Laptops Purchase

[BinaryData]

Well fellas, I promise I'll stop posting with this one. It solves 3 problems with 1 post.

 

 

Problem 1:

 

My co-worker does a lot of AutoCAD work. He designs, modifies, and plans out almost everything in our Data Hall that's custom built. Cable Management arms, custom wire management arms for the racks, etc. His laptop was recently stolen, not that it was a rockin' awesome laptop, but needless to say, he needs to replace it.

 

So, what should I look for in a Laptop for him? He's asked me to look, because he doesn't know, and assumes I do because I'm a geek. I'm not great with laptops, I've always assumed Quad Core + Lots of RAM = Winning, but that isn't always the case.

 

So, budget.. I'd have to say 600$ minimum - 1500$ maximum (minus shipping).


Problem 2:

My mom needs a laptop. It's on the verge of death. Her's is a Toshiba Satellite from 2001 or 2002.

 

She already has a tablet, but she needs something light weight, something she can take on vacations or trips with her. As an average parent, the most strenuous activity she'd do is most likely watching Netflix, occasional photo editing (Photoshop).

 

Problem 3:

 

I need a laptop, as with my co-workers, mine was stolen this weekend. I was talking with BudMan about getting a new one, but I couldn't find one with the right umpf or features. I do a lot of different things, I'm always trying to learn new things. I use Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Brackets, Notepad++, 3D Studio Max, Maya 3D, Unreal Engine 4, and a few other things. I'm not sure if a dual core or a quad core would be more appropriate.

 

 

Thoughts?

[Draconian Guppy]

i'd say anything by Asus laptops ROG edition, best bang per buck IMO

 

• 15.6-Inch FHD Screen. NVIDIA GTX960M 2G GDDR5.
• Intel Core i7-4720HQ 2.6 GHz Processor (Turbo to 3.6GHz).
• 1 TB 7200 rpm Hard Drive. 16 GB DDR3 RAM.
• Wireless 802.11 A/B/G/N. Gigabit Ethernet Port. Signature ROG aluminum chassis.
• 3x USB 3.0, 1x HDMI, 1x MiniDisplay. SDXC Card Reader. 720P HD Webcam.

http://www.amazon.com/GL551JW-DS71-15-6-Inch-Gaming-Laptop-GTX960M/dp/B00T7XRH2A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1431442616&sr=8-1&keywords=asus+laptop+rog

 

 

More models.

 

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss/178-8978743-7079351?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=asus+laptop+rog

[Jason S. Global Moderator]

As far as Problems 1 and 2, i always subscribe to quad core CPU + more RAM. i'd find one w/ a quad core and 16GB. For Problem 1, perhaps look into Dell's workstation line. that said, those can get expensive quickly.

 

Here at work we have HP ProBooks and EliteBooks. I've been quite happy with them.

 

i'd also recommend Asus.

[Mulrian]

i'd say anything by Asus laptops ROG edition, best bang per buck IMO

 

• 15.6-Inch FHD Screen. NVIDIA GTX960M 2G GDDR5.
• Intel Core i7-4720HQ 2.6 GHz Processor (Turbo to 3.6GHz).
• 1 TB 7200 rpm Hard Drive. 16 GB DDR3 RAM.
• Wireless 802.11 A/B/G/N. Gigabit Ethernet Port. Signature ROG aluminum chassis.
• 3x USB 3.0, 1x HDMI, 1x MiniDisplay. SDXC Card Reader. 720P HD Webcam.

http://www.amazon.com/GL551JW-DS71-15-6-Inch-Gaming-Laptop-GTX960M/dp/B00T7XRH2A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1431442616&sr=8-1&keywords=asus+laptop+rog

 

 

I would want one with 802.11AC though. That being said I have seen it missing from the specs sheet before when it does have it, but worth noting anyway.

[iogbrideau]

As far as Problems 1 and 2, i always subscribe to quad core CPU + more RAM. i'd find one w/ a quad core and 16GB. For Problem 1, perhaps look into Dell's workstation line. that said, those can get expensive quickly.

 

Here at work we have HP ProBooks and EliteBooks. I've been quite happy with them.

 

i'd also recommend Asus.

At work we have a lot of Dell Latitude and Dell precision (workstation) laptops, but we put so many of them on warranty (one of them had the motherboard replaced twice in 6 months) that I recommend the HP Pro/Elitebooks over Dell.

 

That said, Asus is also a good brand, but gaming laptops might not do as good as workstation laptops with the software you named, if you do any heavy lifting with them.

