High-performance laptop for engineering simulations, 3D drawings / photography-graphic design

[simsi]

General Questions

1) What is your budget?

up to 3000$

2) What size notebook would you prefer?

c. Thin and Light; 13" - 14" screen
d. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen

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

Canada or US

4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?

a. Like: HP
b. Dislike: the cheap ones

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

maybe.

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

- simulations
- photography, graphic design

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 your notebook? If so, please state which games or types of games?

not really

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

as much as possible. at least 5, I travel a lot.

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?

online is OK.

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

Windows 7, (Mac also an option, not sure, never had one)

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. Click here for Screen resolution information.

LARGE! Min. 1680 x 1050.

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

Matte.

Build Quality and Design

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

sort of. not primarily, but still...

15) When are you buying this laptop?

next few months.

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

several years.

Notebook Components

17) How much hard drive space do you need; 80GB to 640GB? Do you want a SSD drive?

500 GB min.

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

DVD burner min.

[pepper_john]

thinkpad X1 carbon

[frodoz737]

Tell us which engineering and photo software you use to better qualify any recommendations.

[simsi]

Photography: Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom mainly
Engineering: many - specifically memory-intense simulation software, and CAD. HFSS, ADS, ProEngineer, etc.

I saw the Lenovo W520 is on huge sale until Memorial Day, is that an option?
Laptop PCs - ThinkPad W Series by Lenovo | United States (US)

[frodoz737]

If you stay with the 15", Lenovo W520/W530 or the Dell M4600/M4700. New Adobe CS6 requires less graphics, but previous versions, CATIA, Solidworks, E-Pro and everything else still wants hardware. See M4600 vs. W520 vs. 8560w and M4600 vs 8560W. I chose the Dell in signature for Son's post graduate, which begins June 4th. Very happy with the product and Pro support.

[frodoz737]

Be advised - the HP 8560W has cooling issues and turned off CPU Turbo-Boost function in the BIOS as a remedy for some.

[pepper_john]

I saw the Lenovo W520 is on huge sale until Memorial Day, is that an option?
Laptop PCs - ThinkPad W Series by Lenovo | United States (US)

Lenovo is offering an even deeper discount for students right now.

I don't own an W520 but the owner thread in the lenovo subforum here has a lot discussions about it.

[jwolf7722]

Older Lenovo W520 ran Adobe CS5 fine when I had it. It lacks the GPU power the Dell Precision m6600 provides.

Only reason to get the HP business class systems is for the DreamColor display. Other than that its a waste.

[simsi]

Hello - wow, thanks for your fast replies!!

So of course I am stuck between the W520, and the M4600. I think I tend more towards Lenovo.

I have a few things to decide:
1. Processor: Is a i7-2760 enough? There is also the more expensive i7-extreme processor line, but it sounds a little too pricey to be worth it.
2. I am thinking of updating the RAM myself. I did that with my old HP and it's perfect. So I might just buy it with 4 GB and stock up to 16 myself, most probably Kingston HyperX ones. If I select 1333MHz RAM for the order, will I be able to use 1600MHz modules or only 1333MHz ones?
3. Do I need the WiMax wireless card? Sounds like a stupid question, but what is it?
4. Does anyone know if the screen is good of Lenovo? It is not IPS, but that's ok, the real photo fun is done on an external good monitor - but still - my old screen doesn't even want to be calibrated (it becomes purplish thereafter - and trust me, I know how to calibrate monitors).
5. Can I plug two monitors into this?
6. Will USB3 ports support USB2 devices?

Thanks!!!
Simone

[frodoz737]

Although I'm sure there are folks here much more qualified than myself to respond, I will give you my take and opinions as it relates to your last post.

For your stated usage:

1. I believe the i7-2860QM is preferred. More is better, excluding "Extreme" CPUs. They are just overpriced bragging rights.

2. Purchase with minimun RAM and upgrade yourself. Make sure it is compatible. I went 32GB, but learned before purchasing that max freq would be 1333, with 16GB I could go 1600. Of course this is for M4600.

3. I went 6300 because my research showed the 6250 tech is being bypassed in most markets in favor of 4G LTE, mine included.

4. If you use the Quadro, do not go ISP. You loose Optimus Tech which saves battery and reduces heat when intense graphics are not required. Both 1920x1080s are comparable, but I think the Lenovo has it on the calibration option.

5. & 6. Should be on the specs.

Comments: This was a hard decision for me. I revisited the W520 after dropping the 8560w from consideration. Both units are very good. We chose the M4600 finally because of the metal case, lighted and traditional format keyboard, mSATA HD factory installed/configured and a few other items. The strong points for the W520 were reported longer battery span and better Docking Station (if we get him one later). Last point, get the 2000M GPU. Of three selections, it is the best choice for pro graphics and NVidia still does drivers better.

I wish to thank everyone here again for the help you gave me. Boy gets his this coming Saturday.