Need a laptop for my new job...

[skeedo]

Starting a new job soon, and I'll be telecommuting so I need to look into a good laptop. I'm shooting for a 15" around the $600 range that has SSD and will allow me to dual boot into Win and Linux. I'm really not finding a whole lot online, anybody have some suggestions?

 

[stateofmind]

no gaming at all, right?

I'd strongly consider the HP 15z-j000 - for 550$ with a matte 1080p screen and 6GB DDR3. SSD is critical?

 

[skeedo]

I would say SSD is pretty critical, I need speed...5400rpm ain't gunna cut it. No gaming, that does appear to be a gaming laptop...

 

[stateofmind]

can you install an SSD yourself?

you can get the 5400RPM SSHD - Hybrid drive. The performance should be good for everyday use.

You can also get the Toshiba P50 or Sony Fit 15 - both with 1080p screen for around 600$ before tax. I can't recommend because I don't know what's their quality.

 

[chubbyfatazn]

You could always consider a Thinkpad from the Lenovo outlet... there's an L530 going for $437.57 right now that has the following specs:

Processor: Intel® Core™ i5-3210M Processor (2.50GHz, up to 3.10GHz with Turbo Boost, 3MB Cache, 1333MHz)
Operating system: Windows 8 Standard 64 - English
Display: 15.6" HD+ (1600 X 900) LED backlight
Graphics: Intel® HD Graphics 4000
Memory: 8GB (2 X 4GB) PC3-12800 DDR3 1600MHz SDRAM SODIMM Memory
Hard Drive: 320GB, 7200RPM Serial ATA 2.5" Hard Drive
Optical Drive: DVD Recordable Serial ATA

Tack on another $100-120 for an msata SSD and you're good to go. That way you can keep the mechanical HDD while adding an SSD. I'd look into a T/W530 myself for a Thinkpad, though.

 

[Broheim]

I'd look into a T/W530 myself for a Thinkpad, though.

there are some T530s with 1600x900 panels at the 600 mark in the outlet, you'll have to go over budget if you throw an ssd in there but it'll be worth it.

I swear by thinkpads, good build quality, good input devices (learn the trackpoint, love the trackpoint and your hands will never have to leave the keyboard - which is one of the best you'll find in a laptop), very servicable and professional looking.

 

[chubbyfatazn]

there are some T530s with 1600x900 panels at the 600 mark in the outlet, you'll have to go over budget if you throw an ssd in there but it'll be worth it.

I swear by thinkpads, good build quality, good input devices (learn the trackpoint, love the trackpoint and your hands will never have to leave the keyboard - which is one of the best you'll find in a laptop), very servicable and professional looking.

Yep. I assumed he'd want to stay at or below budget, though, which is why I threw the L530 into the mix.

Yep again. After having 14 Thinkpads pass through my hands in one way or another I can say they're probably the only brand I'll ever use. Simple to take apart, utilitarian but sleek and sexy look, and the nipple that everyone likes to make fun of me for fondling/using 🙁

 

[stateofmind]

The L530 and T530 900p screen is not that good and the T530 is more expensive. Better get the HP above and in the worst case - simply replace the HDD

 

[marcplante]

Replace the HDD to get core performance, then put the original drive in an outboard case for storage of significant documents, etc. Msata/USB3...maybe even WifiN depending on how bog your files are vs portability interests. YMMV.

 

[crashtestdummy]

Starting a new job soon, and I'll be telecommuting so I need to look into a good laptop. I'm shooting for a 15" around the $600 range that has SSD and will allow me to dual boot into Win and Linux. I'm really not finding a whole lot online, anybody have some suggestions?

Your problem is that if you want a 256GB SSD, $200 of the latop price is the ssd alone, and most people at that price point don't care enough to pay that. You'd be better off just buying a cheap laptop with an HD and putting in an aftermarket SSD.

 

[chubbyfatazn]

The L530 and T530 900p screen is not that good and the T530 is more expensive. Better get the HP above and in the worst case - simply replace the HDD

I can't imagine the one on the HP is any better (besides resolution), but I've been spoiled with IPS screens on the past two laptops I've used as daily drivers.

OP didn't specifically state what the laptop would be used for, just work, so it just boils down to stuff like whether or not he needs a DVD drive or dedicated graphics.

Build quality/durability/serviceability will be better with the Thinkpads.

OP, you can also consider a used last-gen (SB/IB) laptop from ebay and add on an SSD yourself. A 256GB SSD can be had for $150 on sale (check slickdeals), but that's still a pretty sizable chunk of your budget. If your only concern is with placing the OS/select programs on the SSD, consider finding a laptop that supports msata SSDs.

 

[skeedo]

You could always consider a Thinkpad from the Lenovo outlet... there's an L530 going for $437.57 right now that has the following specs:

Processor: Intel® Core™ i5-3210M Processor (2.50GHz, up to 3.10GHz with Turbo Boost, 3MB Cache, 1333MHz)
Operating system: Windows 8 Standard 64 - English
Display: 15.6" HD+ (1600 X 900) LED backlight
Graphics: Intel® HD Graphics 4000
Memory: 8GB (2 X 4GB) PC3-12800 DDR3 1600MHz SDRAM SODIMM Memory
Hard Drive: 320GB, 7200RPM Serial ATA 2.5" Hard Drive
Optical Drive: DVD Recordable Serial ATA

Tack on another $100-120 for an msata SSD and you're good to go. That way you can keep the mechanical HDD while adding an SSD. I'd look into a T/W530 myself for a Thinkpad, though.

Wow, pretty smokin deal. Ya it's a refurb but I see there's one year warranty so I don't see any reason not to go this route. I'm thinking I'll try performance with standard HD and go from there. All I'll really have open is a slew of browser windows, term windows an RDP connection.

 

[skeedo]

I've decided I definitely want to go with a Lenovo refurb, just having some trouble deciding which. I can hold off on the SSD, especially since the person hiring me said he could throw me a 128GB SSD for free.

Can someone explain the major differences between the T/L/W series? It seems the W series is a bit over my budget, however I'm finding some decently priced T series. I'll be using the laptop for my telecommuting, I need to have an abundance of browser windows, SSH terms, mail client, and a couple of RDP connections open. So speed and resolution seem to be key here. Also need long battery life which most seem to have and also support the slice batteries.

This L530 looks nice, except for the fact that it only has 1366x768 res: http://outlet.lenovo.com/SEUILibrar...:item.detail?GroupID=445&Code=R9WY7XH-2481CTR

This T530 also looks nice, higher res but only 4GB ram: http://outlet.lenovo.com/SEUILibrar...:item.detail?GroupID=445&Code=R9VNNVX-2359CTR

I think if I could find something with x900 res or greater and 8GB RAM I'd be sittin pretty. And actually the model that chubbyfatazn posted seemed to have both these options, but I'd really like to know why the price is so much lower. 3210M CPU maybe?

 

[CoolRunnings]

L - Cheaper end of things
T - Best balance for a business-class laptop with good build quality
W - Basically a T series with a professional series graphics card for CAD.

A little over-simplified but it pretty much says it. The T series is my go-to line for anything not ultra-portable. In the Ultra-Portable category I'd go X series.