[sc302 Veteran]

Asus rog is nice

Dell precision laptop for auto cad

Light weight, lenovo x1 carbon, hp folii elite 1040, Acer s7.

There isn't really 1 that fits all.

[BinaryData]

i'd say anything by Asus laptops ROG edition, best bang per buck IMO

 

• 15.6-Inch FHD Screen. NVIDIA GTX960M 2G GDDR5.
• Intel Core i7-4720HQ 2.6 GHz Processor (Turbo to 3.6GHz).
• 1 TB 7200 rpm Hard Drive. 16 GB DDR3 RAM.
• Wireless 802.11 A/B/G/N. Gigabit Ethernet Port. Signature ROG aluminum chassis.
• 3x USB 3.0, 1x HDMI, 1x MiniDisplay. SDXC Card Reader. 720P HD Webcam.

http://www.amazon.com/GL551JW-DS71-15-6-Inch-Gaming-Laptop-GTX960M/dp/B00T7XRH2A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1431442616&sr=8-1&keywords=asus+laptop+rog

 

 

More models.

 

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss/178-8978743-7079351?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=asus+laptop+rog

 

These look pretty nifty. I'll look at these a bit more.

As far as Problems 1 and 2, i always subscribe to quad core CPU + more RAM. i'd find one w/ a quad core and 16GB. For Problem 1, perhaps look into Dell's workstation line. that said, those can get expensive quickly.

 

Here at work we have HP ProBooks and EliteBooks. I've been quite happy with them.

 

i'd also recommend Asus.

Honestly, my mom doesn't need a quadcore, 4 - 8GB of RAM is what I think she'd need most. Lightweight and portable, but would still allow her to download her pictures, facebook, pinterest(bane of my existence).

 

I would want one with 802.11AC though. That being said I have seen it missing from the specs sheet before when it does have it, but worth noting anyway.

Well, considering I do have a router that does 802.11AC, that's not a huge issue. Though most routers I've come across while surfing through cafes and shosp, only offer A,B,G, and N.

 

At work we have a lot of Dell Latitude and Dell precision (workstation) laptops, but we put so many of them on warranty (one of them had the motherboard replaced twice in 6 months) that I recommend the HP Pro/Elitebooks over Dell.

 

That said, Asus is also a good brand, but gaming laptops might not do as good as workstation laptops with the software you named, if you do any heavy lifting with them.

I looked at workstations, and I really didn't understand the difference between a gaming laptop and a workstation. Hell, that ASUS ROG that Draconian posted had more hardware specs than the Workstations I looked at, not to mention the prices almost made me crap myself. The most intensive thing I would use it for is Photoshop & 3DS Max. I would use it to login to a few games just to update skills.

 

I was hoping for a 17" screen, most of the other things like USB, hdmi, that crap doesn't matter to me, lol.

 

Thanks Draconian, I may end up buying that one you posted.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00T7EXKLG/ref=psdc_565108_t3_B00NJVRTHE

Think this one would be great.

Edited May 13, 2015 by BinaryData

[Mulrian]

Well, considering I do have a router that does 802.11AC, that's not a huge issue. Though most routers I've come across while surfing through cafes and shosp, only offer A,B,G, and N.

 

You still need a compatible wireless card to make use of it though.

[sc302 Veteran]

Workstations generally have cad specific video cards designed to better work with that application. Gaming machines have graphics cards that work with games. Processing is a little different. Also workstations will have the capability of using ecc memory...Gaming machines only non ecc.

 

Kind of like comparing a sports car to a mack truck...sure the sports car has the power to move, but the mack truck has the power to move a lot more.  Most people don't need a mack truck to get them around nor the expense of one, however there are those applications where you would need or want to have that mack truck.  The specs look a lot nicer on the sports car than that of a mack truck to the untrained eye (sleeker, faster, more power), but until you get behind one when you need it you will never appreciate what it can do....you will try to tow a trailer full with your sports car that has more power on paper.

 

 

Edit:  BTW that ROG is heavy...8.5lbs!!!!

[Draconian Guppy]

These look pretty nifty. I'll look at these a bit more.

Honestly, my mom doesn't need a quadcore, 4 - 8GB of RAM is what I think she'd need most. Lightweight and portable, but would still allow her to download her pictures, facebook, pinterest(bane of my existence).

 

Well, considering I do have a router that does 802.11AC, that's not a huge issue. Though most routers I've come across while surfing through cafes and shosp, only offer A,B,G, and N.

