After looking pretty intently for a laptop last fall, I finally decided to wait after reading that the forthcoming Sandy Bridge systems were likely to offer substantial performance and, as important in my considerations, power efficiency. So now I'm researching again and am dead certain I want to pull the trigger on a new machine in the next six weeks.
Many thanks to anyone who's willing to share their information.
VENDOR PREFS: Have worked with Dell, Sony, Lenovo, Apple and HP in the past, but thus far I have not found any current system by them that fits what I'm looking for. Am not considering a Mac.
The Dell XPS 17" would work but for the screen, the XPS 15" would work but for the graphics card, the Precision series hasn't updated yet and Dell refused to tell me when this would happen. HP is pretty much the same deal. Lenovo I believe will roll out new systems at the end of the month but I doubt I will be able to afford whatever they produce.
Whoever I buy from, it's important that they are known to stand behind their products and offer responsive service with a minimum of hassle.
PRICE: Upwards of $3000 including Windows 7 Professional 64 bit installed, and with a minimum 2 year warranty. Would prefer a 3 year parts and labor warranty with some kind of accident protection. Would prefer to pay closer to $2000-2500 if possible.
PROCESSOR: This needs to be a Sandy Bridge i7 based system. Can be 2620/2630 or 2720 based.
RAM: At least 4gb installed, needs to have capacity for 8, but I would prefer 12 or 16gb capacity.
SCREEN: 15 to 17 inch, Full HD. Don't really care if it's glossy or matte. I have ZERO interest in 3D.
SYSTEM SIZE: Desktop replacement, up to 9lbs. Prefer less than 8 lbs with battery.
HD: Not decided between getting something like a 128gb SSD and a USB 3 external HD or just getting a 500gb 7200 rpm HD with Flash buffer. I'm not sure that the latter really offers any substantial improvement in performance, but the cost vs. a standard HD is negligable. On the other hand, I'm concerned that only 128gb of onboard storage will soon prove to be a problem. As it is, I'm used to storing all of my media, old work files and backups externally, but programs continue to get bigger and bigger and Adobe temp files can balloon fast
BATTERY: At least 2 hours under load. I definitely would like even more if possible.
CONNECTIVITY: Want at least one USB 3.0 port, and HDMI would be nice.
OPTICAL DRIVE: Prefer a bluray player, but a DVD based drive wouldn't be a deal breaker at all.
MAIN USAGE: This system will primarily be used for interactive publishing design work, intensive editing of large photographic files, and some 2D and 3D rendering.
GAMING?: Yes, although this is not a primary concern. Would like to have the ability to play contemporary games with a fluid frame rate and good details.
LOOKS: This isn't a huge concern, although I would like to avoid that kind of Alienware-ish decoration.
VENDORS:
http/www.xoticpc.com
http/www.sagernotebook.com/
http/www.malibal.com
http/www.pctorque.com/
http/www.avadirect.com/
From what I can tell, there are pretty much only Clevo/Sager and ASUS systems right now that fit what I'm looking for at these vendors. I keep thinking there have to be some other options out there that have eluded me.
RETENTION: Would like to use this system for 3 to 4 years
LOCATION: US
Many thanks to anyone who's willing to share their information.
VENDOR PREFS: Have worked with Dell, Sony, Lenovo, Apple and HP in the past, but thus far I have not found any current system by them that fits what I'm looking for. Am not considering a Mac.
The Dell XPS 17" would work but for the screen, the XPS 15" would work but for the graphics card, the Precision series hasn't updated yet and Dell refused to tell me when this would happen. HP is pretty much the same deal. Lenovo I believe will roll out new systems at the end of the month but I doubt I will be able to afford whatever they produce.
Whoever I buy from, it's important that they are known to stand behind their products and offer responsive service with a minimum of hassle.
PRICE: Upwards of $3000 including Windows 7 Professional 64 bit installed, and with a minimum 2 year warranty. Would prefer a 3 year parts and labor warranty with some kind of accident protection. Would prefer to pay closer to $2000-2500 if possible.
PROCESSOR: This needs to be a Sandy Bridge i7 based system. Can be 2620/2630 or 2720 based.
RAM: At least 4gb installed, needs to have capacity for 8, but I would prefer 12 or 16gb capacity.
SCREEN: 15 to 17 inch, Full HD. Don't really care if it's glossy or matte. I have ZERO interest in 3D.
SYSTEM SIZE: Desktop replacement, up to 9lbs. Prefer less than 8 lbs with battery.
HD: Not decided between getting something like a 128gb SSD and a USB 3 external HD or just getting a 500gb 7200 rpm HD with Flash buffer. I'm not sure that the latter really offers any substantial improvement in performance, but the cost vs. a standard HD is negligable. On the other hand, I'm concerned that only 128gb of onboard storage will soon prove to be a problem. As it is, I'm used to storing all of my media, old work files and backups externally, but programs continue to get bigger and bigger and Adobe temp files can balloon fast
BATTERY: At least 2 hours under load. I definitely would like even more if possible.
CONNECTIVITY: Want at least one USB 3.0 port, and HDMI would be nice.
OPTICAL DRIVE: Prefer a bluray player, but a DVD based drive wouldn't be a deal breaker at all.
MAIN USAGE: This system will primarily be used for interactive publishing design work, intensive editing of large photographic files, and some 2D and 3D rendering.
GAMING?: Yes, although this is not a primary concern. Would like to have the ability to play contemporary games with a fluid frame rate and good details.
LOOKS: This isn't a huge concern, although I would like to avoid that kind of Alienware-ish decoration.
VENDORS:
http/www.xoticpc.com
http/www.sagernotebook.com/
http/www.malibal.com
http/www.pctorque.com/
http/www.avadirect.com/
From what I can tell, there are pretty much only Clevo/Sager and ASUS systems right now that fit what I'm looking for at these vendors. I keep thinking there have to be some other options out there that have eluded me.
RETENTION: Would like to use this system for 3 to 4 years
LOCATION: US