Suggest a MBP Retina alternative.

C

Crack[H]eaD

2[H]4U
Joined
Sep 18, 2001
Messages
2,600
It's time to replace my old Dell D630. I am a resolution snob and I'm flat out disgusted that I cannot find anything portable besides the new MBP Retina that does better than 1600x900.

OS isn't a concern, but I don't see any compelling reason to upgrade to anything else since my current laptop matches their best resolutions.

So, great geeks of the [H] please prove me wrong and show me a sub 16" Ivy Bridge laptop with better resolution than the 5 year old POS on my lap. I also need it to support 8+gb of ram so I can run my lab VM's.

:cool:

If no real contenders arise I will be going MBP. I am a little disappointed that you cannot actually select your resolution outright, but I am hoping that an OS change will help. :p
 
I have a hard time calling anything with sub 3 hour advertised battery life a laptop. I appreciate the input, but I really need something I can throw in my messenger bag, carry around and use.

This isn't a portable gaming box. Honestly, most of my time is spent remoting into servers and network gear.
 
Thinkpad W530 is 15.6" and has 1920x1080 iirc. It starts at around $1300 though.

I think some of the T-series also have the option. I know most of them have 1600x900 at least, even the 14" options, and they are more friendly on the wallet.

Great work machines, and I think even the more powerful versions have good battery life.
 
HP ENVY 15-3040nr

Product Features

2nd generation Intel Core i7-2670QM processor 2.20GHz with Turbo Boost Technology up to 3.10GHz.
8 GB SDRAM
750GB 7200RPM HDD with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection.Solid-State Drive?
Display: 15.6-inch diagonal Radiance Full HD Infinity LED-backlit display (1920 x 1080).Video graphics: Radeon HD 7690M switchable graphics with 1024MB GDDR5 and up to 5093MB total graphics memory.
15.6-Inch Screen

Processor, Memory, and Motherboard

Hardware Platform: PC
Processor: 2.2 GHz Core i7-2670QM
Number of Processors: 4
RAM: 8 GB
RAM Type: SODIMM
Memory Slots: 2

Hard Drive

Size: 750 GB
Manufacturer: SATA
Type: Serial ATA
Speed: 7690 rpm

Graphics and Display

Graphics RAM: 1024 MB

Sound

Speakers: Beats Audio? with 6 speakers and a subwoofer

Ports and Connectivity

USB Ports: 3
USB 2.0 Ports: 1

Cases and Expandability

Size (LWH): 18.5 inches, 5.9 inches, 13.6 inches
Weight: 5.79 pounds

Power

Battery Type: Lithium ion
Rated Charge (normal use): 8 hours

Wireless

Wireless Type: 802.11bgn


Anything that doesn't fit?

Edit - Also the Alienware M14x has 14.0" High Def+ (900p/1600x900) with WLED backlight, not that I would ever buy an Alienware.
 
Sony Vaio S15

http://store.sony.com/webapp/wcs/st...10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921666442230


15.5" IPS LED HD screen @ 1920x1080
i7 3612QM
GT640M 2Gb
8Gb DDR3
Bluray drive
Backlit keyboard
etc, etc


All in all, very nice laptop. I'm typing on mine right now. I like to think of it as a Macbook alternative. Less than an inch thick, full magnesium alloy construction (I prefer this to aluminum as it doesn't dent as easy but transfers heat just as well), 7 hour battery life, classy design, etc.
 
Crack[H]eaD;1038840462 said:
I have a hard time calling anything with sub 3 hour advertised battery life a laptop. I appreciate the input, but I really need something I can throw in my messenger bag, carry around and use.

This isn't a portable gaming box. Honestly, most of my time is spent remoting into servers and network gear.
Click to expand...

Since it seems like we have close to the same job type, I'll throw in my work laptop as a recommendation. 1920x1080 screen...and I even like typing on the keyboard.

Latitude E6520.
 
jamesman32 said:
Sony Vaio S15

http://store.sony.com/webapp/wcs/st...10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921666442230


15.5" IPS LED HD screen @ 1920x1080
i7 3612QM
GT640M 2Gb
8Gb DDR3
Bluray drive
Backlit keyboard
etc, etc


All in all, very nice laptop. I'm typing on mine right now. I like to think of it as a Macbook alternative. Less than an inch thick, full magnesium alloy construction (I prefer this to aluminum as it doesn't dent as easy but transfers heat just as well), 7 hour battery life, classy design, etc.
Click to expand...

Can you get to the hard drive to replace it?
 
OrangeWolf said:
Thinkpad W530 is 15.6" and has 1920x1080 iirc. It starts at around $1300 though.

