Ultrabook suggestions

I want to be able to run Photoshop on a ultrabook so I can edit on the run without having to lug around a bunch of weight. I have the Asus Zenbook with the i7 and is works good but I want a backup with a better keyboard.

I have been looking at the Lenovo U410 i5, 8GB Ram, 14" screen

The key here is weight and horsepower.

What are your thoughts?

I am not interested in a Mac

budget? Lenovo will be launching their Think series ultrabooks.

The T430u and the (not ultrabook standard as it is 1mm to thick) X1 Carbon.

I'd say a MacBook Air with Aperture and Pixelmator would be the fastest available. But Thad require an OS switch.

Budget is $1000.00

Tony-S wrote in post #14641609
I'd say a MacBook Air with Aperture and Pixelmator would be the fastest available. But Thad require an OS switch.

No disrespect intended but I think the Mac's are way over priced.

Well, I don't follow the Windows ultrabooks but CNET rated the HP Folio 13 as the best Windows netbook and it's pretty much the same thing as the MacBook Air and about the same price. The advantage of Aperture and Pixelmator is that they use the gpu for image editing, thus accounting for their dramatic speed performance compared to Lightroom and Photoshop. So, in terms of weight and horsepower the MBA seems to be the winner, at least with Aperture and Pixelmator. I suspect they'd be about the same with LR and PS.

Thanks Tony-S, I have spent 15 years in the IT field which never had the first Mac in the networks. If I had started with a Mac, I would have most likely loved it. Even now, if I were to spend a couple of months using one, I would most likely enjoy and use it regularly but at this point, I would be really fearful of buying a Mac and using it for 2-3 months and not liking it. I would be spent all that money and be stuck with something I don't want.

I normally don't buy new equipment every year because of lack of funds so I try to get the biggest bang for the buck.

I appreciate your advice and time in adding your knowledge to this discussion. Opinions are what makes the world better.

Check on List of models of Ultrabook on wikipedia.

Personally, I'm going to pick up a Toshiba Satellite Z830 very soon.

I was looking at some but big downfall I have seen is the hard drive. They are not removable. But the Samsung series 5 or series 7 is the best I have seen that has a removeabke hard drive and also a DVD slot but yet thin.

Tony-S wrote in post #14641609
I'd say a MacBook Air with Aperture and Pixelmator would be the fastest available. But Thad require an OS switch.

I would agree. I don't see that much difference in price. I certainly wouldn't buy any similar laptops without an SSD, but there are some very nice ultra light machines out there these days.

To the OP - for the additional price of a W7 installation DVD, you can run W7 natively on a MacBook Air, and still have OS X to play with in your spare time. In my experience, people who migrate from Windows to the Mac OS generally get frustrated because they think it's going to be harder than it actually is.

In any event, I find that my Mac Air 1.6 GHz Core 2 Duo with 4GB of RAM and 128GB SSD) is perfectly capable of doing most Photoshop chores in a "reasonable" amount of time. I use it for post processing when I'm traveling (or just lazy) and have done HDRs with up to 15 exposures with it. I suspect that any lightweight box with similar or better characteristics will suit you just fine, so long as it's not your primary editing machine.

I am very pleased with my Dell XPS 13 and am amazed at the speed with which it stiches 21 photos from a 7D to make a panoramic shot.

x_tan wrote in post #14641918
Personally, I'm going to pick up a Toshiba Satellite Z830 very soon.

Ughhh, I like it until I saw the screen specs (1366 x 768). I dont need 2880x1800, but this crappy 1366x736 displays are in every freaking laptop.

The Lenovo X220 - newer models available now, runs PS just fine with 8GB of RAM - I have the i7 CPU, but apparently the i5 version is fine as well.

shazza wrote in post #14645805
The Lenovo X220 - newer models available now, runs PS just fine with 8GB of RAM - I have the i7 CPU, but apparently the i5 version is fine as well.

and since the x220 is last years model they have some very good deals on them right now. I think you can get an i7 with the IPS monitor for right @ $1000.

FYI: Dell Outlet is running 20% off the XPS13. This makes then $700-800 nicely built.