Is there a laptop out there that does what I want? High end 15" with GFX, IPS & DP

[ABramley]

Hi all,

I'd love to get the following out of a laptop:

Approx 15" form factor. Definitely not 17", would go with 14".
Discrete graphics, but not necessarily any of the high-end gaming cards.
Really nice screen - IPS, high res.
Good connectivity to external monitors - displayport. I have a 2560x1440 screen that I need displayport/duallink DVI to run.
SSD storage - maybe backed up with a large HDD, if not I'm happy running externals.

I accept that this isn't going to be cheap, but it's going to last me a long time so I'm happy with a one-off cost. I bought my last round of PC kit in 2008, it wasn't top end and tbh I'm still very happy with the desktop! However, I now move between countries and places regularly for work and travelling with a desktop is a bit wearing.

I've tried an Asus U500VZ but actually only got sent a U500V (without the touch screen) so it's going back. I really liked this - nice and fast, great size and build quality, great screen, but it lacked displayport.

The other option that springs to mind would be a Macbook Pro Retina 15" with Windows 7 or 8 (I've got a spare copy of each from selling off my old hardware). Expensive at £2200 for 16gb 512gb SSD, but a lot of quality in there. Do you reckon I could get away with a 256gb SSD bearing in mind I'd be wasting space with the Mac OSX install? Any critical driver issues outstanding? I'm aware that the gfx switching from HD4000 -> Nvidia won't be amazing which will sap battery.

I had a look at a normal Macbook Pro too, but by the time I spec it out with an SSD and high-res screen it's only about £100 cheaper than the retina.

The only other laptop that really springs to mind is the Sony Vaio S, but I don't see what advantages that offers me over the Asus - worse gfx and still no better connectivity.

Although I'll be computerless once my Asus goes back, would it be worth my while waiting for the next round of Intel chips? I get the feeling they're aimed at 12 and 13" machines, but one of the points on the spec was support for a new standard of displayport... Having said that, the only laptop whose specs have been leaked, the NEC, is perfect except for its lack of displayport...

Look forward to your advice!

 

[jaedaliu]

My last work-issued Dell had all those things.

Dell Precision 4700

I had the 4600 or 4500. Whatever the model number for that year was. You can find used online for cheaper if it's too much $$.

Edit: not sure on the screen type.

 

[ABramley]

Thanks - that's pretty close - only missing out on the IPS screen. Will definitely have a close look at that - a good bit cheaper than a Macbook.

Anything else around?

 

[Ayah]

The 4700's 1080p screen is IPS.

 

[ABramley]

Ah - so it is, that took a bit of digging.

Looks nice...

So between the 2 I've come up with the following:

MBP's consumer GFX probably better suited for me than workstation gfx. I intend to do some gaming - nothing heavy and not expecting full res, but this machine is to be my workplace/photostudio/games console/TV/music system all in 1 - don't want to compromise too much. How adaptable are those workstation gfx? From reading one review, they're roughly comparable, but no figures were given.

Dell lets me run 128gb SSD + 750G 7200rpm HDD - probably a better solution for me than MBP's 256/512gb SSDs.

Dell's screen is exactly what I want, although apparantly not the greatest with regards to gamut. MBP's screen is probably more than what I want, but I'd be worried about Windows drivers.

Dell comes with a DVD writer.

Dell comes with numpad on the keyboard - I really like these.

Dell comes with proper displayport out. MBP I'd have to adapt from Thunderbolt at extra cost - does this work flawlessly in Windows?

Dell has loads of inputs - 5x USB ports. MPB probably has enough.

Dell weighs 3.5kg, and I bet that power brick isn't light either. MBP 2kg.

Dell is a lot more configurable - could easily double up on storage and RAM if I wanted to in 4 years. MBP isn't configurable at all.

Dell comes with a slightly more powerful CPU - 2.8ghz 3840QM Vs 2.7ghz 3740QM

In the configs I've got my eyes on, it's Dell at £2097 Vs MPB at £2299, or £2059 with 256gb SSD. MPB needs a £25 adapter to run my monitor. Over the 5/6 years I intend to use it for, let's call that a draw.

Battery capacity is roughly equal. MPB will need to go in to have its battery replaced when it wears out, Dell's should be user replaceable?

