With the holidays approaching fast and the sales that come with it many people will be getting new notebooks this holiday season. Researching what the best notebooks out there are takes time and we though we could help out by giving you our choices in five different categories of notebooks. They are gaming, ultraportable, Chromebook, business, and Apple MacBook. With the latest computer parts in these notebooks it will be certain that they will be able to earn there keep for quite some time. There are many things to consider when looking for a notebook and budget is a big one. Most of these choices are going to be in the higher end range since they perform better.
Gaming Notebook: MSI Computer GT72 Dominator Pro with GTX 980M – $2,299
This gaming notebook is the top of the line from MSI, and it does not disappoint. Equipped with Intel i7-4710HQ, 16GB of DDR3-1600, a 128GB SSD, and a Nvidia GTX 980M 8GB, this will tear through any recent and upcoming game. The best thing about the GT72 Dominator Pro is that MSI has taken steps to ensure that you can update the graphics down the line when new and better GPUs come out. This means that the investment made in this computer will last a lot longer than comparable notebooks that are stuck with their graphics for the life of the product. If you are wanting some more speed from the notebook then throw in four identical M.2 SSDs inside and put them in RAID 0 for read/write speeds of up to 1600MB/s. From experience with MSI’s SuperRAID as it is called I can attest to how massive of an improvement that speeds like this can be, it makes using the notebook just so much more enjoyable. You can even attach three monitors to the notebook with two mini-displayport and one HDMI outputs. The keyboard feels like no other notebook keyboard and is made by the gaming company SteelSeries. Bottom line is that if this is in your budget and you are a gamer or even a power user, I have little doubt that you will love this notebook.
Apple Notebook: 15″ 2.5GHz MacBook Pro with Retina display – $2,374.99
There is no denying it, Apple makes good notebooks and they are arguably the best notebooks for running Windows on as well. The Retina display will allow for better multi-tasking with various windows as the resolution gives lots of screen real estate. The Retina display will be great for those who edit photos or video as the display will reproduce colors very well. The construction of the MacBook Pro is amazing and the fit and finish are things that other companies could learn a thing or two from. The choice with the 2.5GHz Intel i7 was made for what would be the most capable and powerful option with a reasonable price. At Apple you can customize the MacBook Pro with up to a 1TB SSD and a 2.8GHz Intel i7.
Ultraportable Notebook: Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro – $1,382.99
The 2-in-1 Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro is the latest model in the Yoga line and features an amazing watchband style hinge. The hinge is made up of hundreds of individual pieces that allows the notebook to flex like no other and fold to use it in different positions. The screen is a high resolution (3200×1800) IPS touchscreen that will reproduce colors very well and look much better than lower quality panels. If needing something very light, portable, and a long battery life then this notebook should be on your list of ones to check out. The stylish Yoga 3 Pro is one of the most stunning designs out now and is powered by the brand new Intel Core M processor.
Chromebook – Toshiba Chromebook 2 1080p $329.99
Chromebooks are a new breed of notebook, and people are really loving them. Chromebooks generally are affordable, light, and have long battery life making it an easy choice for those who need something portable. The best thing about this model is likely the 1080p IPS panel that will look much better than panels that are in other models. Powering the notebook is an Intel Celeron processor, and while not very powerful it will get the job done and sip power giving longer battery life. The battery should be good for up to 8 hours and 45 minutes. The audio has been fine-tuned by Skullcandy meaning that it should deliver much nicer sound than the standard Chromebook. This will be useful if you enjoy listening to streaming music while you surf the web or do work. The 802.11ac Wi-Fi is blazing fast and will allow you to get better coverage over other Chromebooks.
Business Notebook: Lenovo X1 Carbon – $1,619 
When looking for a business notebook it is wise to choose something that is portable and light so you can easily get work done no matter where you are working. The X1 Carbon also offers great battery life allowing up to 9 hours from a single charge. Lenovo is the the most used PC maker for businesses and they sure do know what they are doing with its lineup that is geared for productivity. The keyboard is surprisingly good and has back-lighting making it easier to get work done while on that red-eye to an important meeting or at home in the evening. The integrated fingerprint reader should help simplify secure login by allowing you to simply swipe a finger over it. When it comes to a business notebook, choosing Lenovo is a wise choice that millions have made before.
