Reddit mentions of ASUS ZenBook UX303UB 13.3-Inch QHD+ Touchscreen Laptop, Intel Core i7, 12 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD, Discrete GPU Nvidia GT940M, Windows 10 (64 bit)

It might be overkill, but you asked. Asus Zenbook

If you are only playing league of legends and similar games graphic wise then I would recommend this ZenBook because it has everything you would need, it comes with 940M GPU which should handle LOL on high settings with high FPS, it also comes with dual core i7 which is more than enough to support your usage, 12 GB of ram for smooth multi tasking, big SSD storage (512 GB) for faster booting and and overall performance, great battery life, very light weight at 3.2 lbs, 13.3 high res screen that should fit nicely into your backpack and it fits well inside your budget.

Welcome! I could have gotten a bad unit, but it was enough of a bad experience for me to go back to a more reputable brand (in my experience). Also, the keyboard was a little loud to type on.

If you're curious this is what I ended up getting and I love it. I'd prefer a matte screen to prevent glare, but the touch screen does come in handy sometimes.

I think you should look into an Asus Zenbook 303UB for $1200. It's 13.3 inch which is right at your sweet spot, doesn't quite have 16GB ram but close at 12 GB, and a large PCI-E SSD. Comes with solid specs for what you need, and a 940M dedicated graphics card to let you play light-moderate games with ease. A 940M isn't incredibly powerful, but it should be good enough for the games you are looking to play. Also comes with a thunderbolt 3 connection.

Unfortunately it is not quite 2 in 1, but it is touchscreen.

PC laptops are not garbage.

Think of it this way... if you want a MBP with a dedicated graphic card (for CAD stuff), you're going to pay $1500+. Now look at PC's in that range! You can get outstanding PC's for $1500.

Personally I am a mechE who designs toys. I use Solidworks on my Asus UX303ub (http://www.amazon.com/ZenBook-UX303UB-13-3-Inch-Touchscreen-Discrete/dp/B014VHVZFQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452274269&sr=8-1&keywords=asus+zenbook+ux303) It is crazy good. Built solid. I would argue it's BETTER than a MBP. It will cost you $2500 for the same specs in a MBP 15". In fact, I've had Asus Zenbooks for the last 4 years and they have always served me well (The last one I had, the power jack broke, and I just decided to upgrade rather than a $100 fix).

Don't buy into the Apple bullshit. People compare apples to oranges and I think that doesn't do credit to the high-end PC lineup. The Dell XPS is also a really nice machine.

Go for the ASUS ZenBook UX303UB.It has a betetr battery life likewise, matches all your criteria. It has a great display and build quality . I a not aware of any driver issues with it.

I have to say that eGPU's are pretty pointless. They don't serve any real purpose outside of requiring you to have a place to keep a laptop that functions as a desktop without the performance of just getting a cheap desktop. For that reason, I would write off the Razer Blade Stealth.

You can take a look at this list to see a range of options across all budgets to give you a side by side comparison.

Specifically, look to the Lenovo ThinkPad 13 for $599. It seriously can be configured to do everything that you want it to do for dirt cheap, and it still has the high quality ThinkPad T series keyboard with 2.1mm of travel at a fraction of your budget.

Alternatively, if you want to make sure that gaming is no issue at all, I think that the Asus Zenbook UX303UB would cover all of your bases better than anything else, especially with the 12GB RAM and 512GB SSD.

Everything else you're looking at seems to be just more than you'd ever need, or sort of in a different direction than what would be useful for your needs.

Welcome to suggestalaptop. I recommend getting the ASUS ZenBook UX303UB laptop because it is in your budget range and it fits all the criteria that you have outlined . It is very powerful , sporting a quad core Powerful 6th-generation Intel Core i7-6500U processor, also it is 13.3inchs and a touchscreen as you perferred, 12 GB RAM , a discrete GPU GT 940 graphics card and a nice 512 GB SSD. The weight is awesome 3.2lbs is a dream weight for the quality that this laptop carries.

have you seen this decent ASUS ZenBook UX303UB?

I'd recommend just getting an Ultrabook with a graphics card in and an i5 or something. But here are some for 2 in 1's.

