Current 15-inch notebooks - a small decision support

After I myself am just on the lookout for the perfect notebook for me (the previous Samsung RF510 comes now but in the years), I have a look around for the latest devices, which for me - and for you - perhaps in question could come. I must say that I am an IT-ler and have been actively involved with the procurement of IT material.

Now, advance a few very general points need to be clarified. They have to do with size and functionality - and so if this review is suitable for you (because I will deal here primarily with 15 inch notebooks) or if you are more for another review of mine to eg 17-inch notebooks, ultrabooks, netbooks or convertibles should look. Logically, I'll put my findings in the next split time roughly by size classes online. From 10 to 17 inches compare cross, best yet with the inclusion of convertibles or even pure Tablets - that really has little significance. That's when you see a Fiat 500 with a Multivan.

Okay, we come to the specific points or questions that you should work through if you want a new Laptop / Notebook / Convertible specify:

1. The basic question: What I'm looking for a notebook customer?
Now, the question is easier asked than answered. Ask therefore yourself what you actually expect from your laptop? Do you want to "only" office work done so or surf a bit on the Internet? Is this your desire and want to simply have a handy, inexpensive device that lies somewhere in the realm of what you used to be "Netbook" called, then you are in good hands in the 10- to 13-inch range. For the budget conscious and low power requirements (up surfing, Office, etc.) you rich devices that carry instructions as "Pentium", "Intel Atom" or "Intel Celeron" in the description. Such devices are pretty much the bottom edge of the performance scale and can still go through my mind as "netbooks". The transition to the so-called "ultrabook" (often in 11- to 13-inch sizes) is rather vague in advertising. In reality, you can get a Ultrabook quite simply already recognize the fact that "Intel Inside" dransteht. "Ultrabook" is in fact a trademark of Intel and refers to a class of devices that are equipped with features such as high battery life, fast wake up from hibernation and sufficient power equipped (usually Core i3 and upwards). Ultrabooks are so basically the shiny back of the "netbook" medal, her performance values ​​often are in the range of "normal" notebooks. Examples are the ATIV 9 series of Samsung and Acer P3. Interesting fact: Many Ultrabooks carry the "Ultra" and / or a "U" in the name or model number. Important to you: An Ultrabook is a full-fledged, very flat and mostly very powerful notebook that offers said simplified compared to "normal" netbooks premium quality at premium prices. Ask seriously if you so need a device. If so - and speak out for representative purposes and the nice "light weight, great power" -Kombo (not for nothing is reminiscent of sports cars) hardly things that - then you should look at my upcoming Ultrabook review. The presented 15-inch models are basically "something bigger" Ultrabooks - taken exactly what you imagined for years under a "notebook" or "laptop" as such before having invented the 17-inch models to the typical "I need NEN big screen" to satisfy customers worldwide. The differences between 15- and 17-inch models are usually rather trivial. 17-inch models have naturally more space in the housing and can therefore often take a second hard drive. Moreover, they are felt even closer to the desktop as it is the 15-inch model already. Both 15- (including 14 irgendwas-) devices, as well as 17-inch devices are now virtually "portable desktop" with a good performance at the same time mobility. Here will be left behind when you look a lot more customers find than originally thought perhaps - "normal" laptops offer namely because of their moderate prices now is very good value for money. Important here: you have right here definitely make sure that you get set before the device is not "penultimate" generation at prices of the current generation.
The election from 15 to 17 inches is mainly a choice between "handy" and "already a little bigger." 17-inch models offer themselves for some applications (such as photo editing, gaming etc. pp.) To quite. Also, if you want to watch TV over the device, making a larger display meaning. However, 15-inch devices are sufficient for many applications from totally offering at times a slightly lower price equivalent performance as a 17-inch device. It is ultimately a matter of taste. My advice: go good! Try it in a consumer market of ...
Suppose it to be a 15-inch device, because you - like me - 15 inch totally rich and you want to put the device in a normal backpack or a suitcase. An Ultrabook it should not be and certainly not a convertible because you are a bit conservative and you dislike the thought that you can not replace the battery pack (in many Ultrabooks and convertibles the batteries are permanently installed). Anything less than 15 inches might be to small - the eyes are not hurt, yes, if you are working on the device.

