What is the best Laptop for my needs at the moment ?

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maximepigeon May 19, 2011

What is the best Laptop for my needs at the moment ?

I'm studying in Software Engineering and I basically don't have any budget limit but I need something I can carry with me quite easily (15-inch).

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nathanaelhunt 2 years ago

Considering what you use it for I would suggest you buy a Macbook Pro 15" with a decent sized HD then make a small partition and install Windows 7 using bootcamp, simply to run the odd bit of outdated software you no doubt are forced to use every so often by companies who are yet to embrace Mac OSX. Getting a Macbook Pro means you can enjoy the huge number of benefits that come with Mac OS X, but don't have to worry about that one day when you need to use something more outdated, generally forced upon you by corporate companies. Mac OS X is widely acknowledged as the best platform to develop on and is obviously the future, Macs also run Windows better than any PC (fact).

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$refractured$

refractured 2011-05-19 20:38:53

If price isn't an object, and you already have an iPhone 4, you really can't go wrong with the new Macbook Pros. If you need to run windows, obviously there's options for that. But you'll be hard pressed to find a better 15" that is as thin, well built, and doesn't have a massive power supply.

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Indefinite 2011-05-19 13:47:44

You're not making the question easy to answer...
As you're studying software Engineering I'm assuming you can just type all your lecture notes and won't need an ability to draw diagrams often? (I know from experience that in most disciplines of Engineering you need to draw LOTS of diagrams during lectures meaning you either use a tablet PC with a digitizer or you write on paper)
What are you going to use it for?
I'd suggest this gdgt.com/sony/vaio/z/ because it's got amazing amounts of hardware packed in such a small space (along with a 1080p display, great for when you need as many lines of code to fit on one page as possible)!
Is that the screen size you're looking for? Bigger? Smaller?
If you're looking for an ultra-portable that's also ultra-powerful, get the Vaio Z.

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acaurora 2011-05-19 14:41:50

As great as the VAIO Z is (I have a cousin who has one, it is pretty amazing indeed), it is discontinued from Sony's current laptop lineup. Currently from their lineup, I think the E series would prove to be a good bet. There is also the F series, but as an owner of a Studio XPS 16, a 16" laptop is not very portable.

As also a previous ThinkPad owner, for something that has plenty of power, portability, and reliability as a student with no budget limit, I would suggest the T420s. As a 14" laptop capable of 1600x900 for a high resolution, equipped with the latest Sandy Bridge CPUs, and with the option of discrete graphics, it is more than capable to handle any task. If you want even smaller, there is the X series (X1/X220). I had a ThinkPad T60 during my years in college, and it was a great machine that handled any task exceptionally.

As indefinite mentioned, it also depends really more on what specifically you plan on doing as well as your screen preference. The T60 I had was a 15.4" widescreen, and it was portable yes, but nowadays I am finding 14" and smaller are more suited to be easy to carry/use, especially in the educational environment. From there, if a ThinkPad does not appeal to you, I would suggest then any business class laptop from HP/Dell/Lenovo with a 14" or smaller, and go from there. That's my preference, though.

Indefinite 2011-05-19 14:52:54

Oh really? I didn't know that. That's saddening. I think the Sony S series is the closest to the Z they currently sell, in that case. Hopefully they'll bring it back soon.

I haven't owned a ThinkPad but I've used one at work and they are solid pieces of hardware. You've gotta be careful though, because a lot of their laptops don't have discrete graphics which is unfortunate.

Also, when you're talking about portability, is size your main concern or is weight? I have a 12.1" tablet PC but it sure is a hefty thing to carry around considering its size!

maximepigeon 2011-05-19 16:29:08

It's more about weight and height. Thinkpad was something I was indeed thinking about. Nobody suggested any Mac. Why ? The advantage of coding on OSX as well as on Windows is considerable isn't it ?

acaurora 2011-05-19 16:38:59

It may be preference. In terms of Macs, a 13" MBP or one of the MBAs would be a good choice, although if you're looking at the MBA I'd wait, as I have read on news sites that the MBA supposedly is to be upgraded to more powerful CPUs later this year. In terms of the advantage of coding on both platforms by having a Mac depends on your studies, in which cross platform coding compatability may not be necessary.

maximepigeon 2011-05-19 16:48:24

I definitively agree about the MBA. It's a no-go until this summer. What about all these ecosystems ? I currently have an iPhone 4 but I'll probably switch to the next Nexus when it gets out (and if Ice Cream Sandwich is good enough). Should I take any future Chromebooks into consideration ? I read somewhere there'll be a second wave of more powerful hardware after the one that have been announced at I/O. Who knows what we'll be able to do on these Laptop ? Didn't someone from Google said 2/3 of their employees are now using Chrome OS ?

acaurora 2011-05-19 16:51:21

I don't know particularly. I can only speak from experience of having a Cr48, in that it is pretty much *just* the Chrome browser. Web apps add functionality yes, but I do not think it can replace a laptop for normal day to day use, unless your use is primarily digital consumption, as they call it (email/internet/facebook/etc.).

Indefinite 2011-05-19 18:09:07

I think how Google manages to have many of their people working on Chromebooks is because of the work they're doing and the fact that they have some virtualization software setup if they need to use any Windows or Mac software. IMO Chrome OS is solely aimed at Educational institutions and big companies so it's easier to update and secure etc. I think the only reason they are selling them to consumers as well is for a very limited market and because if they hadn't people would've complained.

Well I'm a Windows user so can't really comment on Mac's, but didn't mention it because it seems obvious. Really, it depends on what you're going to use it for. List what you think you'll do on it here and we should be able to better help you.
But if you will also be coding for Mac and need cross platform coding compatibility? A MBP or MBA is the way to go. Sure you could buy a Windows laptop and make it into a dual booting hackintosh, but as you don't have a limited budget and the fact you can just easily use boot camp to use W7, that's the obvious choice.

tl;dr
If you need cross platform coding compatibility, get a Mac. Whether power or portability(and I suppose that wicked battery life) is more important will decide between a MBP and MBA.