Need Laptop Advise, Opinions welcome.

[YotaFun]

So I am currently on the market for a new laptop.
My old POS Dell that I rebuilt just isn't cutting it and well,
I need something a little faster for work purposes (reflashing an ECU and it taking 20 min just isn't going to cut it in the flat rate world....)

So Here are the options for PCs that I have chosen in order of what I like least to most.
I would love your opinion on all laptops and which one of the ones I posted you like the best.

#1 # Alienware M11x
Processor:
Intel® Core™ i7 640UM (4M Cache, 1.2 GHZ with 2.266 GHz Max Turbo Frequency) - Overclockable
Operating System:
Genuine Windows® 7 Ultimate (64-bit)
Video Card:
1GB NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 335M
LCD:
11.6-inch WideHD 1366x768 (720p)
Memory:
8GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 800MHz
Hard Drive:
500GB SATAII 7,200RPM
Bluetooth:
Bluetooth Module, 2.1+ Enhanced Data Rate
WWAN:
No Internal WWAN Antenna Installed
Sound:
Internal High-Definition Surround Sound Audio (5.1)
Hardware Services:
3 Year Basic Plan
Security Software:
McAfee SecurityCenter, 36-Months
Integrated NIC:
Integrated 10/100 Network Interface Card
Webcam:
1.3MP Web Cam
Nameplate:
Personalized Nameplate [Yotafun]
Wireless:
Alienware M11x a/b/g/n 2x2 MIMO Wireless

#2 HP dm3t
Operating system:
Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64-bit edit
Processor and Graphics:
Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-380UM Processor (1.33 GHz, 3MB L3 Cache) + Intel(R) HD Graphics edit
Memory:
8GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm) edit
Hard drive:
500GB 7200RPM Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection edit
Security software:
Norton 360(TM) - 15 Months (activation required) edit
Primary battery:
50% OFF! Two 6 Cell Lithium-Ion Batteries (standard) edit
Display:
13.3" diagonal High Definition HP BrightView LED Display (1366 x 768) edit
External optical drive:
External Tray Lightscribe Blu-Ray ROM with SuperMulti DVD+/-R/RW Double Layer edit
Personalization:
HP TrueVision Webcam with Integrated Digital Microphone edit
Networking:
802.11b/g/n WLAN and Bluetooth(R) edit
HP Care Pack Services:
HP 2-year Care Pack Pick Up and Return Service for HP Pavilion Laptop PC edit

#3 Sony VPCZ1390X CTO
* Standard Capacity Battery
* Fresh Start
* 8GB (4GBx2) DDR3-SDRAM-1066
* Norton Internet Security™ 2010 (30 Day Trial)
* CD/DVD Player/Burner
* Engraving
* Intel® Core™ i7-640M processor (2.80GHz) with Turbo Boost up to 3.47GHz (Reg. Price $250.00)
* 13.1" VAIO Full HD Premium Display (1920x1080)
* Premium Carbon Fiber
* Genuine Windows® 7 Ultimate 64-bit
* 500GB Hard Disk Drive (5400rpm)

#4 Toshiba Satellite Pro U500-S1322
Performance
Processor*
Intel® Core™ i3-330M Processor
Operating System*
Genuine Windows 7 Professional (32-bit), Genuine Windows 7 Professional (64-bit)
Graphics Engine*
Intel® HD Graphics
Graphics Memory*
32MB-1696MB dynamically allocated shared graphics memory

Memory and Storage
Memory*
4GB DDR3 1066MHz memory
Hard Drive*
320GB HDD (5400rpm)
Optical Drive*
Slot-Loading DVD SuperMulti (+/- Double Layer) with Labelflash®

Audio and Video
Display Size*
13.3" widescreen
Display Type*
WXGA MultiTouch LCD Display
Display Resolution*
Supports 720p content, 1280x800, 16:10 aspect ratio
Audio
Standard stereo speakers, S/P DIF output port (shared with headphone port), Built-in microphone, Headphone jack (stereo), Microphone jack (mono)

Communication
Webcam
Webcam and microphone built into LCD bezel
Wireless LAN*
Realtek® 802.11b/g/n wireless LAN
Bluetooth
Bluetooth® V2.1 + EDR
Modem
Modem
LAN
10/100/1000 Ethernet LAN

Power
AC Adapter
65W (19V 3.42A) Auto-sensing, 100-240V / 50-60Hz input
Battery
Li-Ion (52Wh, 6-Cell)
Battery Life*
Up to 3.60 hours

