Laptop for xmas - what should I ask for?

MarushkaMarushka cambridge, ma Icrontian
edited December 2009 in Hardware
Hey guys!

Santa said he would bring me a laptop for christmas, so I need to make sure I ask for something specific.

I could probably get away with about $1000

I dont really game, but I *do* like having windows/ubuntu . I dont really game, but I use my compy a lot to do Photoshop/Matlab type things. I currently have a DELL Inspiron 5150, and I havent been thrilled. I would like a solid machine that runs well and will last me til the end of grad school (>=3 years). My lappy now is really heavy, so I would kinda like something I can strap to my back and take in and out of school. Shwaip has helped me keep this guy running - its being held together by invisible duct tape, and Im sure some spare parts from the icrontic community before I met everyone :)

Suggestions? You guys are the pros!
«1

Comments

  • SnarkasmSnarkasm Madison, WI Icrontian
    edited November 2009
    Throwing a vote in for Lenovo. Build quality is incomparable, and that's always the first thing that degrades for me in my laptops. Not sure on the options under a grand, but let me know if you'd like to go that route - I have an employee purchase program account via a friend that works for IBM. We're allowed to share them. :)
  • Cliff_ForsterCliff_Forster Icrontian
    edited November 2009
    Since you photoshop I don't imagine you want a ultra portable with an itty bitty screen? If I had a budget of 1K, without a doubt I could see myself getting this machine.

    Powerful dual core, great discrete graphics included with 1GB of dedicated RAM, 4GB of system memory, Windows 7 64 bit pre loaded. Hard to argue with it for $749, its a powerful machine. Now, its not going to be ultra light, nor is it going to be ultra energy efficient, but its an HP so the extra in the budget leaves you the option to go to their site and order an extra battery if you feel like you really need it. Perhaps a little more power than you need, but if your sincere that you really want to get 3+ years out of the machine its better to spec it nice rather than have regrets a year from now.
  • MarushkaMarushka cambridge, ma Icrontian
    edited November 2009
    So, santa didnt give me a budget. If I have a solid proposal with some good arguments, I think he could step up. I would like to be reasonable because they are getting me this under the impression that i am a poor grad student (which I am), so I was just hoping not to ask for something extremely sexy for the sake of being sexy. I think a solid machine is hard to argue with. So if you have suggestions over the budget, i would love to hear them too!
  • photodudephotodude Salt Lake, Utah Member
    edited November 2009
    As a photographer when it comes to a laptop you need something that will perform or you'll spend hours working on one image to get no where fast.

    in the sub $1k there is not much that really performs with matlab and photoshop

    At the top end you would want a laptop with a mobile i7 with a mobile quadroFX or Firepro card; 64bit-win7 6-8GB Ram. IBM does not offer anything in this range, yet. They are short on the processor end. Next best is core2 extreme Quad-core

    I would look at the ThinkPad W500 for $1350 or ThinkPad W700 for $1500
    Lenovo W series mobile workstations


    if you really want to stick to the $1k range go for a ThinkPad T400 with discrete graphics

    if you want your laptop to be a do it all, go for a w-series
  • ButtersButters CA Icrontian
    edited November 2009
    photodude wrote:
    As a photographer when it comes to a laptop you need something that will perform or you'll spend hours working on one image to get no where fast.

    in the sub $1k there is not much that really performs with matlab and photoshop

    At the top end you would want a laptop with a mobile i7 with a mobile quadroFX or Firepro card; 64bit-win7 6-8GB Ram. IBM does not offer anything in this range, yet. They are short on the processor end. Next best is core2 extreme Quad-core

    I would look at the ThinkPad W500 for $1350 or ThinkPad W700 for $1500
    Lenovo W series mobile workstations


    if you really want to stick to the $1k range go for a ThinkPad T400 with discrete graphics

    if you want your laptop to be a do it all, go for a w-series

    Can't go wrong with a T-series. Beware of the W-Series, its behemoth!!!! I would recommend it only if its a desktop replacement and don't plan on doing much traveling with it or even surfing while sitting on the couch, its huge!!!
  • shwaipshwaip bluffin' with my muffin Icrontian
    edited November 2009
    A few comments :)

    In general, matlab scripts/functions are not multithreaded (excepting fft.m and functions based on fft.m), so a quad core machine isn't too useful, unless you want to spend time banging your head against the clunky way it is implemented. I'd suggest a dual core processor.

    Photoshop and matlab make almost no use of your video card, so I don't think there's a real reason to get anything with a mobile workstation graphics card.

    As for amount of ram, you should take a look at how big the files are that you typically work on in matlab are, add a GB or two, and call that a minimum amount. I'd probably suggest 4gb of ram.

    ps wanna date or something
  • photodudephotodude Salt Lake, Utah Member
    edited November 2009
    shwaip, your assumptions are wrong about photoshop and matlab

    Photoshop makes a big use of graphics cards in CS4 with openGL, and the QuadroFX, FireGL, and FirePro cards are all certified for CS4 products.

