So a few weeks ago I say to myself 'Here I am with no laptop, it's time to get another one.' I was really digging on ultrabooks, especially the convertible ones so I can turn it into a tablet and browse the web on it/read ebooks and ecomics, and watch porn with one hand free in public places
.
So I sit down, do a couple hours of research, and walk into Best Buy to grab this sexy beast:
Specs:
Intel Core i5 4200U
8GB RAM
128 GB SSD
Cost: $1300 after tax
Initially I was quite pleased with it. However, some problems began to come up: the fan was ALWAYS FUCKING ON, which was annoying as hell. The only way to get rid of it is to put the CPU fan profile into silent mode... which downclocks the CPU. Unacceptable. Also, the battery life fucking sucks. I was getting on average maybe 3-4 hours of constant use even after tweaking power settings. That's unacceptable. It felt like I had to keep it plugged in CONSTANTLY. Combine that with the loud-ass fan and it felt like using a desktop in the end.
The build quality is really solid however, screen is beautiful, and it's very lightweight. And I absolutely love the design, it is sexy as hell. The SSD was simply not big enough, the price tag was too big, and in general I felt like I could've gotten a better deal.
So I'm browsing on Slickdeals and see that the Dell Outlet is having some 30% off deals etc etc. I was hesitant to buy Dell because their designs weren't very sexy and in general I had never really enjoyed Dell products (sans the occasional Alienware laptop).
However, I did manage to find this beast for a great price and so I pulled the trigger:
Specs:
Intel Core i7 4500U
8GB RAM
512 GB (!) SSD
$1100 ($900 adjusted) after tax, includes $150 gift card
I received it a few days ago and I consider my mind to be blown: the XPS 12 kicks the Vaio Fit 13A's ass in every single way. The keyboard is the best laptop keyboard I have ever used, and maybe one of the best keyboards in general that I have ever used. The tactile feel of the keys is fantastic. The touchpad is also much better than the Vaio's. Dell's build quality and ergonomics are top-notch, best in the segment for sure after trying every other ultrabook/convertible on the market. The XPS also looks nicer than the Sony... it has a nice heft to it, it feels solid, it's smaller. It's hard to explain but once you get your hands on both you can tell the Dell is in another league altogether. The battery life is also much better... I'd say about 50-60% better on average. The XPS 12 has such good battery life that the other day I accidentally left it in my room without putting it to sleep for about 15 hours with a partial 30% charge, and when I came back to it, it was still on and had 10% battery life! Very impressive.
The screen is also nicer, thanks to a better panel and smaller size (12.5" vs 13.3"). The Dell surprisingly has decent speakers too (not that I'll ever used them). The convertible aspect of it is also easier to use than the Vaio: On the Dell, you simply push the front of the screen and it rotates around to turn into a tablet. On the Sony, you have to push back on the panel, it detaches from a hinge and then slides backwards to cover the end of it. They're both well done but the Dell's functionality simply works better.
The only knocks I have against the Dell is that when I got it, it had horrible McAfee installed which decided to blue screen (BSOD) it randomly, which was fucking annoying. I had to download McAfee's uninstaller application (yep, couldn't uninstall from Control Panel) to get rid of it. After that, smooth sailing. When I called to Dell and complained, they offered me a $200 credit and their apologies. Wow. Ok, I guess fixing it myself was well worth it.
Overall, I can't recommend the XPS 12 enough. The Fit 13A.... eh, if it was cheaper, I'd say go for it if you prefer form over function. It truly is sexy, but just doesn't stand up to the 'lowly' Dell.
I hope this benefits someone on here, I know some GAF'ers are into sleek, powerful, overpriced lightweight ultrabooks as well.
just kidding
So I sit down, do a couple hours of research, and walk into Best Buy to grab this sexy beast:
Specs:
Intel Core i5 4200U
8GB RAM
128 GB SSD
Cost: $1300 after tax
Initially I was quite pleased with it. However, some problems began to come up: the fan was ALWAYS FUCKING ON, which was annoying as hell. The only way to get rid of it is to put the CPU fan profile into silent mode... which downclocks the CPU. Unacceptable. Also, the battery life fucking sucks. I was getting on average maybe 3-4 hours of constant use even after tweaking power settings. That's unacceptable. It felt like I had to keep it plugged in CONSTANTLY. Combine that with the loud-ass fan and it felt like using a desktop in the end.
The build quality is really solid however, screen is beautiful, and it's very lightweight. And I absolutely love the design, it is sexy as hell. The SSD was simply not big enough, the price tag was too big, and in general I felt like I could've gotten a better deal.
So I'm browsing on Slickdeals and see that the Dell Outlet is having some 30% off deals etc etc. I was hesitant to buy Dell because their designs weren't very sexy and in general I had never really enjoyed Dell products (sans the occasional Alienware laptop).
However, I did manage to find this beast for a great price and so I pulled the trigger:
Specs:
Intel Core i7 4500U
8GB RAM
512 GB (!) SSD
$1100 ($900 adjusted) after tax, includes $150 gift card
I received it a few days ago and I consider my mind to be blown: the XPS 12 kicks the Vaio Fit 13A's ass in every single way. The keyboard is the best laptop keyboard I have ever used, and maybe one of the best keyboards in general that I have ever used. The tactile feel of the keys is fantastic. The touchpad is also much better than the Vaio's. Dell's build quality and ergonomics are top-notch, best in the segment for sure after trying every other ultrabook/convertible on the market. The XPS also looks nicer than the Sony... it has a nice heft to it, it feels solid, it's smaller. It's hard to explain but once you get your hands on both you can tell the Dell is in another league altogether. The battery life is also much better... I'd say about 50-60% better on average. The XPS 12 has such good battery life that the other day I accidentally left it in my room without putting it to sleep for about 15 hours with a partial 30% charge, and when I came back to it, it was still on and had 10% battery life! Very impressive.
The screen is also nicer, thanks to a better panel and smaller size (12.5" vs 13.3"). The Dell surprisingly has decent speakers too (not that I'll ever used them). The convertible aspect of it is also easier to use than the Vaio: On the Dell, you simply push the front of the screen and it rotates around to turn into a tablet. On the Sony, you have to push back on the panel, it detaches from a hinge and then slides backwards to cover the end of it. They're both well done but the Dell's functionality simply works better.
The only knocks I have against the Dell is that when I got it, it had horrible McAfee installed which decided to blue screen (BSOD) it randomly, which was fucking annoying. I had to download McAfee's uninstaller application (yep, couldn't uninstall from Control Panel) to get rid of it. After that, smooth sailing. When I called to Dell and complained, they offered me a $200 credit and their apologies. Wow. Ok, I guess fixing it myself was well worth it.
Overall, I can't recommend the XPS 12 enough. The Fit 13A.... eh, if it was cheaper, I'd say go for it if you prefer form over function. It truly is sexy, but just doesn't stand up to the 'lowly' Dell.
I hope this benefits someone on here, I know some GAF'ers are into sleek, powerful, overpriced lightweight ultrabooks as well.