Expansion
PC Express Slot
1-ExpressCard™ Slot
Media
Memory Card Reader, S/P DIF output port (shared with headphone port)
USB Ports*
1-eSATA/USB (2.0) combo port with Sleep and Charge, 2-USB (2.0)
HDMI
HDMI-CEC output port

Software, Support and Security
Security and Protection
Security Cable Lock Slot, HDD Recovery
Software*
TOSHIBA Power-saving Eco utility™, TOSHIBA PC Health Monitor, TOSHIBA Disc Creator, WildTangent® Orb™ Games Console, TOSHIBA Hard Drive Impact Sensor (3D sensor), Hard disc (HDD) recovery, TOSHIBA Face Recognition, TOSHIBA DVD Player, TOSHIBA ConfigFree®, TOSHIBA Recovery Disk Creator, Microsoft® Silverlight™ , Norton Internet Security™ 2010 (30-day trial), Microsoft® Windows Live Essentials including Photo Gallery, Messenger, Mail and Writer., TOSHIBA Bulletin Board™, Microsoft® Office Ready with Microsoft Office Professional 2007 (60-day trial), TOSHIBA ReelTime™
Standards*
Energy Star Qualified, RoHS Compliant, EPEAT™ Gold
Standard Limited Warranty*
1-Yr Parts and Labor, 1-Year Battery

#5 MacBook Pro 13-inch

* 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
* 8GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x4GB
* 500GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm
* SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
* None
* Backlit Keyboard (English) / User's Guide
* MacBook / MacBook Air / 13-inch MacBook Pro - AppleCare Protection Plan - Auto-enroll


Sorry for the rough lists, I built them and there was no easy way to copy the configurations over.
So what does everyone thing?

[DHC6twinotter]

I think you'd be better off with one of the i7 processors over the i3. Not sure which brand is better though. My dad bought a Toshiba with the i5 a few months ago, and it hasn't given him any issues. Touch pad is a bit too sensitive, but I think there's a way to adjust that.

MacBooks are super nice too. Do all your shop programs run on Macs?

Just my $.02.

[YotaFun]

Dan the Mac is dual boot, so I can run XP and shop programs if I had to,
And while I love mac, I do wonder if it would really be too much,
I wont really be using the art side of it as much as the practicality thats why I have it as last on my list.

And as for the Toshiba the i3 was the fastest processor offered for that model.

[Good Times]

Here's my motto....
Buy stuff that works right out of the box that doesn't require constant tweaking. If it's expensive then so be it. Just buy something that works...

With that said I'd say get a mac :P

[Scuba]

I haven't had too many issues with my ~6 m/o Dell.
Though, I wish I had the money at the time to buy a Mac.

[Crinale]

just a note after your wonderful experience with Dell Avy, Alienware is owned by Dell, and is not nearly as good as they once were. you'd probably be better off with an Envy or something similar

[2ndGen]

it's very simple, what's your budget? what is it for?

you mentioned reflashing ECU, can the program run on mac? if not, then you still consider a mac?

[YotaFun]

Here's my motto....
Buy stuff that works right out of the box that doesn't require constant tweaking. If it's expensive then so be it. Just buy something that works...

With that said I'd say get a mac :P


I am in total agreement with you Lance, but might it be to much computer for me?
I mean all I will be really using this PC for is occasional web browsing and e-mail, and Techstream for work purposes.

I still have my desktop of all my other wonderful things such as music, watching movies and anything else I need (just have to add a little more memory and it will be fine for me for a little while longer)



I haven't had too many issues with my ~6 m/o Dell.
Though, I wish I had the money at the time to buy a Mac.


Its good to hear someone is having some success with Dell, The desktop I had was a dell and it wasn't the greatest, then again the OS it came with was Millennium, which I think everyone has had experience with it and knows it sucks, but still even after upgrading it to 2000 and eventually XP it still was meh.



just a note after your wonderful experience with Dell Avy, Alienware is owned by Dell, and is not nearly as good as they once were. you'd probably be better off with an Envy or something similar


Well to tell you the truth this dell laptop is that bad, compare to the desktop I had (as mentioned above), This laptop was based on Windows 2000 and I did an upgrade to XP pro, it was fine but in today's world of technology its just obsolete, and I am fully aware that Alienware is Dell now, but I have to admit it was a neat computer to play with at the store and def doesn't share the Dell look.

