NA Best Work Laptops

NealRomeoGolf

NealRomeoGolf

Final Approach
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So, I quit my job. Maybe that's another thread. It would be boring though. So now as I go out into a brave new world as an independent consultant, I need to get myself a laptop. Any recommendations for business type use? My soon to be former employer uses Dell Latitudes and my Ernst & Young friends use HP. I've never had any issue with my Dells and they seem solid. Any opinions out there?
 
My last three companies...all one job, but mergers and acquisitions and such...were 100% Lenovo. Their laptops always seemed bombproof, but then I can't compare them to any of the other brands.
 
I've primarily bought Dell XPS laptops for my company over the last 5 years with no issue. They can be a touch more pricey but I have had good experience with them.
 
Depends on what kind of work you are doing, but I'm partial to Macbook Pros and occasionally run a Windows VM for a few specific applications I need. The new models on apple silicon are really great. XPS seems to be a good line and the Thinkpads from Lenovo also seem good, as noted above.
 
Lenovo Thinkpad. I like the X-1 Carbon with the touch screen.
 
I am going through a similar career thing and just ordered a Lenovo T16 (link here). I should have it next week. I'll be running Arch Linux on it.

I maxed out the CPU (you can't upgrade that later) and went with the 3840x2400 OLED screen.

I ordered more memory and a larger SSD separately from Amazon (easy to upgrade, better parts, cheaper).
 
I have a Macbook Pro and a Dell XPS. Both are small, thin, and light. I use the Dell the most. I have docks with dual screens at houses and offices in two states so easy to take with. I use a Sidetrak second monitor (best invention since laptops) when traveling. I could easily add a third but don’t need it. If there’s any complaint it’s only having two USB-C ports. Power and the Sidetrak ise those. If I need more I need a port expander. Not an issue when near a dock but I do have an expander in my computer bag. I figure any laptop’s life is three years tops before it’s dated. I buy what I need. More doesn’t serve any purpose.

https://sidetrak.com/

Dell business support has been top notch for me. Not used much but excellent when I needed them.

I run Parallels on the Mac so have iOS and Windows 11 running simultaneously. It runs my Windows-specific business software well. A little different operationally, but easy to switch between machines. Ultimately I’ll only have a Mac. Hyperdrive makes adding multiple screens very simple.
 
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I think it really depends on what you're doing. CAD work? Programing? Typing reports or drafting diagrams? CAD work will probably require a thicker laptop to handle the cooling needs, but if I was going to be doing a lot of typing (for reports or for scripts), I'd pick something with a nice keyboard (dedicated arrow keys and potentially a num pad).

Personally, I hate laptops and I further hate the companies that make them (but that's another story). My experience with HPs has been subpar (more motherboard issues than I can count). Not sure if Dell is any better (no experience with them except my personal machine).
 
2-Bit Speed said:
Personally, I hate laptops and I further hate the companies that make them (but that's another story).
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I feel the same way - portability is the only benefit that laptops have over desktop PCs (which I will recommend every time unless portability, a legitimate need, is important).
The laptop companies do not manufacture the internal components, so what you're really deciding on are features, price, and support. (Some of the manufacturers may load the OS with bloatware too)

But if you don't need to take it with you, a PC can't be beat! Especially one that you built yourself.
 
Lenovo Thinkpads are the best I've ever used. And most of them (like the Carbon X1) run Linux seamlessly.
I tried a Dell XPS-13 several years ago, it had the worst keyboard I've ever seen since my old TRS-80. Lenovos have one of the best.
 
Laptop will be used for business functions. O365, remote desktops, etc. No engineering. No coding. I'm a bean counter, as they say. Just need something reliable and portable.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

And @Baked Potato I build all of my PCs. Will always do it that way.
 
I've switched to MSI Stealth laptops. I wanted a gaming laptop for the extra horsepower and graphics processing. I live on my laptop and use it for everything. I used to be a Dell person, but their support has gone to crap. Lenovo is generally OK, but when looking for a powerful laptop that didn't have silly lights and stuff, I found it hard to beat the MSI Stealth series. I often have multiple VMs running at the same time, with my own stuff running too.
 
With docks and multiple screens, wireless keyboards, and wireless mice? I’ll never buy another desktop machine. Laptops with 500gig solid state hard drives and 16gig RAM are easy to find under $500. My pro account Dells run about $1700. I rarely use a track pad or keyboard on a laptop but it sure is nice to be able to in an airport lounge!
 
MonkeyClaw said:
I've switched to MSI Stealth laptops. I wanted a gaming laptop for the extra horsepower and graphics processing. I live on my laptop and use it for everything. I used to be a Dell person, but their support has gone to crap. Lenovo is generally OK, but when looking for a powerful laptop that didn't have silly lights and stuff, I found it hard to beat the MSI Stealth series. I often have multiple VMs running at the same time, with my own stuff running too.
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I have seen so many MSI laptops fail spectacularly, I would never buy another. Poor build quality in the hinges, bloatware, bulging batteries, etc. Razer is making a decent gaming laptop nowadays in the Blade, but had some teething issues in the first few iterations.
 
