I need a New Laptop!!

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  1. Joeman
    Pint

    I need a New Laptop!!

    My current Laptop (Asus M50) is getting a bit long in the tooth, so im looking for a replacement.

    Ideally would like the same screensize but higher resolution, i7 CPU, SSD.

    The closest i can find to this spec is a 15" MacBook Pro with HD screen and SSD options, but im not an Apple fan, so can anyone suggest an alternative??

    1. reliabletop

      Re: I need a New Laptop!!(http://www.reliabletop.com of obd2 connector)

      you can use the lenoveo E40,it is made by IBM.that is better than others company.

      I have a web you can go their to search

  2. davebarnes

    MacBook

    Is there any other choice other than Apple?

    No, there is not.

  3. James R Curry

    Excitement.

    "This experiment in crowd-answering was not a great success: it was an exciting day when a Q&A got five responses.

    Fast forward to 2012 and the new El Reg Forums, where commentards are beginning to set up their own Q&As. Perhaps these grass roots initiatives will fly a little higher. Let's see if we can help."

    Well, this is comment number three, and there's still no helpful responses. Maybe we can get to six and totally smash the previous record.

    Wow, this is kind of like Yahoo Answers, isn't it? Only with far fewer fundamentalist nutjobs.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Yahoo Answers?

      Cruel, sir.

      More responses - and helpful too - here.

    2. BristolBachelor Gold badge
      Coat

      Re: Excitement.

      "Wow, this is kind of like Yahoo Answers, isn't it? Only with far fewer fundamentalist nutjobs."

      I'm not sure that I'd agree that there are fewer fundamentalist nutjobs in here (especially once the Apple / Not Apple debate starts), however I think that the answers in here will at least come from people who know what they are talking about!

    3. Anonymous C0ward

      Re: Excitement.

      Heh. But about as many trolling and deranged nutjobs.

  4. Yafiyogi
    Happy

    Buy the Mac

    Here's what you should do:

    1) Buy the MacBook

    2) Install Windows (wiping OS X)

    3) Put a big Dell Sticker over the Apple logo.

    1. Law
      Happy

      Re: Buy the Mac

      This is essentially the same as what I did back in 2008 - problem running Windows for my 2008 Macbook Pro were:

      Windows drivers for the GPU weren't up to much, running the GPU hot at idle (metal case = burnt thighs too). Disabling Aero for Windows 7 didn't help any.

      Bootcamp took a good few updates to get any sort of mutlitouch enable for the trackpad. There are some issues I have with sleep meaning the laptop actually goes into some sort of hibernate mode - so when you open the laptop it goes through a minute long boot before becoming usable.

      Not to mention the fact that Apple don't fully enable all features in the bootcamp drivers for things like auto-dimming the screen, brightness of keyboard lights, etc. The keyboard layout is different too, the " and @ are in the wrong place for UK keyboards etc.

      Having said that, the hardware is great and the one time I've need support (replacement faulty battery) they've been really good, swapping for new no questions asked in store. But from my experience Apple really don't want you to have the best experience you can have with Windows installed on a macbook pro, even though if they spent time on the Windows drivers you could.

      My next laptop will probably be an XPS or Alienware laptop... don't know enough about the current specs to recommend one for you though. Sorry.

      1. mccp

        Re: Buy the Mac

        My 2010 15" Macbook Pro runs Windows 7 with bootcamp and I have had none of the problems with drivers that you mention. The only painful think is trying to get a # character in Outlook 2007 - Outlook does some weird shit with the keyboard mapping. My company now has about 10 Macbooks running Windows and we have far fewer issues than when we used to use HP or Tosh business class laptops.

        I'd definitely recommend a Macbook Pro - quality and reliability mainly. Plus, amazing resale value when you want to upgrade - check Ebay. Just buy online so you don't have to speak to Apple's dreadful drones in person.

        Sorry if that isn't what you wanted to hear.

