New laptop time

[Tom]

My laptop is starting to fall apart. So I figure its time to start looking into a new one.

I've been looking into hp and lenovo's. The HP probooks look ok, but the options are a bit /meh/ for the price. But the lenovo W530 looks pretty good to me. T530 is good too, but it seems for the money the W530 is a better bet (it can be upgraded a bit further for the same money).

Was wondering if you guys had any suggestions. Good linux support is an absolute must.

[Melbosa]

I absolutely love my Asus Gamers... but I am not sure about the linux support. The HP Elite Books are very nice that we get at work and they do work well with Ubuntu (people in the office are running it).  I have this one: http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/sm/WF06a/321957-321957-64295-3740645-3955549-5212912.html?dnr=1, even comes with a serial port on the back (/shock).

I have not heard good things about the MSI Gaming lappies that MemEx has on sale.  Dell XPS Laptops are also very well built now as the Latitude line of laptops they have are going out the door, XPS replacing them.  Again those should be good for Linux support.

[Mr. Analog]

I've not seen a new HP laptop since 2010 but back then there were a lot of quality control problems from what I remember.

My sister in law has an ASUS and the only real issue was heat generation (which was to be expected given the video card).

[Melbosa]

I've not seen a new HP laptop since 2010 but back then there were a lot of quality control problems from what I remember.

Take a walk through NAIT, we're HP central for all your browsing needs . 

[Thorin]

All I can say is make sure you get a powerful enough laptop - you make some cash, don't need to scrimp.  A computer is a business write-off for you anyway.  But cheaping out on video capabilities will piss you off in six months' time.

[Mr. Analog]

I've not seen a new HP laptop since 2010 but back then there were a lot of quality control problems from what I remember.

Take a walk through NAIT, we're HP central for all your browsing needs

They went through 6 months of RMAing workstation laptops interally so back to you, even their IT department was upset about it.

[Melbosa]

I've not seen a new HP laptop since 2010 but back then there were a lot of quality control problems from what I remember.

Take a walk through NAIT, we're HP central for all your browsing needs

They went through 6 months of RMAing workstation laptops interally so back to you, even their IT department was upset about it.

The laptops in the Elite series seem to be very solid IMO.  No issues I know of and half the department has them.  The older HP lappies... yeah they had issues. I won't deny that.

[Mr. Analog]

I can't remember what they were called but they were pretty high end for workstations in 2010 (multi-core, min 8 G of memory)

I Wonder if Outright Routine Killed Everyone's Data And Took Hope away Permenantly

*cough*

[Tom]

All I can say is make sure you get a powerful enough laptop - you make some cash, don't need to scrimp.  A computer is a business write-off for you anyway.  But cheaping out on video capabilities will piss you off in six months' time.

Indeed, which is why I'm seriously considering the Lenovo W530 with the Quadro K2000M. The T530 only has a 5400M which is like half the performance.

A gaming laptop might be the way to go, but I also want something fairly rugged.

One problem with nvidia graphics that I'll be ignoring is the lack of optimus support. Probably just disable it in the bios and force the discreet gpu, just because.

I can't remember what they were called but they were pretty high end for workstations in 2010 (multi-core, min 8 G of memory)

I Wonder if Outright Routine Killed Everyone's Data And Took Hope away Permenantly

*cough*

Lawl.

[Melbosa]

I can't remember what they were called but they were pretty high end for workstations in 2010 (multi-core, min 8 G of memory)

I Wonder if Outright Routine Killed Everyone's Data And Took Hope away Permenantly

*cough*

Yeah the Elites are a new series rebrand as of 2012.  New hardware, new design.

Prior to these I would NOT have recommend an HP, knowing "someone's" experience while working somewhere, and what we went through at NAIT.

A gaming laptop might be the way to go, but I also want something fairly rugged.

One problem with nvidia graphics that I'll be ignoring is the lack of optimus support. Probably just disable it in the bios and force the discreet gpu, just because.

