Ack! Need a Lappy Recommendation (Please Read Carefully First)

[Judaeus Apella]

So my parents asked me to help them shop for a laptop, but I know very little about them so I thought you guys could help. They want me to go to Costco tomorrow (this Saturday) and look at laptops with them.

Its for my mother, and she decided she doesn't want a desktop. She needs something mobile but until now she didn't know any were powerful enough to do what she needs to do. Huge catalog projects with the Adobe suite, involving vector imaging, HUGE pictures, and each project can be big enough to fill up an an entire hard drive.

So she needs something powerful and fast with a good video capability, with separate video ram that doesn't bottle neck... so probably DDR5?

Docking station - She has a big Dell LED screen, big Wacom Pad, full keyboard, and speakers to hook into the docking station when she's working at home on her desk. When she brings it to work or to a client, she needs something mobile so she can show them her work and make on the spot changes with the customer.

Someone told me those full docking stations are being phased out because of lack of demand, and that really worries me, because she definitely needs one and wants one.

I was told ASUS, Sony, and Lenovo have the best quality right now... but other than that I know nothing and this is kind of short notice.

Sorry about the short notice but can you guys help me out?

[ZenEffect]

you are missing the most important bit if information which is budget.

if money is no object, this one should get the job done. no docking station available that will charge the laptop though, so it might be inconvenient to plug in power + a usb3 every time.

http://www.costco.com/Toshiba-Qosmio...100053804.html

[Judaeus Apella]

Hmmph, I didn't realize Costco was such a HP/Dell whore... I was looking at their selection a short while ago and I wasn't impressed. They don't even have ASUS Lappies at all. Strange. I think I'm going to cancel the Costco thing, and tell them they're better off looking online and stores since they'll have a far superior choice. Its nice to be able to actually look at something before you buy it... but there's more to say about having more of a choice too.

Sorry, forgot. I meant to say around $1,400, give or a take $100.

I was looking at the Asus G750JW-DB71 ... and it seems okay. I think 12GB should be enough RAM, and if not its upgradable to 32. Not liking that hard drive though... only 5400 available in 1T. Not crazy about that. I've also read that a lot of people are having issues with its keyboard, inconsistent keys that don't respond unless you mash them a bunch of times. Surprising, cause I keep hearing and seeing stuff about how great ASUS is... don't pay much attention to it though since I build my own towers and don't even touch laptops.

I don't think I've ever used a 5400rpm drive before... or at least not for a long time. Is the speed difference that much noticeable compared to 7200?

That Lenovo is a little out of our price range... and I couldn't find any info about what DDR the video card ram is.

[yojimbo197]

Hmmph, I didn't realize Costco was such a HP/Dell whore... I was looking at their selection a short while ago and I wasn't impressed. They don't even have ASUS Lappies at all. Strange. I think I'm going to cancel the Costco thing, and tell them they're better off looking online and stores since they'll have a far superior choice. Its nice to be able to actually look at something before you buy it... but there's more to say about having more of a choice too.

Sorry, forgot. I meant to say around $1,400, give or a take $100.

I was looking at the Asus G750JW-DB71 ... and it seems okay. I think 12GB should be enough RAM, and if not its upgradable to 32. Not liking that hard drive though... only 5400 available in 1T. Not crazy about that. I've also read that a lot of people are having issues with its keyboard, inconsistent keys that don't respond unless you mash them a bunch of times. Surprising, cause I keep hearing and seeing stuff about how great ASUS is... don't pay much attention to it though since I build my own towers and don't even touch laptops.

I don't think I've ever used a 5400rpm drive before... or at least not for a long time. Is the speed difference that much noticeable compared to 7200?

That Lenovo is a little out of our price range... and I couldn't find any info about what DDR the video card ram is.

5400rpm drives eventually replaced 4200rpm drives on laptops. Disk density is one factor with 2.5" drive speeds. I went from a 400Gb Toshiba to a 1000Gb/1Tb Samsung M8(both 5400rpm). Recently I wiped that 400Gb Toshiba. It definitely seemed slower than I remembered, but I've been using the Sammy for 2 years now. 7200rpm's is pretty much overkill and unless the laptop is designed for a 7200rpm, you have the real potential for heat problems. Frankly, an SSD would be lighter, faster, and cooler running than a 7200rpm drive.

