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Help me choose a business grade laptop


Michael

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Hey guys, as some of you might now, it's been a few months since i've sold my m18x, and have been using my m11x-r3 exclusively for work.

I love it but it does start to show signs of weakness for what i need.

My work often requires me to run a VM, an application server based on Java (that takes quite a lot of memory and CPU time) and and IDE environment.

While the M11x-R3 copes with these tasks, i do wish it could be a tad faster here and there.

So i decided to sell it, and buy a current top of the line business laptop.

So here's my list of "demands"

Must have

  • 14", i'll do 13 or 15 but prefer not to, as 14 seems to be the sweetspot for me
  • Lightwight as possible (4lbs is the maximum)
  • at least 1600x900 resolution but higher if possible
  • Good battery life
  • Strong processor
  • At least 8 gigs of memory
  • Great build quality, preferrably not plastic
  • USB 3.0

Nice to have

  • Lots of USB ports as i always seem to need them
  • 3G connectivity
  • International warranty and support

Don't care

  • Gaming performance

Price isn't a deciding factor, let's say i'll pay up to 1800USD for something i love and will serve me a few years.

Been looking at the HP ZBook 14, Thinkpad X1 Carbon 14" and Macbook Pro 13".

I am not at all a Mac guy, but honestly, the Mac seems as the best of the bunch.

Any good models i've missed or any other suggestions ?

Help T|I gurus!

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13" MBP has no i7-quad CPU so I'd suggest look at a 15" MBP. Though they're out of your price range.

15" Dell M3800 is closest match to your requirement which coincidentally starts at $1799.

From the previous gen (Sandy Bridge) 13" Sony SVZ packs a i7-quad in an ultrabook-thin chassis, or consider a 12.5" HP 2570P which is i7-quad upgradable, RAID-0 storage capable, expresscard eGPU capable but only has a 768P LCD. 2570P can be had in dual-core i5/i7 form from ebay for ~US$400.

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The Dell M3800 seems to have only one memory slot, meaning the CPU will always run in single channel mode, that's a noticeable performance hit for memory intense applications.

Besides from this it seems to be a nice and light weighted machine.

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The Dell M3800 seems to have only one memory slot, meaning the CPU will always run in single channel mode, that's a noticeable performance hit for memory intense applications.

Besides from this it seems to be a nice and light weighted machine.

M3800 has two RAM slots, upgradable to 16GB (2x8GB):

7.jpg

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Nice, I didn't even consider the m3800, will definitely take a good look at it as I love that line and always wanted a precision. The 13 mbp configured the way I want it is about 2.2k so the Dell is a good competition. I though about the 15 but too big and heavy for my current requirements.

I am a bit off put by the visual appearance of the X1 and the relatively low resolution screen otherwise it's quite appealing.

Would you guys say the dual core i7 is very underpowered? @Khenglish - nope, don't need to do any cad work or anything else graphic intensive.

Tapatalkin'

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Would you guys say the dual core i7 is very underpowered? @Khenglish - nope, don't need to do any cad work or anything else graphic intensive.

Don't have a Haswell comparison but a Ivy Bridge dual vs quad core show the quad is nearly twice as fast. Can say Haswell will scale similarly: In Review: Intel Ivy Bridge Dual-Core CPUs - NotebookCheck.net Reviews

So then if CPU performance is very important I'd be shortlisting the 15" Dell M3800 and 15" MBP, both with i7-quads.

There are otherwise some consumer/gaming systems that meet most if not all of your criteria:

14" Gigabyte P34G <- 3.87lbs, i7-quad, GTX760M, FHD, 48Whr battery.

14" Razor Blade <- 4.1lbs, i7-quad, GTX760M, 900P, 70Whr battery

14" Clevo W740U <- 4.2lbs, i7-quad, iGPU, FHD, 53Whr battery.

