Asus has 2 or 4 gig soldered - the 2 gig models have an expansion slot with an additional 2 in with an expansion slot for up to 6 (I think I read that right). Lenovo is all soldered but has options for 4 or 8....
Basic choice is:
Asus ($1500): Core i7, 256g SSD, 4G RAM (with possible expansion to 6), 13.3" 1920x1080 screen, bad hinge for screen, decent keyboard but has sharp edges that make typing obnoxious, poor trackpad (Knuck - the one with descrete graphics doesn't have an HD
), ~5:45 reviewer battery life
Lenovo ($1800): Core i5, 256g SSD, 8 Gb (soldered), 14" 1600x900 screen, great keyboard and trackpad, more durability (by rep and specs - spill resistant keyboards and milspec ruggedness/dust), ~4:45 hr reviewer batter life + rapid recharge (charges 0-80% in 30 min)
So the Lenovo is basically $300 for 4 gigs of RAM (250 when I discount what I'd spend on upgrading the Asus
if that's possile).
I think the durability and the keyboard are worth it. I worry with the screen because I zoom in a lot already and having a higher DPI on a smaller monitor might be great for watching videos, but I worry about it with respect to horsepower and seeing stuff....I think knuck is right, the processor difference will mean that much to me...but the interface experience when working will (even if it won't be as good for playing)
I'm leaning heavily towards ordering the Lenovo tomorrow unless someone see's something I'm missing.
