Need suggestion input on powerful laptop for coding/dev

[p1tin]

1. What the software and workload I am trying to run in the new system- detailed info on what I would like a new laptop to deliver ?

Answer:
SQL developer (1 instance)
eclipse/ intelliJ (2 instances)
Outlook
Visual Studio
Skype
Multiple tabs in firefox
rest clients, etc
Remote connect
Multithreaded java applications (5 to 7 threads at a time)
Qpid
Mostly all of the above will be running simultaneously. System shouldn't lag in response then.
Usual softwares like: Youtube to support 4K resolution, HD video file player (VLC, MX player)*

2. What System configuration (Laptop) using currently?
Answer:
16GB Ram
i5 5th gen quadcore processor (5300U)
SSD
2.3 GHz
64 bit OS
Dell laptop
Symantec Antivirus/ firewall*

3. What is the pain point or problem I am facing - be descriptive ...in the sense...if you say it becomes 'slow' ...what is slowness mean : at first it works fine and then anyways system boot time and lag or latency to open and deliver a rendering or compute slows down? or is it just browsing and streaming slowing down or RAM is highly utilized as workload gets bigger and so it slows down ? or processor cycles cannot deliver ?
Answer:
frequent RAM spikes (reaches around 15 GB very often)
CPU utilization - peaks
Initially they are fine - gradual the latency increases.*

Portability is a priorirty and so no desktops. Only want a laptop.

Country of purchase: India or USA
Price point I am looking at USD1200

With above requirements and pain points which already facing in existing laptop, I request your suggestion / input on whether to go for:
Apple MAC old model A1398 used one excellent quality available for 1000USD( i7 QuadCore + 16GB + 512GB SSD) - should i opt this?
or
any other models with powerful processor + 16GB ?
or
any workstation models with 32GB?

Please recommend.

 

[Topweasel]

It's an odd system for a Pro user but I just ordered a Asus ROG Strix GL702ZC. You get a 17" Laptop with a IPS screen. Dual drive support. 16GB of ram to start with but only a single Dimm. So you can upgrade to 16GB by just buying a second stick and not replacing the memory already in there. Most importantly a fast fully featured 8C16T CPU. For a relatively decent price of $1400. The system is a bit kiddy looking but there really isn't another system like it or at least not one easy to find without costing an arm and a leg.

 

[Batmeat]

MSI does barebones laptops that you can build, and this would be my suggestion. With that list of software, I think you’d benefit from hyperthreading, which if I remember right the i5 won’t do. If you really need 4K in a laptop $1200 won’t be close to cutting it. Expect $3000.00 or more.

 

[VirtualLarry]

If you really need 4K in a laptop $1200 won’t be close to cutting it. Expect $3000.00 or more.

Yep!

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Honestly, going to a real quad core will help more than a RAM upgrade - Windows and your applications will use whatever RAM you throw at it, even if it's just for caching, so "in use" numbers are always higher than they really need to be.

The Inspiron 15 7000 2-in-1 my housemate just got would probably be a good fit for you. Quad core, upgradable to 32GB of RAM (aftermarket, though - the max config Dell ships is 16GB), optional 4k display, can fit a 2.5" HDD as well as a m.2-2280 SSD. Various configurations start under $1k, and Black Friday sales are coming up soon. There are a lot of similar laptops from other manufacturers, although the dual-drive capability is somewhat rare.

The only caveat I'd have would be that the lower-voltage CPUs you find in ultrabooks like that are thermally limited - they're great for "bursty" workloads, but not for sustained loads like video encoding. Unless you're doing some big-data type number crunching, you'd probably be fine though. But that also applies to most laptops these days; at least the ones that aren't sold specifically as "Gaming" machines.