What to buy? 13" MBP vs HP DM3T vs something not on my radar

Im looking for a thin yet capable laptop for use in school this January. So far the 13" MBP pro is in the lead despite the fact that I have no Mac experience. For $1099 after student discount the MBP seems pretty impressive. I really like its backlit keyboard and appreciate its built in optical drive.

The DM3T can be had for a little less similiarly equipped, but no backlit keyboard option and the overall fit and finish is not as nice.

The laptop will mostly be used for note-taking, web surfing, and homework though I would like the ability to run more processor/gpu intensive tasks

Is there another laptop in this pricepoint (sub $1200) that comes with a 13" display and is as thin, light and durable as either of these two?

If you are going to be taking a lot of notes and can deal with a 12.1" screen take a look at an HP tx2 convertible tablet. I push tablets a lot and for students taking notes they can be perfect. At the $1200 dollar price point you could even put in a 128GB SSD. I just did that to my tx2 this weekend and all I can say its like owning a new computer.

So this machine isn't as sleek, a bit smaller screen and it can run a little warm on High Performance. But it is FAR more functional. Think of using OneNote and being able to create handwritten material that is SEARCHABLE through the Start Menu. Of course you can just type but OneNote might be the most incredible application that nobody uses as much as they should. It my #1 must have app. I store my life in practically these days. No student or anyone that takes notes should be without OneNote or something like it. And put in that 128GB SSD and you're going to be in for a real treat.

Just a suggestion but the tx2 will be a HELL of a lot more functional for your purposes. I admit, I am ALL about function so a little less sleek and a bit smaller for the functionality I'd give up and that's not everyone.

If you live in a decent size city you should be able to go to a Best Buy and check one out.

Good luck!

I was actually highly considering the tx2z but once you get past the touchscreen its hardware seems a little underpowered for the price. I also prefer Intel to AMD after years of having owned both. If they offered an intel processor and ddr3 memory I'd probably be sold on it. Also, while not a deal-breaker, Im not a huge fan of the printed graphics on the case of the tx2

I will be using this for notes and for that the touchscreen seems great, however I dont see what else I'd use the touchscreen for and i can probably type faster that I print. The touchscreen certainly has the "wow factor" going for it. It just doesnt seem very practical.

I played around with the tx2 at best buy. It was nice but doesnt seem nearly as durable as even the other HP notebooks on display.

Not trying to sell you on something you've already ruled out but just a couple of things you might want to consider.

Just wanted to remind you that the tx2 also supports an electromagnetic pen as well as touch and while the keyboard is great for fast and efficient text input the pen can be mightier than the keyboard in certain situations. Indeed the ability to write I think is a powerful interface especially for students dealing with math and science. It's hard to type equations and the ability to draw symbols and pictures has a lot of value. Plus the handwriting recognition in Windows 7 is amazing. I'm inking this post while in bed and I often will write emails and notes where using a keyboard isn't practical.

Also a tablet makes an excellent ebook and Kindle for the PC with touch capability is coming out this month.

As for the tx2's durability I've found it to be pretty solid. I've had mine for almost a year and I 'redropped it off my nightstand a couple of times (on carpet) and it's held up well. I doubt it would do well being dropped on concrete much but the unit isn't fragile.

Lastly the tx2 is pretty powerful for a tablet. I can play a good number of modern games at lower settings. Portal is a blast on this device and Source engine games run decently.

Sorry to go on about the tx2. It's such a wonderful machine and I think that it really is well suited for knowledge workers and students with enough power to provide some fun. With Windows 7 and an SSD its simply an amazing piece of technology.

I had a tablet in college for nearly 2 years and then decided that I just was not using it enough. For note taking I still preferred pen and paper. You may get used to writing on the screen but a notebook is thinner and lighter and has absolutely no downtime. I had a Lenovo X61t and Dell Latitude XT btw.

Anyway as to the MBP 13 vs the DM3t definitely get the MBP 13. The touchpad on the MBP is a lot better than the HP. For the price difference there is no real reason to short change yourself.

Originally Posted by heatlesssun

If you are going to be taking a lot of notes and can deal with a 12.1" screen take a look at an HP tx2 convertible tablet. I push tablets a lot and for students taking notes they can be perfect. At the $1200 dollar price point you could even put in a 128GB SSD. I just did that to my tx2 this weekend and all I can say its like owning a new computer.

So this machine isn't as sleek, a bit smaller screen and it can run a little warm on High Performance. But it is FAR more functional. Think of using OneNote and being able to create handwritten material that is SEARCHABLE through the Start Menu. Of course you can just type but OneNote might be the most incredible application that nobody uses as much as they should. It my #1 must have app. I store my life in practically these days. No student or anyone that takes notes should be without OneNote or something like it. And put in that 128GB SSD and you're going to be in for a real treat.

Just a suggestion but the tx2 will be a HELL of a lot more functional for your purposes. I admit, I am ALL about function so a little less sleek and a bit smaller for the functionality I'd give up and that's not everyone.

If you live in a decent size city you should be able to go to a Best Buy and check one out.

Good luck!

if you are in the market for a 12 inch tablet
i can think of no reason not to by the lenovo x200
the hp offering really doesn't compare

The Lenovo X series of tablets looked nice but I was disappointed by the fact that there was no option for a dedicated graphics card. Intel 4500MHD only on all models from $999 up to $2399

What about the Asus UL80Vt-A1?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834220602
Comes with 12 hrs battery life (most seem to get only 10 hrs though) and the Nvidia G210m. No backlit keyborad though. All for $850.

That Asus doesnt look too bad at all. I'll have to see if I can find one on display locally.

