Laptop

Don't know what fits for you? Request a purchase advice from the TX hardware supporters!

 Moderator: hife

Post Reply
Judge
Veteran
Veteran
Posts: 5446
Joined: Sat Jan 12, 2008 5:41 pm

Laptop

Post by Judge »

Hey guys :)

I need a laptop with these features :
- good battery life (~6/8 hours in normal use)
- SSD (or SSD+HDD)
- screen size between 13" and 15.6"
- rather thin
- not a Macbook :)

Actually I don't need a monster CPU (i5 should be enough) or GPU. I won't use it to play games, I just want a laptop which load/work fast and which is able to stay a long time on his battery.
Budget max : 1300€

Any suggestions?
Image
]-TX-[•Pac¡o{OmCom}: lol i don't like digimon >:
]-TX-[•Pac¡o{OmCom}: just the first season :>
User avatar
Penguin
Chief Warrant Officer
Chief Warrant Officer
Posts: 5582
Joined: Mon Mar 23, 2009 5:51 pm
Location: Stamper, winning very ez 15:0 against Vash
Contact:

Re: Laptop

Post by Penguin »

Why not a MacBook? Best battery life and build quality in consumer laptops (and the majority of enterprise). No exceptions.

Your budget is plentiful so if you plan to spend it all do not settle for anything less than a full 128GB or larger SSD, i5+, 8GB RAM and an above HD screen resolution. (Though I would be tempted not to go above 1080p on Windows, better battery life and they do not have proper scaling like MacBooks). Honestly for your requirements any ultrabook with an SSD should do what you want.

It may not match your screen size requirement, but the new Microsoft Surface Pro 3 + Type Cover fits the bill. Screen is 12" I believe, but 1440p so will be more spacious than a 768p 13" that most laptops have. You can pick one of these up in a nice spec for about €900-1000.

Also the Dell XPS 13/15 series. They are MacBook Pro competitors so prepare to bend over and open your wallet for what is basically a worse version of the MacBook Pro. They have probably the best battery life on a Windows laptop. Some reviews say they beat the MacBook Pro for battery life, but using both regularly, the MacBook Pro usually outlasts by an hour or two (MBP13/XPS13). Do not expect to get quoted battery life figures, no matter what the manufacturer says. You are looking at 5-6 hours roughly with average use. I've managed to polish off a MacBook Pro in 2 hours 30 running multiple VMs.
Image

Image
Most BS you read all day^
User avatar
Vash
Grand Commander
Grand Commander
Posts: 9958
Joined: Mon Oct 16, 2006 1:37 pm
Location: At home.
Contact:

Re: Laptop

Post by Vash »

Lenovo ThinkPad T450s of course!

- Battery quality like Apple
- 10 hours battery life with default battery, even 15 hours with optional battery
- Really good build quality (no bullshit aluminium that bends instantly) with magnesium alloy
- Easily upradeable with additional M.2 SSD or alternatively an 4G module
- Really nice display quality
- light weight
- good keyboard
- Fully compatible with a native docking station (only the models with Intel HD graphics!)
- Student discounts on "Lenovo Campus"

My suggestion:

ThinkPad T450s model no. 20BWS1UT00

- Intel Core i5-5200U 2,20GHz DualCore
- 12GB RAM (upgradeable to 20GB)
- GeForce 940M GPU
- 256GB SSD
- Full HD IPS Display 14"
- 3 Years warranty with next business day on-site service
- Price: 1295,00 €

If you prefer a docking station, model no. 20BWS03E00 is interesting:

- Intel Core i5-5200U 2,20GHz DualCore
- 12GB RAM (upgradeable to 20GB)
- Intel HD graphics 5500
- 500GB SSHD
- Full HD IPS Display 14"
- 3 Years warranty with next business day on-site service
- Price: 1159,00 €
-> I would add a 128GB M.2 SSD to this one, so you have a fast drive for operating system + the 500GB SSHD as disk space! Costs about 70,00 € extra.
Image
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600X - RAM: G.Skill RipJaws 32GB DDR4-3200 - Motherboard: ASUS B350-Plus - SSD: Crucial P3 1TB - Video: ZOTAC GeForce GTX 3070 Mini - Monitor: Lenovo Q27q - Sound Card: Onboard - Speakers/Headphones: Teufel Concept G THX 7.1 - Keyboard: Cherry MX-Board 1.0 - Mouse: Logitech G400 - Case: Lian Li PC-A70B - PSU: Enermax Modu87+ 700W OS: Windows 11 Pro x64
[18:30] -=TAG=-Snoop: Okay, Thank you, and sorry for interrupting your ingenious laboratory work Professor Vash.
Judge
Veteran
Veteran
Posts: 5446
Joined: Sat Jan 12, 2008 5:41 pm

Re: Laptop

Post by Judge »

Thanks for the advices.

@Penguin: I don't want a Macbook simply because I'm used to Windows.

I found that one (costs 1200€) :
http://www.dell.com/uk/p/xps-13-9343-la ... 343-laptop

What do you think?

@Vash: I'm interested about the student discounts of the Lenovo campus. The site is in german, but can I take advantage of the discounts as a french student?
Image
]-TX-[•Pac¡o{OmCom}: lol i don't like digimon >:
]-TX-[•Pac¡o{OmCom}: just the first season :>
User avatar
Penguin
Chief Warrant Officer
Chief Warrant Officer
Posts: 5582
Joined: Mon Mar 23, 2009 5:51 pm
Location: Stamper, winning very ez 15:0 against Vash
Contact:

Re: Laptop

Post by Penguin »

Judge wrote:Thanks for the advices.