Here are 2 options I found:

Higher-end: http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/yoga/900-series/yoga-910/?action=testB

Cheaper: http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/lenovo/flex-series/flex-3-15/?action=testB

Here's options for an Ultrabook that I'd get:

Best choice - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B014VHVZFQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_J3nyybHTFCNQ4

Cheaper one, but still very good! - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B014VHW24Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_.1nyyb450832N

Hope these help you find a laptop for yourself (:

EDIT - I don't know what I'm talking about dedicated graphics cards in 2 in 1s.

[ASUS ZenBook UX303UB 13.3-Inch QHD+ Touchscreen Laptop, Intel Core i7, 12 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD, Discrete GPU Nvidia GT940M, Windows 10] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B014VHVZFQ/ref=olp_product_details?_encoding=UTF8&me=) Review [here by Mobile Tech] (http://www.mobiletechreview.com/notebooks/Asus-ZenBook-UX303UB.htm)


[Razer Blade Stealth 12.5" 4K Touchscreen Ultrabook 6th Generation Intel Core i7, 8GB RAM, 512 GB SSD, Windows 10] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CA0JIZ0/ref=olp_product_details?_encoding=UTF8&me=) Review [here by Mobile Tech] (http://www.mobiletechreview.com/notebooks/Razer-Blade-Stealth.htm)

The ASUS ZenBook UX303UB is far lower in price than the options you have there. It has:

• 6th-generation Intel Core i7-6500U Skylake processor.
  
  
• 13.3 inches IPS Quad HD+ display, 3200 by 1800 resolution.
  
  
• 12 GB RAM
  
  
• Nvidia GT940M 2GB dedicated graphics card for gaming and all graphic intensive application.
  
  
• 512 GB SSD
  
  

With that budget it's a bit impossible. $200 is just a 500GB SSD. You would need around $900-$1000 for the specs you requested.
The cheapest is the ZenBook UX305UA

https://www.amazon.com/ZenBook-UX305UA-13-3-Inch-Generation-Titanium/dp/B01BMERZJ6/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1493203223&sr=1-2-fkmr0&keywords=Asus+UX305UA+512GB


https://www.amazon.com/ZenBook-UX303UB-13-3-Inch-Touchscreen-Discrete/dp/B014VHVZFQ/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1493203223&sr=1-3-fkmr2&keywords=Asus+UX305UA+512GB

I'm just going to go ahead and link you to r/SuggestALaptop for a better equipped suggestion, but I can give it a shot. That budget might be a little rough.

Autocad is generally single threaded, with some actions requiring more, so you'll be fine with a laptop i5/i7 (dual core without, and with hyperthreading), and won't require a HQ SKU CPU (4 actual cores). RAM is going to be a big consideration, since it's fairly easy to fill up. Autodesk recommends 8, which should be alright, but up to 16 is going to be better. The GPU is definitely worth having, but it doesn't need to be incredible. Something like a GT940M or higher is absolutely fine.

Budget option - $510

13-inch option - $1099

Premium option - $1299

I also have this laptop and feel it's a great buy for those who don't want to spend $2k+ on an XPS 15 or MacBook Pro (which are good products but just pricey). If you are looking for a smaller laptop, you won't get something as fast in a relatively thin package. This is the Zenbook Pro's smaller brother the Asus UX303. ASUS ZenBook UX303UB 13.3-Inch QHD+ Touchscreen Laptop, Intel Core i7, 12 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD, Discrete GPU Nvidia GT940M, Windows 10 (64 bit) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B014VHVZFQ/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_s0hDxb9PTKCY3 it's solid but doesn't have a type c port. Otherwise it's a great laptop.

This ASUS ZenBook UX303UB would do a great job for you.. It will perform better than any Macbook in or around it's price range. It has a great performance with a wonderful processor, great 12 GB RAM, a 512 GB SSD and of course, even a dedicated graphics card... It has a wonderful build quality with a full aluminum case and solid keyboard..

Both the Dell and the razer blade are excellent options but would be slightly underkill(although playable) for your gaming requirements.

I would suggest the Asus Zenbook UX303UB 13.3 inch laptop with an incredible QHD+ screen and a great battery performance, while coming in at just 3.2 pounds. It's available at a discounted price of 1189$ and has a GT940M which should suffice your gaming needs. The reviews have always rated it as a great build quality laptop with an aluminum finish!

I just put 8gb of ram in my old laptop and have been dealing with that for now. It runs lightroom decently but can't handle video editing and those progams crash constantly. I'm leaning toward the ZenBook UX303UB w/ i7, 12gb RAM, and discrete GPU for a laptop. The other option I'm beginning to consider is a desktop for photo/video editing and picking up a cheapo laptop, or hanging on to my old macbook for travel.

