Help Decide which Laptop To buy (need lots of RAM)

[N.E.A]

Hi Everyone,

 

I'm looking to buy a new laptop. The needs are simple

• 256GB Storage or higher (regular SSD or NVMe ... both are fine with me)
• Quad Core CPU (i7 8550U or 7700HQ, 6700HQ are on my radar) / quad core i5s are welcome too.
• 16GB RAM (with hopefully the option to add more)
• Bright display (to help working in sunlight, but this is not the deal breaker for me)

Now the laptops I'm thinking of are

 

Dell XPS 15 9560 or 9550 = $1,916.70  with shipping and import

Asus UX430UA-DH74 (8th Gen Intel) =  $1,226.25 with shipping and import

Razer Blade Stealth (8th Gen Intel) = $1,837.20 with shipping and import

 

I know there is a huge difference between the 8th Gen laptops and XPS in terms of specs (especially for the GPU).

 

What makes me unable to decide is that for each laptop there is a catch. I like everything about the XPS except the price (and minor not being able to charge using USB C which I would like to have, but not a must, in case I have no access to wall power so I can use my power bank). As for the Razer, everything is appealing (build quality, display, USB C charging) but again the price is steep and battery life is so poor for the specs it has and I can't get more than 16GB RAM). The Asus checks a lot of marks but falls short with the RAM stuck at 16GB like the Razer, price is very good for its specs, I'd say if I say no to XPS 15, I'd get it since it has almost the same specs as Razer and at a much better price point and seemingly better battery life.

 

So, what help do I need from you guys?

I need your help look for alternative laptops that can be upgraded to 32GB RAM, have one of the CPUs above.

 

My uses: I'm a Software Engineer, I don't need a powerful graphics card. I have my gaming PC for that with a nice GTX 1070, but if its there then OK :D. I just need decent CPU (quad core) and tons of RAM I can live with 16GB but I think soon I may find myself needing more. Currently my laptop has 12GB RAM and I find myself maxing that most of the time. It should have decent battery life, more than 5 hours with advertised use is fine for me. And finally, it should be able to run Ubuntu Linux with no major issues (all the above laptops do that).  And last but not least, if it doesn't have SSD (SATA/PCI-E), at least have the storage upgradable so I can swap it myself. SSD speed don't have to be insane, ~500 MB/s read/write is good enough for me.

 

Edit: Don't suggest bulky gaming laptops, I had a look at them and the ones that interested me like Dell 7577 or 7567 have very bad screens and are very bulky for my taste. If you find one that fits the above with a little bulk and a decent screen then ok. I need the screen to have good brightness and colors. Not 4K but also not a TN panel and viewing angles should be decent too.

 

Price sweet spot, anywhere below $1300 for the laptop, because I'd end up paying an extra $200-$400 for the laptop to be shipped and imported to my location. I can stretch the budget but not by much considering the additional fees I'll have to pay for shipping/handling.

 

So, out of the above, which one do you recommend or if you have other alternative, it would be nice.

[Nite-Ninja]

Something else to consider, they just released a new Ryzen 7 1700 laptop, touting 8 cores 16 threads, which will help you with productivity alot, without busting the wallet.

 

Its the ASUS ROG Strix GL702ZC. Ships with 16gb, expandable to 32.

 

$1,500.

 

I probably should explain more of its features.

 

Its got a R7 1700 at 3ghz, turboing up to 3.7ghz with no thermal throttling, a 4gb RX 580, a nice 17.3" IPS display with great viewing angles, 256gb SSD and 1TB HDD. I'm looking to get my hands on one of these and see what else it can do. It has a pleasant mix of gamer and professional look, and isn't excessively heavy or use an excessive amount of power, with about 5 hours of battery life.

[N.E.A]

16 minutes ago, Nite-Ninja said:

Something else to consider, they just released a new Ryzen 7 1700 laptop, touting 8 cores 16 threads, which will help you with productivity alot, without busting the wallet.

 

Its the ASUS ROG Strix GL702ZC. Ships with 16gb, expandable to 32.

 

$1,500.

 

That price is XPS 15 territory and not to mention I just edited the post saying that I don' t want bulky gaming laptops. I'm not using this laptop for gaming at all. So the laptop should be fairly portable.

[genexis_x]

What's the max weight that you prefer?

[Nite-Ninja]

1 minute ago, N.E.A said:

 

That price is XPS 15 territory and not to mention I just edited the post saying that I don' t want bulky gaming laptops. I'm not using this laptop for gaming at all. So the laptop should be fairly portable.

Yeah I don't consider an inch thick to be "bulky" but I also have a 2 and a half inch thick MSi GX 70 humming away across the room, so my perspective might be a tad skewed.

