IT/ Computer guys step in:

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TL/DR: need recommendations for a laptop that isn’t hot garbage.





So the wife is switching jobs and therefore turned in her work laptop. It was just some random outdated HP notebook. Her new job basically just uses Desktops but my wife likes to work at home/ on the go. So we need to buy a laptop. We also want to use it for any other purpose at home up to and including editing large photos and 4K video. So here’s the conundrum..... we have iMacs and MacBooks already so we don’t want another Apple product as the shit she needs for work is all windows based/ not easily converted to Apple so no MacBooks! The problem with that is that in my admittedly limited experience in modern windows laptops, they all seem to be complete bullshit build quality. So I’m looking for a windows laptop that is built like a MacBook basically. Cost isn’t much of a consideration but we aren’t looking for a huge gaming laptop either as my wife will be carrying it around every day. Likely something in the 15-17” range. MUST NOT BE SLOW AS SHIT!!!! I want SSD, huge amounts of ram, i5 processor or better. I’d like to be around $1000-1200 if possible, if not so be it if the build quality is high enough. I know some of you guys have those badass PCs that turn on and boot up in 15 seconds and could render avatar in 15 minutes lol, that’s what I’m looking for basically. I’m not huge on screen resolution so I’m not sure if I’d need a 4K screen but if that’s what you get at this price point than so be it. Thanks in advance
 

Intel

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Oct 28, 2009
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Business grade laptop. Lenovo, HP, Dell all make them. I have experience with the HP (have one from work) and Lenovo. I prefer lenovo thinkpads.

you aren't getting a 4k screen out of a business laptop. Way too small of a screen for that high of a resolution. If it were me I would get the 14 inch thinkpad and hook it up to a larger monitor when editing photos/video.

Otherwise they have a 15 inch version
https://www3.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpad-t-series/ThinkPad-T570/p/22TP2TT5700
 

sickmint79

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Mar 2, 2008
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i bought my last lenovo on the student line and said i was about to buy a dell, they threw in a bunch of shit for free.

my last lappy/current box is a 15" 4k dell biz nass one i got as a refurb with a long warranty on ebay. one of the speakers seems chintzy/blown but i pretty much only use headphones or a bluetooth speaker so i've never cared. i replaced with an ssd of my choosing and tweaky nerd ram that's not really worth the money so it chooches pretty well.

i'd explore these options - student line/refurb and biz notebooks. i don't render a ton but you'll want cpu to rip through that shit so ideally something like an i7. bandwidth of your 4k signal really matters a lot like 30 gbps vs. 60 gpbs the latter is more of a pita for sure. i suppose codec and all that matters too. my laptop is a couple years old now i guess, editing 4k high bandwidth vid isn't the smallest task though.
 

muskie

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Is she even allowed to BYOD (Bring your own device)? Personally I think using a work laptop for personal stuff is a terrible idea. For one thing any device she uses for work can get subpoenaed in the event something happens at work. Second you could be opening her up to lots of legal issues if your device is compromised.

That aside - To do 4K video you are going to need a laptop with a 4K screen (if you don't plan on plugging into a monitor) and something with a decent GPU like a 1060 or above. That basically puts you into gaming laptop territory. Some of those are $2k+ and run about 10-12lbs.

If you can do without the video I agree with above. Find a newer Dell Latitude with a docking station. They are easy to repair, light, powerful and just overall workhorses. Consumer laptops are so terribly manufactured and cheap.
 

sickmint79

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Is she even allowed to BYOD (Bring your own device)? Personally I think using a work laptop for personal stuff is a terrible idea. For one thing any device she uses for work can get subpoenaed in the event something happens at work. Second you could be opening her up to lots of legal issues if your device is compromised.

That aside - To do 4K video you are going to need a laptop with a 4K screen (if you don't plan on plugging into a monitor) and something with a decent GPU like a 1060 or above. That basically puts you into gaming laptop territory. Some of those are $2k+ and run about 10-12lbs.

If you can do without the video I agree with above. Find a newer Dell Latitude with a docking station. They are easy to repair, light, powerful and just overall workhorses. Consumer laptops are so terribly manufactured and cheap.

dunno how much of this is hobby vs. real deal stuff but you can certainly edit 4k vid on a non-4k screen.

i'm not sure how much the gpu helps, no pro at this stuff, but i'm under the impression it is really only for effects and such that it really helps. like an after effects kind of thing or few seconds here/there on a special effect in video, whereas most of the work in rendering and working on a video is cpu. i guess that again comes down to what kind of video/content/etc is being edited and rendered.
 