The ASUS ZenBook UX303UB 13.3-Inch would be nice for you.

It's actually smaller than you'd think.

But you can try the 13inch xps but be warned that the gaming performance takes a Significant hit. And you might struggle to hit your desired fps targets.

This would also work, but it's slightly worse than the XPS in terms of build quality and screen quality. But it does have a dedicated graphics card.

This Asus Zenbook is what I would go for. It beats most of your specifications and meets the rest.

That does change it a bit.

The older Razer Blade Stealth is also available as a refurb unit for 1400 CAD for the QHD 256GB and 1900 CAD for the UHD 512GB but I don't think they're worth it since they only have 8GB of RAM.

16GB of RAM vs 8GB is a pretty big one IMO. I've just opened a very small project with BFD3 to check it out and it brought be up to 10.5GB usage, if you plan on using anything similar or Kontakt libraries now or in the future you should really care for this.

The CPU on the Blade is a bit faster and more power efficient. But this is negligible.

The storage is up to you. I think you'll end up with an external HDD anyway with both and they're really cheap. There's no reason to pay for an SSD if you plan on using it for storage, especially not those expensive NVMe SSDs you're paying for in these laptops.

There's also this Asus ZenBook coming in at 1500 CAD which has a higher resolution display than the Macbook, has an i7 6500U, 12GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD.

The Razer is pretty much the Macbook of the PC world.

I think it's expensive for a Xiaomi, with a quick search i found this:
https://www.amazon.com/ZenBook-UX303UB-13-3-Inch-Touchscreen-Discrete/dp/B014VHVZFQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1479162498&sr=8-2&keywords=zenbook%2Bnvidia&th=1

I'ts 150 more but it's ASUS, 12gb RAM, 512 SSD. Battery 50w (10w more) and touchscreen

OP here. will update this post with models I am looking at, based both on feedback from Reddit and other research. Thanks in advance for any and all feedback.

 

LENOVO

 

Yoga 910 $1199 (open box $1099) : https://www.bestbuy.com/site/lenovo-yoga-910-2-in-1-14-touch-screen-laptop-intel-core-i7-8gb-memory-256gb-solid-state-drive-dark-grey/5723422.p?skuId=5723422 only has the Intel 620 GPU. Love that hinge though.

 

DELL

 

Dell XPS13 $1300+ (open box $1283 for 16G 512SSD) http://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-laptops/new-xps-13-non-touch/spd/xps-13-9360-laptop/dncwtr744h Intel HD620

 

HP

 

HP Spectre x360 $1129 : https://www.amazon.com/HP-Spectre-13-AC033DX-Touch-Screen-Laptop/dp/B072598QYG Intel HD620

HP Spectre x360 #2 $1049 : https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/d/hp-spectre-x360-13-ac092ms-2-in-1-pc/941l5h1s3m9z i7, 256SSD, 8G, HD620 (integrated), integrated graphics

Open box (new not refurb) of the 13" and 15" available both at $1283

• 13" : https://www.bestbuy.com/site/hp-spectre-x360-2-in-1-15-6-4k-ultra-hd-touch-screen-laptop-intel-core-i7-16gb-memory-512gb-solid-state-drive/5712363.p?skuId=5712363
  
• 13" https://www.bestbuy.com/site/hp-spectre-x360-2-in-1-13-3-4k-ultra-hd-touch-screen-laptop-intel-core-i7-16gb-memory-512gb-solid-state-drive-dark-ash-silver/5713178.p?skuId=5713178
  
   
  
  ASUS
  
   
  
  Asus UX390UA $744 : https://www.amazon.com/12-5-Inch-Ultraportable-i5-7200U-KabyLake-Fingerprint/dp/B01LHUA1NM i5, 256SSD, 8G, Intel integrated graphics 2G
  
  Asus UX390UA $999 price change now $1299 : https://www.amazon.com/UX390UA-XH74-BL-12-5-inch-Ultra-Slim-Lightweight-Professional/dp/B01LHUAFAQ i7, 16G 512SSD, Intel HD 620 graphics 2G blue. Less $ than some of the others. W10 Pro. 2nd favorite - lot of (sexy looking) laptop for $300 less than the other one - but still no dedicated GPU
  
  Asus UX310UA $800 : https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LXWH76T i7, 256SSD,
  
  Asus UX303UB : $1125 https://www.amazon.com/ZenBook-UX303UB-13-3-Inch-Touchscreen-Discrete/dp/B014VHVZFQ 12G 512SSD i7 GT940M
  
  Asus UX303UB $1199 : https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834232777 512SSd, 12G, i7 GEForce940M
  
  Asus UX430UQ $1217 : https://www.amazon.com/Nano-Edge-Ultra-Slim-i7-7500U-Processor-Bluetooth/dp/B072WK2PVP i7 16G 512SSD GEForce 940MX <<< My current top pick but at the higher end of my price range.
  