Two weeks after I bought my last Asus, I slipped on ice with it in my backpack.  It saved my neck and head from hitting the ground.  All I had to do was snap back in some plastic and it was all good (nothing broken or chipped).  While some of it was the backpack, I can tell you it was definitely rugged and robust in the physical sense. 

It's predecessor (which you have used) still plays every game on the planet and is my main business laptop - if that isn't longevity I don't know what is.

And the Asus laptops come with nVidia or ATI, depends on the model.

[Tom]

I can't remember what they were called but they were pretty high end for workstations in 2010 (multi-core, min 8 G of memory)

I Wonder if Outright Routine Killed Everyone's Data And Took Hope away Permenantly

*cough*

Yeah the Elites are a new series rebrand as of 2012.  New hardware, new design.

Prior to these I would NOT have recommend an HP, knowing "someone's" experience while working somewhere, and what we went through at NAIT.

A gaming laptop might be the way to go, but I also want something fairly rugged.

One problem with nvidia graphics that I'll be ignoring is the lack of optimus support. Probably just disable it in the bios and force the discreet gpu, just because.

Two weeks after I bought my last Asus, I slipped on ice with it in my backpack.  It saved my neck and head from hitting the ground.  All I had to do was snap back in some plastic and it was all good (nothing broken or chipped).  While some of it was the backpack, I can tell you it was definitely rugged and robust in the physical sense. 

It's predecessor (which you have used) still plays every game on the planet and is my main business laptop - if that isn't longevity I don't know what is.

And the Asus laptops come with nVidia or ATI, depends on the model.

They aren't very configurable. In fact the selection seems to suck. I don't need it to come with a lot of hdd space or memory since I'll be upgrading to 16GB ram and an SSD right away. Also the cpu choice on ncix is crap.

[Tom]

Weird, HP lists /one/ non configurable Elite Book on their site. And its a 17"

[Melbosa]

Weird, HP lists /one/ non configurable Elite Book on their site. And its a 17"

http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/ca/en/sm/WF04a/321957-321957-64295-3955549-3955549.html?dnr=1

http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/ca/en/sm/WF25a/321957-321957-64295-3955549-3955549-5212912.html?dnr=1

I have an 8570p at work myself.  Seems like they have a few skus to pick from and a few choices for the sku.

[Tom]

Weird, HP lists /one/ non configurable Elite Book on their site. And its a 17"

http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/ca/en/sm/WF04a/321957-321957-64295-3955549-3955549.html?dnr=1

http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/ca/en/sm/WF25a/321957-321957-64295-3955549-3955549-5212912.html?dnr=1

I have an 8570p at work myself.  Seems like they have a few skus to pick from and a few choices for the sku.

That's weird. I searched for EliteBook on their site, and I got one result. I tried to find it from their main products page and didn't find much of anything. They might need to do something about that.

[Tom]

So it looks like I'll go with the Lenovo W530 as configured:

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Intel Core i7-3720QM Processor (6M Cache, up to 3.60 GHz)
Windows 8 Pro 64
15.6" FHD (1920 x 1080) LED Backlit AntiGlare Display, Mobile Broadband Ready
NVIDIA Quadro K2000M Graphics with 2GB DDR3 Memory
8 GB DDR3 - 1600MHz (2 DIMM)
UltraNav with Fingerprint Reader
500GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm
DVD Recordable 8x Max, Dual Layer, Ultrabay Enhanced w/ SW Royalty for Windows 8
9 Cell Li-Ion TWL 70++
Bluetooth 4.0 with Antenna
Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300 AGN
Mobile Broadband upgradable
3YR Onsite Next Business Day + Accidental Damage Protection + Priority Technical Support

I'll then upgrade the hard drive and ram once I get it. 240G SSD and 16GB ram (might delay on the ram, 8GB will probably be enough to start with). May even install a second ssd if I need more space in the ultrabay, but I'll keep the DVD-R for now.

The main reason for this choice? Its a kick ass laptop, and lenovo just gave me a 10% coupon. which brings this config with the extended warranty to under $2000.

Thanks for the input guys. Though if you can find a better laptop (given my requirements) for the same (or at least close) or better price, please let me know.