Laptop Suggestion Needed...

[TopHatProductions115]

Hello there! Someone I know from school just asked for help with laptop shopping. They intend to buy the laptop later this year (possibly around summer), and have given me the following specifications:
 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fQpkWTvhnkrS1OeoWpK78xKPtASenh_TVDBAI5tPyW4/edit?usp=sharing

 

@GeneXiS_X

 

Please note that this is not a finalised list. If you can't meet all of the specifications, don't worry - just post what you can find. I understand that this list does appear to pull from both the workstation and 2-in-1 ends of the spectrum. This is by no means urgent, though it does have to be decided by the summer of this year. Thanks in advance.

 

P.S. Please don't suggest Lenovo. Their top-tier products have been underwhelming lately...

Edited March 16, 2019 by TopHatProductions115
For better clarification

[genexis_x]

So many requirements...can sort from more important to less important?

 

Location? Budget? Any preference on weight and battery life?

3 minutes ago, TopHatProductions115 said:

P.S. Please don't suggest Lenovo. Their products have been underwhelming lately...

Every brand has good and bad models

[Linker]

3 minutes ago, GeneXiS_X said:

Every brand has good and bad models

This can't be overstated enough.

Most brands are so large they have hundreds and hundreds of models all going for different pricing ranges and needs.

Some are trash, some are amazing.

[TopHatProductions115]

@GeneXiS_X I made a few changes to the document  Hopefully, that will help.

[Guillaume_L]

14 minutes ago, TopHatProductions115 said:

P.S. Please don't suggest Lenovo. Their top-tier products have been underwhelming lately...

I wouldn't recommend Lenovo anyway, i had 3 different models in home (low-end, basic yoga, and a high-end gaming one) and every time it works perfectly for two or tree years and then it starts to slow down horribly or even stops working, but maybe i am just really unlucky.

[Linker]

Just glancing over the specs seems he/she want a "perfect" laptop, with the best of everything, I don't think this is entirely possible, as one will most likely have to sacrifice something.

Only a few ultrabooks (with like half the internal space dedicated to battery) actually managed the battery life wanted, and considering you want a laptop with both a six core i7 and dedicated graphics. That and he/she want it to have large I/O selection as a convertible tablet.

 

To grossly oversimplify, you can choose 2 for a laptop:

Battery

Powerful Components

Portability

[TopHatProductions115]

@Linker I understand  The important parts have asterisks next to them. I'm willing to settle for a lower-tier CPU and GPU in this case, as long as the GPU is AMD of some sort, and the CPU is an Intel 4-core CPU with decent speed. Mid-tier is perfectly fine. As long as I'm not dealing with Core i3/Pentium, no harm. I'm also willing to drop the battery life expectation a bit as well. 10 hours can be the new minimum at this point.

[Linker]

6 minutes ago, TopHatProductions115 said:

@Linker I understand  The important parts have asterisks next to them. I'm willing to settle for a lower-tier CPU and GPU in this case, as long as the GPU is AMD of some sort, and the CPU is an Intel 4-core CPU with decent speed. Mid-tier is perfectly fine. As long as I'm not dealing with Core i3/Pentium, no harm. I'm also willing to drop the battery life expectation a bit as well. 10 hours can be the new minimum at this point.

Is there a reason he wants an AMD gpu right now? The only reason I can guess is he going to install Linux.

Besides Apple (which uses only AMD graphics) many laptop manufacturers only come with a nvidia option, because sadly, AMD is not doing as well as Nvidia right now.

There are usually some AMD spec equivalents but they usually include an AMD cpu instead. Intel CPUs and AMD gpus are much rarer in laptops right now.

 

10 hours is still a lot, but a lot more feasible with the spec drops.

 

If you can, it would help to know if a traditional clamshell or a convertible/surface-or-surface-like-device would be better, as well as how large he/she wants the laptop to be.

 

Sorry for needing all the info, but narrowing the field helps when looking.

[TopHatProductions115]

@Linker It would be preferred if the laptop could fold in half (clamshell convertible). The rest is given in the PRH section of the document in the OP.

