Must be better than what I am looking at now   http://www.amazon.com/Zenbook-Prime-UX31A-DB51-13-3-Inch-Ultrabook/dp/tech-data/B00863L2PK/ref=de_a_smtd

I don't like the one linked cuz the screen is a bit too small.

Thank you.

I'm eyeing one now, with the exact requirements as you. Sony Vaio Z series, the newest Ivy Bridge version.
See this outstanding review: http://www.mobiletechreview.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Number=42772
13.1" LED backlit Full HD display
Up to 512GB (256GB x2) solid state drive with RAID 0

http://store.sony.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&categoryId=8198552921644570897


Compare Z Series Laptops

$1599.99
Customize
3rd gen Intel® Core™ i5-3210M 2.50GHz / 3.10GHz Dual Core
Windows 7® Home Premium 64-bit
13.1"
1920 x 1080
Up to 6 hours 45 minutes
2.58
Intel® HD Graphics 4000 Shared
128GB (64GB x2) SSD
8GB DDR3-1600MHz
Sold Separately
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Noise Canceling Earbuds
Carbon Fiber
Remove Item
13.3" | Customizable

Premium Carbon Fiber Black
Carbon Fiber Black
Carbon Fiber Gold
Color: Premium Carbon Fiber Black
SVZ131190X Enhanced
 

Starting at

$1949.99
Customize
3rd gen Intel® Core™ i7-3612QM 2.10GHz / 3.10GHz Quad Core
Windows 7® Home Premium 64-bit
13.1"
1920 x 1080
Up to 6 hours 45 minutes
2.58
Intel® HD Graphics 4000 Shared
256GB (128GB x2) SSD
8GB DDR3-1600MHz
Sold Separately
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Noise Canceling Earbuds
Carbon Fiber

[John (John K.)]

Performance is AWESOME, you can add an external GFX card via a Media Dock, battery life awesome, good form factor, GODDAMN light...

Edit: Exact link to review http://www.mobiletechreview.com/notebooks/Sony-Vaio-Z-2012.htm
        Video Review (Look at the tasty screen!! ) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDhC_4-l-9g

[John (John K.)]

I saw that at a sony storer today and I also saw the one i linked to,

this is the one i meant to linke...

http://www.amazon.com/Zenbook-Prime-UX31A-DB71-13-3-Inch-Ultrabook/dp/B00863L2M8/ref=zg_bsnr_3269423011_19


the ASUS just looks awesome, its metal and its really crazy thin. The Sony is not that thin, its not much better than my old ASUS.

I will take a second look at it.  BTW this is not meant to be a desk top replacement. This is a computer that I need for on the go, airplanes, meetings coffee shops and the like. I wont be playing games, only BTC related work.

Thanks.

The sony is lighter though - 2.5 lb vs 2.86 lb. It's kind of hard having to find a light-n-thin that's >13 inch unless you count the Macbook Pro Retina display in. Other laptops with this form factor has a DVD drive and etc making it a desktop replacement and clunky.

[organofcorti]

I have both a macbook pro 15" and a macbook air. I do everything on the air (including nearly everything I use for NPW posts), and leave the pro to do video streaming and some data analysis that needs more ram and cpu power.

I can honestly say I'd get another when this one eventually dies - no moving parts, really light, and yes, I installed Ubuntu onto the ssd (but eventually uninstalled it). For someone who needs a robust machine and travels a lot, you can't do better. I never need one, but you could get a cheap external dvd drive if you needed it.

[John (John K.)]

I saw that at a sony storer today and I also saw the one i linked to,

this is the one i meant to linke...

http://www.amazon.com/Zenbook-Prime-UX31A-DB71-13-3-Inch-Ultrabook/dp/B00863L2M8/ref=zg_bsnr_3269423011_19


the ASUS just looks awesome, its metal and its really crazy thin. The Sony is not that thin, its not much better than my old ASUS.

I will take a second look at it.  BTW this is not meant to be a desk top replacement. This is a computer that I need for on the go, airplanes, meetings coffee shops and the like. I wont be playing games, only BTC related work.

Thanks.

The sony is lighter though - 2.5 lb vs 2.86 lb. It's kind of hard having to find a light-n-thin that's >13 inch unless you count the Macbook Pro Retina display in. Other laptops with this form factor has a DVD drive and etc making it a desktop replacement and clunky.

clearly the mac is out, the asus and sony are the only two options then? hmm...

