Looking for Thin + Light Laptop/Ultrabook

[iSync]

1. What is your budget? 1000-1500

2. What is the size of the notebook that you are considering? 13.1"-15.6"

3. What screen resolution do you want? At least 1600x900

4. Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop? Portable

5. How much battery life do you need? 5hrs+

6. Do you want to play games with your laptop? If so then please list the games that you want to with the settings that you want for these games. (Low,Medium or High)?

Just simple games, nothing like Crysis.. More of things like League of Legends, High settings

7. What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? (Photo/Video editing, Etc.)

Photoshop, Video editing, etc

8. How much storage (Hard Drive capacity) do you need?

SSD is a must, 128gb+ (256 preferred)

9. If you are considering specific sites to buy from, please post their links.

NCIX.com preferably

10. How long do you want to keep your laptop?

Throughout University (4years+)

11. What kind of Optical drive do you need? DVD ROM/Writer,Bluray ROM/Writer,Etc ?

None required

12. Please tell us about the brands that you prefer to buy from them and the brands that you don't like and explain the reasons.

Asus, Samsung, HP, Sony, etc I don't have any I wouldnt like to buy

13. What country do you live in? Canada

14. Please tell us any additional information if needed.


TLDR; I need a thin + light laptop, OR ultrabook that can be used for both school and light gaming (League of Legends style).. Need an SSD, and I prefer 1600x900 resolution at least, with decent battery life and 3rd gen Ivy bridge.


So I've been looking at a lot (almost all) ultrabooks that are currently out, and I can't seem to choose which one. I've also questioned if I should give "regular" notebooks a chance. I prefer light and thin, with pretty decent specs. I won't be extreme gaming on this laptop, as it's for my upcoming university life, though I will add I'll be casual gaming (League of Legends, SC2, etc), sometimes editing (picture and video) as a hobby. Also, an SSD is a must.

I guess I should also add that I've never had a laptop in the 18 years of my life, I've been with a desktop the entire way, currently on an Phenom II x4 955 and a XFX 4890.

Some laptops I've considered to be one of my purchases would be..
Asus Zenbook Prime
Asus Zenbook UX32VD (only one I've seen with dedicated graphics, + self SSD upgrade)
Samsung 9 Series
HP ENVY 14t-3100
Song S Series
Sony Z Series (Although really expensive)
Gigabyte U2442V/N (Though can't find a retailer)
Vizio Thin Light CT15 (can't find retailer)
Acer Aspire S7 (not out)
Asus Taichi (not out)

 

[iSync]

Bump?

 

[iSync]

anyone?

 

[jaguarskx]

Dell XPS 14 Ultrabook. It can be configured with a GT 630m, but while not considered very weak, it is also not considered a strong graphics card. At 4.6lbs, it is not exactly light either.

http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/26/dell-xps-14-review/

The only ultrabook released with the slightly more powerful GT 640m LE GPU is the Acer’s Timeline Ultra M5, but they only have a 1366x768 resolution screen. I suppose more ultrabooks with the GT 640m LE or GT 640m will be coming out in the somewhat near future.

 

[boeingdude]

I'd say either the Zenbook Prime or Series 9 lines. The 13" Series 9 is absolutely stunning. Meets your criteria and has excellent build quality and looks too.

 

[jaguarskx]

The problem with the Samsung Series 9 is that there is no graphics card. There is only the Intel HD 4000 integrated graphics core. Decent enough to play games with a mix of low and medium settings at 1366x768 resolution, but not good at all at full resolution of 1920x1080.

The Zenbook Prime has a dedicated nVidia 620GT graphic card, but it is considered a bit weak (at least it's more powerful than the Intel HD 4000). Good enough to play most games with a mix of low and medium graphic settings, but no where near powerful enough for 1920x1080 resolution.

 

[iSync]

Well, currently my desktop screen is a horrible 17", 1280x1024 screen.. So I don't think I'd mind playing on a lower resolution.. The 1080 screen would be nice for movies and videos and such though... The Samsung line, imo, is like the Zenbooks, but at a higher price.. Would it be smart to buy the UX32VD, get a Samsung 830 256gb ssd, and maybe upgrade the ram to 6gb total with a Corsair Vengance?

Any other suggestions?