 

I looked at workstations, and I really didn't understand the difference between a gaming laptop and a workstation. Hell, that ASUS ROG that Draconian posted had more hardware specs than the Workstations I looked at, not to mention the prices almost made me crap myself. The most intensive thing I would use it for is Photoshop & 3DS Max. I would use it to login to a few games just to update skills.

 

I was hoping for a 17" screen, most of the other things like USB, hdmi, that crap doesn't matter to me, lol.

 

Thanks Draconian, I may end up buying that one you posted.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00T7EXKLG/ref=psdc_565108_t3_B00NJVRTHE

Think this one would be great.

This one doesn't include SSD apparently, SSD is a must... instant on (2-3 seconds tops) and everything is a lot snappier in general, look for a version that has hybrid storage, eg. small ssd and normal hd for storage

 

Workstations generally have cad specific video cards designed to better work with that application. Gaming machines have graphics cards that work with games. Processing is a little different. Also workstations will have the capability of using ecc memory...Gaming machines only non ecc.

 

Kind of like comparing a sports car to a mack truck...sure the sports car has the power to move, but the mack truck has the power to move a lot more.  Most people don't need a mack truck to get them around nor the expense of one, however there are those applications where you would need or want to have that mack truck.  The specs look a lot nicer on the sports car than that of a mack truck to the untrained eye (sleeker, faster, more power), but until you get behind one when you need it you will never appreciate what it can do....you will try to tow a trailer full with your sports car that has more power on paper.

SC302 is spot on.

 

But yeah, workstation hardware is usually more expensive (ECC memory, graphic cards)

 

I've done some light 3dsmx and heavy photoshop/lightroom in a similar asus rog, no hiccups at all. exporting raw photos in lightroom raises cpu to around %90 but still doesn't cause PC to lag.

 

DON'T buy immediately from amazon, there are other vendors (newegg for example, might be cheaper.).

 

IF YOU BUY FROM AMAZON, MAKE SURE YOU BUY FROM AN AUTHORIZED ASUS VENDOR, else they will not match warranties. I chose asus, because of warranty.

such asi this, 

 

Down below at midpage in amazon, you can see different laptops with differents specs and vendors such as:

 

Sold By pointpod WindyHub (No Tax except IL) Amazon.com Amazon.com (pointpod and windyhub)THIS extra warranty (spills and drops) only normal warranty.

 

Also:

 

http://www.xoticpc.com/custom-gaming-laptops-notebooks-clevo-sager-notebooks-ct-95_51_162.html

 

Clevo/sager has good rep and a very good price/spec ratio

 

 

Also just so you know, there are other brands, that are worth looking at:

 

http://www.maingear.com/   somewhat expensive but nice design

 

http://www.falcon-nw.com/  My fav uber customizeable, but double the uber expensive.

 

http://www.originpc.com/  nice chassis.

 

https://www.pugetsystems.com/nav/traverse/pro_15/customize.php  again more customization, but crazy expensive.

 

 

The idea is,  there are several laptops, the more brands you look at, the more opinionated your purchase will be, xoticpc has a cocktail of brands available as well.  Don't be put off by the unheard/noname of brands, they have in most cases better QAQC  and customer support than known brands.

 

IMO, before your purchase, you should find what the difference between the GTX 960 and GTX 965 are. if just a rebrand or if indeed the 65 is worth the extra pennies or not against the 970m. Do you research you will find it is very useful.

[BinaryData]

Workstations generally have cad specific video cards designed to better work with that application. Gaming machines have graphics cards that work with games. Processing is a little different. Also workstations will have the capability of using ecc memory...Gaming machines only non ecc.

 

Kind of like comparing a sports car to a mack truck...sure the sports car has the power to move, but the mack truck has the power to move a lot more.  Most people don't need a mack truck to get them around nor the expense of one, however there are those applications where you would need or want to have that mack truck.  The specs look a lot nicer on the sports car than that of a mack truck to the untrained eye (sleeker, faster, more power), but until you get behind one when you need it you will never appreciate what it can do....you will try to tow a trailer full with your sports car that has more power on paper.

 

 

Edit:  BTW that ROG is heavy...8.5lbs!!!!

 

Haha. 8.5lbs isn't that bad, the laptop I have now for work is 7lbs or so.

 

Thanks for that explanation, sc302. Not only did I feel incompetent, but I felt confused. Haha. I understand now,

You still need a compatible wireless card to make use of it though.