I have on my hands here a Acer Aspire S3 purchased a couple weeks ago as a lightweight go-arounder-cum-netbook. It's physically the same formfactor as the ASUS, but it's heavier (3.04238 pounds) and I hate the touchpad (it's almost a Macbook's counterfeit, but poorly done without using glass.) The Sony one uses it's own proprietary touchpad, and IMO miles better. Sadly I gave my old one to my sister..

I would suggest you to play around with the touchpads as that's one of the deciding factors for a thin laptop. Also, remember that Sony has TPM and fingerprint scanners installed that'll boost the security of the laptop tremendously.

[Garr255]

A bit over budget and overpriced, but awesome still. http://www.razerzone.com/blade

[organofcorti]

i do not like apple sadly :/  i will not support that company, but thanks for the feedback.

Yes, me neither. I really don't like iPhones or iPods/iPads. But I found it easier to install linux on macs than the huge variety of pc laptops, and it tended to be more stable. When I realised I could do most of what I could in linux from a command line prompt in OSX, I was sold. I like to pretend to myself it's not a mac but some kind of souped up unix machine (which it is), and I wish the branding wasn't so prominent, but I've never used a machine as good. I carry it around the house, switched on, holding it with two fingers like an open book.

Still, there's lots of items I won't buy for ideological reasons, so I'm with you there. I just had to swallow my pride on this one though. Good luck!

[Azrael_PT]

I think this is what you want.

Samsung NP900X4C-A01US

http://www.amazon.com

Graphics Chip

Intel® HD Graphics 4000
External or Integrated   Integrated
Maximum Graphics Memory   Shared

Eww...

He said he doesn't need the laptop for graphics.

[Garr255]

I think this is what you want.

Samsung NP900X4C-A01US

Graphics Chip

Intel® HD Graphics 4000
External or Integrated   Integrated
Maximum Graphics Memory   Shared

Eww...

[happybitcoin]

Samsung Series 9 NP900X4C-A03US

http://www.photosandreviews.com/content/uploads/2012/07/NP900X4C_001_FrontOpen_thumb_silver_2-150x150.jpg

highly portable (light): 3.6 pounds

long battery life: Up to 10 hours

high screen def: 15-inch 1600 x 900 non-glare

at least 4 GB of ram: 8GB RAM

Needs to have at least a 2 year international warranty: 1-year limited warranty on parts and labor

SSD might be a plus: 256 GB SSD

Must have wifi: Wireless-N Wi-Fi

Price: $1,799.99

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-NP900X4C-A03US-15-Inch-Ultrabook-Mineral/dp/B0082PZ1JU/ref=pd_cp_pc_0

[organofcorti]

I use the computer and Windows 7 dual boot with Ubuntu Linux. Pour anyone interested in using Linux, for what will be of interest, after a little tweaking, everything but the brightness of certain function keys. Screen brightness can be equipped with nominal window of valid parameters, but not the only function key. Intel graphics drivers are loading DETE en quite well, and 3D desktop effects are Smooth. If you Google “First Zenbook Ubuntu” you will find step by step instructions accompanied the conduct casting Ubuntu Zenbook first. It is the side windows of intangible rights, everything works out of the box. I heard that the fans can be noisy in Windows. According’ve not seen, but can be updated bios that I had to Quebec fait Shortly after the introduction of the laptop

http://www.laptopreviews2u.com/


that review is confusing, will this work well with ubuntu?

OT:

For a moment I thought your brain had finally failed or someone had served you a "special" lassi. I especially like " I had to Quebec fait Shortly after the introduction of the laptop". I myself hate having to Quebec fait shortly after anything.

/OT

[organofcorti]

I wouldn't say "forced to". It's just easier because they have standard hardware. Once someone can install linux on it, anyone can. If you want a non-apple alternative, you should probably wait until you read a review specifically about installing linux on it.

I haven't looked though so this might be out of date, but you could try here: http://www.linux-laptop.net/

Or you could get a laptop with linux preinstalled, and dual boot to windows.