I think some of the T-series also have the option. I know most of them have 1600x900 at least, even the 14" options, and they are more friendly on the wallet.

Great work machines, and I think even the more powerful versions have good battery life.
Click to expand...

my T520 which is a year old has 1080p, the new T530 has it as well, but it costs ALOT
 
BreezeDM said:
Can you get to the hard drive to replace it?
Click to expand...

With easy. There's a panel that spans the entire width of the bottom of the laptop and about a third of the length of it. Under the panel is HDD, RAM, and battery access. When the cover is on, the bottom is flush. I like that even the battery is hidden by a panel giving a seamless design.
 
jamesman32 said:
With easy. There's a panel that spans the entire width of the bottom of the laptop and about a third of the length of it. Under the panel is HDD, RAM, and battery access. When the cover is on, the bottom is flush. I like that even the battery is hidden by a panel giving a seamless design.
Click to expand...

And the thing is lighter than the MBPR too (by a few ounces, but hey). Actually, it's several more ounces if you go SSD. Want more heft? Buy the slice battery for it, bringing it up to non-Retina MBP weight, and giving you 10+ hours of battery use. There's also a pretty nice and reasonably priced dock for it, that includes all the ports you'd need PLUS a 500Gb HDD built in for backups or whatever (and you can DIY upgrade it)

Don't let the reviews of the S15 throw you, right now they're all based on the Sandy Bridge/AMD version, with major complaints being noise and performance and even then they scored well overall.

The IB update also brings a GTG40LE (Kepler), 2x USB 3.0 and 1x USB 2.0 "always on" port, and a lot less fan noise, as in mostly silent. Performance with the 640LE was pleasantly surprising to me. The ODD is now a slot-loader, and the trackpad is now a full-on clickpad.

One thing that didn't change on the S15 is the display. It's still a very good looking low-gloss IPS display. It has a little bit of an issue with reds looking orange but some of us don't find that a problem. And in practice the 1920x1080 resolution is all you would get out of a MBPR in Windows 7 anyway so the S15 has parity there.

And unlike the Envy line, or the XPS Z line, or the Series 7 line, the VAIO S series does NOT look like it was "inspired" by a MacBook. And did I mention it was light?
 
Short answer: there isn't anything that even comes close to the DPI, performance, and form factor of the new MBP.

You could go for a 15 inch 1080p laptop that has comparable performance, but right now nothing can match the screen.
 
Actually, several laptops can match it or come close if you're planning on running it with Windows 7 since it maxes at 1080p in that environment. And there are several that have the same or better CPU/GPU combos AND the ability to expand/replace bits.
 
Croak said:
Actually, several laptops can match it or come close if you're planning on running it with Windows 7 since it maxes at 1080p in that environment. And there are several that have the same or better CPU/GPU combos AND the ability to expand/replace bits.
Click to expand...
Only because NVidia doesn't have drivers for GT 650M in Windows yet. Once they do... 2880x1800 should work fine.
 
the 11 and 13 inch asus zenbook refresh will both have 1920x1080 IPS screens as an option.

so the 11" will have ~200 ppi which is getting close to retina's 220.

but it hasnt come out yet :(
 
trizc said:
the 11 and 13 inch asus zenbook refresh will both have 1920x1080 IPS screens as an option.

so the 11" will have ~200 ppi which is getting close to retina's 220.

but it hasnt come out yet :(
Click to expand...
Huh, yeah. Just checked out the specs on these (Zenbook Prime I think it was) and it all but screams Macbook Air at me. Nice find.
 
There's plenty of 1920x1080 options out there, to be honest anything more on a 15in screen is slightly pointless. While the new MBP screen is incredible it's debatable how useful a "Retina" screen actually is, your face is significantly further away when viewing a laptop than a smartphone. Also you'll need a microscope to use any programs which aren't updated for the high res screen.
 
slh28 said:
There's plenty of 1920x1080 options out there, to be honest anything more on a 15in screen is slightly pointless. While the new MBP screen is incredible it's debatable how useful a "Retina" screen actually is, your face is significantly further away when viewing a laptop than a smartphone. Also you'll need a microscope to use any programs which aren't updated for the high res screen.
Click to expand...
Visual acuity and viewing distance play a big part in how much is enough, and those two things vary greatly from person to person. In Windows 8 2880x1800 actually looks pretty usable if you've got good eyesight, in OS X the most workspace you can get is 1920x1200 but it's pretty sharp though. Games you can choose from pretty much any resolution.
 
i vote HP envy, those screens are amazing once seen in person, i used to own one and i could kill my friend who spilt water on it... ran just as good as my alienware m17x r3 with a amazing screen
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top