New decent laptop..

Brawler

Brawler

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Hi..
I need a new decent laptop for work, mainly working with large-ish databases and a couple of VMs.
I have been given a specific list from which I am free to chose. The laptop must be good for at least 2 years so I am looking for something with a good build quality.

Some choices:

Lenovo y580:
i7 3610, 8GB, 1TB/5400rpm, 660M 2GB 15" 720P ( Nice specs but poor screen and build quality )

Lenovo Thinkpad T530:
i7 3520, 4GB, 500GB/7200rpm, 540m 1GB, not sure what resolution. (I like the T series build but only 4GB RAM sucks.
Lenovo Thinkpad T520:
Same as above but older Sandy i7. R2k price difference though not sure Ivy is worth R2k.

Lenovo Thinkpad Edge:
i7 3612, 8GB, 500GB/7200 RPM, 2GB geforce but not sure which one, will check. Not sure of the edge range?

Toshiba Satellite P850-F13w:
i7 3610, 8GB, 750GB/7200RPM, GT640m 2GB, Full HD 3d screen with glasses. (amazing, best specs but google only returns local results.. worrying don't want some rebadged thing.

Dell Latitude E6530:
i7 3520, 8GB, 1600x900 screen, 500GB/7200Rrpm 520m 1GB

They all seem to have HDMI, USB 3, Windows 7 Pro etc.

Help me choose? The Toshiba is specced the best but unsure of it has google cant find much. The ThinkPads have excellent build but on the pricey side and only have 4GB RAM.
 
You could always order the thinkpads with more ram or upgrade them yourself.
 
ponder said:
You could always order the thinkpads with more ram or upgrade them yourself.
Click to expand...

I can try order more RAM but definitely wont be allowed to open it myself.. otherwise it would be a no brainer :)

Just noticed that the i7 35xx series is dual core... and the 36xx series is quad core. All the higher end laptops on the list have the dual core and then mid range ones have the quad core.. wierd.
 
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I have that Dell. Solid machine. Non-glossy screen too - big plus! Haven't given me a day's worry.

Toshiba model numbers vary per region, so you will only find local results - it will have a different model number in other countries. However, they're OK machines. Relatively well-built, but I don't think to the level of Dell or Thinkpads.

Just bought a T520 for a friend - looks like a good machine. Also non-glossy screens (glossy screen is a deal-breaker for me). Design is 100% the same as 10 years ago - has to tell you something - they're not messing with something that works :)

If you can't upgrade RAM, then I'd go with the Edge or the Dell. Whichever one has the best warranty will get my vote.
 
yeah I prefer the simpler, old school and really robust chassis like the Dell and Lenovo but I really wanted a quad core.
I see the Lenovos dont have a num pad either.. thats not so great as I use that a lot.

Looks like its between the Dell and Toshiba.
 
I love the Y580, build quality feels solid, but you said VM work, and this things selling point is the 660M.

For VM work the EDGE is a no brainer, with the fastest CPU and same ram.

I cant comment on the edge, but the Y580 does have a numpad. Felt a few of the older EDGE's at the office and the quality was good too.

Toshiba's are generally problematic, seen it before and now I see the wife's one (which is down 1 key) is getting backlight flicker on lower brightness. (1 1/2 years old).

The T520/530 are older and slower for a tiny difference in build quality.

That dell has a dual core cpu.

So your choice is now Y580 or EDGE.

If your going to fire up a game, the Y580 wins, otherwise if your going to push the limit in the VM's the EDGE wins.

Edge wins the spinning disk competition. Y580 will take a msata SSD for a primary drive though, not sure on the edge.
 
Lenovo Y580 does have a poor screen, but there is nothing wrong with the build quality. Feels very solid to me.
 
Resolve said:
Lenovo Y580 does have a poor screen, but there is nothing wrong with the build quality. Feels very solid to me.
Click to expand...

Yeh, the HD screen version is not available in .za, the replacement screen can be ordered but then it's: time, some extra money, voiding warranty.