Seanaldinho said:
I have seen so many MSI laptops fail spectacularly, I would never buy another. Poor build quality in the hinges, bloatware, bulging batteries, etc. Razer is making a decent gaming laptop nowadays in the Blade, but had some teething issues in the first few iterations.
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I'll admit, I had a bulging battery. I didn't realize it was the battery at first, I thought I had transported it improperly and just lived with it. After replacing the battery, I felt like I had a new computer :) Admittedly, I can be a little rough on laptops since I travel a lot. I haven't had any other issues though, and it's no different from issues I've had with Dells, HPs, Lenovos, or other laptops.

I'll look into the Razer, but one of my requirements is that it doesn't look like a gaming laptop. Why can't manufacturers just make a light, powerful laptop with a good graphics card without all of the neon and flashing lights??? I considered a 'workstation' laptop but those things are like carrying a brick.
 
At one time the DOD prohibited the use of Lenovos computers for the supply chain reasons.

don't know if that is still a concern...
 
I run a small IT consultancy www.silverstratusglobal.com and we pretty much use Dell exclusively for our clients. For your needs any of the upper end Vostro line or Latitude will serve you well. We do have some Lenovo's out there and they are fine but Dell support beats Lenovo hands down. Especially if you get the pro support option, which is usually about $200 for 4 years with accidental Damage protection.

Just as a data point for our fleet of customer Dells (Mostly Vostro with some Latitude and some professional workstations) our average lifespan is 5 years, and we only replace them at that age for supportability reasons.
 
MonkeyClaw said:
I'll admit, I had a bulging battery. I didn't realize it was the battery at first, I thought I had transported it improperly and just lived with it. After replacing the battery, I felt like I had a new computer :) Admittedly, I can be a little rough on laptops since I travel a lot. I haven't had any other issues though, and it's no different from issues I've had with Dells, HPs, Lenovos, or other laptops.

I'll look into the Razer, but one of my requirements is that it doesn't look like a gaming laptop. Why can't manufacturers just make a light, powerful laptop with a good graphics card without all of the neon and flashing lights??? I considered a 'workstation' laptop but those things are like carrying a brick.
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Yeah I appreciate that as well. I needed the gfx card to run some applications for work demos and also don't appreciate the over the top RGB and "gamer" look. The Razer looks like a mac book, solid metal construction, better battery life, and very sleek. The keyboards I believe have RGB options, but I just set mine to a single color and it was totally fine.
 
I've used Dell for a few years and HP laptops for about a decade. Never had problems with either, although mine are often engineering-class laptops for the larger screen, battery, and 10-key. They have better processing power, but I don't really need it much for finance/accounting work. Have a Dell XPS desktop at home which works great as well.
 
We have used Lenovo T series laptops for over 20 years. They stand up to frequent international travel.

I have had HP laptops before, and they were OK, but not as robust as the Lenovo T series.
 
For the past 6 years, we were using Dell XPS without issue - replaced every 2-3 years when the warranty expired. Went through an acquisition and the new folks replaced our existing Dells with identical-spec Dell Latitudes. Several folks had issues with them eating memory, HDD speeds, etc. It got bad enough that they decided to replace all of them with new HP ZBooks. Been on this one for a month or so now and no issues. It's very compact and light compared to the Dell XPS I had previously.
 
Me and my colleagues mostly use Thinkpad P series. Mine was awesome for the first 3 years, then the warranty ran out and the company switched to a 4 year refresh cycle. Mine and my coworkers started falling apart after that with problems ranging from really bad battery life, Display Port, USB and keyboard issues. I can usually solve DP by disabling and re-enabling the GPU driver. Similar with USB by the same fiddling with the Thunderbolt driver. Keyboard, I have to resort to percussive maintenance.

A few other coworkers use Surface laptops. They seem to like those as well.
 
The ASUS ZenBook Pro2 Duo has a neat 2nd screen feature.
 
MRC01 said:
Lenovo Thinkpads are the best I've ever used. And most of them (like the Carbon X1) run Linux seamlessly.
I tried a Dell XPS-13 several years ago, it had the worst keyboard I've ever seen since my old TRS-80. Lenovos have one of the best.
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Which Linux OS? I haven't purchased a laptop since an Acer in 2006. It still works great as my shop computer. All the other laptops are hand-me-downs from all the guys like the ones posting here. Nothing wrong with them but the operating system. They just needed a good cleaning. (and sometimes a hard drive).
 
Klaus M said:
Which Linux OS? I haven't purchased a laptop since an Acer in 2006. ...
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Ubuntu and Red Hat.
https://news.lenovo.com/pressroom/p...ng-deployment-for-developers-data-scientists/

The Thinkpad Linux process has been seamless for me with Ubuntu. The installer simply works, and all the laptop hardware and features work, video, touchpad, WiFi, Bluetooth, external USB devices, etc. Of course you need to install TLP for laptop power management, but it's in the repos which makes it easy, and when you do the battery life is better than on Windows.