2. What is there currently (as of June 2014) for 15-inch notebooks that might interest me?

Assembled to take references as Heise or chip, so come to us to date devices made by Sony (Vaio SVF 15 ...), Samsung (ative Book 6), Toshiba (Tecra and Satellite), Fujitsu (LifeBook), Acer (Aspire and TravelMate) and HP (ProBook) and Medion (Akoya) below. In the overview, but (the G ...- line or IdeaPads example) may also Asus, MSI, Dell, Gigabyte and Lenovo not missing as well as the various "smaller" producers, the screws partially on their own on the basis of existing chassis notebooks together , Apple, we must not forget, however, mainly because Apple is a completely different theme Apple devices fall per se within the scope of "Premium" devices and are definitely not middle class. Therefore, you will not be considered at this point. For Sony, it looks almost similar: the Vaio devices of SVF 15 ...- line can be even considered "Premium", although there is often at prices outliers downwards. Therefore, I will still perform here.

Below I will go into each "current" devices of the above manufacturers and briefly explain what the differences are. From this brief overview I will draw my conclusions as in point 3:

2.I - Sony:
Sony's 15-inch models of the Vaio series (SVF-15) may be generally considered as "marginal units" at the bottom of the premium segment. There are always priced outliers "down", in plain text so "bargain", which you should make sure that there are the latest generation of devices that you can buy there. More to the corresponding features in Part 3. Sony has generally a very high quality, mostly an attractive design and little, where you can think of, "That was a bad buy". I do not know of any users who are dissatisfied with "their" Vaio. Sony offers in the Sony VAIO SVF1521C6EW and its sister devices a lot of what you would consider to be "normal users" as appropriate: USB3 ports, often dedicated graphics cards (some with a lot of dedicated memory), torch, useful disk sizes etc. pp. - Unfortunately, in the case of the Sony VAIO SVF1521C6EW partly offset by a rather second-rate "Intel Pentium" processor. The Sony VAIO SVF1521E6EW compensated here already with a i3, i5 and there but even i7 devices.
Conclusion: If you get low on a Sony device, then it makes sense to one to make. Devices from 2013 to get "500 euros" area now already in the psychologically important.

2.II - Samsung:
Samsung shines at the moment precisely with ultrabook premium devices, the Ultra-HD displays have (ative Book 9). However, these devices cost beyond 1000 euros. In "normal" notebook segment of 15-inch models can be found currently devices like the Samsung Ativ Book 6 670Z5E-X01, the costs still proud 800 euros (and more) at the same time but at the moment for the office / home-hybrids must be regarded as a kind of "benchmark". The device is simply great - the price but also for the "middle class" segment. There are of the ATIV Book 6 quite versions with processors up to the i7 - the 670Z5E-X01 itself is however equipped with a good i5 processor and offers among other things a good mobile graphics card (an AMD Radeon HD8850M). Overall, you get here for your money is a very good notebook - but also to a correspondingly high price. Samsung, in turn, must be classified from a customer perspective as a manufacturer like Sony deliberately no "junk" in the market suppressed. Where other manufacturers can certainly be carried away by cheaper equipment, since even the latest generation of Samsung devices provide is still quite viable alternatives for an acquisition.

2.III - Toshiba:
Toshiba is aimed primarily with two device lines to the private customers: The Tecra is doing rather the category of "slightly more expensive, valued" devices because the Satellite is rather the "mass unit" and aims definitely to the middle class from. The Tecra is more likely to be "home office" users who want to sometimes seriously (and computationally expensive) working with the unit, find - at the Satellite precisely the rest Satellites dedicated graphics cards have since also usually often built what already. makes clear, for which customers these middle-class devices were built: Eben for casual players and home users.
Current examples:
The Toshiba Tecra A50-A-13C (a very good office equipment) or Toshiba Satellite L50-A-1CE (a very good mid-range device) and the Toshiba Satellite M50-A-11L (a also very good device, the renounces in favor of the label "Thin & Light" on the optical drive).
Toshiba provides generally from very good, solid equipment, which, however, always develop a certain "Plastic Charm". Eye-catching design is something else, but this is true functionality fully. Toshiba may be a good choice for both the 15-inch, and the 17-inch segment. In low range, there is the way to complement the Toshiba Satellite M50D-A-10D. It tears technically not from the stool, but could be suitable as entry-level device.

2.IV - Fujitsu:
Fujitsu covers with its LIFEBOOKs (eg Fujitsu Lifebook E743, Fujitsu Lifebook E753 and Fujitsu Lifebook E782) from a wide range in terms of price and performance, ranking in standard tests always near the top. Importantly to know: The Fujitsu focuses the business or office area, which is why it often happens on average, that the devices under "graphics solution" have are something like "chipset". This refers to "Intel HD", which is virtually "supplied" with the motherboard chipsets and processors from Intel. For many home applications Intel HD just fine, which is why Fujitsu devices there also its raison d'être - random play and for example, video editing (which can take advantage of graphics processing power), however, makes no dedicated graphics card not a lot of fun. For me personally, the common LIFEBOOKs disqualify so completely, but that does not necessarily apply to you. Conveniently (not to say cheap) is to have an equipment line at the moment at which the Fujitsu Lifebook A512 2020M belongs. These devices are equipped with the new, low-cost "Intel Pentium" processors and can at best be seen as entry-level devices.

