BleepingComputer.com: Looking to buy an ultra portable.

Hello all,

I was about to purchase an I/O laptop from Falcon North West when I found topics on several forums discussing how their prices were outrageous so I started looking around and found a few laptop resellers that seem to be selling the same laptop with minor variations in price and customization options.

I am looking for an ultra-portable laptop with a screen of about 13", a good screen resolution and an SSD for increased "performances". (I own a desktop computer and this laptop will be used for trivial tasks like taking notes, checking e-mails, giving presentations and some software development).

So far here is what I got:

On http://www.sagernotebook.com/ - The NP3101
Display 13.3" HD LED-Backlit Display with Super Glossy Surface (1366 x 768)
Video & Graphics Card Intel GMA HD Integrated Graphics with Share Memory Architecture up to 1.7GB
CPU Processor Intel® Core™ i3-330UM Processor ( 32nm, 3MB L3 Cache, 1.20GHz, 2.5GT/s )
Operating System Genuine MS Windows® 7 Ultimate 32/64-Bit Edition ( 64-Bit Preloaded ) [$110.00]
Memory 8GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 800MHz - 2 X 4GB [$90.00]
Primary Hard Disk Drive 250GB Intel 510 Series SATA3 Solid State Disk Drive [$585.00]
Wireless Network Card Internal 802.11 B+G+N Wireless LAN Module
Bluetooth Internal Bluetooth V2.1 Module
Primary Battery Smart Li-Polymer Battery Pack (3 Cell, 31.08WH)
Microsoft Office Microsoft Office Starter 2010 - Included in Price
Warranty Sager 1 Year Limited Parts and Labor Warranty
TOTAL: $1,564

On http://www.pro-star.com/ - The S3101
Screen 13.3" 1366x768 HD Glare Type LED with Super Clear Ultra Bright Glossy
CPU Intel® Core™ i3-330UM Processor, 32nm, 3MB L3 Cache, 1.20GHz, 2.5GT/s
Thermal Compound Free! Prostar OEM Thermal Compound
Memory 8GB, PC2-6400/800Mhz DDR3 - 2 DIMM 1 $90.00
Graphic Cards Intel GMA HD Integrated Graphics with Share Memory Architecture up to 1.7GB
Hard Drive 250GB Intel 510 SERIES SATA III Solid State Drive 1 $585.00
Operating System Windows 7 Ultimate Edition 64-bit 1 $190.00
Microsoft Office No Microsoft Office
Optical Drive N/A
2nd Optical Drive N/A
Battery Smart Li-Polymer Battery Pack
Integrated Wireless Lan Wireless Lan 802.11 b/g/n
Integrated Bluetooth Internal Bluetooth V2.1 + EDR Module
LCD Protection N/A
Warrany Service: 1 Year Premium Parts Warranty + 3 Year Labor $0.00
Priority Service: Free! Ready to Ship 3 Business Days (Save $29) $0.00
TOTAL: $1,564

On http://build.falcon-nw.com/?s=6 - The I/O
Chassis I/O Exotix - Rain
Display 13" LCD Panel - 1366x768
Pixel Guarantee Perfect Pixel Guarantee
Processor Core i3 330UM - 1.20GHz
Memory 8GB (2x4GB) 1066MHz DDR3
Video Card Intel GMA HD
Networking 802.11 B/G/N & Bluetooth
Hard Drive 256GB - SSD - 6Gb/s
Optical 8x External USB DVD+-RW
64-Bit Operating System Windows 7 Ultimate
Battery Extra Li-Ion Battery
Power Supply AC Adapter
Carrying Case I/O Carrying Sleeve
Warranty 1 Year Warranty + Falcon Overnight
TOTAL: $2248.71 (includes a $125 paint job, ram has higher frequency, but ssd is previous gen)

The three laptop listed are basically very similar but sold and "customized" by different companies and the original model seems to be the CLEVO S3101.

My question here is: Are these the best option? Obviously the FNW is a rip-off, what do you recommend me to get? Any suggestions outside of this list is welcome too.

Out of those choices i would pick the S3101 because of the 1 year premium parts warranty and the 3 year labor.

killerx525, on 01 June 2011 - 03:45 AM, said:

Hello and thank you for your answer.

Is there no alternative or equivalent laptop out there?

Is this really my best option?

I just realized there was a sticky on this forum, I apologize and here I go:

My budget for the new computer is: No limit, though I don't expect to be paying more than $3,000 for an ultra portable.

What are the primary uses for this computer (IE: mail, web browsing, programming, games, etc)? Web Browsing, Video watching, programming/software engineering

What software do you intend on using on the computer? Visual studio 2010 pro / Office suite

Do you play games? If so, what type of games? No, desktop is there for that.

Do you tend to have a lot of programs running at the same time, or do you close every program when you are done using it? I don't tend to run tens of programs at once but it needs to run smoothly with let's say a browser running a few tabs with the antivirus running it's background and vs running.

Do you store a lot of pictures or music on the computer? Yes for pics, no for music. Just a few gigs of pictures.

What are constraints that the laptop have to fulfill: Not a mac. Good screen resolution. SSD. Battery life is a plus but not a must.

SAMSUNG Series 9 900X3A-A03

Now this laptop packs some power and it is ultra portable and light.

Thanks for your help

No problems