best 'business' laptop

R

raymondbeautrix

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Jun 30, 2008
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I'm going to grad school next fall and will need a laptop mostly just for taking notes, browsing, and maybe watching videos. I'm looking for one with good build quality, durability, and most of all -- a responsive keyboard. I'm trying to keep it below 1k but based on what I'm looking at that might be challenging. I brought this up in another thread, but I was also trying to weigh the benefits of WUXGA vs. WSXGA+ (I don't think I'd want to go any lower).

At this point, I'm trying to compare thinkpad vs. latitude series. In particular T500/W500 vs. E6500. I might be able to save a couple hundred on the latter and I've heard the keyboard make is still supposed to be quite good. I'm not necessarily looking for ultra-mobility so I believe 15.4" might be the best compromise, but I'd be open to arguments to the contrary. I'm curious if the X4500HD would be sufficient for up to 720p or even 1080p videos. Battery life is another important consideration, which is why I'd possibly consider an integrated graphics option. It's almost a plus if I couldn't game on it so it doesn't become a distraction (I have a well equipped desktop for that anyway).

Any suggestions would be appreciated. If there's another brand I should add to my list I'd be open to considering it. Part of me wanted to try a vaio, but I'm beginning to think it's just style over substance...

Thanks,
Ray
 
Don't know about your other questions, but I can tell you that most likely, integrated graphics won't handle 1080p movies. My brother tried it on his Pentium D 1.73ghz with an X3100, and it was very jerky, to the point of being unwatchable. I agree completely with your guess about the Vaio series. Stay far away from Sony products, as I have not had good luck with them whatsoever. I personally prefer Thinkpads over Dells, only because of the experiences I've had with Dell quality control (Which have not been good)
 
I'm told that intel's newest integrated gpu is a large step above the x3100...I've at least seen it pull off 720p. From what I've seen, sony's ultra-mobile series (TT and Z) seem halfway decent if you can stomach the price, but their 14"+ ones seem to go downhill quickly.
 
Dell Precision Laptops, or Lenovo Thinkpads (mainly the T, W, or X series)
 
Take a look at the new Dell Latitude "E" series. I just setup an "E6500" today and it was great. Dell > Lenovo for customer service anyday, and you get a nice fat warranty with Dell.
 
Morazl said:
Take a look at the new Dell Latitude "E" series. I just setup an "E6500" today and it was great. Dell > Lenovo for customer service anyday, and you get a nice fat warranty with Dell.
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I normally tell everyone who is interested in a Dell to look at the business line laptops as they tend to be built with better quality and come with better warranties.
 
I just wish I was able to preview the latitude e6500 firsthand, like I've been able to with many thinkpads. I'm going to try going to a 'dell direct' store in the hopes that they'll have them since they aren't carried at best buy or any other normal retail store.

For anyone that has direct experience with both brands (particularly e6500 vs. T500/W500), how would you say they compare?
 
I have used both, they are totally on par with each other. Also look at the Dell Outlet Precision M4400's they are great laptops.
 
Every lenovo laptop I've seen is pretty solid. I don't know about dell but the lenovo comes with anti-shock, encryption, etc software which would add to the reliability.
 
The GMA950 from Intel and every other GMA device (x3000, x3100, GMA3100, x4500, etc) all can play back 1080p content without breaking a sweat. They are fully 256 bit GPUs and doing such video playback was a primary feature designed into 'em. While they may not offer the best image quality compared to the competition and discrete graphics, they are fully capable of actually pumping out the content at full frame rates without issues...

as long as you have a CPU that can do it, of course.

Add another vote for the Dell Precision M series laptops, and Lenovo T6x series... and the HP/Compaq "Business Class" models too, great hardware, solid machines. I got lucky and found an older HP/Compaq nx7400 Core 2 Duo model on Craig's List for $350... spent $50 on a busted laptop with a WSXGA+ screen in it (1680x1050, 15.4") and swapped it for the WXGA one (1280x800) so now I've got a far better laptop... solid as a rock, has 4GB in it, a 7200 rpm Seagate drive, and it's fast as hell.

Not too bad for a CL deal... ;)
 
PsychoticX said:
Every lenovo laptop I've seen is pretty solid. I don't know about dell but the lenovo comes with anti-shock, encryption, etc software which would add to the reliability.
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Lenovos are very reliable, have a good battery life and are amazing, they're usually high quality machines (it's a branch of IBM so no surprises) ;)
 
techminster said:
Lenovos are very reliable, have a good battery life and are amazing, they're usually high quality machines (it's a branch of IBM so no surprises) ;)
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While this is true to some degree, Lenovo isn't just some spinoff from IBM. They stand alone as a separate entity and they make their own products just as they took over the ThinkPad lineup from IBM a few years back. When the trade off first occurred, the quality of the first generation of Lenovo manufactured ThinkPads suffered pretty bad, they really did.

It wasn't till they came out with the z60 series - this is my opinion as an owner of real ThinkPads since they first came out close to 20 years ago - that they came into their own and really started to shine. After I saw and used a z60t I was like "Ok, this is what a ThinkPad should be..." and since then I've owned 4 of 'em, rock solid just as the old original IBM created/manufactured machines were.

So yeah, Lenovo ThinkPads are great products now, but it took some time for 'em to get back in the game at least to IBM ThinkPad levels of quality. Again, just one long time ThinkPad owner's opinions...

I'm really digging this HP/Compaq one I grabbed lately off Craig's List. I don't know what it is, but it's incredibly responsive to me, especially with Windows 7 on it, even more responsive than some actually more powerful machines. It has a T5600 C2D in it, and I've compared it to a T7200 from a friend and even he wondered exactly what's making mine so damned snappy... I have no idea what it is but I do know I ain't giving it up anytime soon. :D
 
The HP business lines are really good compared to their normal retail counterparts.
 
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