2.V - Acer:
Acer offers two certain points in overlapping product lines: Aspire and TravelMate. While I would like to settle in the cheap "Office / Surfing" segment, the TravelMate, the Aspires certainly provide power for private use. A TravelMate could be your choice when it comes to you pure functionality or a computer on which you can make your tax return and occasionally play solitaire. An Aspire can usually longer, but it costs more (though not "significantly" more). A crossover point is often the lack of graphics solution. Here is often placed on the chipset from Intel. There are at the Aspires but also devices with dedicated graphics cards from NVIDIA (eg the Acer Aspire V5-573G-54208G50AII). Here, casual gamers can certainly find. Important for Acer: Ensure strengthened on what were built for processors and do not let yourself be blinded by low prices. However, it must also be said that Acer now gone up image is from "squeak-squeak-and", leaving this part of the market his daughter "Packard Bell". I can say that the devices run a long time if they run only once from my professional experience with Acer devices out. In return cases they should react quickly and be completely replace the device if possible. There is in this manufacturer perfectly "Monday models".
Current model examples:
Acer Aspire E1-572, Acer TravelMate P255-M
Acer lags with these devices is always in the middle around which is quite intentional. High-end equipment, there are Acer rather few - you put more value on a wide marketability.

2.VI - HP:
HP presents itself on the market at the moment, among others, devices of the ProBook line (devices with good to very good performance for office applications, but less for games), the Pavilion line (good to very good equipment for "home use" also good for games) and the Envy line (basically 15-inch Ultrabooks with very sleek lines).
Current examples:
HP ProBook 6570b, HP ProBook 450 G1 or HP ProBook 455 (a bit older, equipped with an AMD processor). Also interesting for office users: HP ProBook 455 G1 and HP ProBook 6570b. The HP Pavilion 15-N010SG (with touchscreen and i7 - but not the latest generation) is now the first example that comes to mind for a Pavilion - there are certainly many more. HP Envy 15 J011SG may serve as an example for the Envy series.
HP provides - similar to Toshiba and Acer - very good equipment for "home use" (see the Pavilion line) and can also provide quite high quality (Envy), which can then also happy to pay higher prices. Here we approach to partially Samsung and Sony. But HP still has the problem that you zumüllt the supplied computer almost beyond recognition with software. Anyone who has ever installed an HP printer and forgot to invite to the "stripped-down" printer driver from the website, who knows what I'm talking: Everything completely overloaded and only designed it, the customer nor any to sell a product. Acer, Toshiba & Co do that too - but HP is here definitely the negative record holder. It goes so far that HP devices partially operate only clean if you have removed the software that came from the factory. Too bad, because the devices themselves are rock solid and definitely purchasable.
Important: HP can apparently put on a low line under the name "Compaq". Here I would definitely say: Hands off!

2.VII - Medion:
Yes, Medion. Well, Medion has the aura of "that's ALDI" somehow never filed. Medion level price came in recently times the Medion Akoya MD 99270 S6212T, not necessarily tears with a i3 and chipset-based graphics everything and everyone from the stool, but only for beginners and surfers because of "going so" quite interesting could. However, under the heading "Akoya" some gathered on equipment. You should definitely here be sure to buy only current device.
I myself have previously held nothing of Medion. Because not much has changed, because my style is totally alien, but there are people who are completely satisfied with the devices.

2.VIII - Asus:
Asus one knows among other things, of tablets, convertibles and routers, graphics cards and the Nexus mobile phones from Google (which were sometimes also made by Asus). Asus is a very long time As a big player that notebooks and it shows quite the quality of the components. Interestingly, especially in the "low price range" Asus devices clear good to very good again. They seem to look after all of good quality too.
Current equipment:
Asus ASUSPRO P550CA and Asus F550CA for office applications, the Asus F550LN-XX023H (with a NVIDIA graphics card) for games. Devices like the Asus Vivo Book S551LB-CJ006H operate already in the field of Ultrabooks and belong there out also services and prices moderate.
One shortcoming is the partially unspeakably slow Asus Support. Here, however, my experience has been to (contact had last year again) done a lot of customer-friendliness and punctuality. But it is still a far cry from the performance of others. My tip: changing you from problems on Amazon, so here is accelerating lot.