15" Gigabyte P35K <- 5.1lbs, i7-quad, GTX765M, FHD, 76Whr battery

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@Michael , the 13" Haswell rMBP has as it's top spec a 28W TDP i7-4558U CPU. It's slightly slower than a previous-gen i7-3540M per PassMark CPU Lookup . Concern being the lowish TDP and higher performing Iris 5100 graphics. Run both and I'd be guessing the CPU will start throttling to keep TDP in check. Consider comparison of CPU performance based on CPUmark results below.

A 47W Haswell i7-quad having a ton more headroom to maximize CPU and iGPU performance. No surprise that the quad-cores benchmark twice faster than the 28W counterparts. Note that these vendors do have 37W i7-quads at their disposal but seem to want to create a 28W mobile and 47W workstation class of system with no intermediate.

15" Macbook Pro CPU options (47W i7-quad)

i7-4960HQ @ 2.6Ghz= 9721

i7-4850HQ @ 2.3Ghz= 9286

i7-4750HQ @ 2.0Ghz= 8066

13" Macbook Pro CPU 28W CPU options

i7-4558U @ 2.8Ghz = 4507 <--- sample size small - probably is really a bit higher

i5-4288U @ 2.6Ghz = 4673

i5-4258U @ 2.4Ghz = 4381

Previous Gen - Sandy Bridge models

An option to consider. Drawback being 30% less battery life, 6Gbps rather than 10Gbps SSD, slower graphics and Thunderbolt 1 (10Gbps) rather than Thunderbolt 2 (20Gbps) ports. Though CPU performance of the top-end models is comparable. Note: 15" Ivy Bridge Macbook does not have an active iGPU in Windows so sees considerably worse battery life there than in OSX. Haswell 15" MBP has an iGPU-only model without such issue.

15" rMBP - top spec

i7-3840QM @ 2.8Ghz = 9007

13" rMBP - top spec

i7-3540M @ 3.0Ghz = 4840

If had a BGA soldering station handy could attempt replacing the 13" rMBP's 35W i5/i7-dual with a 35W i7-quad (i7-3632QM) :)

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Do you want an ultrabook or a conventional laptop. An ultrabook, as I'm sure you know is lighter thiner and easier to cary and transport at the price of lower (compaired to a laptop) perfomance. Although performance is 99%of the time good for most peoples needs. VM's can however take alot of resources. One feature you may want is intel Vpro (3720qm/4800mq or above. VTx and VTd may also be useful.

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I think Lenovo Thinkpads are the best business grade laptops. I've used a few Dells/HPs/Lenovos over the years and have enjoyed the thinkpads better than the others. I was using a workstation (W520) and with a changing position got a X1 Carbon, I couldn't be happier with them or replae for anything else.

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I use an HP Elitebook older model 8440p and it's amazing how well it holds up. I got it at work used by someone else previously (who managed to make some dents in the metal lid) and i have been using it for a year without any issues whatsoever. I love the keyboard on these things and by the look of the chassis it can take a lot of punishment. I will definitely get an Elitebook for myself when the actual laptop becomes obsolete.

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There are a lot of options if you are looking for a business grade laptop. I don't know what's the budget you are holding with but here's a list that can help if your budget is round about 500 USD. Check out this list, Top 10 Laptops for Business Users under $500 USD

One tip that I'd like to give you is that if you don't want to spend money just for the sake of brand, don't go with the name instead go with the specification offered by a particular laptop and see if they match with your requirements.

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Get here..!

The Windows 7 Performance Information and Tools performance ratings place it on par with the Dell XPS 8700 desktop that I just bought last month. That is impressive for a laptop that weighs less than five pounds. The 510 GB SSD boot drive is really fast. w.png

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I use an HP Elitebook older model 8440p and it's amazing how well it holds up. I got it at work used by someone else previously (who managed to make some dents in the metal lid) and i have been using it for a year without any issues whatsoever. I love the keyboard on these things and by the look of the chassis it can take a lot of punishment. I will definitely get an Elitebook for myself when the actual laptop becomes obsolete.

My wife had been using a 8450p for a couple years and its been great. The chassis holds up really well to abuse. Only downside is it was a little pricey new.

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