Lenovo W520 or Dell M6600 for Solidworks

[stretchy]

Hi all, I'm new here. Just been reading through the posts and still am undecided. I know they are 2 different sized laptops but I've chosen them for specific reasons and i'm unsure if the 6600 is worth the few hundred more to get the larger screen. I like the W520 for the Quadro 2000M with Optimus or if I go with the Larger Dell I'll get the AMD FirePro 8900M.

Here's the info:

1) What is your budget? $2000

2) What size notebook would you prefer?

d. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen
e. Desktop Replacement; 17"+ screen

3) Where will you buying this notebook?

USA

4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
a. Like: Lenovo and Dell
b. Dislike: None

5) Would you consider laptops that are refurbished/redistributed?

No

6) What are the primary tasks will you be performing with this notebook?

Mainly for Solidworks and Alibre Design with some gaming in the off time. Games don't need to be running at super duper omg i can see their nose hairs settings. Mid to high settings are fine with me. As long as the frame rates are good

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

Desk and travel.

8) Will you be playing games on your notebook?

Yes, COD, Battlefield, portal, etc..., and the causal games that I can get in the Chrome app store.

9) How many hours of battery life do you need?

2hrs at least but more would be better.

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?

No stores carry these locally so i'm going to have to deal with not seeing them.

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

Windows 7 Professional and I'd like to be able to make a dual boot system and try Ubuntu as something to mess around with.

Screen Specifics

12) From the choices below, what screen resolution(s) would you prefer?

HD+ or 1080P. Smaller text doesn't bother me. I'm not like some of my co-workers who have giant icons on my screen.

13) Do you want a Glossy/reflective screen or a Matte/non-glossy screen?

Would prefer a Matte screen.

Build Quality and Design

14) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you

Not really. I do like the Trackpoint that Lenovo uses but not sure if it would work very well for CAD. More worried about functionality than anything. if it looks nice then I just call it a bonus but it's not my focus.

15) When are you buying this laptop?

Within the next week or so.

16) How long do you want this laptop to last?

I'd like to get at least 6 to 7 years out of this thing.

Notebook Components

17) How much hard drive space do you need?

I would like 500 GB. Ram I could always add more but would like it to be usable when I get it so I can at least mess with it before I tear into it.
Hence some of my confusion, I could get the W520 for less and run for a while as is. But I'd definately have to upgrade the Dell's ram and then later update the hard drive. Is the larger screen and Firepro 8900M worth the extra?

18) Do you need an optical drive?
Yes, a DVD/DVD R/RW drive is fine. Don't need blue ray right yet but would like to be able to upgrade later if needed.

Anyway, hopefully that'll give you an idea of what i'm looking for. Any advice is appreciated and thank you for taking the time to read my post.

[dsrini9000]

Firstly...Lenovo may have a lower price, but that comes with a one year pickup and return warranty...the Dells have a 3 year onsite standard...

Second, Optimus has had issues, particularly with programs that use OpenGL not liking the fact that all of the display code gets shunted to the HD 3000 IGP which causes lockups and BSODs (hopefully it has improved, but i'm not too sure...

And if you like dell, why not the Precision M4600? It has AMD graphics (Firepro M5950=Radeon 6770M), and is 15" and has a beautiful screen...probably could get it for $2k if you tried...

[Boxytheboxed]

You can disable optimus in the Lenovo's BIOS. Any reason you aren't looking at HP Elitebook?

[Altered Phoenix]

I have run Solidworks just fine on my $741 Optimus-equipped ASUS UL50-VT. I'm sure both those that you suggested will run it just fine...

Edit:
Also, don't worry too much about whether a trackpad will be good for CAD. It would probably be easier to just buy the $20 USB mouse from an store near you (Target, Walmart, Bestbuy, etc.)

[jin07]

The Dell 4600 is pretty darn expensive:

i7 - 2720
Quadro 2000M
2.0 GB RAM
IPS FHD
250 GB HDD
Intel 6300 Wireless
3 Year warranty

About $2105 with their 30% discount

Dell 4600 without IPS FHD with 5950:

i7 - 2720
5950
4.0 GB RAM
FHD
320 GB HDD
Intel 6300 Wireless
Backlit keyboard
3 Year warranty

About $1735 with their 30% discount

W520
i7 - 2720
Quadro 2000M
4.0 GB RAM
FHD
320 GB HDD
Intel 6300 Wireless
1 Year warranty

About $1690 through BN discount + Lenovo frequently has 10-15% off coupons which can bring that price down to ~$1521

Let's say you don't like the standard one year warranty on the Thinkpad, it is admittedly weak. First, you could keep the warranty as is and only upgrade later on if something happens. Or, you could get the 3 year onsite for $175. Another option would be the 3 year onsite with accidental coverage for $207.

So right now, since there isn't a 10-15% discount floating around, that would make the $1690 go up to $1897 at most. That's still $208 cheaper than the Dell 4600M with the IPS. Furthermore, in actuality it's even cheaper than that since you'll probably want to upgrade the 4600M's RAM and/or HDD.

However, if you take away the IPS and the Quadro for the 5950 (which is equal or better than the Quadro) from the 4600M, then the price is comparable or cheaper than the W520. Thankfully they finally offer the 4600M at a decent price now. However, I think one the strongest aspects of the 4600M is its gorgeous IPS screen. Without that, I don't see much of a reason to get it over the other top business laptops (W520 and HP 8560w). For instance, the 8560w can be had for $1359 with better specs (8 GB RAM and 500 GB HDD) and a 3 year warranty. The only downside to the HP would be its weight and relatively weak battery life (~2-3 hours).