[happybitcoin]

Dell XPS
14 Inch 1600x900, 500GB HDD + 32GB SSD, 4.6 pounds, up to 11h battery life, 8GB RAM, WIFI, 1yr warranty, $1,299.99, backlit keyboard, aluminium parts, 1 inch thick
http://www.amazon.com/Dell-XPS14-10909sLV-14-Inch-Ultrabook-Laptop/dp/B0081YPXOU/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1342600963&sr=1-1&keywords=Dell+XPS+14z

Fedora 17 Linux installed successfully and everything I have tested has worked so far. Anyone planning to run Linux should not have anything to worry about. Using the msata ssd as a boot drive works great and just requires a few changes in the bios settings to configure as a boot device. 32GB is plenty of room to install Fedora Linux, but it would be a pretty tight fit for booting windows 7. All of my user data (/home) is stored on the 500GB 5400rpm disk.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/dell-xps-studio-xps/673546-xps-14-ultrabook-owners-lounge-4.html

GOOD STUFF
Solid construction
Long-lasting battery
Good keyboard

BAD STUFF
Heavy
Iffy screen and touchpad buttons
Can get hot and noisy

http://www.theverge.com/2012/7/12/3117889/dell-xps-14-review-2012

[John (John K.)]

Dell XPS
14 Inch, 500GB HDD + 32GB SSD, 4.6 pounds
http://www.amazon.com/Dell-XPS14-10909sLV-14-Inch-Ultrabook-Laptop/dp/B0081YPXOU/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1342600963&sr=1-1&keywords=Dell+XPS+14z

Fedora 17 Linux installed successfully and everything I have tested has worked so far. Anyone planning to run Linux should not have anything to worry about. Using the msata ssd as a boot drive works great and just requires a few changes in the bios settings to configure as a boot device. 32GB is plenty of room to install Fedora Linux, but it would be a pretty tight fit for booting windows 7. All of my user data (/home) is stored on the 500GB 5400rpm disk.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/dell-xps-studio-xps/673546-xps-14-ultrabook-owners-lounge-4.html

Dell = eww in my books. And the weight is  .

[bitdragon]

I have never used it in the past but still wish a laptop from system76.com one day and give it a try.

[swissmate]

This one has a powerful GPU, a nice battery and 12 Gb Ram.
http://www.amazon.com/MSI-Computer-GT683DX-840US-15-6-Inch-Laptop/dp/B0072BA3AW/ref=sr_1_12?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1342607026&sr=1-12


But if you don't need it for gaming, I'd get this one

http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-N55SL-ES71-15-6-Inch-Laptop-Black/dp/tech-data/B00713CSS6/ref=de_a_smtd

[film2240]

I found a possible Option.I know it's HP but I'm sure it can deliver.

http://www.amazon.com/HP-Folio-13-1020US-13-3-Inch-Ultrabook/dp/tech-data/B006OEL86Q/ref=de_a_smtd

Specs (from amazon.com):

    Intel Core™ i5-2467M (1.60 GHz, 3 MB L3 cache)
    4 GB 1333 MHz DDR3 SDRAM (1 SODIMM slot)
    128 GB Solid State Drive
    13.3" diagonal LED-backlit HD BrightView (1366 x 768), Intel HD Graphics 3000
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, 9 hours Battery Life
    Wifi 11/b/g/n support

Pros:
Just under budget at around $1000
Reasonable specs
Long battery life at 9 hours
Since this is a PC based laptop (unlike my MBP),it's relatively straightforward for installing ubuntu.

Cons:
A little on the hefty side at 3.3lbs compared to other people's options on this forum.Channg how heavy can the ultrabook be for your needs before it becomes too much to carry? If this is too heavy then please ignore this option and I'll help find another option.

[EnergyVampire]

If you are still looking, check this one out:

http://us.toshiba.com/computers/laptops/portege/Z930/Z930-S9302


Processor: Intel® Core™ i7-3667U Processor

highly portable (light): Starting at 2.47 lbs.

long battery life: Up to 8.35 hours

high screen def: 13.3" HD TFT LED Backlit display with Intel® Wireless Display Technology

at least 4 GB of ram: 6GB DDR3 1600MHz memory

Needs to have at least a 2 year international warranty: 3-Yr Limited Warranty

SSD might be a plus: 128GB Solid State Drive (Serial ATA, SSD)

Must have wifi: Intel® Centrino® Advanced-N 6235 (802.11a/g/n + WiDi Capable)

Price: $1,479.00

And here are a few more models: http://us.toshiba.com/computers/laptop-finder?features=Lightweight

I like Toshiba, Fujitsu and Acer. Toshiba has 10X better customer service & support compared to any Apple product from my experiences.
I linked you from the US site but Toshiba has your region as well.