[zanzabar]

as a heads up on the dock. only enterprise level will have a dock anymore.

[AMDforME]

IME Asus products aren't anything special. Their mobos are generally highend but you pay a premium for them and they don't outperform lower costs Gigabyte or Asrock mobos.

With the intense graphic work your mother is doing she may want an AMD A10-5750 powered laptop with a good GPU card as the two can work together for superior performance over the Intel/Nvidia combo. The price is usually several hundred dollars less than the Intel/Nvidia equivalent if that is any concern. The A10-5750 Richland has just started showing up so you may need to do a little shopping.

http://www.google.com/#q=A10-5750m&s...iw=894&bih=528

There are a lot of capable laptops available, it's just a matter of finding what will work best for her needs.

[Sparky]

Many HP Probooks and Elitebooks support docking stations. Unlike their cheaper Pavilion laptops those two series are usually built pretty well in my experience as they are more business grade machines. Not sure if any of those have the specs you are looking for however.

[[XC] Synthetickiller]

I'm biased, but I say go for a lenovo Thinkpad.

These are super easy to work on (I've taken mine apart, just fooling with it and I've never had the worry of breaking anything) since they are serviceable for enterprise type environments.

Lenovo bought out IBM's Thinkpad division in 2005 (I think), not just the name, so the quality was never changed. Probably the biggest gripe is that they moved from standard keys to chicklet keys (as had the industry as a whole). Besides that, they are solid & the chicklet quality by lenovo are considered excellent for typing.
The docking stations fit a wide variety of laptops:
http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/deta...ID=migr-4tpjf4

The minidoc supports the newest T/W 430/530 (400 = 14", 500 = 15.6").

Here's the minidoc features:

One Super-Speed USB 3.0 Port on each dock
Left corner alignment for easy system attachment
Convenient eject button for one-step system removal
USB Ports:
Port Replicator: 3x USB 2.0, 1x USB 3.0
Mini Dock: 5x USB 2.0, 1x USB 3.0
Mini Dock Plus (90W & 170W): 6x USB 2.0, 1x USB 3.0
Multiple video ports:
Port Replicator: 1x VGA
Mini Dock: 1x VGA, 1x DVI, 1x DP
The video controller allows for any two video ports to be used simultaneously.
Mini Dock Plus (90W & 170W): 1x VGA, 2x DVI, 2x DP
Many systems allow for two of these video ports to be used simultaneously. Select systems, including those with NVIDIA Optimus technology, allow for up to three video ports on the dock to be used simultaneously.
Audio ports: Analog microphone in, headphone out
RJ-45 Ethernet port
Integrated key lock and cable lock slot for physical security
Included AC Adapter
Port Replicator: None
Mini Dock: 90W AC Adapter
Mini Dock Plus 90W: 90W AC Adapter
Mini Dock Plus 170W: 170W AC Adapter
Backed by a one-year warranty

I have A W520 (bought over a 530 b/c I prefer Island keyboards) & I've been extremely happy. I get 12+ hours w/ a 4C/8HT i7 with heavy usage. They claim 20 hours now. Not sure if that's with an i3 or i5.

The Quadro video processors are really solid. Not the best for gaming, but that's what she needs. They should make short work of her projects. If she needs something MUCH faster, she needs to drop a ton of cash or have you build her a desktop.

The W530 is within her budget with an i7 3630 quad & 1600x900 (I'd upgrade this. The 1080p screen that's FHD is incredible. It's what I have) and buy her an aftermarket SSD, while using the HDD as storage.

Take a look here & see what you think:
http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/w-series/w530/#customize

There's also lenovo outlet. I bought mine there & even though it was "refurb," I couldn't tell. If you told me it was new, I'd have believed you.

Oh, I've had an x200, W530, L400 (it was a POS) & T420 (between my mother & I) and Besides the L, the X, T, & W are very solid thinkpads, worthy of that title. I've dropped my 12" x200 more times than I'd ever admit & besides a small cracked corner (just a keyboard palm bezel) & some of the finish being rubbed off, the laptop is in almost new condition.

Take my review with a grain of salt, but it's an option most people never consider.

[Aaronclell]

OK, smart move I get to that point with IT work regularly

WiFi versions look fine but what version of Traditional PC GS911 software did you use with the USB connection ?