ThinkPad E460 v Zenbook or Other

Lzero23 on 24/02/2016 - 19:20
Last edited 24/02/2016 - 20:59 by 1 other user

Hey guys so I am a uni student looking for a laptop for uni, which will involve light coding and possibly some light gaming. When I say light gaming I mean games like Dota and CS:GO.

I am currently looking at the Thinkpad E460 for $865.06 with the specs

  • Intel Core i5-6200U Processor (3MB Cache, up to 2.80GHz
  • Windows 10 Home 64
  • 14.0 FHD (1920 x 1080)
  • 8GB RAM
  • AMD Radeon R7 M360 2GB
  • 720p Camera with MIC
  • 1TB HD

But the only problem with that is it weighs 1.9kg

Another laptop I was looking at was the Asus Zenbook UX305LA. The cheapest price I found was from
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Asus-Zenbook-UX305LA-13-3-IPS-Int…

My problem with this was that it is over 1k. Do you think it is crazy to wait for another eBay deal like the Valentine's Day one to get 10% off?

I am open to any other suggestions. Thanks in advance! Oh and I want to spend less than $1000

Computing 13.3inch ASUS Computer Laptop Lenovo Ultrabook

Comments

  • npc on 24/02/2016 - 19:58
    +3

    Lenovo will have much better keyboard, quite important consideration for coding and uni.

    Also take a look at dell latitude in the outlet.

    • zero23 on 24/02/2016 - 20:12
      +1

      Dell seems to be in excess of $1000? I probably should add that I want to spend less than 1K

      • npc on 24/02/2016 - 20:24

        Most of 14 inch FHD units with good specs are $800-$1000 in dell outlet.

      • [Deactivated] on 25/02/2016 - 08:21

        Keep an eye out. Stock moves fairly fast, so you'll have to be patient and quick to grab the deal you want. But in general, Latitude are going to have better keyboard and build quality than these thinkpads because of the difference in tier (high end business tier vs low end business tier)

  • ATangk on 24/02/2016 - 20:10
    +2

    As a uni student, battery life is probably the biggest thing you should look for. The Thinkpad has shorter battery life because its kicking a dedicated graphics card, and the HDD makes it less wieldy than the fast startup of the Zenbook (or any SSD equipped device). Perhaps, it would be better to install your own SSD onto a laptop as the fast startup is a godsend when the lecturer starts speaking and you ran into class late.

    Personally, the QHD+ res of the Zenbook is a very very big downside to coding and otherwise. My Aorus X3 has that res and programs like Solidworks and Matlab are HORRIFIC (if the autoscaler screws up, the font size is like 1mm tall, forcing you to restart the program for 200% scaling again.)

    • zero23 on 24/02/2016 - 20:13

      I can add a SSD to the Thinkpad for an extra $100. What do you reckon then?

      • ATangk on 24/02/2016 - 20:28

        In that case, it is up to you whether you think the battery will last a day. Is there an upgrade to the battery (from 4 cell to 6 cell, for example)?

      • knk on 26/02/2016 - 10:56

        Might be worth just buying one and installing it yourself. Simple, and you end up with a harddrive left over that you can put in a case as an external.

    • npc on 25/02/2016 - 10:13

      Also gloss of QHD+ screen on Zenbook is terrible. Forget about working outdoors or with any semi bright light around you.

  • spackbace on 24/02/2016 - 20:29
    +1

    BOOM

    • zero23 on 24/02/2016 - 20:45
      +2

      just saw this and i'm pretty sure this is what they call fate

      • ATangk on 24/02/2016 - 22:18

        Whys your price a tad lower than TA's?

        • spackbace on 24/02/2016 - 22:36

          i5 vs i7, just at first glance

        • zero23 on 24/02/2016 - 23:46

          @Spackbace: Yeah and mine is education store discount

  • scotty on 24/02/2016 - 21:34
    +3

    If you are doing any extensive amount of typing (coding, writing long documents), then you'll find ThinkPad's keyboard a lot nicer to work with, even for an entry level model such as the E-series.

    • [Deactivated] on 25/02/2016 - 08:19

      Lenovo went with the macbook style island keyboard on all models now, so its not like it'll be a big improvement.

      • scotty on 25/02/2016 - 10:52

        Yeah that was a bit disappointing when they made the change a few years ago. However not all chicklet keyboards are the same, and I found Lenovo's design better than many others. It has good travel and slightly curved in (rather than flat). Here's a close-up image of E460's keyboard.

        • [Deactivated] on 25/02/2016 - 14:45

          Doesn't compare to the old scissor switch though, unfortunately. Dell/HP's implementation might be worse, but its still a large improvement over island hunt-n-peck keyboards

        • lead_org on 26/02/2016 - 02:55

          dont worry the old keyboard will make a comeback soon.

