- Joined
- Apr 23, 2018
- Messages
- 5,791
It's time for an upgrade of my laptop at work, and have narrowed it to 3 choices. Money is essentially the same for all 3 as they vary between $1,800 to $2,000. For the specs I am trying to achieve I believe this to be a fair price. If you know of something better, etc please let me know.
One of my major concerns is I utilize a large 55" display when docked, running at 4k (3840x2160) resolution. I frequently need to utilize a second larger 80" display for private & confidential reviews & meetings. While I would like to run 4k on that display, most everyone else's eyes appreciates the larger scale of a HD (1920x1080) resolution. Still there might be a few times when I run 4k on it. In my new setup I will likely keep my laptop open and use that as 3rd monitor for emails as I like the privacy it offers.
I'm all over the place on programs. Most deal with our special accounting software, estimating software, CAD programs, specialized PDF/drawing/takeoff software (Bluebeam), P6 scheduling software, earthwork modeling & takeoff software, GIMP/Photoshop, MS Office, various web applications and some engineering programs. Also Google Earth with very large KMZ files that brings my current machines to a crawl. Another pesky culprit being large format (36x48, etc) drawings & custom mega large drawings (120x36 and sometimes larger) in Bluebeam.
Plus, I'm trying to future proof for the next 2-3 years.
Would appreciate any feedback if you have any experience with any or all of these machines, specs, etc. Or maybe if I'm just being an idiot and missing the obvious.
1. HP Spectre x360: 2.6ghz i7 9750H hexa core, 16gb DDR4, dedicated NVIDIA GeForce GTX1650 4gb video card, 512gb SSD and 15.6 4k IPS AMOLED-backlight touch screen. Poseidon Blue (as I can't stand copper/gold).
Pros: 6 core processor, dedicated video card, touch screen that can go tablet but also remain a normal laptop.
Cons: My IT guy is pitching a fit to go outside his normal realm of machines. No DVD reader/burner. Decent connections with a few USB-C ports, but not as healthy as a true business unit.
2. HP Probook 650 G4: 2.6ghz i7 8850H hexa core, 16gb DDR4, integrated Intel UHD630 graphics, 512gb SSD and 15.6 1920x1080 display. Silver only -- looks a little like a Macbook.
Pros: 6 core processor, DVD burner, more connections. Makes my IT guy happy -- our fleet is mainly Probooks & Surface Pro's for select people.
Cons: No dedicated video card. No touch screen or ability to go into tablet mode. According to Benchmark, the processor is just a smidge slower than the Spectre, but not by a significant factor.
3. Microsoft Surface Pro 6: 1.9ghz i7 8650U quad core, 16gb LPDDR3, integrated Intel UHD620 graphics, 512gb SSD and 12.3 touch screen. Would opt for the new black option, as that's my fave color.
Pros: 4 core processor, killer touch screen & portability (I really prefer something around a 13" screen). I find it interesting and cool and want to try it.
Cons: According to Benchmark, the slowest processor of the herd by about 40% -- probably because it's 4 cores as opposed to 6 cores and not as high of a clock speed. Ram is DDR3 as opposed to DDR4 (more power efficient, but less speed). No dedicated video card. Connections are very limited, as MS failed to even include a single USB-C. Have to buy a type cover (keyboard) separate. Most the time it will be docked, so the kick stand may not be problematic but I like the option of being able to just sit on my lap like normal during travel, etc.
One of my major concerns is I utilize a large 55" display when docked, running at 4k (3840x2160) resolution. I frequently need to utilize a second larger 80" display for private & confidential reviews & meetings. While I would like to run 4k on that display, most everyone else's eyes appreciates the larger scale of a HD (1920x1080) resolution. Still there might be a few times when I run 4k on it. In my new setup I will likely keep my laptop open and use that as 3rd monitor for emails as I like the privacy it offers.
I'm all over the place on programs. Most deal with our special accounting software, estimating software, CAD programs, specialized PDF/drawing/takeoff software (Bluebeam), P6 scheduling software, earthwork modeling & takeoff software, GIMP/Photoshop, MS Office, various web applications and some engineering programs. Also Google Earth with very large KMZ files that brings my current machines to a crawl. Another pesky culprit being large format (36x48, etc) drawings & custom mega large drawings (120x36 and sometimes larger) in Bluebeam.
Plus, I'm trying to future proof for the next 2-3 years.
Would appreciate any feedback if you have any experience with any or all of these machines, specs, etc. Or maybe if I'm just being an idiot and missing the obvious.
1. HP Spectre x360: 2.6ghz i7 9750H hexa core, 16gb DDR4, dedicated NVIDIA GeForce GTX1650 4gb video card, 512gb SSD and 15.6 4k IPS AMOLED-backlight touch screen. Poseidon Blue (as I can't stand copper/gold).
Pros: 6 core processor, dedicated video card, touch screen that can go tablet but also remain a normal laptop.
Cons: My IT guy is pitching a fit to go outside his normal realm of machines. No DVD reader/burner. Decent connections with a few USB-C ports, but not as healthy as a true business unit.
2. HP Probook 650 G4: 2.6ghz i7 8850H hexa core, 16gb DDR4, integrated Intel UHD630 graphics, 512gb SSD and 15.6 1920x1080 display. Silver only -- looks a little like a Macbook.
Pros: 6 core processor, DVD burner, more connections. Makes my IT guy happy -- our fleet is mainly Probooks & Surface Pro's for select people.
Cons: No dedicated video card. No touch screen or ability to go into tablet mode. According to Benchmark, the processor is just a smidge slower than the Spectre, but not by a significant factor.
3. Microsoft Surface Pro 6: 1.9ghz i7 8650U quad core, 16gb LPDDR3, integrated Intel UHD620 graphics, 512gb SSD and 12.3 touch screen. Would opt for the new black option, as that's my fave color.
Pros: 4 core processor, killer touch screen & portability (I really prefer something around a 13" screen). I find it interesting and cool and want to try it.
Cons: According to Benchmark, the slowest processor of the herd by about 40% -- probably because it's 4 cores as opposed to 6 cores and not as high of a clock speed. Ram is DDR3 as opposed to DDR4 (more power efficient, but less speed). No dedicated video card. Connections are very limited, as MS failed to even include a single USB-C. Have to buy a type cover (keyboard) separate. Most the time it will be docked, so the kick stand may not be problematic but I like the option of being able to just sit on my lap like normal during travel, etc.