Web developers require high performance laptops. Ultrabooks offer high portability. New ultrabooks offer incredible performance. Which ultrabook is best for web development in 2013?
Ultrabook Specs for Web Development
Ultrabooks will be compared across 4 features.
- Intel Haswell Processor
- RAM
- SSD (Solid State Drive) Hard Drive
- Weight & Size
Ultrabooks with Intel Haswell Processors
The Haswell Processor is Intel’s 4th generation chip set. Ultrabooks typically use the dual core version.
How Do I Identify a Haswell Processor?
Intel has three series of processors – i3, i5 & i7. Haswell processors have a “4″ immediately after the series number and a dash. A sample Haswell processor would be i7-4771 or i3-4330.
What Are the Benefits of An Intel Haswell Processor?
There are 3 main improvements in Ultrabooks.
- Improved Performance
- Improved Battery Life
- Improved Graphics
Seek Out Ultrabooks with 16 GB RAM
Many web development tools are memory hogs (Eclipse IDE, Virtual Machines like Vagrant). Accordingly, the more RAM, the better the experience.
How Much RAM Do I Need in An Ultrabook?
8 GB is the minimum RAM required for high performance web development. However, 16 GB of RAM is highly preferred. Unfortunately this can be a tough find in the current out of the box ultrabooks. Rare, but Ultrabooks with 16 GB of RAM do exist.
Why Is an SSD Ultrabook Better Than an HDD?
SSD (Solid State Drives) offers greater performance, durability and reliability than HDD (Hard Disk Drives). Of course these benefits come with a cost. The prices are now tantalizingly affordable as the supply of SSD Ultrabooks has increased.
SSD Ultrabooks also “wake” quickly.
Ultrabook Size & Weight
Portability is key with ultrabooks. Ample screen size is needed for web development workstation ultrabooks.
Top 4 Ultrabooks for Web Development
ASUS Zenbook UX301LA |
Samsung ATIV Book 9 Plus
|
HP Spectre 13t | Apple MacBook Pro | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Processor | Haswell: 1.6 GHz Intel Core i5-4200U | Haswell: 1.8 GHz Intel Core i7-4500U | Haswell: 1.6 GHz Intel Core i5-4200U | Haswell: 1.6 GHz Intel Core i5-4288U |
| RAM | 8GB DDR3 RAM | 8GB DDR3 RAM | 8GB DRDR3 RAM | 16GB DDR3 RAM |
| SSD | 256GB SSD | 256GB SSD | 256GB SSD | 256GB SSD |
| Size and Weight | 13.3″ screen 2.6 pounds |
13.3″ screen 3.1 pounds |
13.3″ screen 3.3 pounds |
13.3″ screen 3.5 pounds |
| Image and Price | $1799.00 |
Which Ultrabook is Best for You?
Share with us in the comments below. Have you found a nice Ultrabook with 16GB of RAM, a Solid State Drive (SSD) and a 4th Generation Intel Haswell Processor? Is it lightweight and costs less than $2000? Please share with us too.