I am still on the fence as well as having HP as a second choice, While I thought HP was a good brand I am starting to find out that it has a shorter shelf life then even this Dell I am on which is way older then it. My HP laptop lasted 2 years and died right after it got out of warranty, needs a new mother board and power supply... The HP desktop I have is so so, could be better, but its been built enough to suit the needs I need.



it's very simple, what's your budget? what is it for?

you mentioned reflashing ECU, can the program run on mac? if not, then you still consider a mac?


Honestly I feel the budget is no more then $2 Grand, I didn't include price cause it honestly didn't cross my mind at first to post it, my bad lol
Also Size is another thing, I am I guess use to the traditional size laptop which I feel is anywhere from 12"-15", I think the Alienware is a tad smaller at around 11.6" but it felt right when I was holding it and plugging around on the keyboard.

Mini-notebooks and netbooks are just way to small, when I am reading live data on the screen I would like to be able to see it, there is a few tech at my shop that are using the netbooks and are alright with it, but honestly thats just seems like a nuisance to have to scroll all around to see all the data you need to see.

The purpose of the laptop is stated above in my response to Lance, and I do believe if I can at least boot into windows that I should be able to run Techstream just fine, but the other thing is I don't want to dual boot into XP, windows is up to Windows & now which is really nice, and I would like to set it up to Dual boot into Window Ultimate 64 bit. But I haven't even researched how much that would cost.......

[Crinale]

looking back over those, the only 2 i would consider are the Sony and that Mac... but i agree with 2ndGen, if the program does not run on a mac, is it worth still buying?

therefore top choice with that in mind for me would be the Sony.

[Crinale]

you got really lucky with that dell then. A friend of mine when going to college was told by his peer advisor that most of the people who bought dells had to replace them about a year later because they just didnt last. On the other hand, i have a budget Compaq (rebadged HP) that lasted me great for 5 years of extremely heavy use (it was almost never turned off, usually using most of the processor power for something or other). I personally have had very good luck with HP products, but if you haven't thats understandable then. I've never really heard bad things about Sony laptops, other than price, and most people seem to have good luck with Toshiba, but they usually are more business oriented without as much graphics ability.

[YotaFun]

I have heard good and bad from Dell, I guess it just depended on what lot you got.
The HP, mine died, my dads died twice but of course he still got another, and my better half's mouse buttons are stuck....
Toshiba is also like the Dell, my friends last him years (also with the help of me a little) but still was a pretty good laptop.

That business oriented comment reminded me of IBM that I didn't look into but then again hard to get and there customer service is a little harder as well since they are more business oriented, I would love to get a Panasonic tough book which the techstream program was designed for but thats just way to much for me at this time in my life...

[2ndGen]

first, I won't pay more than $700 for a laptop no matter what it is. you want speed, that's what desktops are for. software programs are updating all the time, they are getting bigger and more complicated, your new laptop is gonna be a slow one in 3 years anyway, why bother to dump 2 grand on it now. it's kept in a shop, it won't last long, either.

as for Dell, I bought 20+ Dell desktops for my old work over the years, never had a problem. I only order from the Dell Outlet. these are pre-built but customer canceled the orders, therefore, they are sold as used computers even they are brand new. plus, I didn't have to wait, they are normally shipped next day.

my current Dell desktop at home is 4 years old, still runs like a champ.

computers are like cars, all brands have their problems, but a lot of them depend on the way you use them. take good care of them, last a long time.

[DHC6twinotter]

My dad's old laptop was a Dell that he purchased from the Dell Outlet as well. It lasted at least 7 years, and it still works. It was getting pretty slow, so my dad just upgraded to the Toshiba a few months ago. My parents' desktop is also a Dell, and it is now going on 5 years old with no issues. It's starting to get a bit slow now too, so it'll probably be replaced early part of next year. Dells have worked fine for us. Our HP printer is horrible though, but I hear good things about HP computers.

[fenrisx]

just a note after your wonderful experience with Dell Avy, Alienware is owned by Dell, and is not nearly as good as they once were. you'd probably be better off with an Envy or something similar


I just got an Envy 14 and I'm very satisfied with it now that I've had it for a few weeks. The screen is great, the keyboard is great, the trackpad is good(not great) after some adjustments. Plus is looks & performs great. Only thing is if you want the good screen (Radiance) you'll have you find it somewhere other than HP because the supplier went out of business.

[Cebby]

+1 for the HP Envy. I have the 15 loaded with go fast stuff - it has been great.

[fenrisx]

Plus with the Envy you can join the UY Envy Owners Club. I think that's a notch above VIP status.