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    The best looking notebook, period.

    Discussion in 'Notebook Cosmetic Modifications and Custom Builds' started by TSE, Oct 3, 2011.

  1. Jarhead

    Jarhead 恋の♡アカサタナ

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    It can play music! And Youtube! Doesn't that count for something?? :D
     
  2. Drunken1

    Drunken1 Notebook Consultant

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    I'm almost 50, and just purchased an Alienware M17x.

    I thought I was mature in my early 20s. I'm so glad I grew out of that stage, and I really feel sorry for those who haven't.
     
  3. el aye

    el aye Newbie

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    I've always had a fond love for the thinkpad X series... after all that is the only series of laptops that I personally have owned :p Started with the 240x, then X22, X61 Tablet, which has sadly died and I haven't replaced it yet.
     
  4. Jarhead

    Jarhead 恋の♡アカサタナ

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    These look pretty nice...

    [​IMG]
     
  5. killkenny1

    killkenny1 Too weird to live, too rare to die.

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    Are you a hipster?
    :D :D :D
     
  6. HTWingNut

    HTWingNut Potato

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    Buy what suits you. I used to really like AW machines, still do actually, solid, well built machines. But once I found Clevo notebooks though, I could never justify an Alienware. The cost difference is too high with similar performance.
     
  7. Jarhead

    Jarhead 恋の♡アカサタナ

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    Lol, don't compare me with annoying people :p

    I actually use whatever's at Walmart or elsewhere. I don't see the value in spending nearly $20+ for a <300 page journal. I do have some nice bonded leather journals that I picked up for ~$15 iirc and they are pretty nice imo. Just spend ~$6 on a 3-pack of Markings (Walmart brand?) mini journals (~ 4 x 3 inches?) that are 60 pages each, just to see if keeping a tiny journal is subjectively better than keeping a book-sized one.

    For schoolwork, I just use filler paper, college ruled. :)
     
  8. killkenny1

    killkenny1 Too weird to live, too rare to die.

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    I use my head, memory that is :D.
    Surprisingly I remember most of my important things.
     
  9. gdansk

    gdansk Notebook Deity

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    Absolute best? Sony VAIO Z2. The last generation Z is probably right behind it, with the T-series Thinkpad in third. I like black, matte and angles.
     
  10. KCETech1

    KCETech1 Notebook Prophet

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    for a small machine I love the looks of the X1 Carbon, sleek, simple and functional. now for bigger and bulk, its a tossup between the CF-30 that you can bash a skull in with, or the pre Dell alienware m9750 with the skullcap lid.
     
  11. haboo9282

    haboo9282 Newbie

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    I think the EON17-S Pro (sager np9170 based) from OriginPc is the most gorgeous beast!

    np-2_gallery_post.png
    (contrast between a normal sager and the EON17-S)

    I also love any of the latest Asus models with the Flat Black stealth mod by XoticPc, it looks like a Stealth Bomber!
     
  12. talin

    talin Notebook Prophet

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    You sir get a free round of beers for that comment. Who shall I send them to?
     
  13. iViNtaGe

    iViNtaGe Notebook Consultant

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    The Pure gold Vaio Z3 looks pretty sweet IMO.
     
  14. Jarhead

    Jarhead 恋の♡アカサタナ

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    Eh, I find gold tacky. Silver/Platinum ftw.
     
  15. iViNtaGe

    iViNtaGe Notebook Consultant

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    Yeah, I think the S13p in gold is really tacky too. But the Z3 has the chrome/white accents and a nicer shade of gold. Honestly, all three have some serious bling tho.
     
  16. Thaenatos

    Thaenatos Zero Cool

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    [​IMG]

    I agree. Buy what you like and what works for you. I tried the alienware brand twice and was satisfied both time. The only issues I had with my m17x was the palm rest edges dug into my wrists and was terribly uncomfortable in any long term use and the fact that it had no mobility (battery lasted less then an hour). Now the m11x was a perfect machine minus the resolution I just couldnt get over.

    Im thinking if they ever come out with a FHD+ m14x with a quad core I might pick that up as my next machine.
     

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  17. V_Chip

    V_Chip Be about it.

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    I think my truck bed-liner Chromebook looks pretty snazzy. ;)
     
  18. kojack

    kojack Notebook Prophet

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    I love the blue of the Acer timeline x, it matches the blue of the Samsung s3 perfectly.

    Sent from my ARCHOS 80G9 using Tapatalk 2
     
  19. mattcheau

    mattcheau Notebook Deity

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    behold, the lamborghini of laptops:

    no seriously. and i'm a big sucker for orange...
    [​IMG]
     
  20. Throbin

    Throbin Notebook Consultant

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    Love the look of my m18xR2 its like a beast! None of this sleek I wanna be a macbook design. Every time I open it I think, F*uck Yea!

    Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk
     
  21. Phenomellama

    Phenomellama Notebook Enthusiast

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    Was trying to figure out something to coat my Asus in...good idea. Now, if that smell would only go away...and that heat...uh oh.

    That Orange is sexy, and I'm a Blue guy.
     
  22. V_Chip

    V_Chip Be about it.

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    I purposely slobbed it on my Chromebook to make it scratch-proof and more durable. Plus since it's sloppy (on purpose) it is less apt to attract attention and be stolen. :p

    If you want a nice even covering, then I suggest that you shake the can vigorously (before and throughout) and apply light coats sprayed from 18-24 inches away to prevent globbing.

    You use up a lot more of the can this way but the end result is fantastic. I did this on my mountain bike and it has been mistaken as a powder coat before! :cool:

    I used Dupli-Color Truck Bed Armor. About ~$8 a can (one is more than enough). Can be found at your local auto store.

    Best of luck! :thumbsup:
     
  23. d0m0

    d0m0 Notebook Guru

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    ^^ Pics of your chromebook plz :)
     
  24. Jarhead

    Jarhead 恋の♡アカサタナ

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    I'm pretty interested to see what truck bed liner looks like on a laptop also... :eek:
     
  25. V_Chip

    V_Chip Be about it.

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    Won't be able to snapshot and post pics of the Chromebook until later tonight, so I hope this picture of my truck bed liner bike suffices for now. :eek:

    [​IMG]
     
  26. Thaenatos

    Thaenatos Zero Cool

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    I swear by duplicolor bed armor in rattle can. I just did the roof of my jeep in it and I couldn't be happier.

    Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk 2
     
  27. iVantage

    iVantage Notebook Enthusiast

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    I quite fancy the Asus EeePC Flare lineup. :)

    Too bad it's the end of the netbooks.

    [​IMG]
     

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  28. Jarhead

    Jarhead 恋の♡アカサタナ

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    Nah, netbooks still have their place. Plenty of people don't want to spend $700+ on an Ultrabook, and a tablet doesn't allow for any serious work imo (only media consumption).
     
  29. iVantage

    iVantage Notebook Enthusiast

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    Iinm, only Acer is still holding on to the netbooks. Asus has announced that they are discontinuing the netbooks in their Eee lineup, that basically marks the end of an era.
     
  30. Throbin

    Throbin Notebook Consultant

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    I went for AW over Celvo simply because of the warranty and performance. I was unsure on the looks until I saw the beast.

    Plus trying to find a good reseller for clevo is terrible in the uk.

    Anyway, My m18x is a beast! And I love it, Looks great with the back lighting.

    Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk
     
  31. eliaskok

    eliaskok Notebook Enthusiast

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    +1 Thinkpad (T Series)
     
  32. Steven

    Steven God Amongst Mere Mortals

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    The best looking notebook is the notebook that you love and enjoy using.
     
  33. Krane

    Krane Notebook Prophet

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    Well isn't that politically correct. Not sure how long you'd last working in an advertising agency though?.
    Ugh! Nothing from Lenovo that's for sure.

    At the moment I'm a bit partial to HP's Envy line (esp, Envy 17) for it's understated elegance. Yes, I'll admit it is a chip off the old Macbook block. But it adds a bit more panache to Macs otherwise bland case presentation.
     
  34. magos

    magos Notebook Enthusiast

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    what about one of the first ultra book made ever, way back in 2004 by SONY!!!

    The X505 I loved it. It was a beauty!

    vaio-x505-i1.gif
     
  35. t.saddington

    t.saddington Notebook Geek

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  36. pianowizard

    pianowizard Notebook Evangelist

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    My vote is for the Dell Latitudes D620, D630, D820 and D830 (and possibly the D420 and D430 although I haven't seen one in person). The second best-looking laptops would be IBM's X2* Thinkpads (i.e. the X20, X21, X22, X23 and X24), which are closely followed by the X4* series (X40 and X41) and the 240 seris (240, 240X, 240Z and i1124). These Thinkpads turned me into a huge Thinkpad fan back in 2005, and these Latitudes turned me into a huge Dell fan a couple years later.
     
  37. ajkula66

    ajkula66 Courage and Consequence

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    To me, still the most amazing laptop design ever...the original 701C "butterfly"...

    bestibmi.jpg
     
  38. pianowizard

    pianowizard Notebook Evangelist

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    Oh, George! Looks like we are both spending more time here while Thinkpads.com is down! I just emailed Bill Morrow to see what's going on and am still waiting to hear back.

    Anyway, the "Butterfly" is a highly creative design, but do you think it's the "best-looking"?
     
  39. michaelbyz23

    michaelbyz23 Notebook Consultant

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    I would actually vote for Asus Zenbook laptops. They are so nicely crafted!
     