  Asus P-Series P2440UQ-XS71 $990 : https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XW6XZ85?ref=emc_b_5_t i7, 512SSD, 12G, GEFORCE940MX May be too thick to be considered an ultrabook
  
  
   
  
   
  
  Edit - removing affiliate codes (thanks bot), if I missed some please let me know

Yeah, if you're looking to do anything other than basic gaming on lowest setting, consider a laptop with a dedicated GPU. The Zenbooks with dedicated GPU are best in class for gaming at the 13'' size, as is the surface book with dedicated GPU.

http://www.amazon.com/ZenBook-UX303UB-13-3-Inch-Touchscreen-Discrete/dp/B014VHVZFQ/ref=sr_1_8?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1449432954&sr=1-8&keywords=zenbook

Look here for game benchmarks. You'll see that most games are only playable (+30fps) on lowest settings at low resolutions (we're talking about a good 1/5 as many pixels rendered as a 4k screen can be capable of), and even then some games like Fallout 4 aren't even playable on all lowest settings. http://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-HD-Graphics-520.149940.0.html

That said, if you're ok with only choosing games which aren't graphics intensive, the XPS 13 is fine for some occasional gaming. I know I plan on booting up and playing some guild wars 2 with mine, which I couldn't do at all on my Surface 3 Pro because of throttling issues.

Mac Side:

http://www.apple.com/shop/product/FGX82LL/A/refurbished-133-inch-macbook-pro-26ghz-dual-core-intel-i5-with-retina-display

http://www.apple.com/shop/product/FF840LL/A/refurbished-133-inch-macbook-pro-27ghz-dual-core-intel-i5-with-retina-display

The second link is the most recent option, though it is slightly out of your budget range. You don't lose much in performance between the two, but it doesn't hurt to have the latest gen.

For the PC side:

http://www.amazon.com/Spectre-Memory-13-3-inch-Screen-Laptop/dp/B0184KDYRI/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1452203390&sr=8-3&keywords=spectre+360

The HP is one of the best reviewed ultrabooks. If you don't need a discrete GPU, I'd get this one. At 900, it is a fricken steal with a 512gb SSD.

http://www.amazon.com/ZenBook-UX303UB-13-3-Inch-Touchscreen-Discrete/dp/B014VHVZFQ/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1452203346&sr=8-7&keywords=asus+ux

High end side of the budget. If you need a discrete GPU, this is the laptop to beat.

With that said, I went from MAC to PC recently because I needed a laptop with a gaming gpu. I was quite happy with my retina mbp (15 inch) otherwise. I think apple makes the best hardware, and provides the best support, but you pay a bit.

I'd either get a refurbished macbook pro (comes with 1 year warranty and is basically a new laptop) or the spectre 360 (if you need dgpu, get the zenbook).

I was only pointing out that one for the 13" because you said there weren't 13" laptops with dedicated cards. Like you say, the other ones are more comparable. You can still get way cheaper than $1450 as long as you don't want to find the unicorn non-apple device that sports a 2560x1600 display. You can get very comparable specs for closer to $700-$800. Also I think the Surface is more in the tablet category rather than laptop.

EDIT: Here is a good Zenbook for $1050, $450 cheaper than the cheapest MBP. i7, 12GB memory, 512GB SSD and a 3200x1800 resolution screen and a dedicated GPU, still lightweight and claims an 8 hour battery life.

Im getting this Zenbook to be specific. There has been some confusion on what hinge this one uses. Is it the one that is unstable? Is there a video on how to tighten the hinge?

Also, i know i shouldn't use super glue, but would sealant tape work to make the hinges stay in place better?

