Laptop Recommendation for Best Performance - Budget $3,500

tanmay375 on 05/06/2020 - 08:40
Last edited 05/06/2020 - 09:39 by 1 other user

Hi OzBargainers,

I'm in the hunt of a new laptop and my primary tasks are:

1) Image and video editing: Being into photography, I need to import/edit/export many images through Lightroom and Photoshop. Occasionally, I edit videos through Premiere Pro which are primarily 1080p and rarely 4k. Therefore, looking for something that can provide good performance.

2) Study purposes: I use MATLAB on a daily basis and internet browsing, PDF reading are also a part of what I do. Therefore, something that can handle multitasking well enough.

From what I understood, I am looking at atleast 16 GB of RAM, 512 GB or more of SSD, a good processor (can not decide between intel and AMD), preferably a dGPU and a really good display (ideally 15"). Portability is also an issue since I need to travel with it. As of now, I am inclining towards New XPS 15. Has anyone had any experience with that?

Dell is also selling their previous XPS in their refurbished store at a really good price: https://www.dell.com/en-au/outlet/refurbished-xps-15--7590-l… Does anyone own this laptop? Is it a good choice against the newer ones?

I am open to other vendors as long as their customer support is not totally trash. However, would prefer to stay in Windows domain as I've never used a Mac before in any spheres of tech. My budget is upto $3.5k.

Kind regards,
Tanmay

Computing Computer Laptop

Comments

  • wiipantz on 05/06/2020 - 08:56

    For your needs I'd stay in the Intel camp, 15 inch display and a dedicated GPU won't be exactly light but you will find a few high end laptops in that region. I haven't purchased any new machines like this for some time but I was partial to HP zbook mobile workstations for designers back in the day, might be worth a look as the added warranty could help. Asus have some interesting gaming offerings which could meet your needs also perhaps? Also aim for an m.2 over a SSD if you want best performance. Lastly check with Adobe and co. about what GPU's they recommend as mobile GPU's could be a little under powered but some may live up to their needs. I've had little experience with the Dell range over the years, but hear ok things.

    • tanmay375 on 05/06/2020 - 09:11

      That is correct! I am thinking of something around 1.5 - 2 kgs at max. Had a quick look HP, two things that are compromising is older processors and 45% NTSC display. I am currently looking more into ASUS range as well. Is m.2 a newer type of storage system?

      • wiipantz on 05/06/2020 - 09:21

        yes the pcie one is what you want most likely. Yeah it's been ages since I've bought something like this. I hardly buy hardware at all anymore

        • tanmay375 on 05/06/2020 - 09:26

          Need to have a look as to what laptops are offering that!

          • wiipantz on 05/06/2020 - 10:11

            @tanmay375: Those HP's I also think most offerings in your price range could option it, it's not brand new have seen them offered in machines for close to 5 years now. Just don't bottle neck yourself as you easily could without taking the primary storage into mind.

            • tanmay375 on 05/06/2020 - 10:13

              @wiipantz: I see what you meant. PCIE are like a type of SSD and the newer machines (even the Dell ones) have it. But thank you for this suggestion so that I can check in others.

      • wiipantz on 05/06/2020 - 10:19

        My initial reaction was get both tbh, get a desktop for power work and ultrabook for mobility. If you want the unicorn be prepared for compromise in some areas mostly form factor and weight or screen as the device can be connected outside of itself obviously. Good luck.

        • tanmay375 on 05/06/2020 - 10:53

          Totally agree. There is no perfect laptop as they say :)

          • Vandelay Inc on 06/06/2020 - 08:30

            @tanmay375: Check out the Razer Blade 15 or stealth. They have great performance for the price.

  • Shaddolf on 05/06/2020 - 09:15
    +1

    Everything about your post screams the xps15 to me. You won't be disappointed.

    • tanmay375 on 05/06/2020 - 09:26

      Do you have anything to say regarding the new vs. old XPS 15? In a similar price range, I am getting 32 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD, 9th gen i9 with refurbrished older XPS 15 while 16 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD, 10th gen i7 with the newer one (I have Unidays acces).

      • iforgotmysocks on 05/06/2020 - 09:31
        +1

        I'd go the older model. No real difference between 9th and 10th gen processors. The extra RAM is nice and likely useful for you

        I have an XPS with the 8th gen i7s and it's great.

  • ShortyX on 05/06/2020 - 09:38
    +1

    You mention your preference isn't Apple, but have you considered one? Many creative types (photography, video, music) seem to prefer them and if you have an iPhone, they do work well together, eg messages, calls, resuming tasks, Airdrop, etc.

    • tanmay375 on 05/06/2020 - 09:42

      I do not have an iPhone but I am only concerned about the switch from Windows to Mac. This is true that most creatives in the field indeed use apple and somehow even with (relatively) lower specs compared to windows machine, they outperform them in terms of performance e.g. rendering speed for videos and exporting speed for images. Based on other users on reddit and web, the basic suggestion was to stick with whatever OS you are used to.

    • tanmay375 on 05/06/2020 - 09:48

      Also, what would be the best place/time to buy a Mac? Unidays does offer 10% off at the moment.

    • wiipantz on 05/06/2020 - 10:17

      Windows 10 your phone software is pretty seamless now, as @tanmay375 said it's more an OS preference thing along with the obvious higher specs for lower or similar costs in the PC world. I'd steer clear of the farmed garden

    • Geoff-bargain on 06/06/2020 - 08:28

      I'm a windows guy, have worked in windows support previously. Bought MacBook Pro a couple of years ago because some web stuff I was doing all seemed to be on Mac and thought I can use bootcamp anyway. I have to say the build quality is the best I've ever had on a laptop. I've got a case for it but still I've taken this laptop traveling around the world for months which is pretty hard on gear and is still very close to new condition. Definitely the longest a laptop has lasted me.

