Looking for High-End Laptop

[astrohip]

Looking for a new laptop...

 

I currently have a fully loaded XPS17, bought in 2021, 64GB RAM, (2) 4TB SSD, 17" touch 4K, i9 Intel. It's had problems from the beginning, but I've lived with them. It overheated from day one, would crash, so I've had to use a laptop cooler full-time. Then last year the webcam went out. Now it's started crashing after an hour or two of running (BSOD), so I just reboot every hour to keep going. And just this week, I noticed it won't charge beyond 94%. I'm ready for something new. I like a fast laptop, SSD drives, lots of RAM, etc.

 

Thanks in advance for your feedback.

 

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General Questions

1) What is your budget? Generous but not unlimited; $4K-$5K should easily get what I want, but can go over that if worth it.

 

2) What size notebook would you prefer? I like 17", but could live with 16" or even 15" if no other options.
 
3) In which country will you buying this notebook? US

 

4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like? Open
 
5) Would you consider laptops that are refurbished/redistributed? No

 

6) What are the primary tasks you will be performing with this notebook? General usage

 

7) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places, leaving it on your desk or both? I travel between two locations weekly (by car), and take this laptop back & forth. I do occasionally travel (fly), and will take it when I do. But I almost always use it at a desk, regardless of where I am.

 

😎 Will you be playing games on your notebook? No, I'm not a gamer

 

9) How many hours of battery life do you need? Not an issue, I leave it plugged in all the time. Whatever battery it comes with will work for those few occasions I use it unplugged.

 

10) Would you prefer to see the notebook you're considering before purchasing it or buying a notebook on-line without seeing it is OK? Online only is okay, if it's a brand name, although I'd probably want to see it to make sure the keyboard is decent. I type a LOT.

 

11) What OS do you prefer? Windows only

 

12) What ports do you require on your laptop? USB-C (fast, and several), headphone. Card reader is nice but not required

 

Screen Specifics

13) What screen resolution(s) would you prefer?1080p is fine

 

14) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen? glossy preferred, but if matte is only choice to get the machine I want I'll take it

 

Build Quality and Design

15) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you? Not really, but don't want a clunker looking laptop

 

Notebook Components

16) How much storage space do you need? I have (2) 4TB SSD now, and I already use a combined 3TB of them. A single 4TB doesn't leave me much room to grow. I need a machine that can handle two SSD drives (and fast ones). If it only comes with a single 4TB, but has space for another, I can add it myself. But only one SSD slot is a deal-breaker.

 

Timing, Warranty and Longevity

17) When do you consider purchasing this laptop? Now

 

18) How long do you expect to use this laptop? 4-5 years

 

19) How long could you afford to do without your laptop if it were to fail? I couldn't. I would keep this one as a backup/spare to use.

 

20) Would you be willing to pay significantly extra for on-site warranty, or would it be acceptable to you to have to ship the laptop to the vendor for repair with perhaps a week or more outage? I can handle shipping it back.

 

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[Aaron44126]

If your more of a techy-type and you tinker (willing to install your own drives and so forth), I have to point to Framework Laptop 16.

https://frame.work/products/laptop16-diy-amd-7040

 

You can pick all of the components that go in (including which ports it will have — they are little modules that can be swapped around). It supports up to 96 GB of RAM and 10 TB of storage (8 TB + 2 TB), and you can add up to an additional 16 TB (two additional SSDs) if you add the dual M.2 adapter (fits in from the back, in place of the graphics module, which you don't really need if you're not gaming). Every individual part can be ordered standalone from their web site as well, and in the future you will be able to upgrade it by replacing components.

 

I love the idea of a modular and future-proof laptop, but I understand that this thing had some rough edges when it first launched. Maybe check a couple of YouTube video reviews and see if it is something that you'd be interested in.

[astrohip]

Thanks, I'll take a look. 

 

They appear to be AMD, not Intel. How do the two compare?

[astrohip]

DId some research into Framework. While it seems an interesting option, I'm reading mixed reviews on reliability and longevity.

 

I'd rather stick with a big name laptop--Lenovo, Dell, etc.

 

Any other ideas, people? For example, if I look at Lenovo, what is considered their high-end line? Their web site doesn't make it easy to compare.

[astrohip]

Looking at Alienware now. Any thoughts? Their M18 can handle 2 SSD drives.

[Bullit]

What about LG Gram 17 can handle 2 SSD but not sure 64GB RAM exists.

 

[1610ftw]

2 hours ago, astrohip said:

Looking at Alienware now. Any thoughts? Their M18 can handle 2 SSD drives.

 

Get the Dell Pro Max 18 Plus instead if it has to be one of the big 3 of Dell, HP or Lenovo:

• up to 4 SSDs
• up to 256GB memory
• professional chassis
• easier maintenance than M18

 

You can get it with a smaller GPU and probably with a longer warranty than the M18.