  5. Pauliroth
    Thumb Up

    Samsung RF511

    Wonderful laptop, had one for a little while now. I have the Core i5 version but an i7 is available. 15" screen with 1366x768 resolution, not many more pixels than your current machine but the screen has a matt finish so no trouble with stupid angles reflecting the lights. Make sure to grab one with the 540GM graphics card though, some places sell the cheap version that leans on the integrated Intel graphics. Optimus makes the battery last forever even with a dedicated card in there.

    1. Joeman
      Pint

      Re: Samsung RF511

      @Pauliroth - yes the Samsung is a nice looking machine, and has the numeric pad with is useful, but alas, my current M50 has a "1440 X 900" screen, and i was hoping to get higher resolution...

      Does nobody make a windows machine with anything higher than WXGA+(1440 X 900)???

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Help yerself, mate.

    Skinflint (UK) » Hardware » Notebooks & Tablets » Notebooks with screen size from 15.4", screen size to 15.9", Screen resolution: 1600x900/1920x1080, CPU type: Core i7/Core i7-2/Core i7-3, HDD type: SSD/Flash yields six offers, from 1220 to 2000 quid. Or try whatever other filtering you prefer.

    The laptop I'd like (trackpoint, custom keyboard, 4:3 hi-res no-glare screen, no-fan cpu, ssd) simply isn't available. But skinflint has pretty good filtering; now for hoping the specs are accurate.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    OK, I'll bite

    My normal ( admittedly fanboi-centric ) advice...

    If you want a laptop, buy a MacBook.

    If you want a Windows laptop, buy a Thinkpad ( in your case the W520, I've never failed to be impressed by the W series )

  8. SiempreTuna
    Flame

    Dells are Cheap

    .. and run stuff that might be useful to an IT professional.

    Unlike a Mac ..

    1. Tim Wolfe-Barry

      Re: Dells are Cheap

      My work LT is a Dell E6240 with quad-core i7, 256GB SSD, 1600x900 screen and 8GB RAM. No idea what it costs, mind.

      I've also had good experience with Lenovo - previous model was an N200 with the same screen but Core Duo processor and only 4GB (and a spinning disk); that was about 700 GBP but over 4 years ago.

      At home we have an Acer Timeline which is lovely, again it's getting a bit long in the tooth but they've really done magic with the battery life - still gives 6 hours ++ on a full charge, even after about 4 years!

      If style is your thing (and you *really* don't want an Apple) then Sony's Vaio range might be worth a look, although you do pay a premium...

      All of these suppliers have websites that let you review and (mostly) update the specs and all (last time I looked - 2011, YMMV) allow you to spec-up to the sort of components you want.

      Where you may find difficulty is if you expected to buy something off the shelf at PCW or DABS that meets the spec...

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Dells are Cheap

        An Acer? And are the hinges still intact?

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Alienware M14x...?

  10. karlp
    Thumb Up

    Macbook/Latitude

    Take a look at a 15" macbook and either wipe and bootcamp, or perhaps partition and dual boot. They run win7 absolutely beautifully. Other than some issues with the express card port in the 17" version, they are perfect. I oversee dozens of them at this point.

    On the other side, take a look at the dell latitude e6520. You can kit it out with SSD, i7's, up to a fullHD screen, etc.

    No cheaper than the MBP however. You can buy a better warranty though..... However you may actually need it more often.....

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Lenovo

    Although Thinkpads have had some bad press since Lenovo took over from IBM, they've always functioned 100% for me, despite spillages, dog hairs, etc. I currently have a W510 and the W520 looks good: http://bit.ly/JZSZsA. You can push it to 16GB RAM and it can take a 160GB SSD, so it's a pretty good spec, albeit not inexpensive.

    BTW, I am at a loss why anyone salivates over a MacBook - the things are more unreliable than Windows Vista. Friends have even been so frustrated that they've installed Ubuntu for the sake of stability and reliability. They are definitely not extreme user machines!

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    You haven't talked about your requirements much.

    Is disk performance more important than the storage? If it isn't then a non-SSD machine will be fine. If you want the storage but need it a bit faster, you can pull the standard drive and jack in a 7200RPM 750GB Seagate for about £90.

