00ChevyScott
Basic Member
- Joined
- Dec 3, 2010
- Messages
- 2,678
I'll preface this by saying I have been a Chromebook user for the past 2 years or so, using an Acer C720 which is still working great. It had excellent battery life, performance was more than adequate for most uses, and I really enjoyed using it. But, it had it's downsides. Those downsides were both OS limitations and performance hickups in certain situations. You cannot truly install anything on ChromeOS as it's a glorified browser. You can use some "programs" but they're actually just browser plugins for the most part. Also, it needed an internet connection to do most tasks while a Windows PC does not. It ran into performance issues when playing 1080p60 videos on Youtube and other video streaming websites, as well as issues with large numbers of files on flash drives or external hard drives.
Now, on to the new laptop. I was browsing the laptop section of BestBuy recently and had always had my eye on "Ultrabook" laptops, but was always turned off by the price-to-performance ratio. You could easily spend $1,000 on a laptop in the Ultrabook category in the past few years, which is what pushed me towards Chromebooks. Anyway, I saw the Lenovo Yoga 700 a few weeks ago. It is available in both 11.6" and 14". I prefer a smaller screen on laptops as portability is extremely important to me. I currently EDC a TNF Microbyte backpack and I like keeping it slim and lightweight as it's much easier to carry a lightweight pack as many of you know. I had been satisfied with the Chromebook for a while, so I was out of the loop on the latest computer tech lingo as well as Windows 10 OS. I spent a few days researching this particular laptop and really couldn't find much about it, but used Surface Pro 3/Surface 4 reviews with similar hardware specs to make my decision.
The specific model I purchased is equipped with an Intel Core M3 6Y30 processor, 4 GB of ram, a 128 GB SSD hard drive, and an 11.6" HD/Touch screen. They offer it in a Core M5 6Y54 processor /4 GB ram /128 GB SSD, and a Core I5 processor / 8 GB ram / 256 GB SSD.
I decided to go with the lower M3 6Y30 processor as it wasn't much "slower" than the M5 processor according to reviews I was reading and spec sheets I saw. I didn't want to go with an I5 processor because it uses a fan, plus the cost was substantially higher since it had more ram and a larger SSD hard drive as well. BestBuy has the exclusive rights to sell this laptop in the US right now, and the price on the model I purchased is down to $449 online right now, with a regular retail price around $600. The higher end models of this laptop run up to $899.
So far I've been impressed with how smooth the "base model" has performed. Windows 10 runs seemlessly, the touch is very responsive, and web browsing has been fine as long as you don't go crazy with open tabs. I installed Steam right away and installed HL2, CS:S, and a few older games. It doesn't seem like the GPU is strong enough to run relatively new games since it's a SoC design, meaning the GPU is built into the main processor. It runs HL2 and Counter Strike Source just fine on high settings.
This laptop is considered a 2-N-1, and if you're not familiar with that, it means the screen can be manipulated in a way which makes the laptop similar to a tablet. The Yoga series has a screen that can be folded back all the way around 360 degrees. The laptop is thin enough and light enough that it can be used in "tablet" mode comfortably, but it is thicker than just about any tablet I've ever used. The MS Surface concept is nice, but it's design is a tablet first that can act as a laptop, while this computer is a laptop first and a tablet second. All of the "guts" are in the keyboard portion which makes a difference in how the computer handles on your lap when you're not using it on a desktop surface. The screen is much lighter and is held up by the hinges rather than a heavier screen and a kickstand like on the Surface.
The keyboard is fine, but key travel is a little shallow. However, that is to be expected since this laptop is so thin and compact. The touchpad is also fine, but I did have to mess with the sensitivity settings to get it moving like I like it. Speaker volume could be better, but again, it's a compact ultraportable laptop. The screen is great and is a HUGE improvement over the Acer C720 Chromebook I had been using. Battery life so far has been 5-7 hours depending on usage and screen brightness. Well within the expected range, but definitely less than the Chromebook I was using and less than similar laptops in it's class (the Dell XPS line comes to mind with 9+ hours of battery life reported on non-touch models). This computer has two USB 2.0 ports, a USB 3.0 port, a Micro HDMI output port, a headphone jack, and a full size SD card slot.