Originally Posted by lixuelai

For note taking I still preferred pen and paper. You may get used to writing on the screen but a notebook is thinner and lighter and has absolutely no downtime. I had a Lenovo X61t and Dell Latitude XT btw.

Pen and paper get lost and aren't fully searchable. And the amount of notes that you can store on a tablet would be FAR lighter than the equivalent amount it paper. There are advantages to tablets over paper in terms of weight and durability.

If you are not going the tablet route please do take a look at OneNote. It's a fantastic electronic notebook and even without a tablet its about the best notebook app out there. When coupled with a tablet it comes one of the most powerful information gather tools around.

So no one where have ever tried to use a tablet for taking math and science notes?

I tried it for 2 years and gave up on it. I dont know about you but I only carry 2-3 thin notebooks to classes which is much lighter than any tablet. As for durability if you drop your tablet and you have no backup you are toast. Only way you destroy a notebook would be to tear it apart, soak it completely with water or burn it etc. So I dont see how tablets are better than paper in terms of weight of or durability. Easy to backup though is a valid point.

Im going to attempt to steer the thread back towards my original topic here. Am I missing a quality, thin 13.3" laptop at the $1200 or less pricepoint

unless you can get an X300 that cheap, get the MBP.
i couldn't find a better 13" to save my life when i was shopping, but i landed on getting an 11.6 anyway.

If you liked the Asus Ul80vt, and are looking for a 13'', then wait a month or so, asus is planing to release the Ul30vt which is rumored to have almost the same specs just in 13'', price probably will be around the same. Check this amazon chat where the asus representative talks about it.

Early December, UL30VT. Simlar specs to other VT models, similar price.

I cannot reveal all the specs yet.
But take the UL30A-X5, add the NVidia G210M + Bluetooth, tack on some $$'s, and you pretty much have it.

Goal for UL30VT is first week of December.

Since you budget allows you can still go for an SSD and make it incredible fast super thin laptop. Check this video out Asus UL80VS+Turbo33+SSD+Windows 7

I think Im going to go with the MBP. Trying to decide whether to go for the $999 refurbished or $1099 new with student discount 13" 2.26ghz model.

Originally Posted by lixuelai

I tried it for 2 years and gave up on it. I dont know about you but I only carry 2-3 thin notebooks to classes which is much lighter than any tablet. As for durability if you drop your tablet and you have no backup you are toast. Only way you destroy a notebook would be to tear it apart, soak it completely with water or burn it etc. So I dont see how tablets are better than paper in terms of weight of or durability. Easy to backup though is a valid point.

I was saying if you wanted to carry ALL of your notes. Honestly I have YEARS of notes and web clippings in my OneNote note books. Years of information FULLY searchable, pen and paper just don't compare. And sure, depending on how you drop the tablet you could be a lot of trouble. But I've dropped mine of a tables onto carpeted surfaces and its not killed them. Plus know I'm packing an SSD in my tx2z so even if the machine died, the data is still pretty safe. The more I've used mine the more I love it. And 7 has just taken it to a new level. This machine can do anything.

I really don't understand why people go for less functionality, especially students that should be looking for all the tools they can to make their lives easier. Guess I'm too old and lazy!

Originally Posted by x_MaGiuS_x

I think Im going to go with the MBP. Trying to decide whether to go for the $999 refurbished or $1099 new with student discount 13" 2.26ghz model.

Congrats! Not the decision I would have made but you have a great machine though no tx2! But I still suggest in investing on a digital notebook. Pretty much like tablets I have no idea why people especially students don't use tools like these more often. Here's a good one for the Mac: http://www.marinersoftware.com/sitepage.php?page=85

Enjoy!

Originally Posted by x_MaGiuS_x

Im looking for a thin yet capable laptop for use in school this January. So far the 13" MBP pro is in the lead despite the fact that I have no Mac experience. For $1099 after student discount the MBP seems pretty impressive. I really like its backlit keyboard and appreciate its built in optical drive.

The DM3T can be had for a little less similiarly equipped, but no backlit keyboard option and the overall fit and finish is not as nice.

The laptop will mostly be used for note-taking, web surfing, and homework though I would like the ability to run more processor/gpu intensive tasks

Is there another laptop in this pricepoint (sub $1200) that comes with a 13" display and is as thin, light and durable as either of these two?

It is similarly equipped

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Apple%26...&skuId=9375115


http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/sh...fig_id=3723183

except it would come with twice the ram, a faster hard drive.


no edge to edge glass, no built in cd drive (though the one linked includes an external dvd/blue ray drive), and the mac has the nicer panel in all likelihood.


As far as looks go, I think the dm3 looks better than pretty much anything out there. Including the mbp, and I consider the 13" model their best looking. While not a solid aluminum casing, it is a nice (and I think better looking and far less plain) combo of magnesium/aluminum.


But what you don't get on the dm3 is being with the "in" crowd. There no pc can compete.

What killed the DM3T for me was the screen and the trackpad.

I actually cant believe I ordered a Mac.

I used to say Id never own one of their overpriced, underpowered systems.

Now that I have done several hours of comparison shopping in person as well as online the MBP is just too nice to pass on.

Originally Posted by x_MaGiuS_x

What killed the DM3T for me was the screen and the trackpad.

I actually cant believe I ordered a Mac.

I used to say Id never own one of their overpriced, underpowered systems.

Now that I have done several hours of comparison shopping in person as well as online the MBP is just too nice to pass on.

happened to me too. the 13" MBP is just a good buy right now, regardless of whether you are 1337pcguy67 or a applefanboi32