Help Needed... Reliability, Stability, Scalability = workstation?

[deshaad]

Hey guys,

Your help is appreciated on this. I have an early 2011 Macbook Pro, and need to move to Windows for some programs I run. I've looked at running them in Parallels, but it's easy to start bogging the machine down. I don't mind moving to Windows and it may be most practical for me.

My first thought is I need a workstation and am looking at the Dell M4600, the Lenovo w520, and the HP EliteBook. I hear the w530 is coming out soon, maybe wait? I'd suspect a price drop on the 520.

Maybe I don't need a workstation, not sure, but I tend to bog down powerful computers even though I'm not doing gaming or 3d stuff.

The most important things for me are stability, reliability, and performance. My macbooks have always been great for stability and reliability, so if I can find a windows machine like that, great. I like a nice looking Display as well, but will usually have this plugged into a Apple Cinema Display, 95% of the time.

I don't care how it looks, or if its great for gaming or whatever. Purely business and stuff like photoshop (large files)

I filled out the form, so here were the results, thanks again....

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What is your budget?
1700

What country will you be buying this in?
canada

What size notebook do you prefer?
Mainstream (15 - 16-inch screen)


Would you consider a refurbished laptop?
Yes

What are the primary tasks you need this notebook for?
Web Surfing, Office and Productivity Software, Photo Editing, Video Editing, Computer Programming, Video Chat and Conference

When I browse I typically have 2-3 browsers open, and up to 30 tabs per browser. I also run the usual stuff like an audio player or whatever.

Specifically, I run things like photoshop, excel, word, etc. Skype as well.

adwords editor as well.

Mostly will be staying on the desk.

Where will you be using this laptop?
Will stay on desk

How many hours of battery life do you need?
3

Will you be buying online or in store?
online or in store

Which OS do you prefer?
Windows 7

List the screen resolutions that interest you:
High Resolution (1600 x 900)
Max Resolution (1920 x 1080)

Do you prefer a glossy or matte screen?
Glossy or Matte is fine

Is the laptops design important to you?
No

Approximately what date will you be buying this laptop?
Around 05/30/2012

How long do you want this laptop to last?
3 years

How much storage capacity do you need?
500 GB+

Are you interested in SSD for storage?
Maybe

Do you want a built-in optical drive, what type?
DVD Burner

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[knight427]

It is pretty common for power users to be disappointed with their MBP running Parallels. The issue is that you don't get use your full system power. As such, you might be surprised at the power of a PC with similar specs to your MBP.

Also, your buying time frame would exclude W530 since they are supposed to be released in June (don't recall exact date). The Dell and HP will lag behind this release. But if you don't do 3D or gaming, you might be better off ordering a consumer notebook, though I personally would rather grab the M4600 from Dell's business outlet the next time they have a coupon.

[deshaad]

Thanks very much for that. Ya I could wait for the W530, but I'd imagine the M4600 or W520 would have enough power for what I need.

[knight427]

Dell Business Outlet Coupon:

Take 20% off any Dell Outlet Dell Precision Laptop or Desktop!
Coupon Code: G3CH$RNNXMSPBW

Prices on the M4600 start at $743 (after coupon). Go with the Firepro GPU unless you know you need CUDA. It is the strongest option for non-CUDA tasks yet is also the cheapest.

[deshaad]

Dell Business Outlet Coupon:


Prices on the M4600 start at $743 (after coupon). Go with the Firepro GPU unless you know you need CUDA. It is the strongest option for non-CUDA tasks yet is also the cheapest.

Excellent thanks a lot. Been trying to decide between the Elitebook and M4600. The price might be a big difference with that discount. I'll see what HP can do but I've got a good idea now on these. This site is great, ha.

I also think that with the price difference I could get the RAM and drives to where I'd like, aftermarket. Biggest thing was just quality and stability and then of course performance, so I haven't heard many complaints about the Dells in that respect.

[msjgriffiths]

I also think that with the price difference I could get the RAM and drives to where I'd like, aftermarket. Biggest thing was just quality and stability and then of course performance, so I haven't heard many complaints about the Dells in that respect.

Make sure to buy a quad-core i7, particularly if you're buying from the Dell Outlet / eBay. You're going to want to throw 32GB RAM into that, since it's only ~$200.

[deshaad]

I saw a Dell on ebay with these specs for $1600:

Processor: Intel Core i7 2820M Quad Core 2.3GHz (8MB Cache)
Hard Disk Drive 256 GB SATA III SAMSUNG 830 SSD (FASTEST SSD)
Memory 16GB DDR3 SDRAM AT 1600MHz (4X4GB)
Video NVidia Quadro 1000M with 2GB GDDR3
Laptop Screen 15.6 inch FHD (1920x1080) Wide View Anti-Glare LED with Premium Panel + Webcamera

Would you say thats a pretty good deal? Ram and ssd is what i wantsd, but thats not the IPS display is it? PremiumPanel isnt necessarily IPS right, wouldnt that be ultrasharp?

What would the display equivalent be to a 2011 macbook pro? I liked mine.

[msjgriffiths]

The non-IPS display has 72% NTSC coverage - full sRGB - which I believe is better color than the MacBook Pros.

The SSD should be fast, but note the NVidia 1000M is the weakest card you can get in the M4600. It does give you Optimus, though, which ~doubles batterly life. You do get CUDA though, for Photoshop.

[KCETech1]

The non-IPS display has 72% NTSC coverage - full sRGB - which I believe is better color than the MacBook Pros.

The SSD should be fast, but note the NVidia 1000M is the weakest card you can get in the M4600. It does give you Optimus, though, which ~doubles batterly life. You do get CUDA though, for Photoshop.

- yes the non IPS is still better than a MBP
- as of CS6/ Photoshop 6, CUDA is non applicable, Adobe dumped CUDA for OpenCL in the entire suite, its most noticable in photoshop and Premier. actually the new nvidia kepler based cards are SLOWER than the older generation fermi's for GPU acceleration in the whole suite

http://vr-zone.com/articles/amd-and-...e-6/15657.html

[sgogeta4]

Check out the link in my sig for a comparison btw the laptops that you're considering. I personally went for the W520 for the battery life...