 

To find a wide assortment of performance in an ultra book form-factor, you'll have to look into systems like the Razer Blade, but like the others you have linked above, you're going to be paying for a premium. There is no happy medium between price, performance, and portability for the time being. So far the one I pointed out has hit what I would feel from a CAD Designer's perspective, a decent happy medium. 8 cores 16 threads, 17 inches, while staying around an inch thick.

 

So are you looking for something like a 15 or even a 13 inch powerhouse then?

I have an ASUS Q504UA ultrabook which has a i5 7500U in it, which is a pretty decent processor for what it is, and I threw in 32gb of RAM into it as well as a 256gb NVMe SSD into it. I don't think I'd render complex CAD or Inventor drawings with it though, as even moderate video editing which is what I use it for right now, takes some time.

[N.E.A]

5 minutes ago, ZM Fong said:

What's the max weight that you prefer?

No real preference. But it shouldn't be more than reach 6 pounds like most gaming laptops do.

 

3 minutes ago, Nite-Ninja said:

Yeah I don't consider an inch thick to be "bulky" but I also have a 2 and a half inch thick MSi GX 70 humming away across the room, so my perspective might be a tad skewed.

 

To find a wide assortment of performance in an ultra book form-factor, you'll have to look into systems like the Razer Blade, but like the others you have linked above, you're going to be paying for a premium. There is no happy medium between price, performance, and portability for the time being. So far the one I pointed out has hit what I would feel from a CAD Designer's perspective, a decent happy medium. 8 cores 16 threads, 17 inches, while staying around an inch thick.

 

So are you looking for something like a 15 or even a 13 inch powerhouse then?

I have an ASUS Q504UA ultrabook which has a i5 7500U in it, which is a pretty decent processor for what it is, and I threw in 32gb of RAM into it as well as a 256gb NVMe SSD into it. I don't think I'd render complex CAD or Inventor drawings with it though, as even moderate video editing which is what I use it for right now, takes some time.

I'll look at the Asus Q504UA you sent.

 

What do you guys think about this

https://www.amazon.com/N580VD-DB74T-VivoBook-Touchscreen-backlit-keyboard/dp/B0747S3V8D/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1515227998&sr=8-2&keywords=asus%2Bvivobook%2Bn580vd&th=1

 

I searched for the answers and other places online if it that Asus N580VD can be upgraded to 32GB RAM and I see a lot of conflicting answers. Some say it can be upgraded, others say it can't.

 

Has anyone tried it? Or have it and can confirm it?

[genexis_x]

Clevo W650KK1 or W650KJ1. Add RAM and storage after purchase, RAM supported up to 32GB. Desktop CPU up to i7 7700, IPS display (72% sRGB), make sure it has 62Wh battery (should be able to last at least 5 hours). Not sure about Linux compatibility. Finally, it fits your budget.

[genexis_x]

8 minutes ago, N.E.A said:

What do you guys think about this

https://www.amazon.com/N580VD-DB74T-VivoBook-Touchscreen-backlit-keyboard/dp/B0747S3V8D/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1515227998&sr=8-2&keywords=asus%2Bvivobook%2Bn580vd&th=1

OKish build quality, Okish input devices, mediocre battery life, some configs come with poor quality panel, firmware and driver issues, RAM up to 32GB. (I tried it before so I can share my experience)

[Nite-Ninja]

7 minutes ago, N.E.A said:

No real preference. But it shouldn't be more than reach 6 pounds like most gaming laptops do.

 

I'll look at the Asus Q504UA you sent.

 

What do you guys think about this

https://www.amazon.com/N580VD-DB74T-VivoBook-Touchscreen-backlit-keyboard/dp/B0747S3V8D/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1515227998&sr=8-2&keywords=asus%2Bvivobook%2Bn580vd&th=1

 

I searched for the answers and other places online if it that Asus N580VD can be upgraded to 32GB RAM and I see a lot of conflicting answers. Some say it can be upgraded, others say it can't.

 

Has anyone tried it? Or have it and can confirm it?

According to Notebookcheck, that thing has 1 of 4 slots filled, with a 16gb module in 1 slot. So it would make me think that it being unable to support 32gb of RAM with 4 slots is silly.

[N.E.A]

5 minutes ago, ZM Fong said:

OKish build quality, Okish input devices, mediocre battery life, some configs come with poor quality panel, firmware and driver issues, RAM up to 32GB. (I tried it before so I can share my experience)

How mediocre? What I do is intensive and I expect no laptop to withstand it. But when I'm browsing the web, I expect around 4-5 hours at least of battery life. Did the N580VD last less than that?

Also which one did you have? They say the touch screen model which is the one I sent in the link: N580VD-DB74T

the one that ends with "T" has a decent monitor.

 

 

Also I found its 17.3 inch model

https://www.amazon.com/N580VD-DB74T-VivoBook-Touchscreen-backlit-keyboard/dp/B07661CYPD/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1515227998&sr=8-2&keywords=asus%2Bvivobook%2Bn580vd&th=1

 

Is it upgradeable to 32GB too?