Now about the 6600M versus the W520/4600M/8560w, it really comes down to how much power you want for gaming since I'm pretty sure Solidworks will run fine on any of them. If you really want to game, prepare to spend quite a bit more money than your budget with the 6600M.

That said, you could get a gaming laptop within your budget if gaming is really important to you.

Lastly, I doubt any of these laptops will last 6-7 years. That's a very long time and by then even a completely crazy current day laptop would be horribly out of date. Think about this, back in about 2006 Nvidia GeForce 7950 GTX SLI was pretty good at the time and has a 3dmark06 of ~7000. The Firepro 5950 which is currently more of an upper mid range GPU gets a 3dmark06 of 10300. A 580M SLI gets around 22000.

[stretchy]

first off thank you for your replies so far
Altered Phoenix, what sizes of assemblies are you working with? Any features you have found disabled besides live view? Ya know, you go to the Sld Wrks forums and they always tout using the Optimus or FirePro style cards so it's hard to divert my focus from that. Their marketing scheme worked Lol.

As for the warranty, i've read about a few people over at the w520 owner's forum saying that they've been able to get the phone reps to give them a free upgrade to the 2 or 3 year on-site warranty.

As for the M4600, all things being equal, I can get the Lenovo with the Quadro 2000M for about the same as I can get an equally spec'd Dell M4600 with the dicounts that I have. Plus in the past i've always been an Nvidia fan but trying to let go of that. From what I've read the AMD M5950 AND Nvidia 2000M are very close to be equal and I did like the power savings from the Optimus. I have read of some troubles with Optimus but I thought most of them were from laptops with consumer grade cards trying to use solidworks.

But I have heard some good reports from the M8900 so I can configure the Dell 6600 for only a couple hundred more with discounts and i'm trying to weigh my options. I would like to keep this laptop for at 6 or 7 years.


Lenovo W520
Advantages: Intel 2720QM Processor, Quadro 2000M, 4GB Ram base config., better battery life and 9cell battery on base config, lighter weight for better portability, solid construction (from reviews i read anyway), good keyboard, 500GB HD only a $30ish upgrade.

Disadvantages: Smaller screen, no number pad, No option for backlit keyboard (has thinklight in stead)

Dell M6600
Advantages: Intel 2620M Processor, AMD FirePro M8900, Numberpad, backlit keyboard option, available instructions on how to replace just about every part in the laptop (i see it as a plus), Centrino Ultimate N Card on base config, Eyefinity if I want to fill my field of vision with monitors, FirePros sound like they're better for gaming,

Disadvantages: heavier, shorter battery life, keyboard flex? Ram is expensive so on top of paying more....I'd have to buy more ram.

i know I'll need to upgrade eventually but the lenovo will let me run off the bat without any immediate needed upgrades. but in the long run, will i wish i had got the larger Dell? it's hard to tell.

Back in the day when Inventor was new I always remember reading about issues with the Fire Cards and CAD. Its been a while since I've read up on them so I'm sure much has changed.

Anyway, I'm cornfuzed. If i was rich i'd buy both but i'm not...so I need to make sure I'm making the right decision.

Came back to Edit: I never gave HP a thought because i glanced at their site and kinda just dismissed it. I work at a big box retailer as a 2nd job/hobby and I always hear complaints about HP's laptop quality so it kinda scared me off. hear the same about Dell too but that's what we use at my company and don't have any problems with what we use.

[stretchy]

Jin, admittedly, i like the 6600 for gaming but the larger screen is also kind of nice for work too....as is the numberpad, but I can buy a number pad for the W520. I have my 360 for games, just would be nice if i'm traveling and need to take out some frustration. And we have a teenager so sometimes i can't get to my tv....lol.

As for 6 years being horribly out of date....my Macbook Pro cried a little when you said that.

[jin07]

Not sure if you caught my edit so here it is again:

Lastly, I doubt any of these laptops will last 6-7 years. That's a very long time and by then even a completely crazy current day laptop would be horribly out of date. Think about this, back in about 2006 Nvidia GeForce 7950 GTX SLI was pretty good at the time and has a 3dmark06 of ~7000. The Firepro 5950 which is currently more of an upper mid range GPU gets a 3dmark06 of 10300. A 580M SLI gets around 22000.



Between the W520 and the M6600, I'd probably go with the W520. If I wanted a bigger screen, I could hook it up to a monitor or TV. If I needed a numberpad, those can be had for cheap. The decision between these two comes down to portability & price vs power. The 6600M is more powerful, though it isn't overwhelmingly stronger than the W520. If you will be moving the laptop around frequently, then I'd go with the W520. If you will take it around, but not too often and don't mind spending more than your budget, M6600.

A quick note, if you don't think you'll be taking it with you at all, then you should get a desktop.

Edit: Hmmm from your post, it looks like screen size and the numberpad are really important to you, in that case it might be better to get the M6600.

[Altered Phoenix]

The assemblies I did were never incredibly detailed. I never had more than 20 parts at a time (counting screws and the like as parts). I can't recall any features that were disabled, but I never got too in depth with it (I used it for an EDSG 100 class at Penn State).
It would lag quite a bit when making assemblies into drawings or within a few minutes of opening an assembly.
Still, the laptop I'm talking about is a 1.3ghz dual core with 2gb ram and 0.5 vram. Not really a powerhouse.

[jin07]

Oh and keep in mind that the 8560w has a numberpad and can be had for really cheap. The screen would naturally be smaller, but you'd have a numberpad and more than enough money left over to buy a monitor.