Portable laptop budget c 1800-2100

PoleStar

Hi

I am lookin for a laptop with budget 1800-2100 (no less than this).
Ideally portable i.e. lightweight with good battery life (preferably 4 hours plus)(not using dvd)
Size 12-13 inch screen with preferably (altho not essential) dvd built in.

Needs to run the usual plus also photoshop which can be a bit slow on a not-so-fast computer so lookin for good spec.

I am thinking maybe xps 1330 which kinda fits the bill but even with 9cell battery, not sure what battery life is like (not the quoted battery life, the ACTUAL battery life).

An alternative is something like the lattitude d430 or a sony for around this budget however just wondering. These have the ultra low voltage processors which give good battery life but just wondering if they lose out bigtime in performance or only slightly less fast say than the xps. I would accept a loss in speed somewhat for portability.

The other option is a lenovo x61 which without built in optical drive but quite good I think.

Any thoughts? I was hoping to stick to one of these brands sony, dell or lenovo which I am familiar with but open to alternative suggestions!

Thanks

AlmightyCushion

Dell also do a 12" lattitude, I think it's called the xt or something like that. You would get really good battery life using a 9 cell battery with a m1330. Probably somewhere in the region of 6 hours for basic web browsing. If you are going with the xps get the led backlit screen. It is lighter, thinner and more energy efficient than the normal screens.

Voodu Child

Spec the m1330 with the 9-cell batt, LED lit screen, 5400rpm drive & integrated graphics and you're going to be laughing.

It's a very nice machine, and should come in well under your budget.

BostonB

Check out the Dell Vostro 1400. Great battery life and still smallish.

PoleStar

Regarding the xps m1330, if i get integrated graphics will i notice a big difference when running photoshop and dvds or are graphics cards like the 8400 which you can get in the xps just really needed for 3d rendering i.e. the latest games. I wont be using it for games by the way!

And is there a big difference in battery life between integrated and discreet graphics?

Plus as for budget, I aint payin for it so want to use as much of my budget as possible!

Voodu Child

To the best of my knowledge, Photoshop doesnt make any use of 3D graphics cards, you shouldnt see any difference at all between the 8400M and X3100. CPU should have the biggest effect on Photoshop performance.

You certainly don't need the 8400M to play DVDs either, the X3100 should more than suffice in that regard.

You could be looking at around 30-40% longer battery life with the 8400 versus the X3100. There's some Sony and Asus models that actually have both discrete and integrated graphics cards, and can be switched between them.

BostonB

I don't think it makes a difference in 2D apps. It does make a difference in battery life, and Dell spec a bigger external AC adapter when you order the Nivida card, even the low end ones.

PoleStar

Cheers guys that kinda helps.

I guess anyway if I get the m1330 with t7500 and 4gb ram that it should be fine then without discreet graphics.

Altho one thing is I have heard that vista will be slow. Is this the case?

Also with battery life and portability would i be better with something like sony SZ series or are these not as well specced for the price with not huge gains in terms of weight and battery life?

I was also considering the sony TZ series which is ultra ultra portable but maybe suffers bigtime in terms of performance?

Anyone with an m1330 tell me what its like day 2 day with 9 cell battery to lug around?

Cheers and thanks for all the help i kno its a lot of questions!

BostonB

I think a photoshop powerhouse isn't a ultralight laptop. Photoshop is very CPU dependent, and that sucks the battery life. Also they have smaller screens, and for photoshop you want a bigger screen. I think you should try to be clear in what you want to do with this laptop.

Voodu Child

Im running Photoshop CS3 perfectly on my M1330, and that's with the T7250.

Photoshop likes a fast CPU, but you're talking about filters and transformations. You're doing those every now and then, not constantly. I keep and eye on the CPU monitor and it's barely ticking over 90% of the time tbh. I don't see any problem meeting the OPs 4+ hours goal.

A bigger screen is always a plus for photoshop, but you can't have it both ways. Screen size and battery life are on opposite ends of the spectrum, and the original post asked for something lightweight, portable and with good battery life. I don't see any problem in the models the OP is looking at.