    Matlab takes advantage of OpenGL and the best openGL is with workstation GPUs

    for future life of the laptop there is no reason to get anything less then Quad-core, getting a dual core is buying outdated technology that has a very limited usable life. The future of computing is multi-core and 64bit Plan for the future not for current maximum function.


    I do agree with butters that the w-series is hefty weighing in at a Starting 5.8 lbs

    There are other equivalent options from other companies, that might be lighter weight.
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited November 2009
    I also throw in a hearty vote for Lenovo. :)
  • ardichokeardichoke Icrontian
    edited November 2009
    I'd throw a vote for the Lenovo T500 series. The one with a discrete graphics card comes in around 1 grand and would be a solid investment and I don't doubt it would last 3+ years. Heck, my Lenovo 3000 C100 I had in college is still running. Though it's now on a server rack folding instead of in my bag being toted around with me. I'd suggest you extend the warranty to 3 years though, just to be safe. My sister just got screwed over on that. She didn't get the extended warranty like I told her, now her laptop is dead after 1.5 years and shes still in college with not enough money to fix it or replace it.
  • photodudephotodude Salt Lake, Utah Member
    edited November 2009
    I just learned that HP has some i7 laptops for around $1K Check out the HP Pavilion dv6t Quad Edition series (heavy at 6.3lbs)
  • MarushkaMarushka cambridge, ma Icrontian
    edited November 2009
    These are fantastic suggestions, everyone. Thank you so much. I will look at these!
  • MAGICMAGIC Doot Doot Furniture City, Michigan Icrontian
    edited November 2009
    I was browsing a Dell catalog i got in the mail and i think they had a nice i7 laptop with a dedicated graphics card in it for a grand. Looked nice. Keep and eye on Dell refurbished for deals too.
  • MarushkaMarushka cambridge, ma Icrontian
    edited November 2009
    My current is a Dell, and to be honest im not thrilled. I had bought the extended warranty and needed to use it within a 2 years for the power cord itself and the power plug inside my laptop. Now, 5 years old, Im having the same problems again. Their customer service was fast and helpful, but im not impressed with this laptop. Maybe its not that way for all of their stuff?
  • ardichokeardichoke Icrontian
    edited November 2009
    In my experience... Dell's stuff is a bit hit or miss. Usually it's decent hardware, but now and then you'll get one that will just be an endless pain in the ass. I'd personally much rather go with Lenovo/IBM hardware than Dell.
  • MAGICMAGIC Doot Doot Furniture City, Michigan Icrontian
    edited November 2009
    ardichoke wrote:
    In my experience... Dell's stuff is a bit hit or miss. Usually it's decent hardware, but now and then you'll get one that will just be an endless pain in the ass. I'd personally much rather go with Lenovo/IBM hardware than Dell.

    I'd love a Lenovo, but their hardware options are so slim... But i guess thats how they stay reliable.
  • ardichokeardichoke Icrontian
    edited November 2009
    Slim hardware options what? Whens the last time you browsed their selection? They have quite the variety of options. I mean, granted, they don't make anything with AMD processors, but few laptop manufacturers do. Other than that you can get just about anything you could want in a laptop.
  • MAGICMAGIC Doot Doot Furniture City, Michigan Icrontian
    edited November 2009
    I just looked for a second and didnt see a GPU more powerful than the 3470.
  • lordbeanlordbean Ontario, Canada
    edited November 2009
    MAGIC wrote:
    I'd love a Lenovo, but their hardware options are so slim... But i guess thats how they stay reliable.

    The Thinkpad line has always been aimed more at business / productivity use than gaming. Their designs are oriented to push battery life and durability more than performance. The thing about putting a discrete GPU that's reasonably good at gaming into a notebook is that even when idle, it consumes a lot more power than an onboard solution.
  • photodudephotodude Salt Lake, Utah Member
    edited November 2009
    MAGIC wrote:
    I just looked for a second and didnt see a GPU more powerful than the 3470.