Any thoughts on this http://www.amazon.com/ZenBook-UX303UB-13-3-Inch-Touchscreen-Discrete/dp/B014VHVZFQ?
And honestly, I really love the XPS series, and I'd 100% get a 13 if it had dedicated graphics, buti think the xps 15 might be too big.

Problem here is price. The latest model of the UX303 with a dGPU is quite a bit over budget.

This one: http://smile.amazon.com/ZenBook-UX303UB-13-3-Inch-Touchscreen-Discrete/dp/B014VHVZFQ/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8

ASUS Zenbook

Cheaper and better specs than either the MBP or the Surface Book. Good looking. Thin. Powerful.

i7 cpu, 512GB SSD, 12GB RAM, Nvidia GT940 video card, 4k multi-touch display

http://www.amazon.com/ZenBook-UX303UB-13-3-Inch-Touchscreen-Discrete/dp/B014VHVZFQ

I'm most likely going to go with the Zenbook, because it's cheaper than the XPS 13 and it has better graphics.

ASUS ZenBook UX303UB

https://www.amazon.com/ZenBook-UX303UA-13-3-Inch-Touchscreen-Windows/dp/B014VHVZFQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1486854208&sr=8-2&keywords=asus%2Bux303&th=1

I'm not really sure but I know it supports monitor mode. (Checked using this: https://askubuntu.com/questions/829977/how-to-check-if-you-cards-supports-monitor-mode)

This is the laptop
https://www.amazon.com/ZenBook-UX303UB-13-3-Inch-Touchscreen-Discrete/dp/B014VHVZFQ

Options currently looking at (in no particular order of preference):
1. MSI GE62 Apache Pro-014 (battery life concern)
2. ASUS ROG GL553VE-DS74
3. ASUS ZenBook UX303UB
4. MSI VR Ready GE62VR Apache Pro-026 (battery life concern)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B014VHVZFQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_3yR4xbA3DVD00

Thoughts? Also a cheaper 256GB option, but I think it has integrated graphics and lower screen res.

https://www.amazon.com/ZenBook-UX303UB-13-3-Inch-Touchscreen-Discrete/dp/B014VHVZFQ
Got everything but no budget

if you can go a bit above budget, i would recommend this: https://www.amazon.com/ZenBook-UX303UB-13-3-Inch-Touchscreen-Discrete/dp/B014VHVZFQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1466641363&sr=1-1&keywords=asus+zenbook&refinements=p_n_feature_two_browse-bin%3A562241011%2Cp_n_size_browse-bin%3A3545275011

generally, ive found that asus laptops are quite reliable, and if this is a bit too pricey, you can just get a different asus model :)

I don't know how taxing your Dev programs are and I would highly suggest seeing if there is a sub for your specific software so you can see what hardware they recommend. A laptop may not be a viable option for you based on what they say.

However, I am confident you can't meet your performance requirements for your price point or your desired weight.

You need a dedicated gpu that can actually do stuff and a heavy cpu, unfortunately that leaves you with a laptop that is going to be heavier than 4 pounds, furthermore you are going to be carrying around a power brick that will weigh a few pounds by itself. No getting around it, sorry.

Now, laptops that have rendering and modeling capabilities are a lot more expensive because manufacturers are really the only ones who can put them together so you are looking at a hefty premium.

http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np8640-clevo-p640re-1.html

or

http://www.reflexnotebook.ca/newreleases/sager-np8640.html

• Heavy 4.4 lbs with a 2-5lb brick and about 1500 CAD. Probably the best performance to price and weight ratio out there. And I don't know for certain if it would be able to meet your virtual environment needs.
  
  Naturally there are competitors but they are all around the same price range and weight.
  
  for instance:
  https://www.amazon.com/ZenBook-UX303UB-13-3-Inch-Touchscreen-Discrete/dp/B014VHVZFQ?ie=UTF8&SubscriptionId=AKIAJ76EIXAV3V6D6JEQ&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B014VHVZFQ&linkCode=xm2&psc=1&tag=globalnetwork-20
  
  
• it costs slightly less but has a graphics card that is not in the same league.
  
  See what others in your career/degree program are using. Likely you are going to have to decide if its worth it or not and concede both price and weight to meet your needs.
  
  Another option, get a light laptop or tablet and build a desktop. If you have access to the engineering lab computers that most colleges have they should be able to run any of your software needs and you can grab a USB and work on it from home.

Take a look at the [Asus Zenbook UX303UB] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B014VHVZFQ/ref=twister_B017BCF43W?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1)
It has a discrete Nvidia GT940M GPU.

