Recommend an Asus laptop for me!

Hi, I don't know much about laptops but I use them for browsing the internet/streaming and watching videos everyday for 4+ hours. Also, I am an accounting major so I use excel and some other programs. I don't play games and my budget is about 1.5k USD. Any recommendations on a 13-14 inch Asus laptop?

Also, I'm going to be in Taiwan, Singapore, and the US in the next few months. Where would it be cheapest?

Edit: I just saw the form I was supposed to fill out...so just assume I don't care about the other stuff like battery life and where I'm going to be using it.

 

If you're going to be traveling, an Ultrabook might be good for you, such as the UX31 series or UX32 series. Or, you could get more bang for your buck as far as hardware capabilities go by opting in for something a little heavier, such as an N56. They weight about 6 lbs±, while the ultrabooks weigh around 3 lbs±; the N56 has a 15.6" screen, while many of the ultrabooks by Asus under $1500 have a 13.3" screen. Either one will be able to meet your needs though as far as what you'll be using it for; the ultrabooks just offer the added convenience of greater portability and an IPS screen, at a higher premium.

 

Goodness, man.. lol

No, I don't know. This one? ASUS - U38N
That should take you to about $950. Then add a relatively cheap 8Gb ram chip (there's one free slot), to get 10Gb/8+2Gb in dual channel. Add the cheapest samsung ssd you can find. And you should have approximately $300 left for a neat messenger bag from stm. ...?

Btw, I kind of forced someone with pretty much the same requirements as you to buy a smaller laptop like that one, and buy a monitor+a wireless keyboard and mouse for his desk instead. They were going to buy this huge Probook, because of the great tractor style, and because it'd be easier to weld it to the desk, I guess. But they were happy with that external monitor solution in the end. You can get a reasonably good and light 1920x1080 hdmi monitor for very little now, after all. (And suddenly that monitor in the office was used more than the tv, etc).

So essentially - disable sleep on lid close, put the laptop on the shelf under the table, plug in hdmi + usb->bt transmitter. Done. Silent+portable office-computer.

 

Thanks for the responses. I don't know anything about adding extra stuff on top of what the laptop seller gives you...so I don't think I'll buy any extra components. I'm just going to use it to take notes in class and watch videos/movies and stuff in the library and in my dorm room, so I don't want to buy a monitor and keyboard and that kind of stuff. I don't mind it being heavier since I'm already used to having a heavy laptop.
Can someone explain to me the difference between the N-series and U-series? All I know is that the U-series are lighter and more portable.

 

N series is geared for multimedia capability; movies, mild gaming, mild editing (photo/video), etc. It meets a mid-range demand tier.

The U series is a series of "ultrabooks", which more or less entails an ultra thin and ultra light profile. You generally pay more for these for the convenience of portability, the construction quality that goes into them to circumvent heat (harder to keep a smaller unit cool), etc.

If you're not very concerned about weight and thickness, then the N series might be a better option for you, simply for getting more bang for your buck. Also, the N series tends to be more 'upgradeable', whether you do the upgrades or have your retailer/reseller do them. Some don't like the keyboard on the U series either, and if you're going to be doing a lot of typing, you may appreciate the keyboard on the N series more.