What laptop? (powerful, large, light).

[richard101]

Hi All

I finally feel able (5 months into a 6 month contract) to buy my own laptop for work. Not somthing I ever did before (for work).

I'm a DBA, and in the future may want to spend evenings playing with VMWare, SQL2008, Oracle11g, SQL Azure etc. But also want a powerfull machine (i5 or i7 sandy-bridge, 4GB+ memory, ideally 15" screen) that looks good too (for office first-impressions). My shortlist (in current order of preference) is.

Sony Vaio
Apple Mac Pro/Air
Dell
Lenovo thinkpad 520
Toshiba M11

advice please

richard101

[fullyautomatix]

Hi All

I finally feel able (5 months into a 6 month contract) to buy my own laptop for work. Not somthing I ever did before (for work).

I'm a DBA, and in the future may want to spend evenings playing with VMWare, SQL2008, Oracle11g, SQL Azure etc. But also want a powerfull machine (i5 or i7 sandy-beach, 4GB+ memory, ideally 15" screen) that looks good too (for office first-impressions). My shortlist (in current order of preference) is.

Sony Vaio
Apple Mac Pro
Dell
Lenovo thinkpad 520
Toshiba M11

advice please

richard101

Lenovo any day. They are built to last a hundred years.

[doodab]

+1 for the Lenovo.

Have a look at the HP EliteBooks as well if you haven't already.

[PAH]

I've heard many people recommending PCSPECIALIST.CO.UK - Laptop Computers, Laptops, Custom Laptops, Gaming Laptops, Buy Laptop as you can configure all the important bits and still get a laptop at a reasonable/competitive price.

It's where I'll be looking when I decide to replace my current laptop, hoping they're still around and offering the same service by then.

[Spacecadet]

I've been running a Dell precision M65 15" for 4 years with SQL Server 2005 and 2008 installed, windows 7, VMWare plus a second hard drive installed and apart from a 5 month contract it gets used daily for work and for entertainment in the evenings when away

Next laptop will be either a Dell Precision M4600 or a Lenovo W520

And if you're using a laptop for work then I'd go with either Dell or IBM/Lenovo and make sure you get the onsite warranty and accident protection cover. If you're as clumsy as me then it pays for itself

You also need a quad core running at 2ghz +
and as much ram as you can get in it. Memory is so cheap now its rude not to

If you're running VMWare then I can also recommend getting a second hard drive installed

[VectraMan]

I don't know, what laptop? Oh you mean which laptop. Ah.

But also want a powerfull machine (i5 or i7 sandy-beach, 4GB+ memory, ideally 15" screen) that looks good too (for office first-impressions).

Sandy beach?

I agree with Dell; my Latitude is still going strong 3 years later and has an excellent keyboard and screen (which is not to say all Dells do). If you're on a budget, Acer seem to be good for spec vs price.

[richard101]

Thanks all

Thinkpad was my first choice, then I thought about 'looks', and they are very very black. And Dell seem a bit, heavy. If Lenova and Apple had a baby ... Sony??

[Spacecadet]

Thanks all

Thinkpad was my first choice, then I thought about 'looks', and they are very very black. And Dell seem a bit, heavy. If Lenova and Apple had a baby ... Sony??

If you're bothered about looks then get a macbook pro!

[doodab]

If you're bothered about looks then get a macbook pro!

On the other hand, if you are likely to want a docking station, spare battery or blu ray drive....

[rd409]

I'd recommend HP dv7 i5 8GB. I got one from USA for about £700.