A Macbookpro alternative with similar build quality

Re:A Macbookpro alternative with similar build quality by aitoehigie on Monday February 13, 2012 @05:03PM (#3587521)

I am looking at 1. overall build quality i.e. something macbookish 2. battery like 6+ hours would be sweet 3. cost under $1000 4. screen size - 15" matte (I hate glossy, print magnets) Thanks

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:A Macbookpro alternative with similar build quality by khyryk on Monday February 13, 2012 @05:40PM (#3587646)

Given another reply that you posted, I'm not sure 6+ hours would be reasonable using Ubuntu without a massive battery slab. Even with a bunch of tweaking, battery life tends to be lower than what one would get with Windows.

I would suggest you look at HP EliteBooks and Lenovo ThinkPads. For instance, a ThinkPad W510 or EliteBook 8540w.

I personally own an HP EliteBook 8540p.

-2.53 gHz i5 CPU

-NVIDIA NVS 5100m (equivalent to the GeForce 330m)

-15" matte 1600x900 resolution (quality comparable MacBook: http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=5881&p=...)

-4-5 hour battery life, although I'm still using the original battery

-built like an absolute tank

I got it off of eBay for $600 last summer. The models I mentioned above can have 1080p configurations, and I know for a fact that the 8540w has the DreamColor configuration, which is about the best display you can have in a laptop; they're quite rare, however.

You'd probably have trouble picking up brand-new, refreshed models for under $1000, but that would be the same case for a MacBook.

[ Parent | on HN ]