[genexis_x]

1. 1440p+touch+matte is impossible IMO

2. Trackpoint only available in business laptops and I can't think of any convertible with this feature

3. 10+hrs battery life in a laptop with dGPU is very hard to achieve

[markr54632]

Honestly if they are not buying until summer there is no point looking now. Sales and model numbers will be different 3-6 months from now.

[Linker]

19 hours ago, TopHatProductions115 said:

@Linker It would be preferred if the laptop could fold in half (clamshell convertible). The rest is given in the PRH section of the document in the OP.

Is there still a reason he needs the AMD card though?

[TopHatProductions115]

@GeneXiS_X I am sorry to confuse you again, but the document has changed (yet again). Perhaps I should start posting the desired specs directly in the OP instead?

1. I removed the matte part due to the very reason that you stated, just hours before you posted. Nonetheless, I agree with you. It will end up being a glossy finish in the end.
2. That is going to be a hitch in the plans indeed. That, I had not accounted for.
3. If the machine uses switchable graphics (integrated for light tasks, and dedicated for heavier tasks), I'd think it would be possible. But, Perhaps my thought process is wrong.

@markr54632 I started this earlier so that I could get an idea of what's currently available, and also because I want to keep track of possible candidate(s) over time. Instead of rushing through the process at the last second, I wanted to be able to take my time analysing the options. Also, the needs of said shopper may change, so there's that too. I'll keep you posted on any changed that come.

 

@Linker The AMD card will have the least trouble with the most OS choices. While nVIDIA drivers and software don't always play nice with Linux (and aren't officially supported in MacOS, aside from some Kepler variants), AMD tends to work well for most tasks. So, if they dual-boot, no issues there. Just a preventive measure. Also, he may actually use the dGPU in the future if given the opportunity (from what tasks I've seen them do).

[genexis_x]

On 3/2/2019 at 11:57 PM, TopHatProductions115 said:

Perhaps I should start posting the desired specs directly in the OP instead?

Yes. List out the important requirements first. I'm confused tbh

[TopHatProductions115]

Preferably, a laptop with:

• Intel CPU, 4-6 cores, hyperthreading-enabled
• 8-16GB RAM (dual-channel)
• maybe AMD graphics (switchable - for power savings, not required)
• 1080p touchscreen panel, 120Hz is the sweet spot
• bio-metrics/security would be very nice (esp. Windows Hello)
• a decent webcam will be appreciated 
• an SSD+HDD pairing would be nice
• on optical drive would be nice, but is not required
• HDMI, VGA, USB Type C/Thunderbolt, audio jacks
• Bluetooth and NFC

Basically, something that's similar to one of these. 

[inteli7.Ti]

Dell XPS 9565

It's an all rounder, 2-1, decent battery life with the 1080p model. However, you should watch Linus's review of it. It outlines some flaws (poor webcam placement).

[TopHatProductions115]

@inteli7.Ti Is this the device?

KabyLake-G is a fever dream  Definitely a nice option!

 

The only issue is that the dude wants a 1080p panel, and I'm having a bit of difficulty finding a way to change that in the configuration tool on Dell's website right now. But, I think he can deal with a higher resolution panel if everything else is as good as it looks to be  

[genexis_x]

15 hours ago, TopHatProductions115 said:

snip

Preference on weight and battery life? Still remain the same?

[TopHatProductions115]

@GeneXiS_X Yes - should be a light laptop, with decent battery life. If the KabyLake-G laptop can pull upwards of 10-12 hours with Intel Graphics and idle (with dGPU switched off), that's fine.

[genexis_x]

On 3/16/2019 at 8:15 AM, TopHatProductions115 said:

• maybe AMD graphics (switchable - for power savings, not required

Laptops with AMD GPUs usually don't have good battery life. Moreover 10 hrs is already hard to be achieved in laptops with dGPU

 

Personally I would suggest true mobile workstations like Thinkpad P52/P72, Precision 7530/7730 and Zbook 15/17 G5. Should meet most of your requirements IMO, just make sure you get lower CPU+GPU for better battery life (eg 8750H+P1000)

[TopHatProductions115]

@GeneXiS_X I'll be sure to keep that in mind  I'll let you know how things go when the time comes (since the person in question isn't shopping quite yet).

[TopHatProductions115]

@colonel_mortis @Ryan_Vickers @Crunchy Dragon Pls feel free to lock this. No longer in use...