1. What is your budget?
AU$3000 to AU$4000
2. What is the size of the notebook that you are considering?
14"; though will compromise up to 15.6"
3. What screen resolution do you want?
1600x1000, though would compromise to 1600x900
Expect higher on larger screen, i.e. 1920x1080 on 15.6 (again, would prefer 16:10, but realise this doesn't seem an option).
Lower resolutions limit the effective screen code real-estate, higher resolutions don't seem to give a return.
Must be a matte screen.
I'm not a graphic artist (i.e. not concerned with colour reproduction), but saw a Samsung Series 9 (13.3") and the screen was very nice, and I would be willing to pay a premium for that viewing experience.
4. Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop?
More towards the desktop replacement, but preferring a 14" due to portability - both in terms of weight and ease of use on cramped bus seats. Thus bigger screens in smaller footprints are attractive.
My laptop that just died was a 13.3" 1280x800 Asus R1E which felt slightly cramped for desktop real-estate. Prior to that I had a Dell Inspiron 15", which seemed a bit larger than ideal outside the office.
5. How much battery life do you need?
3 hours of real use would be nice.
6. Do you want to play games with your laptop?
No.
7. What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? (Photo/Video editing, Etc.)
Software development, including leveraging virtual machines. Seeking performance in build/test and run local app servers and databases to support development activities.
8. How much storage (Hard Drive capacity) do you need?
~120GB SSD (mSATA..?)
500GB+ data drive (I have a hybrid from my existing laptop that I would like to reuse)
9. If you are considering specific sites to buy from, please post their links.
lenovo.com.au; dell.com,au; hp.com (but not exclusively, perhaps obviously given I am posting this appeal for advice/recommendations/options).
10. How long do you want to keep your laptop?
4 years.
11. What kind of Optical drive do you need? DVD ROM/Writer,Bluray ROM/Writer,Etc ?
None.
12. Please tell us about the brands that you prefer to buy from them and the brands that you don't like and explain the reasons.
Won't buy an Apple (but not because they aren't beautiful machines with a nice OS).
13. What country do you live in?
Australia (Perth, Western Australia).
14. Please tell us any additional information if needed.
16GB RAM, preferably with slots to upgrade to 32GB in the future.
If possible, I want to be able to drive my two Dell U2711 2560x1440 monitors (via docking station no issue if not actively preferable).
(Yes, I prefer 16:10, but could buy 2x 27" 16:10 for price of 1x 30" 16:10, so compromised).
I'll be running Linux (Fedora based distro), ergo (a) good Linux drivers et al is important, and (b) I would prefer to not pay for an OS licence I won't use (I do have several Window's licenses, just not for this box).
I don't run CAD or otherwise need ISV certifications.
I am keen to get a professional/business class machine for the build quality, and a 3 (prefer 4) year next business day onsite warranty (or at least good local support), preferably with accidental damage coverage. This seems to direct me away from the Eurocom options.
Upgrading to 16GB through the vendor sites seems to vary from exhorbitant to extortion, and yet as the machines have been i7 (not Xeon) based, I assume it is not ECC RAM; is there any reason to get the cheapest option from the vendor and buy 2x 8GB PC3-12800 (Crucial?) RAM to install myself? Are the vendors selling particularly low latency RAM (or something else I am missing) to warrant the premium? Such a post purchase upgrade strategy is another reason 4 DIMM slots would be good, so the vendor RAM can be used to some advantage in short/medium term - but I'm struggling to find 4 DIMMs in the 14" form factor.
Similarly the mSATA options seem expensive (and small capacity) through the configuration wizards, so again considering post purchase upgrade (anything to watch out / be aware of?).
I'm only attracted to mSATA to support multiple drives; but using drive bay for second drive is viable (though it is nice to have the option to use a bay battery), conversely having option to have WLAN has appeal (assuming there isn't space for both WLAN and mSATA).
Where it is an option, the Intel Core i7-3720QM seems a sweet spot in terms of price, but I'm not really sure how much of a sacrifice not stepping up to the i7-3820QM is (but is it usually a steep additional premium). Similarly, I don't have a strong sense of the level of compromise in the lower Core i7 options.
The market spiel for NVIDIA Optimus sounds good, is it all (or most of what it) is advertised up to be? Are there better options or similar alternatives? My key driver in the graphics card selection is the ability to drive the U2711s (if this is an issue in this space), but the vendor sites are light on details on what they will support (my next step is obviously to call the sales lines).
The HP workstation class laptops look appealing (if pushing my budget) when looking at the US site, but on the hp.com.au site the prices leap out of range, and the customise options disappear.
Appreciate your time, expertise and advice.
