Recommend an ultralight laptop for EE work? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: uoficowboy
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 18, 2014, 05:28:01 am
content: Hi - I suddenly am in need of a new laptop. I travel constantly, so need something very lightweight and portable. I do simulation (LTSpice, Excel), circuit design/layout (Altium Designer), and everything else on my laptop.Anybody have a suggestion?Currently the top contenders are:Microsoft Surface 2 ProLenovo Yoga 2Lenovo Carbon X1Thank you!!

author: PedroDaGr8
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 18, 2014, 06:01:39 am
content: Quote from: uoficowboy on February 18, 2014, 05:28:01 amThe Asus Zenbook u32a is pricey but very nice. It's actually upgradeable, it uses a standard laptop hdd and has a single DIMM slot (most Ultrabooks don't have any).Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk

author: nihilism
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 18, 2014, 01:28:25 pm
content: Ive had a surface pro 2 since December and I'm finding it to be good, i only really use it to surf the web etc though.The keyboard can be a little annoying, tends to flop around a fair bit if you don't have the thing on a table or flat surface.I find the wacom stylus to be really good and useful, it's normally on my hand when i'm using the surface. It can be difficult to just use fat fingers due to the resolution of the screen making everything quite small, but i never use a mouse, just the stylus.For more serious work I'd probably still prefer a laptop, 14" or so. Honestly my eyesight is not the best though so this may be different for you. One of my colleges runs Autocad on his surface!

author: con-f-use
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 18, 2014, 02:02:47 pm
content: I have a hp elite book folio, which is not as thin as the others, but an Ultrabook as well. If you do presentations the nice thing is that it has a VGA port. So no adapter needed, that can get in the way. I do some ethernet work so the built in port is good too. Also a SIM module for mobile internet is a nice feature to have. If you don't need that, go for a smaller one.

author: mrflibble
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 18, 2014, 02:29:58 pm
content: Quote from: uoficowboy on February 18, 2014, 05:28:01 amSelection from your list of top contenders should be pretty easy.Display, display, display. Out of curiosity I checked the specs for those three, and the Yoga 2 looks quite nice. Specwise about the only thing I don't like about it is the frigging glossy finish. Who the hell ever thought that was a good idea for displays where you actually want to get some work done and see what you are doing? (while not living in a cave)I take it you'll be running windoze on it, given the Altium on the list? You might also want to consider a mac. I never consider those, because outside of ye olde budget, but they do make nice hardware. And I believe it also runs Altium on Parallels. IIRC we have a few posters on here that do just that.For a laptop like this my selection would basically be: who integrates nice 13+ inch 3200x1800 Samsung panels + mobile i5 + decent graphics, doesn't fuck it up, and is affordable. And since it's 2014 already, usb3 is no longer "optional".

author: GiveMeTheJuice!
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: February 18, 2014, 04:21:11 pm
content: +1 For Lenovo.When I worked as a Microsoft Engineer in the Windows org., Lenovo was the clear leader when it came to compatibility (driver/hardware support, surviving OS installs and basic functionality testing). Windows 8 included.BTW, a Macbook Pro 8,3 "17 with 16GB RAM, 250GB Sata3 SSD is very light and very powerful in context of laptops. The 17" screen is to die for. It has hardware support in the proc for virtual machines. So you could buy one of those laptops, VMware fusion and Windows, then you can run your Windows apps with ease.I run Win7 on it w/out OS X, but Win 7 is a pain to get working right and Win8 is completely incompatable installed by itself.In short, go *old upgraded mac for fast, high quality and light, go Lenovo for quality and OS support. Out of any option you go with, get a fast (500+MB/s) SSD as a main drive.*Apple made it extreemly difficult to upgrade HD to SSD and they are designing to force customers to biy their insanely expensive upgrade options, like an SSD.

