High performance laptop with 8GB memory

[busytop]

Hi experts,

I am looking a high performance laptop for my day to day development job and since I am looking to run VMs on the system I want to have a laptop which could take upto 8GB. I could not find much info on such laptops, so though I would ask the experts to get an opinion and suggestions.

Thanks,

General Questions

1) What is your budget?

$2000

2) What size notebook would you prefer?
c. Thin and Light; 13" - 14" screen OR
d. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen

3) Where will you buying this notebook? You can select the flag of your country as an indicator.
US

4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
none

5) What are the primary tasks will you be performing with this notebook?
software development with few VM images running simulataneously

6) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places, leaving it on your desk or both?
Will be moving with it, but not too much.

7) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games or types of games?
Not a preference

8) How many hours of battery life do you need?
4-6hrs

9) Would you prefer to see the notebooks you're considering before purchasing it or buying a notebook on-line without seeing it is OK?
Not a requirement

10) What OS do you prefer? Windows (XP or Vista), Mac OS, Linux, etc.
Windows

Screen Specifics

11) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer?

preferably: WXGA+ OR WSXGA+

12) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?

No preference

13) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
Mostly Yes.

14) When are you buying this laptop and how long do you want this laptop to last?
In a month, 3-4 years.

Notebook Components

15) How much hard drive space do you want; 80GB to 500GB? Do you want a SSD drive?
250GB+

16) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a CDRW/DVD-ROM, DVD Burner or Blu-Ray drive?
DVD Burner

17) RAM
should take upto 8GB
==========

[ichime]

hmm, a 14-16 inch laptop under $2000 that has 8gb of memory? I know the MSI 1622/GT627 can handle 8 gigs of memory (DDR2 memory). Also, the Alienware M15x can support up to 8 gigs as well. Not sure about the Clevo M860TU, but I'm sure it can to. But, out of those three, you can probably get 8 gigs with the 1622 for under 2 grand. Adding 8gigs in the other two would put you well above that. If you already have 8gb DDR2 SODIMM or DDR3 SODIMM sticks already, then that's not really a problem. If not, best route to do this would be to buy a MSI 1622 barebone and add parts. Total should be well under 2grand considering that you can get a 1622 barebone for about $350, HD + Wireless + CPU another $300, 8gb of memory for about $700-$1000

[whizzo]

are the 4GB sticks for DDR3 (m860tu) out yet?

[eney]

All montevina laptops can take 8GB RAM. e.g lenovo T400, T500, W500, Dell E6400, E6500, M2400, M4400.
But i don't know if you will be able to buy a laptop with 8GB for 2000$. Dell will be cheaper as they are using ddr2, which is ~300-400$ for 4Gb chip.

[eney]

whizzo:
there are 4GB DDR3 sticks from samsung and kingston

[MidnightSun]

are the 4GB sticks for DDR3 (m860tu) out yet?

Lenovo has options for it, but they are extremely extremely expensive.

Your best bet if you really really need 8GB of memory (I somewhat doubt you do, even with VM's) is the Dell Latitude or Precisions, since they still use DDR2 RAM which is cheaper than DDR3. All of the Montevina laptops (Lenovo Thinkpads included) can support a theoretical limit of 8GB of memory, although all 4GB SODIMM sticks are still extremely expensive, and not worth it in general.

[busytop]

Appreciate your replies.

So, what is the price that I am looking at if I want the configuration I am looking at.

Thanks,

[jonhapimp]

probably over 2 k

[HerrKaputt]

I'd recommend you buy a Dell Latitude E6400 or E6500, configured with 1 GB of RAM, and then buy the 8 GB separately. You should get just under 2000$ that way. Call Dell, they give discounts over the phone.

The Lenovo T400 or T500 are just as good, but they are pricier (still living on the IBM Thinkpad reputation )

[jonlumpkin]

Your best bet is to configure one of the models listed above (T400, T500, E6400, etc.) with the MINIMUM amount of memory possible.

It is almost always cheaper to add memory yourself than configure it through an OEM. Check crucial.com, newegg, and other resellers for prices on 2x4GB of DDR2 or DDR3 laptop memory. You can then try and configure a laptop that will accept that memory at a price you can afford.