    Do you want to play games on it so does a gaming graphics card matter?

  13. Gordan

    Requirements

    You haven't defined your requirements or your budget, but going on what you listed:

    SSD:

    You can fit an SSD into any laptop, so this is mostly a non-requirement.

    CPU:

    What exactly do you need a Core i7 for? What benefits of it do you require compared to, for example, a Core2? Can you quantify that? I have not seen any compelling reason to upgrade to an i[357] from Core2.

    High-res screen:

    High res screens seem to be diminishing in numbers, especially on laptops. If you don't need cutting edge graphics performance, you might want to consider getting an IBM T60 (yes, they are getting a bit old nowdays) and upgrade the screen (15") to 2048x1536, and put an SSD of your choice into it. You will end up paying a fraction of what you would pay for a Macbook, and you will end up with what is in reality a much better machine.

  14. Aemelius

    A suggestion

    A couple of the guys at work have been using these for a while now...

    Medion Erazer 6817 (MD97891). It comes with i7 2670 CPU, Nvidia GTX 560 GPU, full HD screen and 120GB SSD with 750GB HDD. All for less than £900.

  15. Joeman
    Pint

    Some more details...

    ... Laptop used for development ( Visual Studio, C#, SQL server, Excel VBA, GAE VMWare etc..). Im not a gamer so no need for fancy graphics cards, I just like to have the highest resolution possible so i can fit more code on the screen!

    i dont want stupid Wide-screen, im not going to watch movies on it - why do all manufacturers think we want to watch movies on a laptop?? thats what my TV is for!!

    I've upgraded my current machine with a Crucial M4 128GB SSD. i dont use much space apart from for Virtual Machines and i dual boot Windows/Ubuntu.

    As for the reason for SSD - i think once you've had SSD i dont think you can go back without getting frustrated. Guess i could always take the SSD from my current machine and stick it into the new machine if it doesnt come with SDD already (would that void an apple warranty??)

    Reason for i7 is that i like to buy top spec machines that are useable for a few years. The faster the CPU, the faster my code compiles, more VM's i can run, and longer it will be a usable dev machine. also (if im honest) for bragging rights over my mates :)

    My Asus M50 is still a very good machine, its just geting old. the mouse buttons have lost all their silver paint where ive worn them out, the palm rests are getting very hot, and the fan is getting noisy. I guess i could do some surgery to fix it, but its a good excuse for an upgrade and i would really like some more pixels!

    Cost not too much of an issue, i'm a contracor so it just reduces my company tax bill, but i do resent paying apple nearly 3k just for the brand name.

    I find it really interesting that there isnt one default Developer focused laptop thats everyone uses. A gap in the market there surely??

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Some more details...

      So, if we're being honest, you could easily use a Core i5 or AMD A8 laptop, but having a Core i7 makes you feel like you've got a tiger in your tank.

      I can't help but feel that 'highest resolution possible' is exactly the same thing here. Super hi-res on a 15" screen can't be comfortable. Why not use an external 28" or 32" screen if viewing that much code really matters?

      So what're we trying to achieve here? Are we trying to kit you out with a decent laptop for coding, or are we trying to make you feel big in front of your friends?

      I imagine that changing a major component would invalidate the Apple warranty but I could be wrong.

      1. Joeman

        Re: Some more details...

        If i wanted to "look big" and impress people, then most likely the Apple would be the fashionable choice right?? This is a work machine, and the more power it has, the quicker i get my work done its not a fashion statement!

        The point is that i buy a new machine every few years, and ensure its high enough spec to last until the next upgrade.. Not much point me buying an A8 or i5 when there is a better option available.

        As for external monitors - i already have a 28" screen which i hook up to when i really need the extra screen space, but i cant really take that on the train between clients, or make use of it whiles sat on the sofa. Anything bigger than 15" is too big to carry about, but more pixels would make the machine more usable when away from the external display. Current screen res of 1440x900 is ok, but higher res would be better...