Yes, that's true, but my SOHO router right now is setup for A/B/G/N/AC. I won't be doing too much gaming on this.

 

This one doesn't include SSD apparently, SSD is a must... instant on (2-3 seconds tops) and everything is a lot snappier in general, look for a version that has hybrid storage, eg. small ssd and normal hd for storage

 

SC302 is spot on.

 

But yeah, workstation hardware is usually more expensive (ECC memory, graphic cards)

 

I've done some light 3dsmx and heavy photoshop/lightroom in a similar asus rog, no hiccups at all. exporting raw photos in lightroom raises cpu to around %90 but still doesn't cause PC to lag.

 

DON'T buy immediately from amazon, there are other vendors (newegg for example, might be cheaper.).

 

IF YOU BUY FROM AMAZON, MAKE SURE YOU BUY FROM AN AUTHORIZED ASUS VENDOR, else they will not match warranties. I chose asus, because of warranty.

such asi this, 

 

Down below at midpage in amazon, you can see different laptops with differents specs and vendors such as:

 

Sold By pointpod WindyHub (No Tax except IL) Amazon.com Amazon.com (pointpod and windyhub)THIS extra warranty (spills and drops) only normal warranty.

 

Also:

 

http://www.xoticpc.com/custom-gaming-laptops-notebooks-clevo-sager-notebooks-ct-95_51_162.html

 

Clevo/sager has good rep and a very good price/spec ratio

 

 

Also just so you know, there are other brands, that are worth looking at:

 

http://www.maingear.com/   somewhat expensive but nice design

 

http://www.falcon-nw.com/  My fav uber customizeable, but double the uber expensive.

 

http://www.originpc.com/  nice chassis.

 

https://www.pugetsystems.com/nav/traverse/pro_15/customize.php  again more customization, but crazy expensive.

 

 

The idea is,  there are several laptops, the more brands you look at, the more opinionated your purchase will be, xoticpc has a cocktail of brands available as well.  Don't be put off by the unheard/noname of brands, they have in most cases better QAQC  and customer support than known brands.

 

IMO, before your purchase, you should find what the difference between the GTX 960 and GTX 965 are. if just a rebrand or if indeed the 65 is worth the extra pennies or not against the 970m. Do you research you will find it is very useful.

Trying to find something with;

SSD

16GB Memory

17" Screen

& Powerful for what I need.

[chrisj1968]

Well fellas, I promise I'll stop posting with this one. It solves 3 problems with 1 post.

 

 

Problem 1:

 

My co-worker does a lot of AutoCAD work. He designs, modifies, and plans out almost everything in our Data Hall that's custom built. Cable Management arms, custom wire management arms for the racks, etc. His laptop was recently stolen, not that it was a rockin' awesome laptop, but needless to say, he needs to replace it.

 

So, what should I look for in a Laptop for him? He's asked me to look, because he doesn't know, and assumes I do because I'm a geek. I'm not great with laptops, I've always assumed Quad Core + Lots of RAM = Winning, but that isn't always the case.

 

So, budget.. I'd have to say 600$ minimum - 1500$ maximum (minus shipping).

Problem 2:

My mom needs a laptop. It's on the verge of death. Her's is a Toshiba Satellite from 2001 or 2002.

 

She already has a tablet, but she needs something light weight, something she can take on vacations or trips with her. As an average parent, the most strenuous activity she'd do is most likely watching Netflix, occasional photo editing (Photoshop).

 

Problem 3:

 

I need a laptop, as with my co-workers, mine was stolen this weekend. I was talking with BudMan about getting a new one, but I couldn't find one with the right umpf or features. I do a lot of different things, I'm always trying to learn new things. I use Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Brackets, Notepad++, 3D Studio Max, Maya 3D, Unreal Engine 4, and a few other things. I'm not sure if a dual core or a quad core would be more appropriate.

 

 

Thoughts?

 

Go Toshiba Qosmio. one with a great discrete nvidia card can be had in your range.

[sc302 Veteran]

Haha. 8.5lbs isn't that bad, the laptop I have now for work is 7lbs or so.

 

Thanks for that explanation, sc302. Not only did I feel incompetent, but I felt confused. Haha. I understand now,

Yes, that's true, but my SOHO router right now is setup for A/B/G/N/AC. I won't be doing too much gaming on this.

 

Trying to find something with;

SSD

16GB Memory

17" Screen

& Powerful for what I need.