AU$3000 to AU$4000
2. What is the size of the notebook that you are considering?
14"; though will compromise up to 15.6"
3. What screen resolution do you want?
1600x1000, though would compromise to 1600x900
Expect higher on larger screen, i.e. 1920x1080 on 15.6 (again, would prefer 16:10, but realise this doesn't seem an option).
Lower resolutions limit the effective screen code real-estate, higher resolutions don't seem to give a return.
Must be a matte screen.
I'm not a graphic artist (i.e. not concerned with colour reproduction), but saw a Samsung Series 9 (13.3") and the screen was very nice, and I would be willing to pay a premium for that viewing experience.
4. Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop?
More towards the desktop replacement, but preferring a 14" due to portability - both in terms of weight and ease of use on cramped bus seats. Thus bigger screens in smaller footprints are attractive.
My laptop that just died was a 13.3" 1280x800 Asus R1E which felt slightly cramped for desktop real-estate. Prior to that I had a Dell Inspiron 15", which seemed a bit larger than ideal outside the office.
5. How much battery life do you need?
3 hours of real use would be nice.
6. Do you want to play games with your laptop?
No.
7. What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? (Photo/Video editing, Etc.)
Software development, including leveraging virtual machines. Seeking performance in build/test and run local app servers and databases to support development activities.
8. How much storage (Hard Drive capacity) do you need?
~120GB SSD (mSATA..?)
500GB+ data drive (I have a hybrid from my existing laptop that I would like to reuse)
9. If you are considering specific sites to buy from, please post their links.
lenovo.com.au; dell.com,au; hp.com (but not exclusively, perhaps obviously given I am posting this appeal for advice/recommendations/options).
10. How long do you want to keep your laptop?
4 years.
11. What kind of Optical drive do you need? DVD ROM/Writer,Bluray ROM/Writer,Etc ?
None.
12. Please tell us about the brands that you prefer to buy from them and the brands that you don't like and explain the reasons.
Won't buy an Apple (but not because they aren't beautiful machines with a nice OS).
13. What country do you live in?
Australia (Perth, Western Australia).
14. Please tell us any additional information if needed.
16GB RAM, preferably with slots to upgrade to 32GB in the future.
If possible, I want to be able to drive my two Dell U2711 2560x1440 monitors (via docking station no issue if not actively preferable).
(Yes, I prefer 16:10, but could buy 2x 27" 16:10 for price of 1x 30" 16:10, so compromised).
I'll be running Linux (Fedora based distro), ergo (a) good Linux drivers et al is important, and (b) I would prefer to not pay for an OS licence I won't use (I do have several Window's licenses, just not for this box).
I don't run CAD or otherwise need ISV certifications.
I am keen to get a professional/business class machine for the build quality, and a 3 (prefer 4) year next business day onsite warranty (or at least good local support), preferably with accidental damage coverage. This seems to direct me away from the Eurocom options.
Upgrading to 16GB through the vendor sites seems to vary from exhorbitant to extortion, and yet as the machines have been i7 (not Xeon) based, I assume it is not ECC RAM; is there any reason to get the cheapest option from the vendor and buy 2x 8GB PC3-12800 (Crucial?) RAM to install myself? Are the vendors selling particularly low latency RAM (or something else I am missing) to warrant the premium? Such a post purchase upgrade strategy is another reason 4 DIMM slots would be good, so the vendor RAM can be used to some advantage in short/medium term - but I'm struggling to find 4 DIMMs in the 14" form factor.
Similarly the mSATA options seem expensive (and small capacity) through the configuration wizards, so again considering post purchase upgrade (anything to watch out / be aware of?).
I'm only attracted to mSATA to support multiple drives; but using drive bay for second drive is viable (though it is nice to have the option to use a bay battery), conversely having option to have WLAN has appeal (assuming there isn't space for both WLAN and mSATA).
Where it is an option, the Intel Core i7-3720QM seems a sweet spot in terms of price, but I'm not really sure how much of a sacrifice not stepping up to the i7-3820QM is (but is it usually a steep additional premium). Similarly, I don't have a strong sense of the level of compromise in the lower Core i7 options.
The market spiel for NVIDIA Optimus sounds good, is it all (or most of what it) is advertised up to be? Are there better options or similar alternatives? My key driver in the graphics card selection is the ability to drive the U2711s (if this is an issue in this space), but the vendor sites are light on details on what they will support (my next step is obviously to call the sales lines).
The HP workstation class laptops look appealing (if pushing my budget) when looking at the US site, but on the hp.com.au site the prices leap out of range, and the customise options disappear.
Appreciate your time, expertise and advice.
/configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=bwct72b&model_id=precision-m4600&c=us&l=en&s=bsd&cs=04
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