Laptop advice and recommendations sought for better than cheap consumer grade options

S

Sid Post

Joined
Oct 14, 1998
Messages
4,725
In the past I have generally used the "loss leader" laptops that ran $350~$450 because all I needed was basic web surfing and email in something that wasn't overly heavy.

Now, I am more into a Desktop replacement mode. My first concern is a great screen image with low glare and visible in sunlight, harsh airport lights, etc. so, probably a matte or semi-matte screen. Resolution needs to be better than full HD not 4K. I am not hung up on an SSD so any traditional hard drive solution works (especially considering how easy it is to upgrade a laptop hard drive later). I want an Intel CPU with a 6th Generation I-5 being the minimum and a quad-core 6th generation I-7 being preferred. Graphics capability needs to support the monitor so nothing archaic but, I also don't need bleeding edge performance for games either. ;)

Ideally, I would like to keep the price in the $1000~$1500 range. I have been looking at the Dell XPS15 though I think I would rather have a higher capacity battery for longer run times and 17" screen though, a 15" screen is acceptable as well.

What are the newer options that are hitting store shelves these days? Any big shake ups from CES in the marketplace yet? What's HOT?

TIA,
Sid
 
The only thing that makes what you want hard to find is the screen. The integrated intel graphics will be sufficient if you aren't gaming or doing anything really graphics-intensive. You can get higher capacity / larger cell count batteries that will be compatible with many laptops from various online retailers.

I'd do a search for high res matte screen laptops. Here's one site I found with comparisons: http://www.notebookcheck.net/The-Best-Notebook-Displays-As-Reviewed-By-Notebookcheck.120541.0.html.

I have no experience with any of those. A 17" laptop isn't fun to lug around if you plan on doing that, though. I also might suggest that for really small screens you aren't going to need 4k resolution or really anything over 1080p. You might read up on that a little if you haven't already done so: http://www.techradar.com/us/news/mo...gorgeous-but-they-re-not-worth-it-yet-1291430. Resolution over 1080p seems to be very expensive in laptops. It probably won't become standard for a few years.

Good luck with the search!
 
I have used a 17" laptop before so, I recognize the added burden of carrying one in a shoulder bag/case and the impact to battery life. I have also used 1080P laptops with 15" screens and have experience with the loss of performance in what I could do and what my eyes are capable of seeing. I understand what happens when I have a good IPS screen versus lesser performance screens. I'm not running Catia so, an AMD Firepro solution workstation doesn't really work for me either.

I agree that full 4K resolution in a 15" laptop in most cases is a total waste of battery life and dollars for most people. Ideally what I think I want is a 17" mattle HD+ to 4K "minus" resolution in a superior quality screen. The things I can't readily upgrade later are screens, CPUs and, GPUs. So that combined with a good case are my first concerns. RAM, hard drives, etc. are easy after the fact upgrades when I outgrow their capabilities. While 4K content today is very limited, during the service life of my laptop I expect that to change. I don't want to be forced into an premature laptop upgrade because my CPU is under powered, my GPU can't update at an acceptable rate or, the screen performance is substandard.

Best Regards,
Sid
 
Lenovo for business type stuff/home use, or something from HP/Dell with the 3 yaer warranty for home/goofing around.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top