Laptop Suggestions - 15" - 17"

[Term-X]

I am a current and perhaps soon to be former Microsoft Surface 3 Pro user. It lasted me a couple of years through my schooling so far but it's becoming an old dog. Even a format hasn't seem to restore some of it's luster but my last term really showed some of it's weaknesses.

Some of the courses I was in and of which I will be experiencing more of, required a heavy amount of virtualization and my Surface 3 Pro barely passed muster, especially when it came to running multiple instances of various Windows OS at once. Linux was more forgiving but certain instances (data forensics) rendered my Surface keyboard unusable in certain states to the point where I had to buy a powered hub to access additional USB drives + run a USB keyboard. It sucked.

Anyway, long story short, I am looking to buy a proper laptop computer. I don't really care if it's as slim as a credit card but I suppose I don't want it to be a big honking brick either. I was thinking 17" because my eye sight got really bad using the Surface 3 Pro and it doesn't seem like Microsoft is keen on releasing anything bigger than 13" screens if any of their Surface lines.

USAGE: Mostly for school and virtualization, fallback would be gaming-ready but honestly, it's not really a priority

[EDIT] BUDGET: I'm sort of keeping this open for now to see my options for what I am looking for but I am guesstimating in and around the $2600 USD range

My list of preferences

+ [CPU] Best mobile Intel CPU (or close to it; I want this machine to last)
+ [Screen] 15" or 17" screen

- [Screen Characteristics] 1080p OK; not sure if 4K would work even with scaling. Maybe something inbetween?
120Hz and/or IPS would be good​

+ [RAM] 16 GB required; 32GB would be preferable
+ [GPU] Should be good (1070?) but not necessarily the best if it means +$1k and ridiculous heat issues
+ [SSD/nVME] 512GB or higher options
+ [Additonal SATA Storage] Needs to support additional storage. Being limited to 256GB + microSD card was frustrating
+ [Battery] Should be able of at least 3-4 hours of moderate usage unplugged
+ [Keyboard] Full Keyboard would be swell.

Don't really put too much weight on anything else unless someone has suggestions. Decent amount of ports/types. Don't care if the keyboard is backlit with RGB but backlit in general would be nice I suppose.


Maybe I'll keep my surface for diagrams since I use OneNote for my note taking anyway.

 

[AthlonXP]

This seems to be a nice laptop and fits your bill:

http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np8950-clevo-p650hp3.html



I personally have and Alienware 13R3 and love it with the OLED screen

 

[IdiotInCharge]

I'll say 'good luck', and don't buy anything Clevo.

Go actually try stuff at Fry's/Best Buy/whatever, and be willing to compromise on performance/features for ergonomics.

Further, this won't be a laptop- it'll be marginally portable, with the power supply adding significant weight.

 

[Term-X]

This seems to be a nice laptop and fits your bill:

http://www.xoticpc.com/sager-np8950-clevo-p650hp3.html



I personally have and Alienware 13R3 and love it with the OLED screen

Thanks for the suggestion. Looks pretty good.

I'll say 'good luck', and don't buy anything Clevo.

Go actually try stuff at Fry's/Best Buy/whatever, and be willing to compromise on performance/features for ergonomics.

Further, this won't be a laptop- it'll be marginally portable, with the power supply adding significant weight.

Yea, I understand, especially at 17", it would likely sacrifice some of the benefits of a portable laptop.

What's wrong with Clevo?

 

[IdiotInCharge]

The Clevo-based laptops are typically low-rent. Chintzy build quality, crappy keyboards and crappy touchpads, on top of being heavy and loud. Usually want to bring a separate keyboard and mouse for serious usage.

They work if you don't move them often; if you actually require portability, you'll want to step down a notch or two in terms features.