BOTTOM LINE
The Gigabyte U2442T-CF1 has most of the features that a high-end power user wants, including multimedia and 3D benchmark performance, a 10-point touch screen, and comfortable keyboard and chassis. It's up to you to decide if the few tradeoffs are worth it, or relegate the system to also-ran status.
SSD+HDD performance. Discrete 3D graphics. Smart Manager utility. No Bloatware. 2 year warranty.
CONS
Only 1,366 by 768 screen. No 5GHz Wi-Fi.
Lenovo IdeaPad U430 Touch
BOTTOM LINE
With very few compromises and all-day battery life, the Lenovo IdeaPad U430 Touch the entry-level ultrabook to get.
PROS Excellent battery life. Lighter than other entry-level ultrabooks. Comfy backlit keyboard. Ethernet port. HDMI port. Function keys setup intelligently for consumers. 1,600 by 900 resolution screen.
CONS Low maximum volume on speakers. Motion Control and voice control are gimmicky. Some third party software pre-loaded.
Acer Aspire V7-582P-6673
BOTTOM LINE
The Acer Aspire V7-582P-6673 just meets Intel's updated ultrabook specs, but while it is functionally an ultrabook it is spiritually a desktop replacement laptop with a large 15.6-inch screen.
10-point multi-touch Large screen. SSD cache drive+500GB hard drive. 8GB of memory. 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi support. Four speakers with room-filling sound.
CONS
1,366 by 768 resolution a little low. Some bloatware. Some ports are inconveniently placed. Slippery keyboard.
Asus N550JV-DB72T
BOTTOM LINE
Watching movies on a tablet is well and good, but to get real immersive entertainment, a 15.6-inch laptop with multiple speakers like the Asus N550JV-DB72T is the portable equivalent of a home theater system, plus it also qualifies as a power user system.
Class-leading performance. Multimedia-oriented features. 1080p HD IPS screen. Subwoofer included. Multi-speaker sound. Fast wake from sleep. HDMI and mini-DisplayPort. Touch screen.
CONS
Heavy. No 5GHz Wi-Fi support. No Blu-ray. Short battery life. Narrow numeric keys.
Asus VivoBook V500CA-DB71T
BOTTOM LINE
The Asus VivoBook V500CA-DB71T is a decent, tractable laptop with a few flaws that keep it from scoring higher. Depending on your pickiness, this could be a perfectly adequate laptop for you and your family.
Full-size VGA, HDMI, and Ethernet. Full numeric keypad.
CONS<> Low-resolution screen. Middling battery life. Touch trackpad. Some flex in keyboard. Only one USB 3.0 port.
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