The laptop advice thread

[Ivo]

Hi,

we have a PC build thread, but not really anything for laptops.

I'm going to have a employer supplied laptop, and they have a super expensive MacBook Pro 15'' Retina that I could pick but I don't like Mac OS that much.

On the Windows side of things they have the following default choices:
http://www.dell.com/us/business/p/precision-m4700/pd
http://www.dell.com/us/business/p/latit ... trabook/pd
http://www.dell.com/us/business/p/latit ... trabook/pd
http://www.toshiba.co.uk/laptops/porteg ... z30-a-10p/

I could also specifically request a model, conceivably up to match the price of MacBook Pro would be reasonable I would say (and even the M4700 is a bit cheaper). Requesting a specific model is probably going to be a bit more of a hassle (don't know exactly how much of a hassle though), but may be worth it if I'm going to get a much better machine as I will be using it a lot.

As I'm posting this in a game's forum I should note the idea isn't really to play games on it (although I guess I could do that once in a while, I don't like playing on laptops usually).
I will be travelling a bit so actual portability is not irrelevant.
Opinions on the 4 models on offer or any other that would be worth a bit more hassle for?

[Ziggy]

I would go with the Toshiba simply because I hate Dell. Their quality went down some where around the year 2000 and I don't know if it's come back up.

[bmoc]

We have several E7440's at work and pretty much everyone is pleased with them. In my opinion they are a good balance of screen size and weight. We probably have about 60 of them and so far only one has been a dud but Dell replaced the bad parts. But if portability is your main concern, the 12" would be a good choice too. If you go with Dell, make sure you get one with a SSD if your employer allows it. If SSD is not an option, I'd go with the Toshiba.

Another thing to keep in mind with the E7440 and the E7240 is that they are ultrabooks. They won't have an internal optical drive or or VGA port. That could be a deal breaker if you use those frequently. However, you can get an external optical drive and a mini-displayport to VGA adapter if you use them infrequently.

[dsheinem]

My wife has had two Toshibas over the past 4-5 years and had lots of external (broken case, busted screen) and internal (sloooow components) problems with both.

I too had been skeptical of Dell for quite some time, but she just got this and so far we're both pretty impressed with how it performs and what it offers for the money: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6834300747.

Dell is off my shit list, for now.

That computer was well reviewed, too for the most part (generally around a 4/5 range). I'd encourage you to check out stuff like this: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2369981,00.asp

Laptops really have quite the range of prices, of course. You can get something decent at each level (under $500, under $1000, under $1500, under $2000, etc.) depending on what you want it to do.

All of that said: dear god just learn the Mac OS. I too never had played around with Mac OS much but when I had the choice of either an HP or a Mac from work, I decided it was time to try out a Mac instead of any shitty HP product. It took me a few days to figure out what does what and a week or so to be comfortable with it, and now I can use OSX almost as well as Windows.

The MBP is far and away the best laptop I've ever had and they are all regularly VERY well rated and solidly built. I honestly can't think of many reasons NOT to get one if they are offered through work, as they are sturdy, dependable, have great battery, and can be quite fast depending how you have it specced. You can also play a ton of games (including Steam stuff) on them these days, so that shouldn't dissuade you either.

[isiolia]

Reminder: you can use Boot Camp to just run Windows on the MBP too. The retina machines are really nice. Screwed if you break it, but, nice.

A similar-ish experience on the PC side that I've seen is a Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro. Has the high pixel density screen, very slim form factor, etc. You can also flip the keyboard around and use it as a tablet if you want. Similarly unrepairable to a rMBP I think, but far as I know Lenovo at least offers accidental damage plans.

Dell is good for basic hardware, but it's the support side that really keeps the contracts rolling in I'd say. We've had better luck with them with regard to accidental damage and next-day type support than most anyone else. Long as you stick with business models they're fine. I wouldn't buy an Inspiron.

[dsheinem]

I wouldn't buy an Inspiron.

I'd have been right there with you a year or two ago (and before), but the new models are quite nice and well reviewed.

[isiolia]

Are the internals changed, or do you still need to pull the motherboard out to get to the HDD like some of the recent ones? (Some vostro models too)

[fastbilly1]

I have to upgrade my Netbook, since the hinge finally broke on both sides. I was just going to buy an Asus C300 and install linux on it, until I discovered the Asus K200MA-DS01T. For slightly more than the C300, I can get a better chip, touch screen, 4 gigs of ram, with a 500 gig harddrive machine. I do sacrifice battery life, from 8ish hours to 5ish, but upgradable ram and hdd may win out. The downside is windows 8.1, but it takes linux well for most everything apparently.

My only complaint is that it getting it in white is a surcharge.

[ExedExes]

My wife has had two Toshibas over the past 4-5 years and had lots of external (broken case, busted screen) and internal (sloooow components) problems with both.

My new laptop I got a few months ago is a Toshiba.... awwwwkward.

I prefer Dell's desktops over their laptops, personally. I was using HP laptops before, they weren't too bad. Lenovo seems to be improving their quality too.

[RyaNtheSlayA]

The Dell M series notebooks are pretty decent. I wouldn't touch the Toshiba or the Latitudes.

That said, I'm with Dsh. I just got back into the Mac world and, regardless if you want to run Windows or not they are simply in a build class of their own and the fact that you can run Windows if you decide you really dislike OS X makes it a no-brainer in my opinion. Usually the reason I'd advise against one is cost but if the company is getting it for you I'd say go for it! The new retina MBPs are beautiful and frankly, the amount of stuff you can fit onto that 15" screen can be a godsend for productivity. Mac OS scaling is brilliant.The only laptops that seem to be remotely competitive in build quality are older ThinkPads.

You can even game on one if you get the GeForce 750m.