      • jetblack on 06/06/2020 - 11:15

        I was really cautious about buying my first mac, but yeah, they're great machines and I find they're WAY easier to maintain than windows-based computers. Honestly, the transition was no different to that first-week awkwardness with a new phone. The trackpad swipe/shortcuts alone are a game changer for my productivity.

        I totally get spec-wise (price vs specs) there's an argument for avoiding them, but again, all of the above makes that difference worth it to me.

        I'm also an android guy deeply ingrained in the Google ecosystem, and even that is no impediment to my computing choices. I'd fully recommend at least considering the option.

  • ssx on 05/06/2020 - 10:18

    We had a fleet of 50-60 XPS 15 laptops in the office. They are one of the worst laptops I have ever had to deal with. They were constantly overheating and dying - we had to have at least 10 new laptops in storage because we had to constantly rebuild and swap them out. This was in 2017-2018, I don't know if the newer models are any better.

    Just my 2c. Other people have had good experiences with them.

    • tanmay375 on 05/06/2020 - 10:54

      thanks for this!

      • ssx on 05/06/2020 - 11:32
        +1

        Just to piggyback off this - I bought a refurbished XPS 13 for myself in 2018, and the Dell support was horrendous. I had a tech coming out on a weekly basis because it constantly stopped working. When I escalated my support case, Dell tried to tell me it was a stolen laptop, even though it was purchased through a retailer.

        I am an Asus fanboi. We have three Asus laptops in the home. My oldest Asus is 9 years old without a hiccup.

        • tanmay375 on 05/06/2020 - 11:40
          +1

          Funny enough that I have a friend who had terrible experience with ASUS :D

          • ssx on 05/06/2020 - 12:15

            @tanmay375: Hahahaha

            I can understand that. I currently have an Asus TUF laptop and the touchpad is horrendous. The rest of the laptop is awesome. Also have the N73SV which hasn't had a single issue.

            All laptops have good and bad experiences. But the issues we had with the XPS series (and a not a one off, but a constant stream of them), really has turned me off the XPS series.

  • CrazyBargainCatcher on 05/06/2020 - 10:23

    i have a inspiron 13 7391 i7-10510 and 8gb ram 512ssd pretty good 2 in 1 as well, got it for $1500 with 3 years VIP warranty, consider the 15 inch with graphics card for a bout $2-2.5k

    • tanmay375 on 05/06/2020 - 10:57

      Thanks for this! Need to check the diff. b/w XPS series and Inspiron. So many of them!!

      • CrazyBargainCatcher on 05/06/2020 - 11:41

        the only difference might be branding and maybe a bit better build quality but inspiron 7000 series should be good enough, mine is an all metal construction with metal key caps. premium feeling. Highly recommend

  • sane on 05/06/2020 - 10:40
    -1

    For your purposes I would suggest that maxing out the CPU in a laptop is key.

    I'd therefore suggest the XMG APEX 15 with the 16 core/ 32 thread 3950x. Configured with a decent RTX card, memory, SSD, etc. it can be had for your budget. From where we stand today, I would avoid Intel, they very rarely make any sense, and never when gaming isn't top of the requirements.

    https://bestware.com/en/xmg-apex-15.html

    • tanmay375 on 05/06/2020 - 10:57

      Honestly, I have never heard of them. How is their customer support in case if something falls off?

      • sane on 05/06/2020 - 11:24

        In general customer support for IT tends to be poor, but it's a german company and practically you are more likely to drop a laptop than have it go U/S.

        Oh, and BTW, don't neglect the quality of the screen in all this - for image work that will make a difference.

        • tanmay375 on 05/06/2020 - 11:40

          Is this the only/reliable website to buy this laptop? The following configuration is well within my budget:

          DISPLAY:  1 x 15.6" Full HD IPS | 144 Hz
GRAFIKKARTE:  1 x NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Refresh | 6 GB GDDR6
PROZESSOR:  1 x AMD Ryzen 5 3600
ARBEITSSPEICHER:  1 x 32 GB DDR4-2666 Samsung
SSD (M.2):  1 x 1 TB M.2 Samsung 860 EVO
WLAN-MODUL:  1 x Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200 | Bluetooth 5.0
TASTATUR:  1 x Backlit keyboard | US (ISO)
WÄRMELEITPASTE:  1 x Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut
GARANTIE:  1 x 24 months standard warranty | pickup & return
MARKENLOGO:  1 x XMG logo on display lid
NETZTEILSTROMKABEL:  1 x Power plug C14 | EU
  • Pelicannn on 05/06/2020 - 16:02

    Whilst I didn’t have the 15, I did have the XPS 13 (9380 from memory) and boy the Coil Whine was so so bad I returned it after two days. Do some reading up on it cause if you go XPS, you’re probably going to have some amount of it but how much it peeves you off I’m unsure.

  • tanmay375 on 06/06/2020 - 09:02

    I ended up going for an XPS 15 with 16GB/512GB model with a few discount codes (thanks to this fam). My primary driving force was the balance it provided between power, design and portability. Surprisingly, CashRewards also allowed it's little contribution, now waiting for the shipment info :)

  • Tigercjn on 06/06/2020 - 10:27

    https://www.ebay.com/itm/HP-ZBook-17-G6-17-3-Mobile-Workstat…

    Buy from America for a better price, add more memory. Easy to upgrade your self.

  • bunnybash on 06/06/2020 - 12:28

    Asus Zephyrus G14. Will be perfect for you.

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