Heavy business use laptop suggestions

[Dooling37]

Hello,

I am interested in recommendations for a laptop that fits the following criteria:
- i5 or i7 Intel processor
- 4GB+ RAM
- Nvidia video card
- at least 300GB HDD, 7200 rpm
- clickable mouse buttons (i.e., not the touchpad "buttons" that are touch-only)
- 15-16" screen
- $700-1100

It will be used almost exclusively for "business purposes" - network scanning, programming, light image editing, logfile parsing, etc. - including running multiple VMs. Linux base.

I prefer certain manufacturers over others, mainly based on Linux compatibility / usability (from researching online reports, and personal experience, I'd lean towards HP & Lenovo, and avoid Toshiba, but this is a very broad generalization..)

After a week or two of researching, I'd finally found the laptop I wanted.. and it seems to be sold out everywhere!: HP dv6-2190us.
Does anyone know what the "successor" model to this system is?

Thanks in advance.

 

[CurseTheSky]

Lenovo Thinkpad T400 / X200 series, Dell Latitude, or HP Elitebook. You can't go wrong with any of those.

Check them all out, see who offers the best bang for the buck, and Google to see how their (BUSINESS) customer support is.

 

[Emulex]

hp elitebook all the way. i've dropped an 8730w about 5 times (and its hella heavy) and it's dented the hardwoods and keeps on rocking. no dents. no budges.

quadro card is removable (MXM?) so you can swap out for a different one - uses standard nvidia drivers not oem-only. some have 16gb capability and dual SSD+raid.

intel AMT/management/computrace professional/gobi cdma+gsm 3G.

elitebooks come with 3/3/3 nbd on-site (last time i checked) by default. i had a flat spot on the backlight and they brought a new screen out the next day took 10 minutes to swap it (unbolt latches and slide up). sweet.

expensive? yes. business rugged? yes. ssd? yes - two - raid even - bd-re/or 1-2TB 2.5" option.

Wierd thing is you can find some models on TD cheap now and then - like 60-70% off the truck cheap - or hp business outlet.

for about $149 you can upgrade to DMR,ADR, and computrace professional uplift carepack. well worth it.

you can uplift a business outlet model too. check it out. alot of the business outlet are customized machines that never got sold (can tell by the sku) or customized models refurbed. i've googled the custom sku's and found them linked to companies.

 

[Dooling37]

Thank you both for the suggestions - I'll check em in detail tomorrow..

 

[vbuggy]

I'd also suggest the Elitebooks for heavy use - the 15-inch 8540p's start from around $1300, and are already decent configurations at the price range.

 

[NitrouseXpress60]

Lenovo T510 meets all your requirements.

 

[Dooling37]

Yup - both cost a bit more than I was hoping to spend, but they do meet my requirements.
Leanings towards Lenovo T510 at this point, but still considering..

Thanks again for your input.

 

[vbuggy]

The T510 can be a bit weak-sauce in terms of fitout, but undoubtedly it's at the general level of the Elitebooks in terms of a duty cycle that you'd be happy with. I just don't happen to think they're 'legendary' anymore, despite their merits today.

Apart from that, I guess it's just a matter of whether you're willing to chance that heavy duty cycle suitability against something that's superficially better bang for the buck. If you're overstating your needs in terms of robustness, it is possible that a consumer machine would do the job just fine. But personally, if you want stuff to really 'just work', you're better off with the T's and the Elitebooks.

 

[ecom]

There is also Dell Latitude E6510 which should be comparable to the T510.

For even more power, there is Dell Precision laptops which are desktop replacements.

 

[Emulex]

if you beat a mugger with your elitebook they will have broken nose/face - and your lappy will still work

service is awesome from hp too the 3/3/3nbd - they came out - undid 4 or 6 screws, popped the 17" 1920x1200 screen off and popped a new one on in 10 minutes - i could detect an odd backlight difference at the bottom - took a pic - sent to hp business support - next day tech came out and did the work. i was actually surprised they didn't tell me i was crazy but my dslr showed the issue by tweaking the contrast on a pure white screen (backlight bleed).

lenovo is the mercedes; hp is the bmw; dell is the hyundai.

all great products with similar intent - totally different delivery/service experience.

best best best word of advice - find a buddy and borrow theirs for a day or so - like a car you should do some hands-on. when i buy a bmw(or hyundai or mercedes) i ask them to let me have it for the weekend (and they do) - it's a true test that works. buying any laptop blindly or at a retail store - just not the best advice - unless you are going for super-exotic (super dope macbook) because you have money to burn.

hands on - try them - for a weekend..

If you are a business of any size lenovo and hp will be glad to demo you a model for 2-3 weeks - just return it in the same condition - no fees - nothing. not sure if dell will front you one like that. your company might help you on that.

I've demo'd $5000 laptops - didn't work out for the customer - tried another brand - didn't work out - tried another -finally sold them 50 - this is SOP for midsize companies.

end users not going to fly - but through your work - maybe so. use your connections my friend

 

[herm0016]

i have an older elite book and a newer one. they both work great and we abuse the crap out of them. everyone that needs a computer has one at work. all of the office people have them with docks. i use mine in the field, hooked up to my logging truck, in my pickup, at my desk etc.... gets thrown around a lot on the road.