Dell is designed for Windows.

So overall, the Dell is probably more me, but it's really big.

Anything else that I should be considering between those 2 machines? Also, any other machines out there I should be thinking about? What about holding on for a month for the next gen?

 

[TheStu]

There's also the consideration that at this time, Windows (and the software that runs on it) have rudimentary support for high DPI displays. So it would be better to consider something other than the rMBP if you aren't going to be using it in OS X the majority of the time.

 

[Throckmorton]

Keep in mind that PC laptops with IPS screens generally have dim displays, as in 200-250nit. They don't want you to have too much awesomeness.

 

[ABramley]

I generally keep my screen calibrated to 200nits anyway - 120 is good for evaluating prints onto most paper, 180 seems a fair balance between general use and print accuracy. If it's way too bright you just end up with black prints...

Stu - agree that reports on the Retina display show that windows isn't amazingly optimised for its use. However, when configured it actually comes out only a touch more than the normal MBP, so I reckon I'll make do here.

Found out I'll be able to get 10% off a MBP, which has pretty much swung it for me. Anything I really should know before I take the plunge?

 

[marcplante]

Lenovo Y580 configured with the optional 1080 screen. It has two drive bays so you can pop in an SSD as the second drive (Opt for a basic drive when you configure. Comes with a reasonable discrete graphics card...has decent sound and memory config.

Asus N Series N56VJ or N56VM. nice screen discrete graphics. You can swap out the DVD drive for a carrier that you can put an SSD into.

 

[Throckmorton]

I generally keep my screen calibrated to 200nits anyway - 120 is good for evaluating prints onto most paper, 180 seems a fair balance between general use and print accuracy. If it's way too bright you just end up with black prints...

Stu - agree that reports on the Retina display show that windows isn't amazingly optimised for its use. However, when configured it actually comes out only a touch more than the normal MBP, so I reckon I'll make do here.

Found out I'll be able to get 10% off a MBP, which has pretty much swung it for me. Anything I really should know before I take the plunge?

It depends on how much light your prints are viewed with. Well lit prints are close to a bright monitor. I like to edit at maximum brightness, but the newest 350 nit laptops are bright enough that I can turn them down a notch. I edit for web viewing, and for prints, but IMO the screen should match reality as closely as possible. A sunny day is far brighter than the brightest monitor.

 

[holden j caufield]

lenovo w520 or w530. It's not ips screen but it's pretty darn good.

 

[ABramley]

Lenovo looks really nice, but seems to be getting rare - almost discontinued? Only a TN screen too.

Those ASUSs are down a few models from the one I've just sent back and neither feature any way of outputting 2560x1440, so no good there I'm afraid.

Lenovo w530 looks nice, but I kind of prefer the Dell.

Having serious thoughts about waiting for the Haswell releases. What are the chances of say ASUS or Sony putting displayport, thunderbolt or DVI on their Zenbook primes or S-series? Any ideas as to when we'll start to find out the specs on the products due to be released?

 

[ABramley]

Hi,

Just thought I'd come back and update this after a week with a macbook pro.

Really pleased. Display first - it works fine in Windows 8. There's the odd font that escapes a box in Firefox, looks like I'll have to upgrade from Lightroom 3 to 5 (which I was going to do anyway) and Photoshop 4 has display errors that I'm going to have to live with. Steam, google earth, media monkey and itunes all look a bit ugly, but they're workable until someone updates them. Office 2013 is perfect, and I was pleasantly surprised by a few language tools that I use - Wenlin, Abbyfinereader (which despite being really old looks like it was built for the high DPI) and Le Petit Robert.

One thing that would be really nice would be the ability to run different font scaling on different screens - I'd drop it a little on my external monitor. Does proove a good way to get Photoshop back to normal though.

Compared to the Zenbook, it feels a bit more solid but I actually prefered the Asus - really liked that swirly top cover and the colours, and definitely preferred having the numpad.

Otherwise - everything just works - I think the only button that doesn't is the alternative function for the F4 key. Fan definitely ramps up when using the GPU in google earth/games, but not it's OK.

I set apart 100GB for OSX, and I'll have that there if I ever really need to stretch the battery one day.

 

[Throckmorton]

Is it a Retina?

 

[ABramley]

Yes.