Laptop replacement recommendations?

[JÞB]

Yes, it's time to retire the 8-Ball "Laptopasaurus"

The old one has been in service for over a decade and just doesn't fit my needs anymore. It has been quite a while since I did any market research.   I bet several of you have ideas that would help me. 

Some bullet points about my expected uses;

• Primarily LabVIEW development for 8-Ball 
• I will maintain multiple installed LabVIEW versions.
• I might use a VM now and then for a specific project but, this type of service would normally be on client owned capital
• I will use Windows exclusively! However,  any experience you have using LabVIEW legacy versions with Win 11 will be nice to know.
• "i-Anything" is a deal-breaker. I have never owned an i-Device and this is not a good first purchase opportunity. 
• Reliability of hardware is a key concern.  I especially dislike "Flakey" USB ports
• Solid State Hard-drive is a must! I'm actually impressed my current disk has survived 100% intact for 12 years but the R/W access time is just abominable. 
• DVD Drive is a plus

Other random things 

• Weight is not a priority 
• The silly "mousetraps" on most laptops I have used just seem to trigger annoying mouse events while using the built-in keyboard.
• I like touchscreens
• The keyboard MUST have a number pad (if I wasn't JÞB it might be optional)
• I'll have more than enough NI services and background processes running amok.  HP tends to load up all sorts of "Helpful" junk too.  I'd like  "less garbage out of the box."  Help with this one point is worth double Kudos. 

I listen. 

EDIT: I guess that NI Salespeople would have similar performance concerns.  What do they give you? What are your experiences? I'd ask my local rep but, perhaps you should just hire me instead. 

[Bob_Schor]

Some comments:

• I agree with your about TouchPads (I have a similar feeling for TouchScreens).  I keep an "eyeglass-cleaning cloth" that nicely covers the TouchPad (and serves as a Screen Cleaner if needed), and use a Bluetooth mouse (or trackball).
• You should be able to get a 2TB SSD for a laptop.  If you need more, there are USB SSDs that can "plug in" when needed.
• I suspect build-in DVDs might be hard to find.  However, "portable" units are readily available.
• To get a full keyboard, you are probably looking at a 17" model.
• A close colleague recently needed to replace a Lenovo Yoga running Windows 8.1 (so guess the age ...).  We went to a Computer Superstore recently, and I was quite impressed with the Lenovo offerings.  
• I replaced my 17" Dell Inspiron (2016) with an XPS 15.  Not unhappy with it.
• I like USB C.  There are still devices out there that use USB A, but that's slowly changing ...
• I'm still using Windows 10, and not sure why I should change to Win 11.  I have a few "small" (80-100 GB) VMs with single versions of LabVIEW for when I have a special "legacy" Project (or when I want to "play" with the "latest version" without risking NIPM messing up my base Windows installation).  2TB disk gives (so far) room for 8-10 VMs + more than a TB for the main OS and files.
• Dell does get "8-ball Points Off" for lots of branded ops and "services".  Possibly their "Precision" line would be cleaner ...

Bob Schor

[Kyle97330]

My company exclusively uses Lenovo laptops.  They do seem to be more focused on business needs than other brands and have less unnecessary software bundled with them.

As far as Windows 11 goes, we've only tried it on one "Legacy" install, but we did get the LabVIEW 2016 run-time with DAQmx installed and working on it.  No idea about the full development install or any of the other addons.

[AeroSoul]

Haven't bought a laptop in a couple of years, but i've had great experience with Asus. My latest (now 5 years old) is Asus ROG which fits your criteria for the most part (haven't tested older LV versions on it, only 2018+ and VM worked fine but i didn't test it with LV).

It's built robust, with aluminium housing, has SSD and a good amount of RAM and their keyboards have a numpad 😄

Mine does not have a DVD drive, but i'm sure you can find a model with it.

It is a bit pricier, mine was 1500€ when it was bought (it was a work and home laptop, bought by company i worked at).

The only thing hardware wise that failed since i have it is the HDMI port... and that's because my toddler stood on it (while my wife filmed 😢 )

[Yamaeda]

Personally i think 15" is the sweet spot between usability and transportability.

For DVD you're probably relegated to a USB-one, but they work well.

For keyboard you'll just have to be watchful. When i upgraded to (or from) my Dell Precision 4800 i lost the numpad (i've since upgraded).

I've mostly used HP (don't remember their series name) and Dell Precision/Latitude and like them. For my previous one i bought a lower end Precision and a separate SSD and replaced it the 1st thing i did, then it was a very pleasant experience. (It might have been on the 4800 above)

At a previous customer we used Lenovo and they worked well, but i somehow find them ... boring?

That said, Dell, HP, Asus, Lenovo, you can't really go wrong with any of them. 

[AeroSoul]

On the topic of screens, be mindful of screen hinges. I've had a Lenovo laptop with plastic body and stiff metal hinges - the hinges ripped out of the plastic body of the laptop, i had to glue them back in and loosen them.

[JÞB]

OK, why should I upgrade to Windows 11? Do I have to?

The Laptopasaurus is an Asus and I have been pleased with it's performance.   (12 years on hardware is extremely nice!)

• Toddlers are not a concern. Although my youngest grandson might be in called one.  No warranty on future performance . Upload the video link! 
• 17" and a HDMI sounds about right.
• Can you shut off a mousetrap?  I use a mouse with a tail... after crossing a BT mouse across the room I've never trusted wireless again.

[Bob_Schor]

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@JÞB wrote:

• Can you shut off a mousetrap?  I use a mouse with a tail... after crossing a BT mouse across the room I've never trusted wireless again.

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On Windows 10, you can turn off the Touchpad.  I leave mine on, but an "eye-glass microfiber cloth" covers it on my laptop.  However, if you to into Settings, Devices, Touchpad, my Dell laptop has an "On/Off" switch (which I'd never tried nor noticed until 2 minutes ago!) that will turn the Touchpad off!.  [I turned it back on, since my "modesty cloth" is covering the offending area ...].

Bob Schor

[Yamaeda]

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@JÞB wrote:

OK, why should I upgrade to Windows 11? Do I have to?

The Laptopasaurus is an Asus and I have been pleased with it's performance.   (12 years on hardware is extremely nice!)

• Toddlers are not a concern. Although my youngest grandson might be in called one.  No warranty on future performance . Upload the video link! 
• 17" and a HDMI sounds about right.
• Can you shut off a mousetrap?  I use a mouse with a tail... after crossing a BT mouse across the room I've never trusted wireless again.

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I'd say stay on Win10 for now, if possible. It's stable and good. My 11 at home works well enough but i've had some issues compared to 10 (no program compatibility, but the clock speeds don't change as before)

I'm fairly sure there's a setting for disabling the touchpad automatically if an external mouse is connected. (i also prefer wired ones, one less thing that can go wrong)

If you like Asus i'd assume their Expertbook series are up your alley. https://www.asus.com/event/datasheet/ASUSExpertBookB6Flip-B6602F.pdf

I'd recommend a i7 over i9, the extra performance requires a lot of cooling resulting in little extra performance for a noticeable increase in weight and sound.

[AeroSoul]

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@JÞB wrote:

• Can you shut off a mousetrap?  I use a mouse with a tail... after crossing a BT mouse across the room I've never trusted wireless again.

---

On both Asus laptops i have/had, you can just press Fn + Fsomething to disable TouchPad, i keep mine permanently disabled unless i can't locate my BT mouse.

The toddler thing was just meant to showcase the durability of the laptop 😄

It can mostly handle a 10 kg toddler dancing on it.