New Laptop Opinions

[roborobs computer repair]

Looking to purchase a new laptop for use as my daily driver. Basically I am looking for something I can run a couple of VMs on simultaneously while doing normal task without bogging it down. Also looking for something that would have the capacity to do photo and video editing or gaming for those late nights when I just want a break from IT. Two options I'm currently looking at are below. Any suggestions along the same price range and specs would be greatly appreciated.

Requirements:
CPU: i7 processor minimum
Memory: 16 GB RAM min
Storage: NVMe SSD - 512 GB min
OS: Windows 10 Pro

$1200 Max budget before tax

MSI GF75 Laptop

Lenovo Thinkpad T570

Also have this one as an option on the lower end.

Lenovo E595

 

[roborobs computer repair]

No specific recommendations, but if you're running a couple of VMs you'll probably want to at least double the RAM. If you allocate them 4GB each then you're down to 8GB for anything else you need to run, which isn't a lot.

The 512GB SSD looks pretty small too, but maybe you're more efficient than I am; my main work machine has nearly 2TB on it and I could easily fill more if I had it. (By contrast, my home computer at the moment is a MacBook Air with barely half of its 128GB SSD used - apparently I'm only a packrat in my professional life.)

Actually setting aside a 16 GB upgrade for the ram as well.

the MSI laptop has a 512 NVMe drive and a 1 TB HDD

 

[brandonkick]

I just recently swapped out my old T520 for a T480.

I got it for $450 used on eBay, sold off the T520 to subsidize the cost (plus didn't need it any more) of the upgrade. Machine came with an internal 24 wHr battery plus 24 wHr external battery, 256GB nvme and 8GB ram. Got another matching 8GB stick off eBay for $25 and an OEM 72 wHr external battery for $60.

That machine is good to expand to 32GB memory. Has HDMI out, thin, light, low profile and EXCELLENT battery life. Mine also still had nearly 2 years worth of manufacturer warranty left on it. Which is awesome, considering in about 3 years I'll be looking to upgrade to a business grade Ryzen 4000 series ThinkPad.

If I were you, I'd deal hunt eBay for a T580 with an i7 model CPU. I've seen them go under $700 and that would allow you to make any necessary upgrades and still come in well under budget. Mines the i5 model, but even with setting the lenovo battery saver to start charging at 30% and stop charging at 80% I can still get 8 hours runtime on average. Going full to empty, it's already gone past 12 hours with more than general web browsing useages. Maybe my favorite feature. Plus the image output just looks a lot better when connected t to the HDTV in my living room than my T520 did. Native full size HDMI vs Display port is nice as well.

Another bonus is the USB-C charger that comes with it... I use it to charge my Galaxy S8+... funny thing is the OEM charger for the phone throws fits and says things like "if your phone is in a case, please remove it"... takes nearly 6 hours to charge. I plug in the lenovo charger and it charges in just over an hour from nearly dead.

If you do go with a lenovo laptop, look up the issue with the Thunderbolt 3 controller. There are necessary firmware and software updates to prevent the controller from failing prematurely and trashes major core functionality of the laptop. The updates are very simple, and the risk isn't great. But it is something that should be checked and updated.

 

[phaZed]

Check out the Lenovo Legion Y545. I picked one up at the end of last year for $1000 at Costco.. it's been great.

Costco - $1099

15.6" LCD @ 144Hz
512GB NVME SSD
1.0TB Hard Drive
16GB Memory
GeForce 1660TI w/ 6GB

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

I've gotten my past...several laptops, from Lenovos Factory Outlet
https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/outletus/

They have off lease, and overstock/overproduction runs for sale there.
The off lease computers...can be either still brand new left in the box still in the shrink wrap, or...used for a short time, and returned and refurbished.

Many big fortune 500 companies such as Pfizer, or Johnson & Johnson..lease truckloads of computers for projects..short term projects such as for 6 or 9 months or a year. At the end, all computers get returned. Many of them never got taken out of the box.

Often the factory warranty is still intact.
My current laptop was, at the time, a top of the line Carbon X1 model, i7 CPU...originally retailed for around 1750 or so. I snagged it for about 850 bucks or so. Was still brand new.

 

[roborobs computer repair]

Outlets are amazing.

 

[brandonkick]

I've gotten my past...several laptops, from Lenovos Factory Outlet
https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/outletus/

They have off lease, and overstock/overproduction runs for sale there.
The off lease computers...can be either still brand new left in the box still in the shrink wrap, or...used for a short time, and returned and refurbished.

Many big fortune 500 companies such as Pfizer, or Johnson & Johnson..lease truckloads of computers for projects..short term projects such as for 6 or 9 months or a year. At the end, all computers get returned. Many of them never got taken out of the box.

Often the factory warranty is still intact.
My current laptop was, at the time, a top of the line Carbon X1 model, i7 CPU...originally retailed for around 1750 or so. I snagged it for about 850 bucks or so. Was still brand new.

Was that the "everybody" price, or some kind of business partner account price?

I ask because I just decided to take a look... and most of the "good" deals are about $200-$250 discounts off the brand new price. The only thing I see anywhere in the realm of what your talking about is one desktop that retailed for close to 3K and was down to like $2200. Most everything else is $200 or less... a lot of it in the $50 range. Or do the deals fluctuate quite highly?

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Or do the deals fluctuate quite highly?

I see the deals fluctuate a lot. I'm sure they price based on availability and stock...for example, if they have just a few Carbons...it'll stay higher. If they have huge truckloads....prices lower.