I'll add that Lenovo has good parts & support. Just a few weeks ago I ordered a new battery from them for a 5-year old Carbon X1, for about $85. It was easy to install (no glue!) and it's nice to have 8-10 hour battery life again.
 
NealRomeoGolf said:
Laptop will be used for business functions. O365, remote desktops, etc. No engineering. No coding. I'm a bean counter, as they say. Just need something reliable and portable.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

And @Baked Potato I build all of my PCs. Will always do it that way.
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Sounds like just about anything would work here, all the way down to a chromebook.

Dell has been phoning it in lately, my last XPS was junk, as was support for the thing. I still love their servers though.

The LG Gram seems impressive, and they seem to be iterating on them to make them better each revision. My next wintel laptop will be a Gram 16.

I flipped to a macbook pro (as a careerlong PC guy) last year and honestly the amount of dust on my PCs, including my watercooled battlestation is sickening. I eye the new 15" Air covetously as a potential traveler.

Buy something at costco and take it for a 90 day spin. If it sucks, try again, repeat ad infinitum.
 
I've bought a couple hundred laptops for corporate use over the past couple of years. They've been a mix of Dell Vostro, Lenovo and HP EliteBook G8s. Oh, and about 50 MacBook Pros and Airs, all but one with Apple silicon.

Users don't generally like the Lenovos, but I can't tell you why really. They don't seem to break.
We had a number of Dell Vostros go TU way too early, and I swore off Dell for various reasons -- other than their docks. We've got a ton of Dell docks, and they're great.
Everyone likes the HPs.

The M1/M2 MacBooks are solid, if you like Macs. I want to like Macs, and for the most part I really do - but their stupid keyboard tricks just keep driving me back to Windows. I have an M2 MacBook Air and a 2-yhear-old Dell Vostro 14" here... I use the Dell 90% of the time. If you use Outlook you'll hate the Mac version, it's brain damaged.
 
MRC01 said:
Ubuntu and Red Hat.
https://news.lenovo.com/pressroom/p...ng-deployment-for-developers-data-scientists/

The Thinkpad Linux process has been seamless for me with Ubuntu. The installer simply works, and all the laptop hardware and features work, video, touchpad, WiFi, Bluetooth, external USB devices, etc. Of course you need to install TLP for laptop power management, but it's in the repos which makes it easy, and when you do the battery life is better than on Windows.

I'll add that Lenovo has good parts & support. Just a few weeks ago I ordered a new battery from them for a 5-year old Carbon X1, for about $85. It was easy to install (no glue!) and it's nice to have 8-10 hour battery life again.
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Yeah, I've tried Ubuntu and Red Hat. My first venture with alternative operating systems was called Lindows back in the late 90's. Back when Windows 98 failed to print a simple document. There's not too many of the operating systems listed on this website I haven't given a try: https://distrowatch.com/

The one I've been using exclusively for the past 5 years is https://www.pclinuxos.com/. This is a rolling release but, stable. I see the list of browsers available and recently updated on the website, even Microsoft Edge Browser is listed.

A good Browser is important these days and going into the future. Everything is moving into 'The Cloud' where it can have 24/7 security updates and backups.
 
Klaus M said:
Yeah, I've tried Ubuntu and Red Hat. ...
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There are many distros, but Lenovo picked these 2 for good reasons.
Ubuntu has complete and up-to-date repos, so it's one of the best distros for desktop use, and one of the most popular.
Red Hat (or CentOS, the open source version of Red Hat) is the standard for servers.
 
I work in IT, for whatever it's worth. My work computer is a Dell laptop. We have about 20,000 of them, I think, no exaggeration. They're fine. Meaning, they don't break too much and I haven't heard of any catching fire. That's about all you can expect from a computer these days. My personal laptop is an HP. I like it a little better, it's a little faster and has a touch screen. But the portable computer I use most is an Asus Chromebook that cost about $300. Use it all day long, for both work and personal, anything web. More reliable, less of a PITA than any Windows computer for just web browsing. Restarts, startups, suspend/resume, all faster. Lasts longer on a battery, charges faster, lighter, smaller. But...I can't use a chromebook for everything, because I like having my apps local and faster. Chrome is just web for me.
 
I always favored the HP because HP made the service manuals available online. With that, I was able to change out screens, hard drives, and the keyboard.
 
We've had a variety of laptops including HP and Dell, but Lenovo has been the best in terms of size, weight, durability and keyboard layout. HP's seem to be clunky with an awkward keyboard, but all of similar spec are going to have similar performance. My needs are meager, I just need to run Office, and not much more. The 15 inch Lenovo Yoga I've had since 2016 for personal use is still going strong, and it's been all over the world. The only real downside to it is that battery replacement is somewhat involved and requires prying the case apart, but that said I'm still using the original battery.
 
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