New Sony Ultrabook

My 7 year old Inspiron 6400 finally called it quits (RIP) so I had to run out and grab something on the fly. I knew what I really wanted but for a variety of reasons also knew that some things were just what they were (namely, I was getting a Windows machine). That said, I wanted great RAM and also some SSD capabilities. I needed an optical drive, and decent storage and I needed 15.6" screen with the best resolution I could get. Oh yeah, all for under $1000. Off I went and after a few hours of fiddling, came home with an Acer Aspire M5. Without getting into too many details, the screen was not going to cut it for me so back it went this am and now I am writing this from a Sony Vaio 1511. Its nice with 8gb RAM and a 750gb HD with SSD. Gen 3 i5 processor, touchscreen, and a 1080p 15.6" screen. Also has the normal ports (including vga which I needed) and an optical drive. Backlit keyboard is a bonus.

I should be thrilled, especially as I walked out the door with it for $875. Seemed like a steal for all of this. Still, I have reservations in that even at 1080p, its still not IPS and it shows in the color/contrast. Is there anything that can be done to make this any better or do I just have to live with it? Its not awful by any stretch (waaaaay better than the 1366x768 Acer) but its still not as nice as my old 6400 at 1280 or whatever it was...

When you all switch to a new machine, how long does it take to get editing back in line? I'm worried that I'll wind up adding too much contrast to everything now as compensation for what my eyes see on the screen. I guess another (maybe cheaper) option would be to get an IPS external monitor and edit from there. Thoughts on that? If I go that route, I do have to be cost conscious as the company is footing the bill.

Look at the Lenovo w530 with the 1900 x 1080 wide gamut display. Configure it so it is in your price range; it is very easy to upgrade later. I love mine and the wide gamut display is 100% sRGB and 98% Adobe RGB. It calibrates really well. You can put 2 hard drives in it and swap a DVD drive in the ultra-bay when needed. It is a pleasure to use and is really powerful. Just choose the processor that best suits your needs. I have the i7 3820Q and the Nvidia Quadro 2000k with Optimus. The battery life is great. I could not be happier with mine. Configure it on line then call and speak to a salesman you will get a better price.

butterfly2937 wrote in post #15663232
Look at the Lenovo w530 with the 1900 x 1080 wide gamut display. Configure it so it is in your price range; it is very easy to upgrade later. I love mine and the wide gamut display is 100% sRGB and 98% Adobe RGB. It calibrates really well. You can put 2 hard drives in it and swap a DVD drive in the ultra-bay when needed. It is a pleasure to use and is really powerful. Just choose the processor that best suits your needs. I have the i7 3820Q and the Nvidia Quadro 2000k with Optimus. The battery life is great. I could not be happier with mine. Configure it on line then call and speak to a salesman you will get a better price.

sounds nice but you are talking about a $1500-2500 machine vs my Sony at $875, unfortunately, hat is way outta budget for me.

I'd put an external monitor on it. I can't help you with which one, I use an IMac.

rick_reno wrote in post #15664426
I'd put an external monitor on it. I can't help you with which one, I use an IMac.

I think I may go this route Rick. Seems like you can get a ton of bang for the buck in IPS monitors these days.

namasste wrote in post #15663428
sounds nice but you are talking about a $1500-2500 machine vs my Sony at $875, unfortunately, hat is way outta budget for me.

If you configure a 1500.00 machine and call and talk to a salesman they will take 20 to 25% maybe more off the price give it a shot. You have nothing to loose.

butterfly2937 wrote in post #15664672
If you configure a 1500.00 machine and call and talk to a salesman they will take 20 to 25% maybe more off the price give it a shot. You have nothing to loose.

great point, nothing at all to lose.

I wouldn't get a sony. Get a Lenovo or an Asus. You could always get one of those cat leap monitors. 27 inch ips for around $400 if you can find them.

mnaz wrote in post #15705937
I wouldn't get a sony. Get a Lenovo or an Asus. You could always get one of those cat leap monitors. 27 inch ips for around $400 if you can find them.

well aren't you a day late and dollar short? I kept the Sony and actually like it. Wound up adding a 27" IPS monitor and its turning out to be a pretty great setup for me.

Completely OT, but I am going to put the full court press on you to help out taking pics at after prom. You know you want to!