Ultrabook with Production and Medium Gaming Power

[RobotsEatCookies]

I've been looking for this type of computer for almost half a year, and I think I've been complicating things, so I suppose I should start from "base-zero"

FORM-

1) What is your budget?
Under $2500, less is always better

2) What size notebook would you prefer?
Ultraportable (11-12")
Thin and Light (13-14")

3) Where will you buying this notebook? You can select the flag of your country as an indicator.
USA, North America (via the internet)

4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
a. Like: Asus, HP, Lenovo, Sony
b. Dislike: Acer, Apple, Gateway, MSi, Samsung

5) Would you consider laptops that are refurbished/redistributed?
Possibly, depending on condition and reliability of seller

6) What are the primary tasks will you be performing with this notebook?
Medium Hardcore Gaming (Games listed below)

Digital Production Work
Adobe After Effects CS5.5
Adobe Photoshop CS5.5
Autodesk 3ds Max 2013
Autodesk Maya 2012 (possibly 2013, will leave laptop to render overnight if necessary)
Fraps
Sony Vegas Pro 11

7) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places, leaving it on your desk or both?
Both

8) Will you be playing games on your notebook? If so, please state which games or types of games?
Yes,
Crysis 2 (Medium)
Diablo 3
DotA 2
Mass Effect 1,2,3
Minecraft
Portal 2
Team Fortress 2

9) How many hours of battery life do you need?
As much as possible (Even if its only 30 minutes)

10) Would you prefer to see the notebooks you're considering before purchasing it or buying a notebook on-line without seeing it is OK?
Online (Probably will view videos to see how it seems)

11) What OS do you prefer? Windows (XP or Vista or Windows 7), Mac OS, Linux, etc.
Windows 7

12) What screen resolution(s) would you prefer?
1366x768 minimum (Higher is always better)

13) Do you want a Glossy/reflective screen or a Matte/non-glossy screen?
Doesn't matter

14) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
Not really, as long as it doesn't look like junk

15) When are you buying this laptop?
In less than a year

16) How long do you want this laptop to last?
As long as possible (At least more than 2 years)

17) How much hard drive space do you need; 80GB to 640GB? Do you want a SSD drive?
100GB minimum (Higher is always better) SSD is nice but not necessary

18) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD Burner, Blu-ray Reader or Blu-Ray Burner?
It's nice to have one, but not really

Additional information:
Heat must be <38 degrees Celsius
Fan noise must be under 38 dB
Must be under 4 lbs

If anyone can help me find a laptop that works, Kudos and Rep to you!
Thanks!

[kevmanw4301]

This seems about perfect.

http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-Zenbook-U.../dp/B00863L2MS

There are very few ultrabooks with dGPUs. The Envy 4t is another option, but it is not technically an ultrabook. The 7670M is a little faster than a 620M, but the 1080p screen on the ASUS is beautiful, and with your budget, it's well worth it.

[humanstory]

The Vaio S13 or Vaio Z may be what you're looking for - while neither of those are "ultrabooks" they both have high quality screens, dGPUs (though the Z's is through a connectable dock), and full-voltage processors (many ultrabooks have low voltage processors, which would slow you down in your production work).

Alternatively, the upcoming (release on Tuesday?) Dell XPS 15 is an ultrabook (though fifteen inches, which is out of your stated size constraint) that should have a good quality screen, i7 quad option (which is what you'll really want, for production work), and 640m (a strong graphics card).

If you end up going 15", though, you may as well get the rMBP if you can afford it. It's got a better-than-ultrabook profile, i7 quad, and 650m.

Good luck!

[RobotsEatCookies]

This seems about perfect.

Amazon.com: ASUS Zenbook UX32VD-DB71 13.3-Inch Ultrabook: Computers & Accessories

There are very few ultrabooks with dGPUs. The Envy 4t is another option, but it is not technically an ultrabook. The 7670M is a little faster than a 620M, but the 1080p screen on the ASUS is beautiful, and with your budget, it's well worth it.

I have seen the UX32VD before, but even though it's a great ultrabook, it overheats too easily. I am considering the Envy 4t, but due to it having the 7670m and the low voltage processor, it's probably too weak for what I do.

The Vaio S13 or Vaio Z may be what you're looking for - while neither of those are "ultrabooks" they both have high quality screens, dGPUs (though the Z's is through a connectable dock), and full-voltage processors (many ultrabooks have low voltage processors, which would slow you down in your production work).

Alternatively, the upcoming (release on Tuesday?) Dell XPS 15 is an ultrabook (though fifteen inches, which is out of your stated size constraint) that should have a good quality screen, i7 quad option (which is what you'll really want, for production work), and 640m (a strong graphics card).

If you end up going 15", though, you may as well get the rMBP if you can afford it. It's got a better-than-ultrabook profile, i7 quad, and 650m.

Good luck!

The Vaio Z is a great option, with everything I need-the only problem being that PMD. The PMD only supports 6650m (7670m future?) and that's too weak for rendering on Maya. Not going to go with the Vaio S (too thick, too heavy, terrible screen). Nor the XPS 15, probably too heavy and I dislike Dell. The rMBP is a good option, the only problem being I don't like Apple and it exceeds 4lbs.

Right now, I'm probably going to get the Vaio Z, the problem being it can't render on Maya . I saw the Gigabyte U2442n and U2442v to be quite good, chances are that I will probably get it.

Any more suggestions?

[ForeverZen]

Any more suggestions?

Yeah-- don't buy an ultrabook.

[kevmanw4301]

He's right. If you want to render Maya, you'd need more power, however I have seen reports of people running it just fine on the 540M, which is similar in power to the 620M.

[User Retired 2]

13" Asus UX32VD (1080P, GT620M)
13" Sony SA13 (900P, GT640M, ODD)
14" Acer M5 (720P, GT640M)
14" Gigabyte U2442N (900P, GT640M, Thunderbolt port)
15" Macbook Pro (1800P, GT650M, Thunderbolt port, i7-quad)

[kevmanw4301]

I thought the M5 only went down to 14"?

[RobotsEatCookies]

Yeah-- don't buy an ultrabook.

I just need a thin and light premium power computer, I don't exactly need something that defines "ultrabook." But I do need portable and production power.

He's right. If you want to render Maya, you'd need more power, however I have seen reports of people running it just fine on the 540M, which is similar in power to the 620M.

Useful information, thanks! +rep

13" Asus UX32VD (1080P, GT620M)
13" Sony SA13 (900P, GT640M, ODD)
14" Acer M5 (720P, GT640M)
14" Gigabyte U2442N (900P, GT640M, Thunderbolt port)
15" Macbook Pro (1800P, GT650M, Thunderbolt port, i7-quad)

I probably won't get the UX32VD, as I said earlier, because it goes beyond my heating range. Reviews of the S13 indicate a terrible screen and excessively loud fan, so I probably won't go for that either. As for the rMBP, I am not too familiar with Apple OS, so I probably will run on Windows, and I've heard the Retina screen looks awful running Windows, and the fact being it's 4.5 lbs, I'm probably not in for it. Congrats to Apple for such a lightweight 15", however. I just recently heard about the Acer M5-seems nice, it can be a possibility

The Vaio Z131190X and the Gigabyte U2442n are my two most likely options:

-The Z exchanges good overall performance, stylish looks, and super lightweight for the graphics card and price

-The U2442n (Maybe U2442v) has solid performance and great specs (loving that thunderbolt port), terrible build quality however

Thoughts, ideas, advice, more recommendations anyone?

[Low Life]

Do you need the gaming/rendering etc. capabilities on the go? If not, a laptop with Thunderbolt + eGPU solution might also be an option.