@Penguin: I don't want a Macbook simply because I'm used to Windows.

I found that one (costs 1200€) :
http://www.dell.com/uk/p/xps-13-9343-la ... 343-laptop

What do you think?

@Vash: I'm interested about the student discounts of the Lenovo campus. The site is in german, but can I take advantage of the discounts as a french student?

I would not pay 1200€ for a laptop that has 4GB of RAM. Even base spec Apples have 8GB.

ThinkPads are okay... but they look like a business laptop. I'd personally prefer something more stylish for my personal laptop. Also beware they do not have a big presence in some countries, which may involve out of country warranty replacements. Something to look into. Dell and Apple both do next day service in France.

Also consider the Dell outlet (http://outlet.euro.dell.com/Online/Inve ... &cs=ukdfh1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;). They have massive discounts on refurbished Dells and come with the full warranty.. Just don't pick a scratch and dent one.

ie: This XPS 13 with a massive spec nearly the same price as the one you linked: http://outlet.euro.dell.com/Online/Seco ... d=71c10656" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Add 3 years next business day warranty for peace of mind.
Image

Image
Most BS you read all day^
Judge
Veteran
Veteran
Posts: 5446
Joined: Sat Jan 12, 2008 5:41 pm

Re: Laptop

Post by Judge »

I have 8GB memory which I could add. However I'm not sure that the XPS are upgradeable...

I reach an error page when I go on your links Peng. ^^
Image
]-TX-[•Pac¡o{OmCom}: lol i don't like digimon >:
]-TX-[•Pac¡o{OmCom}: just the first season :>
User avatar
Penguin
Chief Warrant Officer
Chief Warrant Officer
Posts: 5582
Joined: Mon Mar 23, 2009 5:51 pm
Location: Stamper, winning very ez 15:0 against Vash
Contact:

Re: Laptop

Post by Penguin »

I don't think they are upgradable, possibly.

Link works for me! Just google "dell outlet"
Image

Image
Most BS you read all day^
Judge
Veteran
Veteran
Posts: 5446
Joined: Sat Jan 12, 2008 5:41 pm

Re: Laptop

Post by Judge »

I finally bought the XPS 13. Thanks guys. :)
Image
]-TX-[•Pac¡o{OmCom}: lol i don't like digimon >:
]-TX-[•Pac¡o{OmCom}: just the first season :>
User avatar
Vash
Grand Commander
Grand Commander
Posts: 9958
Joined: Mon Oct 16, 2006 1:37 pm
Location: At home.
Contact:

Re: Laptop

Post by Vash »

Ohhh I didn't have time to check the forums. I really don't like Dell, their spare parts are expensive and they force you to use original batteries and AC adapters as they block 3rd party stuff.

I could have organised a Lenovo campus product for you, Judge. They accept any student from any country.
Penguin wrote:ThinkPads are okay... but they look like a business laptop. I'd personally prefer something more stylish for my personal laptop. Also beware they do not have a big presence in some countries, which may involve out of country warranty replacements. Something to look into. Dell and Apple both do next day service in France.
Here in Germany every 2nd student is using a ThinkPad, even girls use them quite often! I like the design, but it's a matter of taste of course.

The on-site service from Lenovo is international, wouldn't be a problem.
Image
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600X - RAM: G.Skill RipJaws 32GB DDR4-3200 - Motherboard: ASUS B350-Plus - SSD: Crucial P3 1TB - Video: ZOTAC GeForce GTX 3070 Mini - Monitor: Lenovo Q27q - Sound Card: Onboard - Speakers/Headphones: Teufel Concept G THX 7.1 - Keyboard: Cherry MX-Board 1.0 - Mouse: Logitech G400 - Case: Lian Li PC-A70B - PSU: Enermax Modu87+ 700W OS: Windows 11 Pro x64
[18:30] -=TAG=-Snoop: Okay, Thank you, and sorry for interrupting your ingenious laboratory work Professor Vash.
User avatar
Penguin
Chief Warrant Officer
Chief Warrant Officer
Posts: 5582
Joined: Mon Mar 23, 2009 5:51 pm
Location: Stamper, winning very ez 15:0 against Vash
Contact:

Re: Laptop

Post by Penguin »

A reasonable point about Dell parts, but personally I do not keep laptops over 3 years so it's not an issue as anything during that time is covered by warranty and you can usually find much cheaper sources elsewhere.

Plus, I just remembered about this: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-31533028" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Image

Image
Most BS you read all day^
User avatar
Vash
Grand Commander
Grand Commander
Posts: 9958
Joined: Mon Oct 16, 2006 1:37 pm
Location: At home.
Contact:

Re: Laptop

Post by Vash »

Penguin wrote:Plus, I just remembered about this: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-31533028" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Only affects the consumer laptops - ThinkPads are being sold with almost clean Windows installations and without this shit.
Image
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600X - RAM: G.Skill RipJaws 32GB DDR4-3200 - Motherboard: ASUS B350-Plus - SSD: Crucial P3 1TB - Video: ZOTAC GeForce GTX 3070 Mini - Monitor: Lenovo Q27q - Sound Card: Onboard - Speakers/Headphones: Teufel Concept G THX 7.1 - Keyboard: Cherry MX-Board 1.0 - Mouse: Logitech G400 - Case: Lian Li PC-A70B - PSU: Enermax Modu87+ 700W OS: Windows 11 Pro x64
[18:30] -=TAG=-Snoop: Okay, Thank you, and sorry for interrupting your ingenious laboratory work Professor Vash.
Post Reply

Return to “Purchase Advice”