Graduate Student Looking for Laptop

Hi guys, sorry for the long post. I feel like I'm in a bit of a unique situation, so here goes.

I'm looking to replace my aging Thinkpad W520. It's been a really good laptop (I've had it for 5 going on 6 years now), but it's starting to show its age. In my ownership, I've gone through 2 batteries, 2 keyboards (thank goodness they're replaceable), a heat sink/fan unit, and 2 to 3 hard drives. At this point, I think it's about time to upgrade. I'm looking to keep this next laptop for a couple of years (definitely at least 3, would be nice if it lasted the 5 or so till I get my degree).

I will mostly be using this laptop to code and do other graduate-school-related stuff. The most intensive non-graphics related thing might just be me running the occasional VM or running some quick Matlab or Mathematica scripts. All simulations are done on the lab cluster anyway. Portability isn't a huge issue (I don't have an issue lugging around a 15" relatively thick laptop, but if I do, I don't want it randomly breaking on me). For battery life, I'd like to have at least 4-5 hours doing non-intensive work: coding, powerpoints, etc. I don't do a whole lot of gaming: mostly MMOs like League of Legends and World of Warships. It would be nice to play a few of the more recent titles though (Star Wars Battlefront comes to mind as something that I'd want to be able to play).

At first, I was considering just getting another workstation or business-class laptop, so I was seriously looking at the Lenovo P50/P70 and Precision 7510/7710. Good build quality, good warranty, and even after it's out of warranty, it's easy to replace parts (like on the W520). But as I read more on the forum, it seemed like the consensus was to wait for mobile Pascal cards to come out. I know I probably don't need too much more than a 960m (or the equivalent Quadro M2000M), but it sort of bothers me that there wasn't a big change between the 860m and the 960m. I've also been trying to justify the fact that with Pascal, for an equivalent performance in graphics, I'd likely be using less power, which means better thermal efficiency, better cooling, less wear and tear, etc.

If I wait for Pascal-graphics workstations though, I feel like I'd be waiting another 6 months to 1 year, given that the workstation refreshes are usually a bit slower than the consumer laptop refreshes. If I go the route of waiting for Pascal, I'd likely be getting a Sager NP8657 Pascal equivalent. Again, I've heard good things about Sager's build quality, but I'm not sure how it compares to business-class notebooks.

So at this point, I think I have 3 major options:
1. Get a P50/P70 or 7510/7710. (17" options would only be realistic if I find a good outlet deal.)
2. Wait for Pascal, and buy a consumer "gaming" laptop (think Sager NP8657).
3. Wait for Pascal workstation refresh, and get the newer P50/M7510. I can probably eke out the life of my current laptop, but I'm not sure if I want to wait that long. In particular, if the Sager has pretty good build quality, I might not be so insistent on getting a business-class notebook.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

General Questions

1) What is your budget?
Would like to keep around $1500 range, can stretch to $2000 if necessary.

2) What size notebook would you prefer?
a. Netbook; 10" screen or less
b. Ultraportable; 11" - 12" screen
c. Thin and Light; 13" - 14" screen
d. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen
e. Desktop Replacement; 17"+ screen
Mainstream; 15", might stretch for 17" if I find a good outlet deal

3) Where will you buying this notebook? You can select the flag of your country as an indicator.
USA

4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
a. Like:
Dell business, Lenovo business
b. Dislike:
(not really any dislikes, mostly just don't want cheap plastic consumer lines that break easily)

5) Would you consider laptops that are refurbished/redistributed?
yes

6) What are the primary tasks will you be performing with this notebook?
Coding, schoolwork, Matlab, Mathematica

7) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places, leaving it on your desk or both?
Mostly desk-bound, but if I do take it somewhere, I don't want to have to plug in for 4-ish hours if I'm doing non-intensive work.

8) Will you be playing games on your notebook? If so, please state which games or types of games?
Occasionally, League of Legends, World of Warships, more recent titles would be a nice-to-have (Star Wars Battlefront)

9) How many hours of battery life do you need?
4-5 for non-intensive tasks (coding, reading papers, document-typing, movie watching).

10) Would you prefer to see the notebooks you're considering before purchasing it or buying a notebook on-line without seeing it is OK?
Without seeing is fine.

11) What OS do you prefer? Windows (Windows 7 / 8), Mac OS, Linux, etc.
Windows/Linux dual-boot
I'd be up for learning to use Mac OS if Apple had price-competitive hardware that won't thermal throttle easily.

Screen Specifics

12) From the choices below, what screen resolution(s) would you prefer? Keep in mind screen size in conjunction with resolution will play a large role in overall viewing comfort level. Everyone is different. Some like really small text, while others like their text big and easy to read. (Scroll down to see screen resolution information.)
At least 1080p, 4K would be nice-to-have, but would impact battery life. I don't think I'd need 4K, but future-proofing is always nice.

13) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen? (Scroll down to see explanations.)
About the same. Laptop won't see too much outdoor use, so glossy isn't so bad.

Build Quality and Design

14) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
Don't want anything flashy (Razer Blade or MSI GS60 is probably the "flashiest" I'd be willing to go).

15) When are you buying this laptop?
In the next few months, but willing to wait for Pascal.

16) How long do you want this laptop to last?
3+ years, 5 would be nice

Notebook Components

17) How much hard drive space do you need? Do you want a SSD drive?
256 GB to 512 GB boot drive (SSD), 1 TB platter for storage
18) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD Burner, Blu-ray Reader or Blu-Ray Burner?
no

Let's block ads! (Why?)

Graduate Student Looking for Laptop