What about the [ASUS ZenBook UX303UB] (http://www.amazon.com/ZenBook-UX303UB-13-3-Inch-Touchscreen-Discrete/dp/B014VHVZFQ)?

It is lighter than the others and the GT940M graphics card should be sufficient for Cities Skylines.

So, I got this laptop from amazon warehousedeals for 1048 like 3 days ago. Now its down to 1002.78. Is there a way they'll price match it or?

I just bought the ASUS UX303UB for grad school this fall and I love it. It was about $1200 USD but they also have the UX303UA which is cheaper. The UA has an i5, 256 SSD, and 8 GB RAM while the UB has an i7, 512 SSD, and 12 GB RAM. I can handle most games on mine but I'm not sure about the UA. If it's not heavy gaming, I think you will be fine. Both are 13.3 inches and lightweight.

https://www.amazon.com/ZenBook-UX303UB-13-3-Inch-Touchscreen-Discrete/dp/B014VHVZFQ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1468519478&sr=8-3&keywords=asus+ux303

https://www.amazon.com/ZenBook-UX303UA-13-3-Inch-Touchscreen-Windows/dp/B014VHW24Y/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1468519478&sr=8-2&keywords=asus+ux303

Yes, the Zenbook 303UB: https://www.amazon.com/ZenBook-UX303UB-13-3-Inch-Touchscreen-Discrete/dp/B014VHVZFQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1469065452&sr=8-1&keywords=zenbook+303ub

Doesn't have quite as good a GPU as the Alienware 13, nor quite as refined designs as the XPS 13, but a compromise of professional looks with a dGPU could be found in the Asus UX303UB.

How about the ASUS Zenbook UX303UB. It's a ULV processor but it has a 940m which is better than an integrated chip but I don't know about it running Overwatch comfortably.

I hear ya, portability is key.
Don't worry, we'll find one yet

I'll search within the new parameters

edit: So i've dug through a lot of laptops, painstakingly comparing graphics cards until I've found a couple that I actually liked. The problem here is that there doesn't seem to be a middle ground between battery life and gaming power. It's either gonna be a monster with a GeForce 970M with less than 2 and a half hours of battery life (btw you're going to want to go down and see the "more buying options" to get a discount. It'll be sold by Mobile Advanced, and reduce the price to 1.4k USD), or a modest GT 940M with a healthy battery life of around 5-7 hours. The Asus won't be good enough to do any modern gaming sadly, unless you want to play something like CS:GO, League of Legends, or TF2, then you're out of luck.

If you can afford it, and wouldn't mind carrying the power brick around, then I would go for the MSI instead of the ASUS, as the capability is so much greater. Oh, and the fans will be a bit loud, but only if you're doing any serious gaming. Idle tasks should be fine, and shouldn't be audible. Also, they both weigh under 4 pounds. Asus being 3.2 pounds and MSI being 3.75 pounds.

If you have any concerns or questions, ask away. Cheers.

A Dell XPS 13.

It offers a QHD Touchscreen that still grants you a 5-7 hour battery life. InfinityEdge display is all the rave right now. Backlit keyboard, decent SSD, sturdy construction, very lightweight (they both are though), and super thin. Found this one for a decent price: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B015PYYPFG/ref=dp_ob_neva_mobile

Both laptops you mentioned don't have dedicated graphics, BUT if you have ~$1300 USD to spend, DEFINITELY go with the ZenBook UX303UB. It has a GTX 940M to play games on which will run Dota2 nicely. Also, great battery life, beautiful construction, and a QHD Touchscreen display

Sure thing. This is the link. More like to a review, actually. I just realized it. Also, finding the product on Amazon is much rarer than I expect it would. Seems like this is a hot product

Additionally, there's this 14 incher ZenBook but I'm also very hard-pressed to find any reviews or even a release in the US. It's easier to find in Asia somehow. There's even a Vietnamese guy reviewing this already

This one, the UX303UB is the slightly older sibling of the two. It's running on Skylake instead of Kaby Lake, but it's much, much easier to find, especially in North America. Link

Really sorry I can't find the Amazon link for the first 2.

Ever thought about the Asus Zenbook UX303? Some models have a 940m like the one I linked (I don't suggest this one though because of the QHD screen). Could get you a lot further than that macbook air and above all, it's not too heavy or thick.