And yes it will be less powerful but probably not much of an issue coming from the XPS 17 that it will surpass easily.

 

Best info on it that I have seen:

 

[astrohip]

3 hours ago, Bullit said:

What about LG Gram 17 can handle 2 SSD but not sure 64GB RAM exists.

 

Off to explore LG. Thanks.

[astrohip]

1 hour ago, 1610ftw said:

Get the Dell Pro Max 18 Plus 

It appears this isn't released yet.

[Aaron44126]

Dell Pro Max 18 Plus won't be released until probably summer time. It hasn't even been officially announced... we just have a decent leak.

[1610ftw]

7 hours ago, astrohip said:

It appears this isn't released yet.

 

Correct but for your use case it seems worth the wait.

 

Edit: Just saw you may indeed need something now. A bit of a shame as none of the new laptop generation workstations have been released.

You may try an LG Gram 17 refurb  in that case and switch to something else later as I think you will find it too flimsy.

 

[kojack]

Check out the Asus ProArt P16. Probably the best overall windows based laptop available now. It's basically the macbook pro of windows.  I have my eyes set on one or a macbook air 15 inch if they release with the M4 Pro as an option.  Not sure yet.  But the Asus Proart is an awesome device.  The best part about the asus, is the maxed out version with 64gb of ram and 4070 gpu is only 2699 canadian. 

[astrohip]

12 hours ago, kojack said:

Check out the Asus ProArt P16. Probably the best overall windows based laptop available now. It's basically the macbook pro of windows.  I have my eyes set on one or a macbook air 15 inch if they release with the M4 Pro as an option.  Not sure yet.  But the Asus Proart is an awesome device.  The best part about the asus, is the maxed out version with 64gb of ram and 4070 gpu is only 2699 canadian. 

Thanks, looks like a great machine. But how the heck do I customize it? All it does is send me to Amazon (or others) to buy a pre-configured machine. I need to add RAM, add SSD, upgrade to W11-PRO, etc.

 

Can I buy it from ASUS, and have them customize it?

[astrohip]

I'm also looking at a Lenovo Thinkpad P16 Gen 2. I customized it to:

 

• i9 13950HX
• 64GB DDR5
• (2) 4 TB SSD M.2 2280 PCIe Gen4 Opal
• 16" WQUXGA OLED touch, etc etc
• Nvidia RTX 2000

The rest is pretty much std.

 

Thoughts? Is this a good laptop? Is there anything else in the Lenovo line I should be looking at?

[win32asmguy]

6 minutes ago, astrohip said:

I'm also looking at a Lenovo Thinkpad P16 Gen 2. I customized it to:

 

• i9 13950HX
• 64GB DDR5
• (2) 4 TB SSD M.2 2280 PCIe Gen4 Opal
• 16" WQUXGA OLED touch, etc etc
• Nvidia RTX 2000

The rest is pretty much std.

 

Thoughts? Is this a good laptop? Is there anything else in the Lenovo line I should be looking at?

 

I currently have a P16 G2 for sale too. Its a decent laptop - the keyboard is indeed very good, probably the best in the industry. Regarding storage it can take an 8TB WD SN850X SSD in at least one of the slots. The other slot may only take single sided SSD's so its limited to 4TB. Memory speeds with 2x32GB are limited to 4000MT/s per Intel specs. Sustained TDP is around 100W on the CPU, or 180W combined CPU+GPU. There is a MUX switch for the laptop display available in the bios, all out video outputs are wired to the dGPU. The wifi is soldered AX211 and as you might have noticed there is no built in ethernet. The system can support 170W, 230W and 300W Lenovo adapters - but NOT the 330W Lenovo adapter.

[kojack]

56 minutes ago, astrohip said:

Thanks, looks like a great machine. But how the heck do I customize it? All it does is send me to Amazon (or others) to buy a pre-configured machine. I need to add RAM, add SSD, upgrade to W11-PRO, etc.

 

Can I buy it from ASUS, and have them customize it?

There are two available models. one with  the 4060 and 32gb of ram.  the other is a 4070 with 64gb of ram.  It has dual NVME to upgrade ssd capacity.  Ram is on board.  But 64gb would be fine for laptops IMO. 

[astrohip]

 

 

13 hours ago, win32asmguy said:

 

I currently have a P16 G2 for sale too. Its a decent laptop 

 

Were you happy with it? Why are you selling it?

 

 

13 hours ago, kojack said:

There are two available models. one with  the 4060 and 32gb of ram.  the other is a 4070 with 64gb of ram.  It has dual NVME to upgrade ssd capacity.  Ram is on board.  But 64gb would be fine for laptops IMO. 

 

Thanks, I will dig a little deeper. I agree, the 64GB is plenty, and I can easily add my own second SSD.

[win32asmguy]

1 hour ago, astrohip said:

Were you happy with it? Why are you selling it?

