i always use adobe premiere with this laptop which is a heavy resources software..and it is very smooth..love this laptop...

nice to know that
now i m confuse if either take with Win8 or just ubuntu

if you plan to save the money, get 'pasar malam' edition.
chances that if you get 'pasar malam' edition, your updates are quite limited, unless you know what to do.

If you want to have a complete package then take the highest spec with Win8...
You can replace the Ubuntu with whatever OS you want if you have a tight budget...

@scarxxx
@pastacarbonara

You two got the i5-3230M processor right? Can elaborate further on the battery life? How long does it last under usual conditions?
And how hot will the laptop be under usual conditions after some time (under the laptop and beside the mousepad)?

I want to get the Ubuntu model because I don't like win8 and feel I need a long time to get used to it, which I don't have time for as I need to do a lot of important assignments. Don't want to fork out extra for an OS that I dislike.

But Ubuntu versions don't have the ULV processor. Will it be a major problem on battery life? I know that processors is very difficult and not worth to upgrade unlike RAM, SSD and so on where you just take out and put in.

By the way, has anyone found out whether SSD can be installed? @pastacarbonara, have you done your upgrade? How was it?

As for the battery life, I can't comment as I am just about to test it tonight.
As for the heat, it will release at the back of the laptop not at the side. If normal usage like, surfing and Youtubing, it will not be hot.

If you decided to use Ubuntu, you try to tweak the power management to save extra power.

same goes to me.
i dont like Window 8 but the boot up time is faster compared to Win7.

If we upgrade with an SSD I guess it'll boost the boot up time and performance?
Maybe we can upgrade to Win 8.1 when it's released and prove to be more stable than win8. when 8.1 comes out, 8 is gonna be obsolete like Vista. Why spend more on a win8 OS when a newer (hopefully better and user friendly) version is going to come out.

Okay, keep us updated tonight! Thanks
Hmm..back of laptop? Means will feel quite hot when use on my lap instead of putting on table? Is the heat bearable?

Do let us know how long does battery last without any tweaking, cause will be using win7, so Ubuntu power save may not apply

Normal response when you change something different. I start to like window 8 due to many reason and 1 of the reason is boot up and shutdown time.

If you need start button, you can install app for that (eg: from pokki)

The laptop won't hot at top side (near touchpad or keyboard). It will feel warm at bottom for normal usage.

If u have install turbo boost monitor u can see the processor running around 2GHz or more for normal usage like surfing.

Most of the time laptop will consume about 1.6GB ram for normal usage (surfing), that is why I need to upgrade ram to 8GB.

win 8.1 upgrade free from 8 through app store. that what news say. So can start get use to it from now.

So far, the heat is bearable and it is not extremely hot. If you put it on your lap should be fine. Somehow if you want to put it on your lap, you gotta be extra careful as the machine is very light...

I will run the laptop on 100% brightness and no tweaking of the power management. Let's see how long the laptop can last.

Yours is the ultrabook version with ULV processor right? Mind running a battery test on it with 100% brightness and normal usage (wifi surfing) on it?

Then we can compare the difference of the processors. Thanks!

Not ULV, mine ubuntu 3230M processor model.

hazremi is using the ULV.. if i am not wrong..

if using ULV, u get better battery lifetime
if using non-ULV processor, will u get better performance?

if i take the non-ULV processor, with windows 8, upgrade to 8GB ram, and change from HDD to SSD. is it the better option?

or just take the ULV processor with mSATA with 8GB ram?

Just go for i5M. If you concern about battery life you should get Inspiron 14 cause it got 6 cell with ULV processor but cheaper price...
According to review which I saw, i5 ULV for vostro maximum can only 4~5 hours, while i5 M around 3~3.5 hours. Not difference much seriously.
Of course 1899 version is best deal, cause you can buy better quality of SSD like Plextor which have better speed if you set it as boot.
But overall depends on how you use. Why need 8GB RAM? 4GB not sufficient?

Hmm. If battery tests can be done on a ULV processor one and a non-ULV one, perhaps it would be easier to decide.

If battery life doesn't differ much, maybe it would be better to take the non-ULV and upgrade as needed.

But Inspiron 14 is much much heavier. 2kg if not wrong.
I guess the most popular reason people buying this model is for its slimness and lightness.

ya but what I trying to tell him that is if battery is the MAIN concern shouldn't go for this.

This post has been edited by aristotletan: May 22 2013, 08:00 PM