Best laptop or 2 in 1 for Logos 7

Greetings folks,

I am currently in the market for a new device. I have an MSi GT60 (4th Gen i7 4700MQ 2.4-3.2GHz (TurboBoost) + 256GB SanDisk SSD + 3GB GDDR5 GTX 770M + 16GB 1600MHz DDR3) that runs Logos like a dream, but since it was purchased some years ago at a discount, it weighs a whopping 7.5 pounds and requires constant wall power, leaving very little room in my bag for other books.

Unfortunately for my budget, I am a student so ~$700 is my max if I happen to sell my GT60.

I was wondering what ultra-portable notebooks or 2 in 1s you all are using and whether you have any recommendations for my needs and price point?

Thanks!

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Comments

James Chandler

I'll tell you what I have. I have the Surface Pro 3. It has 8 gig memory and a 500 gig hard drive. It's a little more that you wanted to spend but you might be able to find one affordable with less memory or harddrive space.

Calvary

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/878671#Comment_878671

Thanks, James,

I've thought about a SP3 for a while for a lot of reasons: Its portability, responsive touchscreen, great type cover, pen input, and of course the battery life. However, I have one concern:

Have you ever found the screen too small?

Typically I'll have Logos snapped to half the screen (with 2-3 internal windows) and notes/slides on the other side. my current laptop is 15.6" and I could definitely downsize to a 13.3" but 12" hmm...

James Chandler

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/878673#Comment_878673

Well it is not my only computer. So no not really. And I'm a north of 50 so I tend to crank my fonts up a bit. I even use a large print bible [:)]

David Thomas

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/878673#Comment_878673

Have you ever found the screen too small?

I got the first Gen Surface pro in 2013 and used it with Logos until Autumn 2016 (I had to update to SP4 solely because the 128GB SSD filled up). I use an external monitor (extended) when at my desk, but the built-in is fine when I am at a coffee shop, in class or in church. I also use an external mouse (I like the Microsoft Bluetooth Surface mouse so it doesn't take the only USB slot) quite heavily in logos since many of the select and "right click" features are quicker with a mouse than a long press.

Kiyah

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/878748#Comment_878748

I got the Lenovo Thinkpad Yoga 14 with Windows 10 (available only at Bestbuy), at the beginning of the school year. I love it, it's my favorite laptop that I've ever owned. Runs Logos just great, I've had no problems. It doesn't have as much memory as your last laptop but it has a solid state drive. Right now it costs $800 instead of $700 but I found this to be the best value (features vs. price) when I searched. The Bestbuy version has the Nvidia graphics card; this same laptop directly from the Lenovo website only has integrated graphics.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/lenovo-thinkpad-yoga-2-in-1-14-touch-screen-laptop-intel-core-i5-8gb-memory-256gb-solid-state-drive-black/4456400.p?skuId=4456400

Kiyah

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/879123#Comment_879123

Also it has a 14 inch screen which is not too big and not too small for me.

Calvary

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/878748#Comment_878748

Thanks for the reply! I would really like to get a Surface since it's the ideal 2 in 1; maybe sometime in the future as it's currently out of my price range...

Calvary

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/879124#Comment_879124

Great, thank you for the reply! I was looking at the Yoga, but it's gosh darn expensive. I did end up selling my old laptop and I picked up this one with no difference.[H]

It's on sale if anyone else is reading this forum:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01L8PDMO6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I put an SSD in it and it's actually faster than my last laptop.
Thanks for your help, all!

Kiyah

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/879126#Comment_879126

Okay, great. I was about to also add that you (or anyone else on the forum who is a student) should call Bestbuy customer service and see if they'll give you a student discount. They were offering a $150 student discount at the time I purchased mine. I know the budgetary struggle is real.

(I'm glad you found something in your price range, I hope you're happy with it. If not, I would seriously recommend you return it and get the Lenovo, at this price I thought it was a pretty good deal.) [:)]

James Chandler

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/879126#Comment_879126

That ought to do well for you. I'm glad you found one to your liking.

Ben Anderson

I speak and travel internationally using a Lenovo Yoga with a hi-res 13" screen and i7 which easily fits in my medium shoulder bag with the rest of my stuff. The 900 is my second Yoga and I have been very satisfied with both. My wife still uses the original Yoga. Unfortunately this is probably outside of your $700 price range.

From what I have noticed, the key to fast Logos is having the data files on a good SSD. The processor is less critical and the GPU doesn't really matter at all.

One option on a budget might be an entry level Yoga or Surface (or whatever brand you like) with an extra drive slot and then look for a sale on SSDs. A 64 GB should be sufficient for Logos, but check your data directory. If you don't need a touch screen, you can probably save both money and weight, although a 2 in 1 has to have touch screen when in tablet mode.

I hope you find what you need!

Ben

mmagla

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/879126#Comment_879126

How do you like this setup?