 

Its a nice machine. I just buy and sell a lot of tech. This particular model was interesting to me as it is a rare config that has a 130W 4090M. Out of Dell / HP / Lenovo this one has the best thermal performance due to the dual vapor chamber design.

[song_1118]

On 3/5/2025 at 9:02 PM, astrohip said:

Were you happy with it? Why are you selling it?

Thanks, I will dig a little deeper. I agree, the 64GB is plenty, and I can easily add my own second SSD.

 

Personal opinion, for reference only:
I think that the ThinkPad P16 Gen 2 comes with the TrackPoint system, which is its first major advantage.
The second advantage is that its keyboard should be the best of its kind, and it is easy to disassemble and install, making it easy to maintain.
The third advantage is that the performance of the CPU and GPU can be basically the same as that of the 17-inch DELL Precision 7780 in the same configuration.
The drawback is that there are only two SSD slots and no RJ45 LAN ports.

[astrohip]

35 minutes ago, song_1118 said:

Personal opinion, for reference only:
I think that the ThinkPad P16 Gen 2 comes with the TrackPoint system, which is its first major advantage.
The second advantage is that its keyboard should be the best of its kind, and it is easy to disassemble and install, making it easy to maintain.
The third advantage is that the performance of the CPU and GPU can be basically the same as that of the 17-inch DELL Precision 7780 in the same configuration.
The drawback is that there are only two SSD slots and no RJ45 LAN ports.

Thank you, appreciate the feedback. Good to hear those advantages.

 

The two SSD limit isn't an issue (if I understand you correctly). I need 8TB, so (2)4TB is plenty. And I currently don't have an RJ45 port on my XPS17. I bought a USB-C to RJ45 adapter for that one or two times I actually needed one.

[1610ftw]

What @win32asmguy and @song_1118 said.

 

The ThinkPad P16 Gen 2 is indeed a very strong contender and would be my current 16" pick if I was happy with two SSDs.

 

Edit: Still not a big fan though of 16" and if you are happy now with 17" and most of the time not restricted while traveling then why not go a bit bigger still? Very nice to work with a bigger screen and the added size will not be an issue when traveling by car.

[Aaron44126]

We have some P16 Gen2's at work. I haven't used one as a daily driver myself, but the feedback I would give from what I've seen is:

• They are on the bulky side, in line with Precision 7000 series, notably thicker than an XPS that you'd be coming from.
• They are also on the slightly noisy side, pretty quick to ramp up the fans while you're doing relatively light work.
• Really solid build though, and the Thunderbolt dock works fine if you need that.
• (Everyone is complaining about the position of the Fn and Ctrl keys on the keyboard, but there is an option in the BIOS setup to swap them.)

[astrohip]

6 hours ago, 1610ftw said:

Edit: Still not a big fan though of 16" and if you are happy now with 17" and most of the time not restricted while traveling then why not go a bit bigger still? Very nice to work with a bigger screen and the added size will not be an issue when traveling by car.

What is your recommendation if I want to stay with 17". I don't see any Lenovo Thinkpads above 16"

 

Thanks!

[1610ftw]

1 hour ago, astrohip said:

What is your recommendation if I want to stay with 17". I don't see any Lenovo Thinkpads above 16"

 

Thanks!

 

No recommendation for 17" as it is pretty much a dead screen size right now as far as higher end Dell, HP and Lenovo are concerned.

 

If I had to get something new right now from these three manufacturers with a 1920 x 1200 screen then it would be the only 18" choice out there which is the Alienware M18:

https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-laptops/alienware-m18-r2-gaming-laptop/spd/alienware-m18-r2-laptop/useashctom18r201#customization-anchor

 

It is bad timing though as most of the 18" Alienware units seem to be sold off by now including the model with the AMD CPU that they had and the new Alienwares and 18" Pro Max are not yet available.

 

So as I said if you need something now as in right now it is bad timing and anything relatively cheap that could tide me over until the good stuff becomes available would be my choice like for example this one:

urlr.me/eW6HJa

 

 

 

 

[win32asmguy]

5 hours ago, astrohip said:

What is your recommendation if I want to stay with 17". I don't see any Lenovo Thinkpads above 16"

 

Thanks!

 

The only current 17 inch workstation is the Dell Precision 7780. It uses a 16:9 display and is available with a FHD 60hz display option. The obvious advantage with it is using the SODIMM interposer you can utilize XMP memory which puts it at a higher performance tier than the Thinkpad P16 G2 which is limited to 4000 MT/s. It also supports four M.2 SSD drives so plenty of upgradability. I do not like its cooling solution as I feel like it does not have enough headroom for sustained high end combined loads. For a CPU only load it should sustain around the same as the P16 G2 so long as there are not any cooling system issues. It may have finnicky microphone audio support as I had trouble with it consistently pickup my voice on audio calls in the past.