2.IX - MSI:
MSI provides the full range of MSI CX61-2PCi581BW7 (i5) to MSI CR61-2MP345W7 (Intel Pentium) and beyond (i7 devices and Celerons) everything you could wish for as a notebook users so. It is here on a par with Asus and thereby aims primarily at private clients, which is something to eg dedicated graphics cards. MSI comes here often "only" with chipset solutions, so that you can feel in good hands as a "casual players" here. A professional line for gamers, MSI has also, for you have to but deep (er) into their pockets and live with the eye cancer, the cause equipment definitely. Look in my eyes as a continuous design of technical traffic accident from, on the one has assembled a bunch of LEDs. Who's like ;-)
MSI should therefore already keep an eye on because you usually get delivered in relatively clear quality (creaking and the like on some models already have it) powerful technique. Here the focus is more on the inner values.

2.X - Dell:
Dell offers the 15-inch segment, among others, the new, in-house "Inspiron 14 7000 series" processors with the 4th generation, but also "Inspiron 15" devices (somewhat older) and "XPS" devices (ultrabooks) in program and also adorned with the gaming devices of Alienware. The site could therefore be worth a look, although I must say that I have somehow personally have never torn from the stool Dell devices. Man buys just yet despite everything Customizing a "device off the shelf" with little demand on the design. Here is the functionality and Schnellkonfektionierbarkeit in the foreground.
My tip: Keep the discount campaigns at Dell in mind.

2.XI - GIGABYTE:
GigaByte falls somehow "up" from this list. You can see the vast majority of devices of this manufacturer despite its reduced, simple designs only be described as "Premium". The Gigabyte P35K may be a clue here. Priced Gigabyte moved because even beyond the 1000 euros, but also provides for devices from which you can safely store them in the drawer "gaming notebook". For most customers, certainly not the ideal choice as a face of these devices quite the saying of the cannons and the sparrows may come to mind.

2.XII - Lenovo:
Lenovo was once the notebook division of IBM. You will notice this still a little on the design and also to the still relatively high quality features of the device. Compared to the old ThinkPads with steel frame has somewhat subsided, if you ask me.
Lenovo shines at the moment with middle-class equipment a la Lenovo IdeaPad Z510, Lenovo IdeaPad FLEX14 (Note: This example is a convertible) and Lenovo G510. The Lenovo G505s and G500s the Lenovo may also be regarded as examples of relatively cheap equipment.
Lenovo aims while mainly aimed at the retail segment, for example, sometimes engaged in computer games. Therefore, you quite often will find graphics cards that bring a lot of "playability" with it.
Overall, one can say that a look at Lenovo's worth it - especially if you by chance are a Windows 7 or Windows 8 home around. Lenovo Lenovo and some distributors sell namely like to "pre-loaded with DOS". My tip here: Talk to the Distributor and clarify on whether one can "just" a Windows 7 or Windows 8 on the machine to install. Sometimes the issue is not (as has happened to me in an Acer device - without BIOS update was as nothing).

2.XIII - the rest:
As with so many other things also here: The vile rest may have its raison d'etre, but in my statement, he does not appear. Manufacturer, screw together "behind closed doors" notebooks are not for me and can usually also not compete pricewise with the "big ones". On the other hand, it may have advantages of being able to make a device assemble quasi its own ideas. I would not recommend it for beginners, however - and professionals or semi-professionals should know that it just makes sense sometimes, not even with all the Sch stop ... but to have make a big distributor easy.

So we come to my ...

3. Conclusions:

Who now a result of a la "The device should you buy definitely" expects, is wrong. I myself strongly tend at the moment to me again to buy a Samsung device, possibly even of the last generation (because cheaper and still high quality). Also Sony is concerned, but I also flirting with MSI and Asus. It just depends on that there is a real bargain again. Then I suggest to if necessary. Or I think about it and come up on my idea to alternative you: A Barebone with much "oomph" on which I then work via RDP if I need oomph. And it for private use a nice, low-priced Tablet or Netbook with Windows.

What conclusions so I will offer you now?

Well, let me simply times distinguish what can be helpful as to judge whether a device removed "date" falls under the heading or whether it (whether current or last / penultimate generation) is "purchasable" ,

As would be first of all the displays:
Shiny was in time - today is again Matt for some customers in the base: On glossy displays one sees nothing.. De facto, however, the market is divided almost in half: The business and office lines, and some equipment for gamers tend again to matte displays, private client devices for some inexplicable reason still to be mirrored. I recommend (despite not quite as spectacular appearance) definitely always matt. This can work if need be in direct sunlight.

