Recommendation for second laptop
 

Hi everyone...I noticed some similar threads to this one recently, but here goes anyway.

I'm in search for a second laptop, my primary one being a MacBook Pro 13in.

I know it was just Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend, but I didn't find anything particularly interesting, nothing I felt the need to jump on.


So here's what I'm looking for:

I want a PC. I think I prefer Windows 7 over Windows 8, but I could be convinced. I will be running some Windows specific applications, so no other OS.

Screen size: 11.6in to 13.3in.

Not too concerned about performance, so processing speed and RAM are negotiable. Should be able to stream videos though at least.

Don't care too much about storage. 128GB is fine.

Portability is important to me. I want something thin and light. Shouldn't be heavier than my MBP (0.95 in, 4.5 lbs). I thought an 11.6 in that can slide into my briefcase vertically like an iPad would be really nice, but I'm considering 13 in laptops too.

I also need a good keyboard, because I plan to do some coding and a lot of word processing on it. Although I haven't found a better trackpad than the one on my MBP, I really appreciate decent trackpads.

Price should be under $600. Preferably near the $400 range, but between $400 and $600 is fine.

This isn't very urgent, so I can probably wait a few weeks for Christmas deals.


This is what I've found so far:

http://www.amazon.com/Acer-S3-391-68...ef=pd_sim_pc_1
2nd gen i3, Win7. Very thin and light. There's a newer model available but there doesn't seem to be any difference except for Win8.

http://www.amazon.com/Acer-Aspire-V5...ef=pd_sim_pc_1
Looks a little bit thick? This is 3rd gen i5 with 6GB RAM, though there's a cheaper version with 2nd gen i3 and 4GB.

http://www.amazon.com/VivoBook-X202E...g_bs_565108_12
3rd gen i3, 4GB RAM. Looks a little thicker than the Acer S3.

The Asus Zenbooks look very nice, but I think they're too expensive...

Any suggestions or comments? Or if there's anything else you need to know, feel free to ask.

While stock will always be changing, check the refruib and clearance sections of the major websites to see what they have. You may get an older machine that somebody returned or was scratched or something for a bit of a savings. Many of them will have 7 on them.

Companies like Dell also sell machines that have come off lease, so that's another place you may want to look at. Fewer and fewer companies are leasing laptops now (the cost is low enough to just buy them) so that doesn't offer the deals it use to, but if you get lucky and check right after somebody turns in a few dozen of exactly what you are looking for, you may be able to get a very good deal.

You have the 'perfect' Wintel machine already, take advantage of it!
Either bootcamp and/or VM. $80? on VM software + $?? for what ever flavor of Win7 you get will be cheaper then anything you can find to meet your specks.
Upside is not having to lug two laptops around + peripherals!

Thanks for the tip. I checked around but didn't find anything interesting. I'll keep looking though.

I've already considered that. My MBP actually came free with a version of Parallels. Tried it, didn't find it useful, ended up uninstalling the whole thing. It also didn't work very well (laggy, etc) I don't want to have to reboot my computer every time I want to switch OS.

It might be nice to have my Windows apps right there in OS X, but I want a second computer because 13 in isn't all that big for a main computer, and more screen real estate would be nice, for more multitasking. A desktop/external monitor aren't an option for me right now due to other reasons.

I don't plan on lugging two laptops around. Most of my travel is 2 night domestic hops, and often I like to do the trip with one bag (usually a Tumi 24641). The MBP really feels a bit bulky sometimes; it has some weight and it takes up a good amount of space. Sometimes I can even get away with just bringing my iPad, because I have access to a computer at my destination. That's why I really like the idea of an 11in laptop. Not much bigger than an iPad, but useful when I need a full fledged computer, with my personal stuff on it. Also easier to use on a plane.

Over at the dell off lease site for example they have one of these (http://www.dfsdirectsales.com)

Dell Latitude E4300,
Core 2 Duo (SP9400) 2.40 GHz,
4 GB RAM,
150 GB HDD,
DVDRW,
32-bit Windows 7 Pro
System Identifier: 6321885
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.40 GHz
Hard Drive: 150
Memory/RAM: 4096
Operating System: 32-bit Windows 7 Pro
Cosmetic Grade: B

It's a 13.3 inch laptop, weighs under four pounds, for $300 with free shipping. It doesn't say if it has the 3 or 6 cell battery though.

They also have a couple of the convertible (fold back screens) Latitude XT2 for $480 with Windows 7 on them.

The Aspire V5, ditch the hard drive and replace with a 128GB SSD. You should be able to get pretty close to your $600 mark.

I have an Acer TimelineX 1830T that I bought 2 years ago. Swapped out the HD for a 256GB SSD and it has been perfect ever since (typing on it now). 11.6" screen (I use a 27" monitor in the office), packs vertically in a bag (as you noted), light, goes a long time, HDMI... One of the best laptops I've ever owned.

Relative to ASUS, I've had terrible luck with them - trackpads die. My wife had 2-3 netbooks from them and they all did. we switched her over to a Gateway (Acer) 2 laptops ago and not a problem. Same with my 1830T.

Acer aspire one 725 ($250 at target). 4 gb of ram $20. http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-1333MH...words=4+gb+ram
128 gb ssd drive http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-2-5-In...rds=128+gb+ssd
win 7 or 8 for $15 bucks. I kinda like win 8.

Just buy any old PC laptop. They're largely all the asked and you're not doing much on it. Find the screen res and size you need. Just turn off all of the advanced effects in windows. You'd be better off loading your own windows on it. Most pcs come loaded with a load if garbage on it.

If you already have a MBP, just get a Macbook Air. Light, powerful and you'll have a familiar OS and can use all your software you already have as well.

On my MBA VMWare (bought it for 50$) runs windos at native speed. No need for reboot or anything. I can have it full screen (ust like a "normal" windos desktop) or have the windos apps look and behave as OSX apps as per my choice.