    What do you call the GPUs on the w-series....oh that's right more powerful then any other GPU offered in the line up. Take more then a second to look and you might see there are good hardware options.
    lordbean wrote:
    The Thinkpad line has always been aimed more at business / productivity use than gaming. Their designs are oriented to push battery life and durability more than performance. The thing about putting a discrete GPU that's reasonably good at gaming into a notebook is that even when idle, it consumes a lot more power than an onboard solution.

    nothing was said of gaming, but there was a mentioned of Matlab and photoshop. so put gaming aside unless it's a fringe benefit or is specifically asked for. Battery life with discrete GPUs is something good to bring up, but consider balancing that with performance; on board solutions typically don't have the performance for the Applications discussed.
    ____________________________________________


    Marushka,

    I glanced at your profile and I see your in EE; What field of EE are you specializing in? I know some disciplines in EE use a lot of CAD, Revit, or LabVIEW. If your area uses CAD or Revit, the W-series with the mobile workstation GPUs will give you better performance.
  • photodudephotodude Salt Lake, Utah Member
    edited November 2009
    And I throw another big no in the direction of Dell. My experience with Dell says stay away from anything but their server and workstation line. My Dell laptop will visit an oven in an attempt to bring it back on line; but really should be sent to a scrap pile. I have also had issues with the power supply for the laptop. Dell just has issues.
  • MAGICMAGIC Doot Doot Furniture City, Michigan Icrontian
    edited November 2009
    First dont be a dick, i saw those. But i dont want a Firegl or quatro card. I was saying they dont offer any mid-high to high end gaming graphics cards for their laptops like the nvidia 200 line. Its either onboard, Radeon HD 3650, or Quadro... not much selection.
  • shwaipshwaip bluffin' with my muffin Icrontian
    edited November 2009
    photodude wrote:
    nothing was said of gaming, but there was a mentioned of Matlab and photoshop. so put gaming aside unless it's a fringe benefit or is specifically asked for. Battery life with discrete GPUs is something good to bring up, but consider balancing that with performance; on board solutions typically don't have the performance for the Applications discussed.
    ____________________________________________


    Marushka,

    I glanced at your profile and I see your in EE; What field of EE are you specializing in? I know some disciplines in EE use a lot of CAD, Revit, or LabVIEW. If your area uses CAD or Revit, the W-series with the mobile workstation GPUs will give you better performance.

    I can't speak towards the performance benefits for photoshop, because I don't do much with it. I took a quick look to see how much opengl support improved photoshop performance, and I didn't see anything definitive. Can you give me an idea of what a better graphics card would do for you in PS?

    However, as someone who uses matlab on a daily basis, I can say that unless the major thing someone does in matlab is rotating 3d surface plots, they'd be much better off spending the money that would be spent on a quadro card on a faster processor or more memory. 99%+ of the time you're spending on matlab is on compute, not on display.
  • photodudephotodude Salt Lake, Utah Member
    edited November 2009
    Lenovo.com is offering 15%+ off with the code USPLAPTOPS until nov 23

    you can pick up the W-series starting at $1,146.65
  • MarushkaMarushka cambridge, ma Icrontian
    edited November 2009
    photodude wrote:
    Marushka,

    I glanced at your profile and I see your in EE; What field of EE are you specializing in? I know some disciplines in EE use a lot of CAD, Revit, or LabVIEW. If your area uses CAD or Revit, the W-series with the mobile workstation GPUs will give you better performance.

    My work is mostly radar signal processing and atmospheric remote sensing, so Im just using matlab and an occasional simulation I run on linux.
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited November 2009
  • photodudephotodude Salt Lake, Utah Member
    edited November 2009
    I agree the Link Thrax posted is helpful, But keep a few things in mind when reading it.

    The study considered the divide of quality based on price, under $400 was netbooks, $400-$1000 was entry-level, and $1000+ was premium.

    The study said that netbooks fail 25.1% in 3-years, Entry-level was 20.6% and premium was 18.1%

    The manufacture break down for these groupings includes all three categories which could be very misleading, since a manufacture that sells a lot in the netbook category would rank lower then it might for their premium line.

    _________________

    Considering that you primarily do a lot of computation intensive I would lean strongest towards a laptop with an i7 or a core2 quad CPU, but you will have to collate the performance vs the weight since the higher performing CPUs are also higher weight
  • djmonstadjmonsta London, UK Member
    edited November 2009
    Snarkasm wrote:
    Throwing a vote in for Lenovo. Build quality is incomparable, and that's always the first thing that degrades for me in my laptops.

    Agreed, I used to own an IBM Thinkpad T41, and until my girlfriend dropped it on a tiled floor it was solid. Even then it was usable for the last 6 months it after that!!
  • djmonstadjmonsta London, UK Member
    edited November 2009
    Also can I draw you away from Toshiba... Its my current laptop (last years xmas present, IBM replacement, no choice) and i've had to replace the screen and the power fitment due to poor build quality. Seems too mass produced.
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited November 2009
    No offense, but I think the data presented by thirty THOUSAND laptops outweighs the anecdotal evidence offered by just one laptop.
  • djmonstadjmonsta London, UK Member
    edited November 2009
    U on about the toshi? Aparently the power socket is a common problem within my model of laptop (satellite L300) and many people have resorted to opening up their laptops and putting in a properly working jack. I understand that they are a big player in the laptop market, just thought that maybe some first hand experience might help in choosing the right laptop.
Sign In or Register to comment.