Dedicated graphics cards? Intel HD?
Now, dedicated graphics cards always make sense - except, you want to save power. Therefore, they are often omitted today, so keep the battery longer and longer. Indeed sufficient for many applications, which Intel brings to power on the chipset and processor. For Games? Rather not. There NVIDIA and Radeon make perfect sense.
For us, the "Intel HD ..." has - slobbering the manufacturer a special sense, because about can be a statement regarding the chipset and processor used to meet:. Current devices are Intel HD4000 (last, 3rd generation Ivy Bridge =) or offer. HD4400 or HD4600 (New Generation = Haswell). Anything less, you can confidently put the "old". HD Graphics 4600, however, is a sure sign that it is a powerful processor of the 4th generation.
But what does that mean? The site Notebookcheck-dot-com describes in a test pretty how powerful Intel HD Graphics is: HD4600 provides 60% higher performance than HD4000 and is on par with a dedicated GeForce GT 630M of NVIDIA. It must, therefore, not necessarily be a "handle in the toilet" when you buy a computer with chipset graphics - you should just make sure that you can to HD4400 (slightly worse) or HD4600 recourse.

Another important conclusion is that one can find a lot of equipment from the "business area" in the market, the inexperienced are "casuals", so Otto Normal customers sold. It makes sense here, to be exactly clear about whether you want to play for or not. If you want to play (in the sense of graphically sophisticated software), then you should look for the devices mentioned at various points above, "for playing are useful". Usually that is moored to a dedicated graphics card - as you have but just also read, HD4600 can compensate for this shortcoming eg with very powerful business machines partially.

i3, i5, i7? What's the difference? What Users Are Saying from? And what are Pentium, Celeron and Atom? And what does that by "generations" is all about?
Quite a lot of questions at once. In short, Pentium, Celeron and Atom are "cheap" processors from Intel, which are produced especially for the "reasonable" price range and generally consume little power (hence they are often advertised as more power efficient). For beginners may still need to - who would like to have at least basic performance, which he proceeds to the Core i3 / 5/7 processors. But what about those all about? Well, these are the current "standard" Intel processors, and you have to say that these processors currently in the 4th (!) Are Generation. For sale but are often still the 3rd generation processors, which then often seem like a bargain, because they are, after all corresponding cheaper. Fact: The performance of processors has increased again between 3rd and 4th generation - but the fact is: Most will notice nothing. Ergo you can certainly buy devices with processors of the 3rd generation. Which are more favorable and (at most extensive in i5 and i7) powerful enough to still endure the next few years.
Visible are the processors (if it does not dransteht) your numbers (was clear) that can be assigned to the Intel side the generations, or (easier) already described above on the Intel HD Graphics version. "4000" means usually "3rd generation". "4400/4600" normally "4th Generation".

What about AMD?
So I'm sorry: AMD processors play in the market and also in my analysis only a minor role and so much myself for maybe some will Flemings I go therefore to AMD also not one, but say a flat rate: Watch for a device to work with an Intel processor. For casual users or John Doe customer that makes the most sense today since the product names in AMD or in the distributors of AMD processor devices partially any comparability with Intel processors (and therefore the rest of the market) do without.

There remains the question "Touchscreen Yes / No?"
For me is no longer a question. Although Windows 8 continues to approach, from which you want to leave (ie the interface of Windows 7), there is just a lot of people with laptops now as a kind of "swipe gestures reflex": You even tried on non-touch screens to come up with these gestures on. It's in my mind makes sense only if you consistently paying attention here to add itself a touchscreen. Technical and price should the total is not more differences and Windows 8 really has some gizmos that you can do with industrial touch subjectively "easier".

4. What should I buy now?

I recommend you to focus, depending on the orientation and purse on the following manufacturers:

Business / Office / Surfing: Fujitsu, possibly the business lines of Toshiba, Lenovo, Acer and HP (HP, however, because the software spam problem only to a lesser extent). Samsung and Sony, if you want to take more money into their own hands. Dell could be an alternative (although you get Dell only quasi "Dell").

Casual gaming / graphics applications / "Daddeln", "middle class" devices from Toshiba, Lenovo and Acer. If necessary, MSI and Asus, if you get a bargain or want a little more performance. Samsung and Sony, if you want to take some extra cash in hand. Alienware (Dell) and Gigabyte might be relevant to you if you want to use serious gaming. Otto Normal users do not need this kind performance but mostly.

5. What now?
My advice: you sleep on it. See the equipment and set here questions. I'll take care of it, to procure answers. What you should of course make also: contact times in a consumer market with the device sizes apart, really tackle a few times and equipment to test the feel and then again specifically so put apart what you really want. Well, and then? Buy ;-)

This review is often updated and improved by me. [.....] If not, I'm talking about objective criticism in the form of a comment and take this love to. :-)