Laptop recommendations

[APoc184]

I'm in the process of replacing my stolen laptop and I quickly realised that I things moved on quite a bit between my last purchase. So I need some help.

I previously had the Dell XPS 15 (2010 model).

I obviously want something that is a bit future proof (read: will last quite a while).

Main usage will be:

1. Photo editing
2. watching movies/series in bed
3. General internet browsing
4. Sometimes I feel the need to play a game or two. But definitely not priority

My main concerns are a good full HD screen (preferably 15.6 inch), plenty of storage and enough power/RAM to run intensive Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop tasks while still being able to browse MyBB.

Something like the Macbook Pro 15 is a bit out of my insurance's budget unfortunately.

I have found this so far and would love comments and perhaps more recommendations.

ASUS N550JV - 15.6-inch 1920x1080 touchscreen; 2.6kg; Intel Core i7 4700HQ 2.4GHZ Processor; 8GB RAM; 1TB 5,400rpm Hard drive; Blu Ray Drive; GeForce 750M Graphics 2GB

Thanks guys

 

[fruitbat]

I'm in the process of replacing my stolen laptop and I quickly realised that I things moved on quite a bit between my last purchase. So I need some help.

I previously had the Dell XPS 15 (2010 model).

I obviously want something that is a bit future proof (read: will last quite a while).

Main usage will be:

1. Photo editing
2. watching movies/series in bed
3. General internet browsing
4. Sometimes I feel the need to play a game or two. But definitely not priority

My main concerns are a good full HD screen (preferably 15.6 inch), plenty of storage and enough power/RAM to run intensive Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop tasks while still being able to browse MyBB.

Something like the Macbook Pro 15 is a bit out of my insurance's budget unfortunately.

I have found this so far and would love comments and perhaps more recommendations.

ASUS N550JV - 15.6-inch 1920x1080 touchscreen; 2.6kg; Intel Core i7 4700HQ 2.4GHZ Processor; 8GB RAM; 1TB 5,400rpm Hard drive; Blu Ray Drive; GeForce 750M Graphics 2GB

Thanks guys

Hi,

My 2 cents on this is coming from the fact that - I *need* a new notebook by mid january. I think the only difference between our requirements may be that the support is a bit of a priority as it will be for work as well.

So I think I've settled on this one from DELL:
Latitude E6540: Intel Core i7-4800MQ Processor (Quad Core, 6M Cache, 2.7 GHz, w/HD Graphics 4600), 15.6in UltraSharp HD (1920x1080) Anti-Glare LED-backlit with Camera and Microphone, 8GB (2x4096) 1600MHz DDR3L Dual Channel, 500GB (5400 Rpm) Encrypted Hard Drive, AMD Radeon HD 8790M Graphics 2GB GDDR5, Backlit Keyboard, WLAN + Bluetooth, DVD+/-RW, Numeric Keypad, Windows 7 Pro (64Bit), 3 Year Next Business Day Warranty

Its going to set me back just over 20k. And I hear the support from dell is pretty good (and for 3 years)... so i hope it will serve me well.

Thanks

 

[APoc184]

That looks really nice. I would say my budget is around R18'000. The rest I will have to pay in if I go that route but can't see that happening after installing an alarm and extra security after the burglary.

I just found this as well. Looks really nice.

Lenovo Ideapad Y510P

Almost exactly same specs as the Asus. Screen is not as good though.

http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=6916&review=Lenovo_IdeaPad_Y510P_Review

 

[Tun@]

The HDD choices seem a little behind the times....no dual bay or msata + HDD options?
Certainly snaps things into gear rather than a 5400rpm HDD alone

 

[APoc184]

The HDD choices seem a little behind the times....no dual bay or msata + HDD options?
Certainly snaps things into gear rather than a 5400rpm HDD alone

Yeah. I've looked at some nice ultrabooks with an SSD but the problem is that most of nice ones meeting my requirements have only 13 inch screens. Especially the Samsung Ativ 9. Great machine.

I can overcome the storage capacity problem with another external.

To be completely honest. Windows and apps startup time is not really a priority. Will an SSD help that much with processing of photos?

 

[APoc184]

Just did some reading and with the Lenovo Y510P you can use the ultrabay to add another HDD.

The tech on the Lenovo support forum suggests buying a 128gb SSD and installing that inside the chassis then use the included HDD in the ultrabay. That way I'll get the snappy performance and the storage needed for all the photos.

 

[Tun@]

Snappy OS/bootup times etc - photoshop is probably more ram & or processor hungry looking at this.
http://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/kb/optimize-performance-photoshop-cs4-cs5.html

Getting the OS onto a SSD/msata would be a good idea i think tho....but then again that's maybe just me,i like snappy.

Something else to look at with performance laptop like your looking at is see if you can find a pic of the fan setup - 2 fans will keep temps better than 1..

This also a good resource to look thru to check for any issues with any brand/model your looking at.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/notebook-manufacturers/

 

[Spectratec guy]

Take a look at the Dell inspiron http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Dell-Inspiron-15-7537-Notebook.104976.0.html Dell stock will be coming in next moth and its a good price too at around 14K, it will suit your needs good.

 

[APoc184]

Just some feedback.

Insurance managed to source that Asus N550JV laptop for me at R14500 and I just couldn't say no at that price. The Lenovo was available at R12500 but I really like the anti-glare screen of the Asus.

If all goes well I will get it tomorrow with my new camera gear.

I will see if the slow boot times really bother me that much and then decide on swapping the 1TB drive out with a 256 SSD.

 

[fruitbat]

Just some feedback.

Insurance managed to source that Asus N550JV laptop for me at R14500 and I just couldn't say no at that price. The Lenovo was available at R12500 but I really like the anti-glare screen of the Asus.

If all goes well I will get it tomorrow with my new camera gear.

I will see if the slow boot times really bother me that much and then decide on swapping the 1TB drive out with a 256 SSD.

Awesome!

I got my E6540, which was expensive in my books - but I found it on wootware for 1000bucks less than my "friend", so I just did it. And its really the NBD support that did it, or i would have gone for something less pricey.

Anyways, back to work