 

[Dooling37]

Wow, a lot of hp elitebook love! Though it'll hurt my bank account, I will check these out more closely..

 

[Infrnl]

if you look at the p series of the elitebook its a lot easier on the wallet and they currently have 18% off which helps a little.

I was also looking at the EB/F Vaio line which seems to offer more for the money; however I do not think they have the aluminum chassis. on The EB series they are still showing the Full HD screen upgrade on the EB for free; $50 value.

The options you get for the price on the Sony might be worth a look

I do not like the Dells or Lenovo due to the fact that they do not have the 10-key pad, but not necessarily a deal breaker.
I am also sure that there are others equivilent, but you will lose the build quality. just my $.02

 

[Emulex]

hp business outlet man it's all in the timing.

i could probably explain how warehousing and imaging custom builds (ie gov customer doesn't want webcam nor fingerprint reader [damn things always go off when you brush them]) - now thats not a unit that you return to the shelves and sell - but they do get returned/refurb'd/unsold - alot of times customer says they will buy 100 from you - custom configured - imaged - etc - then buy 90 and say oh well no more cash - those 10 go back into the gene pool (new) but in the business outlets (dell,hp,lenovo) etc. this is where you get a hot deal. timing is everything.

also many big corp's say you must have ## spare units within 4 hours (24x7) and ### of units worth of spare parts within 4 hours - or we're not buying 1000 of them - fair enough - so these machines get left behind - when BIG CORP says lets move to this years model - shiny new perfect machines go on mad sale as they are rotting.

The more units sold (hp sells alot of business laptops) the more of this you'll see - consumer junk just gets sold off by the retailers (cowboom or best buy private auction/ebay). nobody wants used consumer junk - its just polished off and sold used - if a cockroach climbs out of the keyboard - oh well.

I've never seen a refurb hp business unit not look new - many times they are old or freaky configs but fingerprint free.

the hp elitebook finish is very very very easy to spot fingerprints on the metal - if you look at the right angle

 

[muskie32]

if you beat a mugger with your elitebook they will have broken nose/face - and your lappy will still work

Haha...

 

[Dooling37]

Unfortunately I think the Elitebooks are a bit out of my price range, for the specs I want. They're probably a bit overkill for my needs in terms of durability, anyways. ; )

So now I've narrowed down my options to a Toshiba Tecra A11 (Ubuntu-certified, for what it's worth) vs. a custom HP dv6t.

Here are the specs (and a link for the Toshiba):
* TOSHIBA Tecra A11-S3540
Intel Core i7 620M (2.66GHz)
NVIDIA Quadro NVS 2100M; 512MB
4GB memory
320GB x 7200rpm HDD
1600x900
$1300


* HP dv6t
Intel Core i5-460M Dual Core
512MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5470
8GB DDR3 System Memory
500GB 7200RPM Hard Drive
15.6" (1366x768)
$1000

 

[Emulex]

hp business outlet dude. they are having maddddd sale. plus you can apply 3yr nbd warranty and free ship and other goodies. take a look.

 

[vbuggy]

Having said that, the Tosh looks like a good deal. Unfortunately I've not been a 'Tosh guy' for ages - I've only bought two of their machines in the last two years so have no really worthwhile experience.

 

[Dooling37]

hp business outlet dude. they are having maddddd sale. plus you can apply 3yr nbd warranty and free ship and other goodies. take a look.

You're right - now that I look more closely, there are some good deals. For example:
Refurbished HP 8540p XP7 i7 620M 2.66GHz 250GB 4GB DVDRW(LS) 15.6HD(1366x768) WLAN NVS 5100 1GB Cam

But at $1200 for a refurbished laptop, I don't see it as that compelling a deal..

re: the 3yr nbd warranty -- that will cost extra, right?
"Generally speaking, refurbished Business notebooks, desktops, workstations, tablet PCs, thin clients and corresponding options come with a one-year limited warranty"

Thanks again for your input.

 

[Dooling37]

An 8540w for just a bit more - $1250:
HP 8540w i7 620M 2.66GHz 250GB 4GB DVDRW(LS) 15.6HD+(1600x900) WLAN FX880M 1GB Cam

The customer service person I spoke to couldn't determine whether the HDD is 5400 or 7200 rpm - but I can't imagine them putting a 5400 rpm drive in an EliteBook, right?

So.. refurbished HP Elitebook 8540w or Toshiba Tecra A11-S3540?
Specs and price differences seem to be negligible (assuming the HP HDD is 7200rpm), though the Toshiba 3 year warranty exceeds HP's 1 year refurb. warranty..

 

[Dooling37]

I ended up going a bit cheaper, with a refurbished HP Elitebook 8540p:
HP 8540p XP7 i7 620M 2.66GHz 320GB 4GB(2DM) DVDRW(LS) 15.6HD+(1600x900) WLAN BT Cam

Paid $150 to upgrade to a 3 year warranty, for a total of $1050. 10 day return policy is reassuring, but hopefully this one will work out nicely!

Thanks again for everyone's help & suggestions, especially Emulex for the heads-up on HP business outlet!