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Recommend me a nice PC laptop

floyde

floyde

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Apr 7, 2005
808
1
Monterrey, México
I know that it's a bit weird to ask this here, but I know that a lot of you own PC's as well, and I also know that you have good taste in computers since you own macs ;).

I'm getting a laptop upgrade at work and I'm looking for a powerful, good-looking machine for use mostly on software development (although it wouldn't hurt if it was also a decent gaming machine, now that I'm forced to buy a new PC :)).

So far all I've got is a Dell XPS 15z. It most likely caught my attention because it looks somewhat like a Macbook Pro, but it's been years since I used a Dell, so I don't know how good it might be.

I need an i7 processor and 8GB of RAM. The only issue that I see with this laptop is that it seems to come with Windows 7 Home and I need the Pro version. Can this be changed? Can anyone recommend me other laptops?

Thanks
 
floyde said:
I know that it's a bit weird to ask this here, but I know that a lot of you own PC's as well, and I also know that you have good taste in computers since you own macs ;).

I'm getting a laptop upgrade at work and I'm looking for a powerful, good-looking machine for use mostly on software development (although it wouldn't hurt if it was also a decent gaming machine, now that I'm forced to buy a new PC :)).

So far all I've got is a Dell XPS 15z. It most likely caught my attention because it looks somewhat like a Macbook Pro, but it's been years since I used a Dell, so I don't know how good it might be.

I need an i7 processor and 8GB of RAM. The only issue that I see with this laptop is that it seems to come with Windows 7 Home and I need the Pro version. Can this be changed? Can anyone recommend me other laptops?

Thanks
Click to expand...


Macbook pro 17" i7!
 
cupcakes2000 said:
Macbook pro 17" i7!
Click to expand...

Not that I wouldn't like that, but it's a bit of overkill. I need to use Windows exclusively since I'll be working with Visual Studio. To get a Macbook Pro with i7 and 8gb would mean spending an extra $1000 or more, just for the aluminum casing. My boss wouldn't appreciate that ;)
 
Dell's business models (e.g. XPS 15) let you customize it with W7 Professional. According to some reliability studies, ASUS laptops seem to be the most reliable so it might be worth it to take a look at their offerings. Sony has some good ones as well.
 
Hellhammer said:
Dell's business models (e.g. XPS 15) let you customize it with W7 Professional. According to some reliability studies, ASUS laptops seem to be the most reliable so it might be worth it to take a look at their offerings. Sony has some good ones as well.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I tried to configure an XPS and it wouldn't let me change the OS. Perhaps I need to go through the business menu. I'll take a look at ASUS models as well.
 
Dell changes their branding from time to time, but IIRC, the XPS line is for the power gamer, thus, Windows Home Premium.

The Latitude line is the enterprise class, and Vostro is the Small Business line - both of these will be available with Win7 Pro.

Even though Thinkpads aren't what they used to be, I still think they are the best game in town for a business laptop.

FWIW, I have run Multiple copies of Visual Studio in a Fusion VM on my MBP. It's a little slow at compile time, but reasonably responsive otherwise. Just sayin' - you don't necessarily have to go dedicated windows just for Visual Studio.
 
Look at Dell's Vostro series laptops. They're amazing powerhouses, the only downside is that the screen resolution is 1366 x 766 (or whatever that widescreen resolution is).

If you slide on over to the Dell Latitude lineup, they have every option under the sun, but they're also a bit pricy. But they do come with (up to) a 5 year on-side warranty, backlit keyboard, high-res screens, insane battery life, and docking stations.

My personal favorite is the Vostro 3350, (13", $711 model) upgraded with a ATI 7450m graphics card and in bronze, for something like $950 with a 2-year warranty.

If I could budget over $1200, I'd definitely look at the Thinkpad as well.
 
The HP business elitebook range looks decent, although I don't have any personal experience.
 
Personally for development work Im a big fan of the Thinkpads... I have had various ThinkPad tablets until I was able to go all Mac earlier this year, and if I had to pick up a Windows Laptop I would probably purchase a Thinkpad without that much thought over it.
 
Thinkpad quality has deteriorated in the last couple years, in my opinion. The HP Envy series is supposed to be refreshed in June. I would be looking at those.
 
Peteman100 said:
Thinkpad quality has deteriorated in the last couple years, in my opinion. The HP Envy series is supposed to be refreshed in June. I would be looking at those.
Click to expand...

Odd, I haven't seen any issues around campus (Everyone seems to have either a Mac, a Thinkpad or an HP something-or-other...) - The Thinkpad T420 (I think - the latest low-end T-Series) I borrowed a few weeks ago for a week seemed pretty solid and was a nice machine. Admittedly I prefer Macs, but it certainly seems a lot more solid than the various HP/DELL Machines I've had in the past. I hope their quality hasn't taken that much of a tumble...
 
Thanks for all the suggestions guys. I'm currently looking at ASUS since my boss wants me to make sure that I buy a reliable laptop. I'm a bit overwhelmed by the sheer amount of models that these guys have. I'm looking for a 15" (don't want a huge laptop) with i7 and 6-8gb of RAM, but I can't find a model that has all those three characteristics. The ones with i7 seem to be huge 18" laptops. Does anybody know if they have a machine like this? Thanks
 
Various websites (including consumer reports) have some good analyses of reliability statistics. And as previously mentioned, Asus is on of the best brands for reliability.

But for your OS, keep in mind that with Windows 7 you can buy an "anytime upgrade" so you can easily upgrade to Windows 7 professional from any machine. So I would suggest not worrying about windows, and focus on buying the hardware that you like best, and then you can easily upgrade the OS yourself.
 
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