- Mar 21, 2007
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I'm in the market for a new laptop for work. Like many others my work is being done more from home still these days and it looks to be continuing like that for the foreseeable future. I'm an engineer and will be using the laptop as a desktop while I'm at home or in the office on some occasions as well as for use in the field. I presently use a Lenovo B50 15 inch and have been pretty happy with it since we picked it up back in 2015. So the new laptop will need to be able to run Office software, primarily Word, Excel, and Outlook, run some AutoCAD, mostly 2D drawings but we also do work with some mapping utilities, importing GIS shapefiles, aerial images (SID files), etc. and running manufacturer's software for programming IEDs (not very demanding). I've been looking at the Dell Vostro 15 and Lenovo Thinkbook 15 with i7 processors (or the new AMD when they become available soon), 16GB RAM, 512 GB SSD, and GTX 1650. I think either one of these will do what I need as far as running the software, but I want to make sure I understand how to integrate the laptop with the existing desktop setups I also have in place.
Office Setup
Currently has a Dell desktop and dual monitors. The new laptop would replace the desktop and I would likely also replace the monitors with 2 new ones (24 inch 1080p). I would then use a keyboard and mouse as well and just let the laptop be the desktop in essence.
Home setup
My gaming and photo editing PC which has three 24 inch 1080p monitors. This computer also runs folding at home 24/7. The laptop would need to be able to use at least 2 of these monitors. I'm also wondering if it's possible to integrate my existing keyboard and mouse (they are wired).
What do I need on the laptop to be able to integrate multiple monitors, a thunderbolt port? The current model Thinkbook says "USB 3.2 Gen 2 Full Function Type-C (USB + DisplayPort + Power Delivery)", but not Thunderbolt. I believe the Gen 2 model coming out has Thunderbolt 4. Any thoughts on either of these laptops?
Office Setup
Currently has a Dell desktop and dual monitors. The new laptop would replace the desktop and I would likely also replace the monitors with 2 new ones (24 inch 1080p). I would then use a keyboard and mouse as well and just let the laptop be the desktop in essence.
Home setup
My gaming and photo editing PC which has three 24 inch 1080p monitors. This computer also runs folding at home 24/7. The laptop would need to be able to use at least 2 of these monitors. I'm also wondering if it's possible to integrate my existing keyboard and mouse (they are wired).
What do I need on the laptop to be able to integrate multiple monitors, a thunderbolt port? The current model Thinkbook says "USB 3.2 Gen 2 Full Function Type-C (USB + DisplayPort + Power Delivery)", but not Thunderbolt. I believe the Gen 2 model coming out has Thunderbolt 4. Any thoughts on either of these laptops?