author: rollatorwieltje
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 18, 2014, 07:43:59 pm
content: m....Quote from: GiveMeTheJuice! on February 18, 2014, 04:21:11 pmLenovo is just going downhill rapidly. At work we use Lenovo T520 and T530 laptops, so far they are the absolute worst laptops since some HP models we used to have. The casing is made of the cheapest nastiest plastic one can find, lots of them already have cracked around the corners after a few months. The screens they offer range from absolute garbage to "this was ok 10 years ago" (same for their 22" monitors, absolutely horrible color reproduction). High pitched noise when idle, monitor configuration issues when you plug in the power adapter... On the T530 they even dared to change the keyboard to some retarded layout (why the hell is the print screen button next to the right alt?!).Also (not just Lenovo) why deliver them with a battery that sticks out the back?! Make the whole damn laptop a bit bigger so you can use a 16:10 display... Ok, you could use the small battery, that gives you about 30 minutes battery time...edit: forgot to mention, we also had a few T530s that for some reason just didn't power on. They would sometimes come back when you would remove the battery and power cable.I personally use a Macbook 13", with Windows in Parallels, that works quite well. Be aware the Apple also has a horrible keyboard, stuff like home/end/pgup/pgdown is under fn+arrow keys. Even the damn delete button is hidden under fn+backspace. On the bigger models they use the same keyboard, they don't even bother adding some extra keys even though there is plenty of space. I do most stuff on my Windows desktop, so I didn't mind the smaller screen. The screen is very good though, and the build quality as well.

author: Wytnucls
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 18, 2014, 07:59:51 pm
content: Agree. Got a Lenovo T420 from work. It weighs a ton and has the worst screen I have ever seen on a modern laptop. I only use it for work related stuff when I am on the go, otherwise I always carry my trusty Sony Z1 for personal use. Can't wait to ditch the Lenovo to lighten my load.

author: opablo
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 18, 2014, 09:23:09 pm
content: As a Thinkpad fanboy... yes... Thinkpads are going downhill at top speed...T400~...~T530 are quite smelly... stay away...But my fanboy-ness can't stop me from dreaming on trying out a Thinkpad X1 Carbon and check if they got it right there... I hope....But nobody has it because it's ridicusly overpriced...

author: opablo
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 18, 2014, 09:40:59 pm
content: But about the recomendations.... Based on your intended usage I would pick one that:- has at least 14" of screen (you can accept the now popular 13.3 only if it's hi-res like 1080p)- has a mate screen (not glossy)- has an 128/256gb ssd (not hybrid)- has 8gb of ram- has 5Ghz wifi (yes; I still see some not supporting 5ghz)- has core i5 or i7... anything else is just a portable heater- no useless optical driveI don't have time to search for something that matches that but I believe you can find a nice ZenBook that fits that descriptions..

author: Legit-Design
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 18, 2014, 09:52:58 pm
content: Quote from: opablo on February 18, 2014, 09:40:59 pmhttps://geizhals.at/de/?cat=nb&xf=84_ohne~2379_13~83_LCD+matt+(non-glare)~1482_Intel~2991_128~12_8192~9_1920x1080#xf_topBest computer/multimedia parametric search on the planet. I use it even if I don't buy from germany, just because it makes searching so easy.I suggest always verifying separately that screen is actually matt finish. Took me more time to write this than get a list of contenders.https://geizhals.at/de/samsung-ativ-book-9-900x3g-np900x3g-k02de-a1055600.htmlWould probably go for that one. 802.11a is 5GHz

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 18, 2014, 09:55:56 pm
content: I really like my Lenovo X220 - 12.1" super-nice IPS screen, very nice keyboard.I previously had an X32 which took a beating over the years & performed faultlessly.

author: NiHaoMike
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 19, 2014, 12:16:41 am
content: What are the most demanding apps you're planning to run?

author: Fsck
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 19, 2014, 12:34:46 am
content: Quote from: mikeselectricstuff on February 18, 2014, 09:55:56 pmI love my X220 as well.On the other hand, I'd never consider running altium on a laptop unless you add 2 screens to it.

author: vvanders
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 19, 2014, 01:06:37 am
content: +1 on zenbook, they are really nice.

author: uoficowboy
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 19, 2014, 06:53:01 am
content: Quote from: mrflibble on February 18, 2014, 02:29:58 pmThe Yoga 2 is where I'm leaning right now too. I just found that $1200 gets me a yoga 2 pro with a core i7 1.8GHz CPU, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, and the ridiculous 3200x1800 display. That's way more bang for the buck than the other contenders...Yep - will be running Windows only. My current computer (that I will be losing due to a job change) is a 13" Air (running Windows) and I like it but the screen resolution could use some work. Otherwise a solid laptop though.

author: uoficowboy
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 19, 2014, 06:54:34 am
content: Quote from: Fsck on February 19, 2014, 12:34:46 amI've done quite a lot of Altium work on my 1440x900 display on my Apple Air. Full schematic creation and editing. Hell I even did a pretty complicated layout on a 16 hour flight using just the Apple Air.