[genexis_x]

7 minutes ago, Nite-Ninja said:

1 of 4 slots

4 RAM slots are really rare in laptops, N580VD only has 2 RAM slots

[N.E.A]

10 minutes ago, ZM Fong said:

Clevo W650KK1 or W650KJ1. Add RAM and storage after purchase, RAM supported up to 32GB. Desktop CPU up to i7 7700, IPS display (72% sRGB), make sure it has 62Wh battery (should be able to last at least 5 hours). Not sure about Linux compatibility. Finally, it fits your budget.

I'm not familiar with Clevo laptops at all and I would prefer to stick with the well known brands. I felt the same about the Razer blade stealth at first, till I read some articles and reviews that it actually is a good well built laptop despite Razer not being a laptop company.

[Nite-Ninja]

1 minute ago, ZM Fong said:

4 RAM slots are really rare in laptops, N580VD only has 2 RAM slots

Yeah I kinda tilted my head on reading that, but just reporting what I read. iFixit had no teardown guide on it that I could find.

[genexis_x]

1 minute ago, N.E.A said:

How mediocre? What I do is intensive and I expect no laptop to withstand it. But when I'm browsing the web, I expect around 4-5 hours at least of battery life. Did the N580VD last less than that?

4 hours of web browsing if you're lucky. Even less under load.

2 minutes ago, N.E.A said:

Also which one did you have?

I just try it at store so...I didn't own it.

3 minutes ago, N.E.A said:

Is it upgradeable to 32GB too?

Probably yes, however I can't find any details online

1 minute ago, N.E.A said:

I'm not familiar with Clevo laptops at all and I would prefer to stick with the well known brands. I felt the same about the Razer blade stealth at first, till I read some articles and reviews that it actually is a good well built laptop despite Razer not being a laptop company.

FYI, brands like Asus, Acer, HP and Lenovo doesn't make laptops, laptops are manufactured by companies like Compal, Quanta and Clevo. So buy laptop by model not brand, every brand has good and bad products, Avoid Razer laptops, poor internal quality, poor QC, poor support.

[N.E.A]

Since there is a lot of confusion

 

Let me ask another question, is the Dell XPS 15 worth it?

Does it last long? I want to buy a laptop that comfortably be in service for years (at least 2 or 3). The one that I have now is with me since 2014 and its everything I need except its HDD is slow and memory is 12GB max and battery life wasn't great.

 

So will the XPS last that long or longer? The one thing that makes me hesitate is its price (after shipping/handling).

 

Also, do you know of any Lenovo Thinpads that can take 32GBs with quad core CPU? It doesn't matter to me if its a an HQ or U CPU also it doesn't matter Core i5 or Core i7. It only needs to have 4 physical cores. Anything more is welcome.

[genexis_x]

1 hour ago, N.E.A said:

snip

What confused you?

 

XPS 15 also has issues like VRM throttling, high temps etc. There's no guarantee that a PC will last long, it all depends on luck, that's what I called electronics lottery.

 

Some Thinkpads (end with 'p') come with HQ CPU, they usually can take max 32GB RAM. You can also wait for CES to arrive as new Thinkpads with Kaby Lake Refresh CPU (4c8t). Usually business laptops will last longer.

[N.E.A]

58 minutes ago, ZM Fong said:

What confused you?

 

XPS 15 also has issues like VRM throttling, high temps etc. There's no guarantee that a PC will last long, it all depends on luck, that's what I called electronics lottery.

 

Some Thinkpads (end with 'p') come with HQ CPU, they usually can take max 32GB RAM. You can also wait for CES to arrive as new Thinkpads with Kaby Lake Refresh CPU (4c8t). Usually business laptops will last longer.

Yeah I guess CES can uncover some interesting laptops.

 

I probably shouldn't have used the word "confusion". The thing is, I'm overwhelmed with options and each laptop appeals to me in some way. Honestly, if I didn't need the ability to expand to 32GB in the future, I would've picked the Asus UX430UA straight away. Its all what I need except its RAM is not upgradable and its price is very very reasonable for its specs considering how expensive other similar laptops can be (such as Razer or XPS 13).

 

Some would say why do you need more than 16GB but I find myself at times using all 12 GB of my current laptop and around 2-4 GBs from swap. So that equates to 16GB total. I'm not sure if I would use up all the 32GB at some point. But what I'm sure of is 16GB is not going to be enough for my usage for a long time and I hate to buy a laptop then find myself wanting to replace it because its memory is so low.

 

I actually wouldn't have thought about replacing my current laptop if it weren't for the high memory usage. I would've just bought a nice fast SSD and used it to speed it up a bit and that's it.