I'm sorting out hardware requirements for my new job and looking at getting a decent laptop, plus a secondary monitor, keyboard and mouse for my desk, so I can take everything with me, but have a good working environment when I'm at my desk...

Anyway, I need a decent laptop. I was thinking Lenovo, Dell Latitude, Fujitsu, also having a look at Sony and Toshiba.

Anybody got any recommnedations?

Requirements:
Min 4GB RAM, 64-bit Windows (pref. expandable to 8GB) - I want to run Vista 64-bit, with a VM for XP Pro 32-bit.
Min 1680x1050 15.4" display (pref. 1920x1200 resolution, max 17")
Core 2 Duo processor with VT support (so that would be P/T7n00, T8n00 or T9n00 series).
Gigabit ethernet, plus WLAN
Graphics aren't that important, but due to the dual-head configuration, something with a little bit of power would be useful, so FX9600 or so.
Camera, bluetooth etc. would be nice.

I love a 17" MacBook Pro, but the company is a Microsoft workshop, so, although the MBP would support Windows, I'd have a very hard time selling it...

What's your budget?

Not sure, but I'm guessing between €1500 and €2000.

The Dell Latitude E6500 series doesn't look too bad.

Does anyone have any experience of them?

I had a 5500 in my previous job. I was very impressed. Battery life was excellent; screen was pretty good; it took a fair bit of abuse (I was a telecomms engineer). Overall impressions were very favourable. Can't comment on Vista, because I have no relevant experience. I specced mine with XP Pro. But I had a 2gig C2D with 2gig of RAM and a smaller 7200rpm HDD and it performed admirably.

Thanks. Will be discussing exact specification etc. tomorrow, when I start my new job.

http://www1.euro.dell.com/uk/en/busines ... cs=ukbsdt1

Precision M6400 ! It makes the Macbook Pro's 'Pro' tag look like 'part time childrens entertainer'.

I had looked at the M6400, lovely machine, but the price is a bit on the high side, I think...

The E series is more affordable, and for what I need, more than enough. I like the 17" display on the M, but I need the portability of a 15", I think - plus I'll be getting a 24" desktop monitor for my desk, so most heavy duty work will be done on the external display, just presentations, note taking, diagnostics etc. under way.

Any of these?

I specced up the Dell E6500 with 15,4" 1920x1200 display, 4GB RAM, T9400, 802.11n 3x3 and BT for around €1600.

They came back with an HP with 17" 1440x900 for nearly 3K or a Toshiba Tecra S10 15.4" 1680x1050 for €2.2K

Ended up with the Toshiba. Couldn't have the Dell, because our suppliers couldn't source it - Dell only sell direct, so our supplier couldn't supply it

The Tecra looks reasonable and has a nVidia Quadro instead of the Intel HD video chipset. As I'll be dual-heading it most of the time with a 24" display on the desktop, it isn't too bad.

Tecra arrived this morning... Now busy setting it up

How ridiculous is that?! Oh well, at least you're sorted now. Let us know how you get on...

Ordered Vista 64-bit. Came with 32-bit installed and a 64-bit DVD, no 64-bit drivers, had to download the drivers separately.

Took nearly 2 hours to find the right ethernet adapter driver, so that I could connect the machine to the network!

Now I know why I wanted the Dell!

I know people who swear by Toshiba laptops along the 'they last for years without problems' way of thinking - anyone got any anecdotal evidence to back this up out of curiousity?

I still have a Toshiba Satellite A100-920 - 4 years old now I believe and still running fine...it's retired now, but it still works..

I gave my old Tosh Tecra grey brick to mum many many years ago. From memory, it's something like a 100MHz Pentium running Windows '95. She only uses it for email on a dialup connection, so until it dies of old age there's no reason to upgrade.

The Tosh that replaced it was a 1GHz Celeron, 256MB RAM and about 10GB HD. I had that for almost a decade, until I was made redundant and had to give it back. However, it came from a faulty batch. Basically, the heat pipes didn't work so it overheated and died if the ambient temperature was about 25C or if you put it on your lap.

Now I have a new Tosh. Out of the box, it was a hideous experience. Now I've gotten rid of the pre-installed malware (McAffee and a load of other carp) it runs perfectly. The build quality doesn't feel as good as the older ones, but when you consider it was only half the price then it's no surprise. The volume knob doesn't work, but I know from past experience that trying to get it fixed will only result in some mindless twit buggering up something that actually matters... Oh, this one dies if you put it on your lap too - the fan is underneath so it only works on a nice hard desk top or floating in the air.

Personally, I'd have bought a Dell. Unfortunately, our suppliers couldn't supply one.

Laptops in the real world tend to obey the laws of physics. This means inevitable compromise. For €5 I can buy a silent 120mm fan that shifts a lot of air and will last for many years. However, I don't want a laptop that's 6" thick. A laptop fan will be smaller, spin much faster, wear out faster and move far less air. The lack of cooling combined with the lack of electrical power means that processing power carries a heavy penalty.