author: uoficowboy
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 19, 2014, 07:04:01 am
content: Quote from: PedroDaGr8 on February 18, 2014, 06:01:39 amAs far as I can tell the U32a is an older generation, a couple years old. It still costs about the same as the Yoga Pro 2 series, however.The upgradability is definitely a plus though!

author: PedroDaGr8
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 19, 2014, 07:32:03 am
content: Quote from: uoficowboy on February 19, 2014, 07:04:01 amSorry it's ux32 zenbookhttp://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Asus+Zenbook+UX32VD+Teardown/10120It's a bit over a year old. Has a core i7, Nvidia graphics, etc.Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk

author: kripton2035
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 19, 2014, 07:37:28 am
content: apple macbook air 11" with 8Gb RAM Intel Core i7 512Gb SSD insideand external 27" display for local work.and booting windowstop of the topdid I say it is not cheap ?

author: Kilroy
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 19, 2014, 01:54:50 pm
content: Quote from: mikeselectricstuff on February 18, 2014, 09:55:56 pmThere's yer answer...

author: Rigby
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 19, 2014, 02:12:33 pm
content: I would stay the hell away from any consumer class hardware. In my experience (which spans about 25 laptops & tablets that I've owned personally) hardware meant for business use lasts, on average, about ? (that should show up as an infinity symbol) as long as consumer-level hardware that one could get at Best Buy, for example. Not one consumer-class laptop I've owned still operates today, including the two I bought in December of 2013. All of the business-class hardware I've owned still works perfectly.Consumer-level stuff has such a quickened lifecycle that they just cannot be properly designed or supported. Stay away. Far away.If you're doing Altium work, go for the largest screen you can get in a weight that you can tolerate. Somehow I was "blessed" with bones and muscles of high density, and my 25lb backpack doesn't bother me one bit, and I while I know not everyone is the same, I don't understand why people prioritize weight over capabilities. Get a bag with wheels if you don't want to carry the hardware on your shoulder or back. Don't capabilities come first? I'm not saying that weight doesn't matter, but it has never been a tier 1 purchase priority for me.YMMV, I am a moron, etc. Seriously, though, stay away from consumer level hardware.

author: NiHaoMike
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 19, 2014, 03:32:49 pm
content: Quote from: Rigby on February 19, 2014, 02:12:33 pmOn top of that, avoid HP laptops, even their business grade models. They're infamous for breaking down. (Their servers are pretty decent.) On the other hand, Dell lasts a long time, even for their cheaper products.I agree about weight being overrated. I used a 17" Dell "mobile workstation" in college since I liked having a lot of screen area. Also, about 2 years ago, my friend Ashley asked me about what laptop to buy for grad school. I pointed her to those "trendy" Ultrabooks, but she ended up buying a mobile workstation. If she could handle it, anybody can...

author: echen1024
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 19, 2014, 05:01:27 pm
content: I would consider myself a ThinkPad fanboy, first using a X201 which got lost by United Airlines, and now a X230 Tablet. Thinkpads seem to be traveling downhill with an attached turbine engine, so now, with the xx40 models, I wouldn't touch them with a 10 foot barge pole. Much to consumerized and cheap.

author: Rigby
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 19, 2014, 07:56:27 pm
content: Quote from: echen1024 on February 19, 2014, 05:01:27 pmIf an X201 was your first ThinkPad, you hopped on well into the decline. The X201 was a very good machine, and not even close to the height of the ThinkPad.

author: echen1024
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 20, 2014, 03:48:51 am
content: Quote from: Rigby on February 19, 2014, 07:56:27 pmYes, I know. Always wanted a 701 butterfly.

author: TMM
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 20, 2014, 07:00:46 am
content: Been using a Dell XPS12 for here for almost a year. Really happy with the build quality and nothing has gone wrong yet. My only complaints are that the location of the USB ports and power cord can intrude on your hand space when using a mouse and the Intel graphics sucks but on the other hand battery life would probably take a big hit if it had dedicated graphics.Lightweight it is not (3lbs/1.35Kg) but then the Yoga 2 Pro is around the same weight. It's too heavy to hold with one hand for extended periods. Full blown 15" Laptops aren't much heavier so unless you really need to use it as a tablet or on your lap, then consider larger form factors as they are nicer to use as a 'portable desktop' and are a heck of a lot cheaper!