Kensington

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dunno how much of this is hobby vs. real deal stuff but you can certainly edit 4k vid on a non-4k screen.

i'm not sure how much the gpu helps, no pro at this stuff, but i'm under the impression it is really only for effects and such that it really helps. like an after effects kind of thing or few seconds here/there on a special effect in video, whereas most of the work in rendering and working on a video is cpu. i guess that again comes down to what kind of video/content/etc is being edited and rendered.

The GPU can do a lot of processing on its own, and can take the stress off the CPU. The big data miners and bit coin miners use GPU's to do the heavy lifting instead of processors, as they are functionally similar.
 

Intel

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The GPU can do a lot of processing on its own, and can take the stress off the CPU. The big data miners and bit coin miners use GPU's to do the heavy lifting instead of processors, as they are functionally similar.

Yeah but when it comes to processing video. CPU is key. I have had up to date video cards in with a very old I5-2500k for processing video and it is slow. Upgraded to an I7 and my video processing times went down because like 3x the number of cores.
 

Fish

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The GPU can do a lot of processing on its own, and can take the stress off the CPU. The big data miners and bit coin miners use GPU's to do the heavy lifting instead of processors, as they are functionally similar.

GPUs in a computer setting are there to assist with the rendering of graphics onto the monitor. It does not process information in applications. A graphics card is not going to help process 4K video. The CPU will process it. The GPU will display it.

Yeah but when it comes to processing video. CPU is key. I have had up to date video cards in with a very old I5-2500k for processing video and it is slow. Upgraded to an I7 and my video processing times went down because like 3x the number of cores.

Exactly.

Fun little read just in case.

https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Why_a_GPU_mines_faster_than_a_CPU
 

Mr_Roboto

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The GPU can do a lot of processing on its own, and can take the stress off the CPU. The big data miners and bit coin miners use GPU's to do the heavy lifting instead of processors, as they are functionally similar.

Yeah but when it comes to processing video. CPU is key. I have had up to date video cards in with a very old I5-2500k for processing video and it is slow. Upgraded to an I7 and my video processing times went down because like 3x the number of cores.

If you're actually rendering you want a HD video card. If you're encoding or working with video you want CPU and RAM. This is a dynamic that may have changed somewhat in the last few years.

My advice is get a machine set up at your house that's beefy then remote desktop into it and do work there if you have the network for it. I don't know if a good laptop is gonna be within your price range with the tasks you're looking to do. That seems like high end work station stuff.
 

importcrew

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Bought me a Dell Inspiron 7737 a few years ago. 17" screen (1080p), 16gigs ram, i7 processor, and a 2gb mobile graphics card (Nvidia). I believe I spent about $1100 with 3 year extra warranty (after manufacturer). Works well for my business and running some intensive programs.

Not sure how the newer ones compare though.
 

sickmint79

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The GPU can do a lot of processing on its own, and can take the stress off the CPU. The big data miners and bit coin miners use GPU's to do the heavy lifting instead of processors, as they are functionally similar.

well, just because they can both do something doesn't mean it's being done efficiently. a cpu can also render video, and for gaming stuff, it does a shit job at it. but it does it...

old article i actually... didn't read, but pretty sure it makes the point from a quick skim - https://theblog.adobe.com/cuda-mercury-playback-engine-and-adobe-premiere-pro

most 4k work is cpu intensive, so you want multiple cores/chips and fast ones. gpu becomes a big player if you start using special effects and such, although i personally don't do anything useful enough to warrant me spending big on a vid card for 4k editing.
 

Lord Tin Foilhat

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Future proofing and laptops don't mix. The second you buy it, its outdated and major components can't be upgraded.

If you are set on a laptop doing all the hard work, then get the fastest processor, with the most ram, with a SSD. Make sure it has a real GPU like a gtx 1080/1070 in the laptop which will better future proof it. Ive seen newer laptops with gtx 1070s.

But my vote is on a built beefy Desktop with Home VPN. This gives you the ability to work remotely from a couple hundred dollar laptop without sacrificing speed. Plus if the laptop gets stolen, you lose nothing because its all at home on the desktop. As long as you don't have poverty internet, it wilk work great. I do it from my android phone to manage my gaming rig and plex server remotely when I am not home. Thats with just comcast 100Mbps plan.
 

bikrboy128

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i've got a razer blade 14 w/ i7, 16gb ram, 512gb SSD, gtx 1060 6gb, 14" 1080p screen.
its lightweight and the build quality is great, feels premium with the all black aluminium chassis. battery life is great too, i can usually get 8 hours web browsing/watching video.
i know it's "gamer" with it's green lit snake thing on the back of the screen, but the light can be turned off and dbrand makes skins to cover that up.

i picked it up for $1500 on sale a while back, which is a great deal for a thin and light with that much pah
 
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