        • scotty on 26/02/2016 - 07:46

          @lead_org: How soon? Need to plan my next ThinkPad purchase…

        • [Deactivated] on 26/02/2016 - 13:07

          @scotty:

          Lenovo took a survey a while ago IIRC for their next flagship Thinkpad(s). 16:10 screen made it as well

        • lead_org on 01/03/2016 - 01:56

          @scotty: next CES is when it will be announced.

  • paul11 on 25/02/2016 - 10:59

    I will take Zenbook anyday. Once you start using an Ultrabook, you never go back to those fat bulky laptops. I think all laptops should weigh less than 1 Kg and less than .75 inches thick. I bought an Acer S3 (i3, 128GB SSD) ultrabook for USD 450 from Woot (Amazon owned) about 2 years back. Still loving it. The only thing I find lacking is a backlit keyboard.

    • ATangk on 25/02/2016 - 11:32
      +1

      Fat bulky laptops play games and model in 3D to much better extents than an ultrabook. The thin frames cannot handle the heat. So never go back is a stretch, but for portability obviously an ultrabook wins.

      • paul11 on 25/02/2016 - 11:44

        For gaming purposes, Get an ultra powerful desktop, for less money compared to a laptop. Or better, get any of the latest gaming console, which will you the best gaming experience.

        • ATangk on 25/02/2016 - 12:13

          And let me carry that monitor to my friends place too.

        • paul11 on 25/02/2016 - 12:55

          @ATangk: I think that would be a bit difficult. Better call your friend to come over to your place or best, play online with your friend.

        • humdingaling on 25/02/2016 - 17:16

          @paul11:

          call friends over for LAN but all to connect via internet due to DRM

        • [Deactivated] on 25/02/2016 - 18:30
          +1

          best gaming experience

          Um

  • Hardstuck Silver 2 on 26/02/2016 - 09:31
    +4

    Uni student here (Mech eng + Comp Sci, 5th year)

    I have the E450, I got it mid last semester. (i7 5500U, 128GB SSD, 8GB Ram $999)

    Pros:
    Fantastic keyboard
    Nice screen
    Simple and works
    Understated design. Plain in a very nice way (think, all matte black, no random streaks of cheap silver plastic or crappy looking red lining.)

    Cons:
    Screen doesn't light up very bright (usually not an issue)
    Webcam stopped working after a clean install of Windows 10 (tried multiple drivers, one caused laptop to BSOD on me - self inflicted con)
    Hinges don't fold back as much as I'd like (I'd say about 130 degrees) which can make for sometimes awkward web browsing while standing up. (surprisingly an issue… think team work stuff)
    Sometimes heats up like a motherf*cker. (think, on your lap)

    You might be different, but for me I just need something that does everything I need it to without issues. I don't need any bells or whistles and with that in mind it's almost perfect. It's not the smallest/lightest but if you're a CSE student you'll find the weight makes typing nicer, especially on uneven surfaces like your lap. It's battery life isn't the longest but let's be real, if you're at uni for longer than 5-6 hours you're not going to be going in light so the charger is not that heavy when you have a bag. If you're just using the laptop to stream music while you work on the lab computers, I've managed to squeeze 7 hours of out the battery (low power, screen off). Build quality is very solid, way better than any $1000 laptop I've owned or used. Below their god tier T series but should last entire uni without breaking.

    The only two real reasons I would go against this laptop is if you get a custom build and the heat. I swapped out the SSD for a HDD (I could have installed it myself but I was like eh whatever.) and this seemed to add 3 weeks of extra manufacture time, so it took about 4 week to arrive (which I feel is a bit ridiculous). The machine also runs a bit hot. It might just be because of the i7 but damn (never use the 260m GPU. I have a dedicated machine for gaming).

    So, I would recommend the laptop, but it does have a few quirks. If they aren't an issue, then this laptop is about as good as it gets for the price.

    • zero23 on 26/02/2016 - 18:31

      4 weeks? Jesus that's going to eat into my year

  • tanksinatra on 26/02/2016 - 10:08

    These are two different laptops - previous gen ultrabook vs current 14" laptop.

    Do you need an ultrabook? Are you going to be 'on-the-go' all the time? If so, your decision is made for you. If no, the 14" laptops are still quite portable and much better value imo.

    Bear in mind that Zenbook is running last years Broadwell platform. It is less efficient, less powerful and the integrated graphics are significantly slower.
    I would look at the Asus UX303UB which is Skylake and has a Nvidia 940M.

    • zero23 on 26/02/2016 - 18:32

      I ended up going with the i7 deal that TA posted a few days back

  • alikazi on 26/02/2016 - 19:29

    I hate the Ctrl, Fn button placements on lenovo keyboards even though typing on them is great. Asus keyboards are tooooo sensitive to moisture. I wiped my Asus laptop with a wet wipe and even though it dried up quickly it was enough to damage the Asus keyboard. But at least their buttons make sense. Also I absolutely hate the mouse buttons placement on ThinkPads.

    • [Deactivated] on 18/03/2017 - 15:45

      U can swap the buttons in bios

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