Business Laptop: VMWare host

[Xyaran]

General Questions

1) What is your budget?
2500 CAD$
2) What size notebook would you prefer?
d. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen
3) Where will you buying this notebook? You can select the flag of your country as an indicator.
Canada

4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
a. Like: Lenovo, Dell, Sony
b. Dislike:
5) Would you consider laptops that are refurbished/redistrubited?
NO

6) What are the primary tasks will you be performing with this notebook?
Software Dev, VMWare

7) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places, leaving it on your desk or both?
Both

8) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games or types of games?
Nope

9) How many hours of battery life do you need?
2 hours, more is not a requirement

10) Would you prefer to see the notebooks you're considering before purchasing it or buying a notebook on-line without seeing it is OK?
On-line is OK

11) What OS do you prefer? Windows (XP or Vista), Mac OS, Linux, etc.
Windows 7

Screen Specifics

12) From the choices below, what screen resolution(s) would you prefer? Keep in mind screen size in conjunction with resolution will play a large role in overall viewing comfort level. Everyone is different. Some like really small text, while others like their text big and easy to read. If you are unsure of what to purchase, we would highly recommend you check some notebook screens before you buy to see what you like.
• Midrange Resolutions: WXGA+, HD+, 900p
• Maximum Resolutions: WSXGA+, WUXGA, FHD, 1080p
13) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?
Matte, but not a show stopper
Build Quality and Design

14) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
Nope, business look

15) When are you buying this laptop and how long do you want this laptop to last?
Soon, last 2-3 years

Notebook Components

16) How much hard drive space do you need; 80GB to 500GB? Do you want a SSD drive?
500GB or SSD

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

[ryukenden]

Asus PL80JT (+10 hours bat life) would be my choice. Very powerful performance for its size and weight.

Second choice HP envy 15.

[Xyaran]

Hum, can't find Asus PL80JT pricing or specs..
For the envy, ain't it more a look at me kind of laptop?

[Pitabred]

Your best bets will probably be the Dell Studio line. They have good screens, and decent dedicated graphics for watching movies and such.

[stuartfang]

Here are some suggestions from my previous experience;
the new Macbook Pro 15, select the 1680x1050 Highres antiglare option, and it is a very powerful, very slim and simple looking machine that's top class in built quality and durability, the features are also amazing and snow leopard supports vmware better now, but there are very special factors that cause many people to avoid apple, i don't know the specific reason but as a windows pc guy, i take a chance on getting macbook pro for my last birthday, it is truly amazing, the technology too, all in all the macbook pro is jsut a laptop like any other, but some people tend to see it differently and special, i know a guy for instance, and he doesn't know anything about apple products, but it is really just a luxury laptop with advanced features.
For a more businessy approach, I own a hp nw8440 which is a mobile workstaiton with 1920x1200, the high res is ok but on a 15inch its really not necessary. The performance is very nice so if you want a similar machine, go with lenovo thinkpad series, T or W, W for a more expensive luxurious choice. Toshiba tecra is also a very good choice with SP9400 pro high end core 2 duo model cpus.

in my opinion the last options would be asus, aspire, msi, or dell because those brand laptops majority tend to stay to the multimedia side for gaming, hd video viewing etc.

[Vogelbung]

I'd go with a Dell Latitude or an HP w. Reasons - good performance under load (as you will have when operating multiple VMs), very standard components, consistent support. I don't have that much relevant recent experience with Lenovo to compare with, but they are obviously an option too.

Dell is probably the best balance of price, performance, accessories and (uplifted) support. I have delivery and lemon issues with them at times, but the price is always right, useful accessories are plentiful (docks, etc) and in terms of hardware Prosupport I can't fault them.

[k2001]

Lenovo T510 with HD+ screen.

[zer0sum]

For serious vmware work the two most important considerations are cpu and memory. So, you really want something that is a true quad core and can support 8-16 gig of ram.

MBP is out as you like Windows OS and the windows vmware also has far more advanced networking options compared to fusion in os x

MSI GX640 is also out as it doesn't look like a business laptop unless you paint the red stripes black.
The business requirement also knocks most gaming laptops out I guess.

If you can live with an external optical driveHP Envy 15 would be perfect as it looks slick for business, but it doesn't have .

Then I guess you have Dell M6500 and HP Elitebook, which are expensive...

[HerrKaputt]

The main considerations for VMware are:

CPU: a virtual machine, if the software is well optimized (VMware is reasonably well optimized except the free "Server" version), will basically make your CPU do the work of two or three CPUs. However, typical usage nowadays doesn't tax the CPU to 100%, not even close. Still, and especially if you will run more than one VM, you should get a quad-core CPU.

Memory: same as above, each VM will occupy more space in the host computer's memory. Here, it is reasonably easy to do the math -- your host should have at least 2 GB of memory for itself, and each additional VM occupies the amount of RAM you define. So you should get at least 4 GB of memory, and make sure the laptop you get is expandable to at least 8 GB, preferably 16 GB so that in 2-3 years it is still up for the task.

Hard Drive -- each VM will occupy some space in your host's hard drive. Depending on which guest OS system(s) you use, the space needed by each one will vary greatly. I recommend at least 500 GB of space, which is easy nowadays. The main point is that an SSD will probably be too small for your needs, or WAY too expensive (as in €400+ for a good 256GB SSD).

Screen: as you mentioned already, it is important to have a good resolution since you will fit a lot of stuff on the screen. 900p or 1080p are good ideas.


Given these considerations, the bottom line is, in my opinion:
- quad-core CPU
- 4 GB of memory, expandable to 16 GB preferably
- 500 GB hard drive OR a dual setup with an SSD for the host and a HDD for the guests -- note that this will make the host fast but the guests remain slow
- 900p or 1080p screen

Since you use the laptop for work, I would get a business laptop or workstation like the Dell Latitude E6510 or Precision M4500, HP Elitebook 8540p or 8540w and Lenovo Thinkpad T510 or W510. The reason being that business laptops typically have better build quality and support IN MY OPINION. This is not an established fact however, just my opinion based on some years of laptop usage.

If you decide on the M4500 note that the 8540w supports up to 16 GB of memory (I think -- the HP site is not clear on this), and the graphics card is much, much better.

I disagree with the above poster which mentions only the Dell M6500 among the Dells. The Dell Latitude E6510 should fit your needs quite well although it is only expandable to 8 GB. If that is enough for you, it is a good choice.

[Vogelbung]

I think it is pretty much an established fact re business notebooks. Companies sell more of a single line of business notebooks and reputations can be made or broken in much more definitive ways than just indifferent customer support - so the business notebooks are subject to much more engineering for durability. Not to say there aren't lemons, but you have a reasonable guarantee of a much more robust machine with the HP, Lenovo, Dell, etc business lines.

Dual core won't be an issue if you're only running VM's in sequence and need it more for the flexibility to operate with multiple OS's rather than running all of them simultaneously - and since quad cores have higher thermals and need better cooling / higher power draw, it invariably leads to a heavier / larger notebook. If you're looking for something carryable than luggable, then stick to 2 cores.

Apart from that, I think HerrKaputt has pretty much covered it.