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Question

Searching for a light 4000 euros 15.6" laptop

Sep 3, 2018 10:47AM PDT

I don't know much about computers and hardware.

I'm searching for a laptop with the following characteristics:
Operating System: Windows 10 (not Mac OS, not Linux)
Budget: between 3400 euros and 4600 euros
Weight: as light as possible, ideally no more than 2 kg
Screen size: preferably 15.6" (could also accept 14" or 17")
Long battery life
Use: about 10 hours per day laying down on my bed, never using a mouse (always using the trackpad), playing chess, analysing chess games with chess engines, watching Youtube videos, email, WhatsApp, web browsing with hundreds of tabs open simultaneously
Webcam centered at the top of the screen (not at the bottom of the screen)
Preferably, audio at the right and left of the keyboard (not at the top of the keyboard, not under the laptop)
Preferably, trackpad centered horizontally

I've found these three laptops that correspond to what I'm looking for but not exactly:

MSI WS63VR 7RL-053FR
https://www.msi.com/Workstation/WS63VR-7RL.html
Price: 4000 euros
Weight: 1.8 kg
Intel Core i7-7700HQ
32 Go
SSD 256 Go + HDD 1 To
15.6" LED Ultra HD
NVIDIA Quadro P4000 8 Go
Wi-Fi AC
Bluetooth
Webcam
Windows 10 Professionnal 64 bits
But it says that this laptop is for "Professional 3D graphics" and "Virtual Reality (VR)", two things which I would never do. So is this a problem? Does this mean that with this laptop I would not be able to do the things I want to do (chess, Youtube, web browsing) on this computer?

HP ZBook Studio G3 Mobile Workstation
https://store.hp.com/us/en/pdp/hp-zbook-studio-g3-mobile-workstation---customizable-m6v82av-mb
Price: 4209 euros
Weight: "2 kg" (imprecise?)
15.6"
Xeon E3-1505MV5
32 Go RAM
512 Go SSD
The first problem is that this laptop has a Power button (that switches the computer off if pressed) at the top left and a Wifi button (that switches the Wifi off if pressed) at the top right. Since I would be using this computer laying down on my bed, I would often accidentally press these buttons. And when I will be playing chess, turning off the Wifi (even for a few seconds) would likely mean losing the game without being able to finish it which is totally unacceptable... So would I be able to solve this problem? Would I be able to de-activate these two buttons so that when I press them (accidentally) they wouldn't do anything (the buttons would have no effect)?
And the second potential problem is that the weight is not clear. On some websites it just says "2 kg" which is imprecise because it only has one significant digit, does it mean that the weight is imprecise to +/- 0.5 kg? (Generally other computers have two significant digits such as "2.0 kg" implying a precision of +/- 0.05 kg) And on other websites it's even worse, it says "Starting at 2 kg", implying that if I buy one it might weight more than 2 kg (which would not be acceptable)...

Microsoft Surface Book 2
https://www.microsoft.com/fr-fr/p/surface-book-2/8mcpzjjcc98c
Price: 3660 euros
Weight: 1.9 kg
Intel Core i7-8650U
16 Go
SSD 1 To
15" LED Tactile
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6 Go
Wi-Fi AC
Bluetooth
Webcam
Windows 10 Professionnal 64 bits
This one is weird to me as I've never used anything like it. Its screen can be separated from its keyboard+trackpad part. And it has a touch-screen. I'm afraid to buy this one as there is the risk that I end up not liking it... (though of course it's also possible that I end up loving it even more than normal laptops)

I haven't found any other laptop that corresponds to what I'm looking for, they are all either too heavy (more than 2 kg) or too cheap (less than 3400 euros). So if you know of any other laptop that corresponds to what I'm looking for, please tell me.

Discussion is locked

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Clarification Request
10 hours?
Sep 3, 2018 11:30AM PDT
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This is not what I meant
Sep 3, 2018 11:54AM PDT

When I said
Long battery life
Use: about 10 hours per day laying down on my bed

This was two separate things. I did not meant that the battery had to last for 10 hours. I just meant that I want a laptop with a long battery life (3 hours is already long enough), and I will use this laptop about 10 hours per day on my bed and most of the times it will be recharging / plugged in.

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At 3 hours might make it.
Sep 3, 2018 12:43PM PDT

But there are rogue sites that mine bitcoin and your time on battery plummets.

At 3 hours on battery you are being a lot more reasonable.

So let's get into the next hurdle. Battery wear. Another reason we double the hours when searching is that almost all laptop batteries are rated for 300 cycles. That means if you used the battery daily to it's max and charged daily then in 1 year you could have a worn out battery.

-> The makers, most of then do not consider a battery with 50% capacity to be worn out. That's why we double.

---->>> But this isn't the most damming issue. Google about your Surface and getting a new battery installed. So far I'm finding the Surface to be unserviceable if you need a new battery. Since you intend to use the battery for such long periods this means you should avoid units where the battery can't be serviced (that means change the battery for a new one.)

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Clarification Request
4,000 and up Euros?
Sep 3, 2018 1:47PM PDT

That's very expensive. Here I can get into refurb thin and light models like https://www.woot.com/offers/lenovo-thinkpad-t450s-14-touchscreen-ultrabook-1?ref=w_cnt_gw_dly_tl for under 500USD.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Lenovo-ThinkPad-T450s-Ultrabook-Review.137248.0.html notes "As a result, the T450s belongs to the stablest devices of its class. Localized pressure and twisting attempts do not have an effect on base unit and display, although we would not have expected this from the delicate ultrabook" and other nice words.

Why are you out at the 4,000 dollar or Euro mark?

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Price
Sep 4, 2018 2:34AM PDT

The price has to be between 3400 euros and 4600 euros, approximately.
I want an expensive laptop because the price is positively correlated with the quality, and I'm going to use the laptop 10 hours per day (which is a lot) so I should get a laptop of the highest quality. Also from my experience cheap laptops tend to have problems (which in the worst case mean losing everything on the laptop) more often than expensive ones.
The laptops you suggest are too cheap.

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Re: price
Sep 4, 2018 4:32AM PDT

If you think so, be happy with it. But don't be amazed if you have to buy another one after 3 years of use.

And a warning: having a "better" laptop doesn't mean that you shouldn't backup. No backup = big risk of losing everything sooner or later.

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Even at that price.
Sep 4, 2018 9:25AM PDT
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Answer
Re: laptop
Sep 3, 2018 11:01AM PDT

I think you can easily find cheaper laptops that meet your requirements. The 10 hours battery is doubtful for all. Don't you have a mains connection near your bed? That works 24/7.

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Answer
The CNET Cheapskate has the 13.5 inch Surface at 1050USD.
Sep 5, 2018 10:32AM PDT