Portable laptop with the best value?

Need a bit of help looking for a laptop given how many options there are. Currently I have a samsung series 7 that is falling apart. I really like this samsung, but it isn't the most portable. Its pretty important that it is thin-ish and also sturdy. Don't really like HPs because they feel very plastic imo.

Ideally something ~15in would work. Processor I currently have is i7 which I probably don't need but let me know what you guys think. Need it for typical browsing, streaming and watching other things at once, some light programs/games. I wouldn't mind paying a bit more for a machine that ran a bit faster/smoother though. Budget is $400-800 but I'd pay closer to the extremes only if it were a really good value.

 

I'd like to add you on skype and spend some time looking for a laptop for you

I'm an IT student and could advise you based on what you want to do with it.

 

Sort of a question I've been wondering about when I've been looking for a comp.

How come computers like this: http://www.dell.com/us/p/xps-13-9350-laptop/pd will cost around $1k and will only give you a an i5 processor, 128SSD, and 8gb ram? Whereas something like this http://www.amazon.com/HP-i7-6700HQ-...ee-20&linkId=acb146d3924fc809f500e48539edd6e7 is an i7 with a 1tbHDD and costs only 650 comparatively?

I really like the dell...it looks really nice, is smaller and lighter. Also, obviously SSD is better...but I cant get over the fact that I can buy something for alot cheaper and that is 15 inches (instead of 13) that is an i7...

 

answer without looking at the links: an SSD is the fastest drive type out there, it is superior to HDD in every sight (start-up in ~20sec max). i7 cant be compared to i5 (since current i5 processors are faster than most i7's). Also, for portability choices I would consider 15 inch. 17 inch is too big imho and 13 inch too small (thats like a mini-laptop)

 

But the price is more than 2x more expensive for a laptop with the same processor. I guess you have to factor in the material/build quality and the screen type. Also, I've never heard that i5s are faster than most i7s lol

 

It really depends what you're doing, where an i5 would beat out an i7 or visa-versa.

What kind of games would you be playing? Lightweight stuff like RS, or do you see yourself eventually playing more intensive things like GTA, Witcher, or Fallout?

 

Yeah I'm not a huge gamer so something that can run multiple rs clients and other light games. Obviously a dedicated card would be nice but not necessary.

I ordered the XPS 13 to try it out but I might return it depending how I feel about the 13 in screen