Need a new laptop

Thursday

Tu ne cede malis
Established Member
Joined
Sep 3, 2004
Messages
1,556
Location
Mormon Mecca
My current Dell Inspiron is deteriorating more and more each day, although I've got more than my moneys worth from it over the years.

I'd like some suggestions on laptops before I pull the trigger on the one I'm eyeballing. I'd guess 70 percent of the time I use my Laptop for browsing, and the other 30 percent for Solidworks(CAD), Adobe Premiere, Photoshop, Phoenix RC, and I-tunes.

I'd like to have a SSD if they really are that much better. I'm on the fence about ultrabooks they seem nice, but not if I have to sacrifice performance. I want a 15" HD screen. I don't care about manufactures, but apple is out of the question.

Should I go for the 3rd gen Intel i5, or i7?
How much RAM is enough?

This is what I'm looking at.

The Dell Online Store: Build Your System
 

JasonSnake

Active Member
Established Member
Joined
Oct 11, 2005
Messages
6,739
Location
USA
For all those programs you use, I would throw 16GB at it...

As for brand / model, I've been out of the loop for a while. I am kind of disgusted on the crappy LCD screens most non-Macbook machines are still using. They are always washed out looking, terrible black levels, and acute viewing angles.

I would probably stay away from Sony altogether due to their noisy CPU fans and cheap plasticky chassis.
 

CobraBob

Authorized Vendor
Established Member
Premium Member
Single Barrel Sirs
Joined
Nov 17, 2002
Messages
105,349
Location
Cheshire, CT
Definitely go with a SSD as your primary drive. You'll appreciate the improved read/write performance. I agree that a Core I7 chip is your best choice, along with a least 16gb of RAM. Let us know what your configuration/brand/model ends up to be.
 

SonicDTR

Wasn't me.
Established Member
Premium Member
Joined
Sep 23, 2007
Messages
5,244
Location
Midwest
Avoid Lenovo like the plague.

Asus gets my vote, they have some very nice models out now for good prices if you check tigerdirect and newegg, and the occasional deal on woot.
 

286rocks

Member
Established Member
Joined
Oct 15, 2010
Messages
116
Location
Kaneohe, HI
Avoid Lenovo like the plague.


Agreed, we are fighting with them right now to get my wifes back from their repair depot after the power supply took a dump. They shipped it to the wrong return address and after calling them at least a dozen times, we're no closer to having it back.

For what it's worth I have a HP NC6400 business machine from 2006 that has seen more abuse than Jenna Jamesons cornhole and is still going strong. I don't know what kind of product they're pushing these days though.
 

Users who are viewing this thread



Top