I've already gotten used to Windows 10 in the week or so I've had the computer and can't find any major gripes with it that I wasn't expecting (namely compatibility issues with older games and programs). I also purchased a Microsoft Arch Touch mouse which matches the sleek portable design of this laptop and it seems to work quite well. It was a little pricey but was able to get BB to pricematch Amazon and got it for $38.
Here are some pictures, but I'm sure there are much better pictures of it online if you're looking for more detail.
Now, on to the new laptop. I was browsing the laptop section of BestBuy recently and had always had my eye on "Ultrabook" laptops, but was always turned off by the price-to-performance ratio. You could easily spend $1,000 on a laptop in the Ultrabook category in the past few years, which is what pushed me towards Chromebooks. Anyway, I saw the Lenovo Yoga 700 a few weeks ago. It is available in both 11.6" and 14". I prefer a smaller screen on laptops as portability is extremely important to me. I currently EDC a TNF Microbyte backpack and I like keeping it slim and lightweight as it's much easier to carry a lightweight pack as many of you know. I had been satisfied with the Chromebook for a while, so I was out of the loop on the latest computer tech lingo as well as Windows 10 OS. I spent a few days researching this particular laptop and really couldn't find much about it, but used Surface Pro 3/Surface 4 reviews with similar hardware specs to make my decision.
The specific model I purchased is equipped with an Intel Core M3 6Y30 processor, 4 GB of ram, a 128 GB SSD hard drive, and an 11.6" HD/Touch screen. They offer it in a Core M5 6Y54 processor /4 GB ram /128 GB SSD, and a Core I5 processor / 8 GB ram / 256 GB SSD.
I decided to go with the lower M3 6Y30 processor as it wasn't much "slower" than the M5 processor according to reviews I was reading and spec sheets I saw. I didn't want to go with an I5 processor because it uses a fan, plus the cost was substantially higher since it had more ram and a larger SSD hard drive as well. BestBuy has the exclusive rights to sell this laptop in the US right now, and the price on the model I purchased is down to $449 online right now, with a regular retail price around $600. The higher end models of this laptop run up to $899.
So far I've been impressed with how smooth the "base model" has performed. Windows 10 runs seemlessly, the touch is very responsive, and web browsing has been fine as long as you don't go crazy with open tabs. I installed Steam right away and installed HL2, CS:S, and a few older games. It doesn't seem like the GPU is strong enough to run relatively new games since it's a SoC design, meaning the GPU is built into the main processor. It runs HL2 and Counter Strike Source just fine on high settings.
This laptop is considered a 2-N-1, and if you're not familiar with that, it means the screen can be manipulated in a way which makes the laptop similar to a tablet. The Yoga series has a screen that can be folded back all the way around 360 degrees. The laptop is thin enough and light enough that it can be used in "tablet" mode comfortably, but it is thicker than just about any tablet I've ever used. The MS Surface concept is nice, but it's design is a tablet first that can act as a laptop, while this computer is a laptop first and a tablet second. All of the "guts" are in the keyboard portion which makes a difference in how the computer handles on your lap when you're not using it on a desktop surface. The screen is much lighter and is held up by the hinges rather than a heavier screen and a kickstand like on the Surface.
The keyboard is fine, but key travel is a little shallow. However, that is to be expected since this laptop is so thin and compact. The touchpad is also fine, but I did have to mess with the sensitivity settings to get it moving like I like it. Speaker volume could be better, but again, it's a compact ultraportable laptop. The screen is great and is a HUGE improvement over the Acer C720 Chromebook I had been using. Battery life so far has been 5-7 hours depending on usage and screen brightness. Well within the expected range, but definitely less than the Chromebook I was using and less than similar laptops in it's class (the Dell XPS line comes to mind with 9+ hours of battery life reported on non-touch models). This computer has two USB 2.0 ports, a USB 3.0 port, a Micro HDMI output port, a headphone jack, and a full size SD card slot.
I've already gotten used to Windows 10 in the week or so I've had the computer and can't find any major gripes with it that I wasn't expecting (namely compatibility issues with older games and programs). I also purchased a Microsoft Arch Touch mouse which matches the sleek portable design of this laptop and it seems to work quite well. It was a little pricey but was able to get BB to pricematch Amazon and got it for $38.
Here are some pictures, but I'm sure there are much better pictures of it online if you're looking for more detail.