        Currently looking at the Dell Precision M4600. it has a 15.6" screen running 1920x1080 resolution. Has i7 Quad core, and SSD option. All in with a few extra bits and bobs for just over £2k +VAT. Other plus point is the numeric pad (like my current machine)..... its a bit of a brick though!

    2. Nelbert Noggins

      Re: Some more details...

      Our developer laptops are actually aimed as desktop replacements with an external monitor.

      Unfortunately the use of TV resolution screens in laptops defeats laptop screens being useful for serious work, even blahx900 is crap compared to what was available before HDTV compatible screens became the norm. Once connected to an external monitor our devs don't care anyway.

      We found Lenovo was the best fit apart from the screen resolution.

      TBH from our developer viewpont, the laptop resolution is kind of irrelevant because an external monitor becomes your primary screen and actually working on the laptop screen is a "when i must" situation.

  16. PeterM42
    Thumb Up

    Buy a Samsung

    As an IT consultant, I always used to say buy Dell, but having bought a Samsung laptop end of last year and now got a Samsung smartphone (having had a cheapo Samsung non-smartphone for ages which is still 100%), I am totally "switched" to Samsung - just get the best you can afford.

    1. Joeman
      Pint

      Re: Buy a Samsung

      You sound like me!! i have a Samsung D8000 TV, Galaxy S2 phone, Galaxy Tab 10.1, and i bought my mum a little Samsung laptop for xmas.

      Samsung kit all seems really good at the moment... shame they dont have a Laptop with the spec im looking for else i would buy it in an instant :(

  17. Dominic Connor, Quant Headhunter

    So I bought a Dell

    For what it's worth I bought a Dell Precision I7 8 Core 17" screen with £2K of my own money.

    It's not light, but fits in my rucksack, the PSU is heavier than many whole laptops but as I age I want a big screen and some of the crap I run will soak up the horsepower of anything I throw at it.

    The trick with Dell support is to get the Scots, not the BNP

    The BNP have infiltrated Dell with the mission of getting Brits to see all Indians as clueless liars.

    My current favourite is a Dell support manager who claimed to be the head of compliance, yes really. This beats the previous winner of a support guy who believed that I spoke Turkish and don't get me started d on the "leave the punter till he goes away" trick.

    Also they now seem to have a policy of trying to claim pretty much anything is wear and tear.

    No Indians I know are as stupid, willfully obstructive and entirely lacking in personal integrity as those employed at Dell, so I am forced to conclude that they are fascists pretending to be Indians.

    1. jake Silver badge

      Re: So I bought a Dell

      Last time I was forced to call Dell' so-called "support", the flunky ("Billy", the most Indian name I've ever heard ...) informed me that there was no second tier of support, and that in fact he had no boss ... he was the highest level person in the company!

      The mind absolutely boggles ...

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: So I bought a Dell

      Dude...

  18. Dominic Connor, Quant Headhunter

    So I bought a Dell, oh dear

    I bought the above Dell and a mistake I made was that Precision workstation support has moved to India. It's lousy, not as lousy as Dell's "Customer Relationship" group who don't take incoming calls, or their PR people who put the wrong email address up on their site, or as crap as their "escalation" people who promise to phone back, but never do, then stop answering their phones and emails. In the same order as crap as the tech group that that told the escalation people that the issue was resolved...

    which it wasn't and I have the logs to prove that I had contacted tech support immediately after the technician had called in to report that the machine could not be made to work.

    Then they tried the "send it back and at some point we might decide to refund, depending on how we feel and no there is no one you can call to chase this".

    This for a top of the line £2.4 K laptop with the extra warranty.

    Dell are a shambles, only the credible threat of taking them to court got any response at all and that wasn't actually useful, when you have to have a lawyer present when Dell tried to fix a machine because they lie to their own colleagues about the fix, then you know that they are not a firm to do business with.

  19. iPhone123
    Happy

    You say you are not an apple fan, but you can make yourself be. That is only my suggestion

  20. This post has been deleted by its author

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