[Buyers Guide?] Software Development Laptop


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Hello all, it has been several years since I have been in this part of the forum.

 

I am in my last semester to get my associates degree in computer science and will be pursuing my BS in the same. It is time for me to buy a new laptop, but am having a lot of trouble finding anything worth buying under $1200. 

 

My requirements are (yes it is demanding for the price):

Dedicated graphics card (I sometimes play video games, rarely).

Minimum upgradable ram to 16GB

Good quality laptop, with good warranty.

15 inch display, possibly full HD.

Windows 7 pre-installed or downgradable.

 

It is hard to find a laptop now a day that comes with a dedicated graphics card under $1000 and the brands I have looked at is Lenovo, HP, Dell, and Asus. I have been leaning toward a Dell M2800 Mobile Workstation, but would like to find something cheaper.

 

I know there are millions of threads here asking what laptop people should get, but I figured I'd start another one anyway.

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Bumped after 9 hours?... give people a chance to answer it.

 

Do you really need a dedicated graphics card? Intel Iris graphics are more than capable.

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Bumped after 9 hours?... give people a chance to answer it.

 

Do you really need a dedicated graphics card? Intel Iris graphics are more than capable.

I prefer dedicated graphics as I have a a bad taste from intel graphics.

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One word. Clevo. A taiwanese company but their laptops are solid. Sold under brands like Sager, and NovaTech. I still use my 4 year old Core2Quad M571 with GTX280M, she's still playing games after all this time :)

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One word. Clevo. A taiwanese company but their laptops are solid. Sold under brands like Sager, and NovaTech. I still use my 4 year old Core2Quad M571 with GTX280M, she's still playing games after all this time :)

While i'm an Asus Fan (They have solid warranty) and a year ago, they offered the best price/performance I could find, you should really take a look at Clevo, Sager and novatech.

 

 

http://www.amazon.com/GL551JM-DH71-GeForce-GTX860M-Optimus-Technology/dp/B00MMMMMX2/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1421184691&sr=1-4&keywords=asus+16gb+ram

 

Price:

$999.00 FREE Shipping.

 

  • Intel Core i7-4710HQ 2.5GHz (Turbo to 3.5 GHz).
  • 1TB 7200RPM Hard Drive. 16GB RAM.
  • NVIDIA GeForce GTX 860M 2GB GDDR5 with Optimus Technology.
  • 3x USB 3.0, 1x HDMI, 1x MiniDisplay. SDXC Card Reader. 802.11 A/B/G/N. Gigabit Ethernet Port. 720P HD Webcam.
  • 15.6" Full HD Display. Aluminum Body ROG Signature Chassis.
  •  
    16 GB DDR3

 

 

As for warranty:

 

Relax. ASUS got you covered

This notebook is backed by the industry's most comprehensive coverage:

1-Year International Warranty

- 30 days Zero Bright Dot Guarantee

- Free 2-way standard shipping

- 24/7 Technical Support

1-Year Accidental Damage Protection

- Covers accidental drops, spills, power surges and fire damage for the first year (valued at $99). For more information visit http://adp.asus.com

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Edit:

 

 

Also other laptop makers worth looking at:

 

xoticpc.com
maingear.com  awesome build, highly expensive
originpc.com
pugetsystems.com
falcon-nw.com  unbelieveably expensive.
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While i'm an Asus Fan (They have solid warranty) and a year ago, they offered the best price/performance I could find, you should really take a look at Clevo, Sager and novatech.

 

 

http://www.amazon.com/GL551JM-DH71-GeForce-GTX860M-Optimus-Technology/dp/B00MMMMMX2/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1421184691&sr=1-4&keywords=asus+16gb+ram

 

Price:

$999.00 & FREE Shipping.

 

  • Intel Core i7-4710HQ 2.5GHz (Turbo to 3.5 GHz).
  • 1TB 7200RPM Hard Drive. 16GB RAM.
  • NVIDIA GeForce GTX 860M 2GB GDDR5 with Optimus Technology.
  • 3x USB 3.0, 1x HDMI, 1x MiniDisplay. SDXC Card Reader. 802.11 A/B/G/N. Gigabit Ethernet Port. 720P HD Webcam.
  • 15.6" Full HD Display. Aluminum Body ROG Signature Chassis.
  •  
    16 GB DDR3

 

 

As for warranty:

 

Relax. ASUS got you covered

This notebook is backed by the industry's most comprehensive coverage:

1-Year International Warranty

- 30 days Zero Bright Dot Guarantee

- Free 2-way standard shipping

- 24/7 Technical Support

1-Year Accidental Damage Protection

- Covers accidental drops, spills, power surges and fire damage for the first year (valued at $99). For more information visit http://adp.asus.com

Oooh this one is quite nice!

 

As for quality Acer is the crap brand right, Asus is the better one? I can't remember what brand my sister had but it had nothing but problems (as well as my grandfather).

 

Being out of the tech world for 6 years makes me feel like a 70 year old when smart phones came out (I'm only 25 but have been "away" from computers for a while other than email.

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Oooh this one is quite nice!

 

As for quality Acer is the crap brand right, Asus is the better one? I can't remember what brand my sister had but it had nothing but problems (as well as my grandfather).

 

Being out of the tech world for 6 years makes me feel like a 70 year old when smart phones came out (I'm only 25 but have been "away" from computers for a while other than email.

yup have a similar one myself for  $100 you can switch too SSD of 256gb or just get that model and buy ssd on your own.

 

Acer is garbage man... Not even in the same league

 

IF you are having trouble making up your mind, you should google asus rog laptops reviews, they got great reviews all over the place, best price/performance

 

 I bought this, at that same price http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-G750JX-DB71-17-3-Inch-Laptop-VERSION/dp/B00COQIKKA/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1421205473&sr=8-7&keywords=asus+rog+750jz#productDetails  $1600 and feel ripped off now :p performance mobile cards have come a long way !

 

 

Built quality is top notch, compared to toshiba, dell, HP and acer... even better that the allmight (overhyped) alienware...  

Again, read reviews if the specific model doesn't show up, try searching for a general model (Like asus rog) tons of review pop up.

The only con I can think of, is, these are gaming laptops, so they tend to be a bit on the heavy side of things.

 

IF you do decide to buy asus, MAKE SURE YOU BUY FROM AN AUTHORIZED RESELLER, if not, they won't honor your warranty... I bought mistakenly of amazon, only I didn't notice it was another store.

You can also check em out on newegg as well.

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