The 16GB of memory will be tough, going with a laptop that has 8 will be easier and then expanding to 16 gb after you get it would probably be the easiest/best/cheapest solution....as well as purchasing a ssd separate and installing.  It will work out much cheaper in the long run.  Pick a model you like, then go to crucial.com to see if it can be upgraded to 16 GB.  Honestly though, right now you would be hard pressed to utilize 8GB of memory.  I have a lot of screens open right now and using about 5.61 (I have 16GB on my laptop now), outlook, a few vm windows, adobe pro, dameware, word, firefox, aduc, services, dns, putty, taskman, trackit client, explorer, remotedesktop. 

[BinaryData]

The 16GB of memory will be tough, going with a laptop that has 8 will be easier and then expanding to 16 gb after you get it would probably be the easiest/best/cheapest solution....as well as purchasing a ssd separate and installing.  It will work out much cheaper in the long run.  Pick a model you like, then go to crucial.com to see if it can be upgraded to 16 GB.  Honestly though, right now you would be hard pressed to utilize 8GB of memory.  I have a lot of screens open right now and using about 5.61 (I have 16GB on my laptop now), outlook, a few vm windows, adobe pro, dameware, word, firefox, aduc, services, dns, putty, taskman, trackit client, explorer, remotedesktop. 

 

I'll check that idea out and go from there. After I read a few of the reviews about buying laptops with 16GB in them, some companies just put them in the expansion bays, and you'd have to take it apart to add more. I'll check out crucial and see whats good.

I'm leaning towards the ASUS ROG's because of the dedicated card, which could come in handy. I won't be sitting with the laptop on my lap for too long, it'll be mostly used on a flat surface, unless on a road trip.

While we're speaking laptops here, is it wise to use a cigarette lighter slot to charge your laptop?

[Draconian Guppy]

I'll check that idea out and go from there. After I read a few of the reviews about buying laptops with 16GB in them, some companies just put them in the expansion bays, and you'd have to take it apart to add more. I'll check out crucial and see whats good.

I'm leaning towards the ASUS ROG's because of the dedicated card, which could come in handy. I won't be sitting with the laptop on my lap for too long, it'll be mostly used on a flat surface, unless on a road trip.

While we're speaking laptops here, is it wise to use a cigarette lighter slot to charge your laptop?

Before you lean towards ROG (which are awesome IMO) be sure to check out the other brands, specially the ones in xotic.

On the cigarette lighter if it can provide the power, shouldn't onboard circuitry in laptop determine whether or not it is charging and at what rate? (It should just charge slower? In any case, if you are using an inverter it should be ok... but i'm out of my league here...)

[sc302 Veteran]

The rog isn't the only one with a dedicated graphics card, look at the dell xps line, alienware, cyberpowerpc, ibuypower, hp has some (I don't know the models off the top of my head), as well as lenovo (don't know models off top of my head).

 

Also the laptop power input is dc, your car is also dc, the power brick that you use to power the laptop is an inverter which converts ac to dc power.  It may charge faster or the same in a car as plugged into the wall. 

 

I would only get an adapter if you are going to be in the car long enough to exceed the batteries capability, if you are in the car for 2 hours or less you will be fine without.

[BinaryData]

The rog isn't the only one with a dedicated graphics card, look at the dell xps line, alienware, cyberpowerpc, ibuypower, hp has some (I don't know the models off the top of my head), as well as lenovo (don't know models off top of my head).

 

Also the laptop power input is dc, your car is also dc, the power brick that you use to power the laptop is an inverter which converts ac to dc power.  It may charge faster or the same in a car as plugged into the wall. 

 

I would only get an adapter if you are going to be in the car long enough to exceed the batteries capability, if you are in the car for 2 hours or less you will be fine without.

 

Thanks for that tidbit of information, sc302! I had wondered for a long time about the car chargers.

 

As for laptops, Alienware/Lenovo are off the table. Lenovo has been in the news lately with injecting ad codes into things, my trust in them isn't very high. Alienware has some crappy hardware in it, since Dell purchased them.

CyberPowerPC and iBuyPower would be a next bet deal. Trying to find something that'll last me a few years of some abuse. Now that I'm working, I plan on taking a few road trips and vacations from time to time. I drive to California quite often, usually every 6 months to a year. I have a lot of family and quite a few friends down there, I usually drive but if I do get my motorcycle, I'll be taking that.

 

 

Anyways, I'll post my choices here, before I buy so I can get further feedback.