I'm looking for a replacement for my 2011 MacBook Air 11", and I'm looking for something different this time, as my use-case has changed (my laptop is now my main machine). What I'm looking for: 13 or 14" 1080p non-touch display Haswell Core i7 CPU (I run VMs so need the HT and higher clock) 8GB RAM 256GB or 512GB (preferred) SSD Ideally a decent dedicated GPU, good enough to play Starcraft 2 Optical drive (perhaps BluRay?) Non-bulky form factor (obviously not Ultrabook-slim but something relatively portable) Will be running Linux (or dual-booting W7) so I've been considering System 76, but the lack of optical drive on the 14" model is slightly annoying. Thanks!
What about the lenovo thinpad t440s? It also has the advantage of being able to install your own SSD which would probably be cheaper. Not sure if the touchscreen is optional but its a matte 1080p display so it wouldn't make much difference anyway. http://shop.lenovo.com/gb/en/laptops/thinkpad/t-series/t440s/ Also, theres the new inspiron 14 7000 series from dell which look much better than previous inspiron models as they are made out of aluminium compared to plastic. http://www.dell.com/us/p/inspiron-14-7437/pd Edit: have just read that you wanted an optical drive but honestly most if not all 13/14" laptops now do without in favour of larger batteries.