Oh, and Ubuntu installs on just about any computer (it's a pain on Macbook Pros though).

[Slushpuppy]

3 btc bounty for a computer on amazon that WONT run ubuntu 

[Slushpuppy]

Cyberpowerpc has a line of laptops that are pretty cheap for whats in them, go on the site and you can customize the parts yourself. You save about 100$ by not asking for windows to be bundled (you said you wanted to use ubuntu) and of course the screens are full hd!

[John (John K.)]

3 btc bounty for a computer on amazon that WONT run ubuntu 

Acer Aspire... I bought one

My Acer S3 ultrabook worked with ubuntu though, and some hitches were removed with the help of this guide : http://www.linlap.com/wiki/acer+aspire+s3

[EnergyVampire]

3 btc bounty for a computer on amazon that WONT run ubuntu  

Acer Aspire... I bought one

My Acer S3 ultrabook worked with ubuntu though, and some hitches were removed with the help of this guide : http://www.linlap.com/wiki/acer+aspire+s3

http://us.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/series/aspireoned270

this is what i bought. chip is not linux friendly :/

If you want to goof off: https://meego.com/devices/netbook   (I believe this Linux distro was made by Intel & Nokia specifically for the Atom chips.)

[organofcorti]

You could always use Spinrite on your current machine to get more mileage out of it. Regular use of Spinrite has kept some of my old drives going and it resurrected one of them. (I have no vested interests in grc.com products, apart from liking how useful they are.)

[fsk141]

If it were me I would get an Lenovo X series or a Macbook Air...

[phantitox]

i have the A53E-AS31-RD from Asus, i must say the laptop just work, also is a little bulky, i mean if your looking for portability you should check another brand or an ultrabook

[grantbdev]

Even though the bounty is already collected (and this is not Amazon), I feel like vouching for Zareason, I bought my last laptop from them: https://zareason.com/shop/Laptops/

They sell computers (even a tablet!) built for free/open source systems. I asked for an Atheros wi-fi chipset so I am able to run 100% free operating systems such as http://trisquel.info without any proprietary drivers or programs needed for use.

[KniteWulf]

If it were me I would get an Lenovo X series or a Macbook Air...

I love how only one guy has mentioned a Lenovo so far. I currently have an Edge series laptop that I only use for word processing, web browsing, and streaming video. The Edge series maxes out around $1200, I believe, but there are other options from Lenovo that you should seriously consider, such as the W series. You get nVidia Quadro series cards (which are really used for professional 3D modeling, but are also very applicable for gaming) and overall it's quite a nice package. You don't get Dell's shoddy build quality, nor HP's. You don't get the outrageous prices of Apple and the useless OSX. Lenovo's are legendary for their build quality and customer support. I've had multiple Dell laptops, an Acer, and an old IBM; guess which still works perfectly after 10 years? The IBM (now Lenovo).

The W530 (I know, I sound like a salesman) is probably the best package from Lenovo for you, but don't let that stop you from exploring other options from them. It starts at $1200 and can go beyond $2k, but for around $1800 you'll get a great system with everything you're looking for. It even has a backlit keyboard!

[smithy]

Macbook or Macbook Pro. They are sweet machines.

[rate5]

Keep your Bitcoins safe with the Panasonic CF-19 Toughbook:



https://www.panasonic.com/business/toughbook/fully-rugged-laptop-toughbook-19.asp

[TRUERELIGION]

I'd buy a ThinkPad T430s Notebook... really like thet T410, but make sure to get a SSD!

[dazzle]

For your budget, you can try getting one of the latest Razer "Blade" laptops which is really powerful.

http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/9/2011/08/razer_blade_gaming_laptop_10_01.jpg

[alex_fun]

http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/lenovo-ideapad-u410-1090145/review

1BxGJwEm6bTm9gJg5L9Py9v7w1WRqQm6xX 

[MaxOnBit]

lolololo

[Slushpuppy]

Nice bounty