  40. Apollo13

    Apollo13 100% 16:10 Screens

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    Dell Adamo is my choice. Easily the best-looking laptop I've ever seen from Dell, or anyone else for that matter. I couldn't justify the expense for lesser performance than my Inspiron at the time, but if I'd had more money it would've been very tempting.

    Second choice goes the to VAIO Z series. I discovered them around the beginning of 2010. Again, way above my budget at the time, but I couldn't help coming back to it at MicroCenter. To be fair, the fantastic screen was doing more than its share of work. I'm undecided on color. The one I saw in person was black, but the blurple one a few pages back looks really good, too. It'd be near the top of my list if I had to replace my laptop in the near future - even with Windows 7 instead of 8.

    So many ThinkPad fans recently. They don't look bad, but there's no edge to them. They're thoroughly designed to look conservative. It's kind of like calling a black suit with a white shirt and a blue tie the best looking outfit, period. It's good, no doubt. But it's the safe, at times almost boring, choice. Where's the adventurous spirit?
     
  41. Jarhead

    Jarhead 恋の♡アカサタナ

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    I save it for Interstate driving and other non-tech activities :p.

    To me, a laptop is just a tool, a means to an end. This thread (to me) is akin to "What's the best-looking screwdriver."
     
  42. macintosh4ever

    macintosh4ever Notebook Enthusiast

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    Ignoring the ^^rather redundant comment^^, I can think of a few really good looking laptops:

    1. The current generation unibody Macbook Pro- besides the subtle and understated minimalistic design, the silent and sleek aluminum finish and premium materials, Sir Jonathan Ive uses design techniques that will obviously be lost on the aesthetically challenged and people uneducated in industrial design. They represent the pinnacle of aesthetic unity and marvelous designing. The finished product rivals any masterpiece. It's subtle, elegant and poignant.

    2. Sony VAIO Z ( SVZ13115GG : Z Series : VAIO™ Laptops & Computers : Sony New Zealand) : The anniversary edition is sleek, elegant and wonderfully designed. The black finish is smooth and subtle, and carvings at the bottom edge panel is magnificently executed. The material used is premium, the lines are subtle and the finish elegant.

    3. Sony VAIO F ( VPCF237HG : F Series : VAIO™ Laptops & Computers : Sony New Zealand) : Big, powerful laptop. But the construction is solid, yet tasteful and artistic. The all black finish whispers "elegance", the design does not get in your face and the overall product gives the impression of mature minds designing excellent products.
     
  43. Quix Omega

    Quix Omega Notebook Evangelist

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    Retina Macbook Pro, definitely. The Dell XPS 15 looks great too, shame about everything else about it.

    I agree, the Alienware look isn't great, they do look a little better in person than in pictures. The matte finish is at least reasonable. They're a good computer, at a reasonable price so I bought one anyway. If they could make the next generation look more like the Dell XPS line that would be awesome.
     
  44. beanwolf

    beanwolf Notebook Consultant

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    I'm partial to the compaq.

    cpqslt286.jpg
     
  45. TSE

    TSE Notebook Deity

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    I'm actually a huge, huge fan of retro industrial design, particularly of the 80's and 90's. That's an awful example, but it does bring up a point.
     
  46. CoolMod

    CoolMod Notebook Consultant NBR Reviewer

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    I liked the G73 style cause it was always a good conversation piece lol.
     
  47. raclimja

    raclimja Notebook Consultant

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    Nebula red m17x

    Looks stunning from all angles.

    Its like an exotic car :)

    Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 2
     
  48. macintosh4ever

    macintosh4ever Notebook Enthusiast

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    I agree! Even though I am not a fan of the Dellienware series, the nebula red version has a distinct look and feel to it! Although, I much prefer the skeletal finish, and also the legacy green model of the original Alienware line-up! Dell shouldn't have stuck their nose down that alley. But that's my opinion.
     
  49. Radi324

    Radi324 Notebook Evangelist

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    Alienware M18x, hands down. The only close competitor might have been the M17x R2, but ever since they ditched the aluminium body, plastic doesn't even compare. I just saw an M17x R4 yesterday and... I was disappointed. Doesn't even come close to the sheer presence of an M18x, be it in Red or Black (although I prefer Red)
     
  50. failwheeldrive

    failwheeldrive Notebook Deity

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    I love the M17x's styling. When I first saw it I really couldn't tell it wasn't aluminum. It had just been delivered, and it was cold to the touch (it was freezing outside lol) and I was amazed that it felt so much like metal.

    I know the M18x is stunning, and agree that the M17x can't quite compare, but I still think it's one of the most beautiful laptops I've ever seen in person. And this is coming from a guy who used to be a Clevo fanboy and looked down on AW notebooks for not being "mature" enough :p All it took was seeing that M17x in person and I fell in love.
     
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