I prefer the lower res on 15 inch screen, but then there are 3 x 23" FHD screens on my desk too.
 
Brawler said:
I can try order more RAM but definitely wont be allowed to open it myself.. otherwise it would be a no brainer :)
Click to expand...

99% of the time ram is a user serviceable part and does not void your warranty. Access is via a easy to open cover at the bottom. Just verify for this particular laptop.
 
Dell. Always go Dell.

To justify: my Dell at home is still pretty much solid after about 4 years of general use. Our company switched from Lenovo to Dell about 3 years ago and they are awesome machines that cope with what we throw at them (long hours, continuous processing etc). They just won't break.

And then there is Dell's warranty...
 
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Lenovo Y580 FHD not available in SA :). And replacing the HD screen to Full HD is also "not possible" as they have different connectors from the mobo
 
encrypted said:
I love the Y580, build quality feels solid, but you said VM work, and this things selling point is the 660M.

For VM work the EDGE is a no brainer, with the fastest CPU and same ram.

I cant comment on the edge, but the Y580 does have a numpad. Felt a few of the older EDGE's at the office and the quality was good too.

Toshiba's are generally problematic, seen it before and now I see the wife's one (which is down 1 key) is getting backlight flicker on lower brightness. (1 1/2 years old).

The T520/530 are older and slower for a tiny difference in build quality.

That dell has a dual core cpu.

So your choice is now Y580 or EDGE.

If your going to fire up a game, the Y580 wins, otherwise if your going to push the limit in the VM's the EDGE wins.

Edge wins the spinning disk competition. Y580 will take a msata SSD for a primary drive though, not sure on the edge.
Click to expand...

Thanks.. Did not mean to offend anyone with my comment on the y580 build quality. I'm sure its pretty good but the online reviews state it is not that great, some parts feel a bit cheap. I guess its just not in the same league as the ThinkPad/Latitudes and that's what I was originally after but I dont want to sacrifice spec at all. I am a gamer but this is a business laptop but I guess it would be nice to fire up the odd game :)

I have yet to see the EDGE in person and I know it is a class down from the ThinkPad therefor I questioned it. It doesn't look that great in pictures but the reviews say its pretty solid and very well specced. The lack of numpad is annoying though..

I am also getting a Dell u2412m IPS display as a 2nd monitor. Perhaps I could buy keyboard and mouse and use the machine like that (90% office based).
 
"The overall build quality of the ThinkPad Edge isn't great, and our test model creaked a lot at the front where the bottom and top pieces of the chassis come together. Furthermore, the side that has the optical drive bends a lot and clicks can be heard when the notebook is picked up from this side; these clicks are the chassis colliding with the front bezel of the DVD burner. Basically, it feels like a budget computer system, despite the modern, cutting-edge CPU that it houses.

Read more: http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews/laptop/3357967/lenovo-thinkpad-edge-e530-review/#ixzz2HxkqhD1M"

The EDGE... not so keen after reading that.
 
Got the Dell Latitude E6530 in December after using a Latitude 830 for 4 years. The 830 was very quiet but the E6530 is mostly completely silent, even under load. I replaced the 500gb drive with a 256gb SSD but even the manual disk was very quiet. The keyboard is fantastic and build quality very good. Got mine from PC International, only place that had stock on site and also best price. Enough said already about Dell support, won't do without it ;0)

PS I had to deal with Lenovo support recently. In the first place, I could not reach their call center at all, I had to call head office to get the number - end of story is that the laptop was in for repairs for almost 4 weeks before it came back...

PPS The unit I got has a built in wireless card with GPS. Amazingly enough, the GPS tracked the laptop within a few meters without A-GPS.
 
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lol ... Nothing graphic intensive?

I bought a cheapo Acer eMachine i3-380M, doubled up on Ram, chucked a 240GB Vertex 3 SSD ... Fast as hell.. crunches data no problem...

Lappy + SSD = Smiles!
 
Just had a look at the Y580 and not keen at all.

It looks and feels like a R4000 Celeron.

Looks like its the E6530 then.
 
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