Work Laptop Advice ($3000-3500 budget)

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durpdurp

5 posts

Wannabe Geek

#240068 18-Aug-2018 19:47

Hey guys,

I'm looking for a laptop for work with a dedicated GPU. It will be used for photo editing and other CPU/memory intensive programs. Not really worried too much about portability but I want a decent screen resolution.

I've been looking at the:

- Microsoft Surface Book 2 13" i7 256GB 8GB with GTX 1050

but also came across this for a similar price at PBtech which seems even better.

-HP ZBook Studio 15 G4 Mobile CAD Workstation 15.6" 4K UHD

https://www.pbtech.co.nz/product/NBKHNB3642312/HP-ZBook-Studio-15-G4-Mobile-CAD-Workstation-156-4

I'm not too much in the know about laptops and was just wondering if anyone has any advice or recommendations in my price range?

Really appreciate the help guys!
Thanks :)

freitasm

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#2075504 18-Aug-2018 20:52

Both the Surface Book and the ZBook are great machines. The Surface Book doesn't have a lot of the stuff HP usually put on their machines - on the other hand, the ZBook has a larger screen...

Andib

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#2075597 19-Aug-2018 07:57

From my experience, The surface book is a really nice piece of hardware, One of the best Windows laptops available imo. The only thing that marks it down in my book is the warranty process. There's no on site warranty which means any repairs the unit needs to be sent back to Microsoft which can mean days without a laptop (important if you're going to use this as your main work computer).

If not a surface my next option would personally be look at either the HP Zbooks or a Dell XPS. Both offer onsite warranty and get good reviews. We have a few Zbook 15u's and they're great laptops.

Edit: Take a look at the Zbook 15v

http://www.hpshopping.co.nz/acquire/default.asp?pageid=custom&custom=detail&pf_id=5835366&tab=0

PBTech look like they're going to sell it at $3179 inc GST

https://www.pbtech.co.nz/product/NBKHNB4176637/HP-4LC20PA-ZBOOK-15V-G5-I7-16G-1T-2GR-W10P-1-1-1

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sparkz25

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#2075598 19-Aug-2018 08:08

I have a Elitebook 840 G5 for work 3 year warranty on parts and labour and they come to you to repair the laptop

https://www.pbtech.co.nz/product/NBKHNB4094120/HP-Elitebook-840-G5-Business-Ultrabook-14-1080p-Fu

my mate runs the i7 8550 model but theres not much difference in the performance

https://www.pbtech.co.nz/product/NBKHNB4094107/HP-Elitebook-840-G5-Business-Notebook-14-FHD-Intel

when he travels to the hawkes bay for a weekend of gaming he takes his laptop and this EGPU

https://www.gigabyte.com/Graphics-Card/GV-N1070IXEB-8GD#kf

these are a great combination 5 items to take when going away and thats just the EGPU, Laptop, mouse, thunderbolt cable and a power lead for the EGPu

MadEngineer

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#2075602 19-Aug-2018 08:49

+1 for hp purely for after sales and after warranty support.

You're not on Atlantis anymore, Duncan Idaho.

mudguard

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#2075612 19-Aug-2018 10:17

I bought an XPS 15 recently, I should update my original thread actually. It's plenty powerful for what I do, which is editing 4K video. I7, 1TB, 32GB etc.

afe66

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#2075627 19-Aug-2018 11:03

With onsite warranty, how extensive is the repair network?

I assume auckland and wellington are covered but what about south island or other centres?

Would it be worth paying for onsite repair if it turns out that you have to send away anyway.

Can you find out whether your town actually has a repair person in advance?

Andib

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#2075660 19-Aug-2018 11:19

afe66:

With onsite warranty, how extensive is the repair network?

I assume auckland and wellington are covered but what about south island or other centres?

Would it be worth paying for onsite repair if it turns out that you have to send away anyway.

Can you find out whether your town actually has a repair person in advance?

For HP at least they outsource the regional onsite repairs to local companies, Though you can be waiting a day or so for parts.

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durpdurp

5 posts

Wannabe Geek

#2075716 19-Aug-2018 12:44

Cool, thanks for the replies guys :)

Thinking of going with the

HP ZBook 15V G5 15.6 Inch 4K i7-8850H 4.3Ghz 16GB RAM 1TB SSD P600 Laptop with Windows 10 Pro for around $3200

Seems like a good deal right now!

durpdurp

5 posts

Wannabe Geek

#2076170 20-Aug-2018 12:37

Hey guys,

I just had another quick question for HP owners. The laptop comes with a standard 1 year warranty with the option to pay $121 for HP 3 Year Next Business Day Onsite Warranty.

Just wondering if this is worth it as I remember people saying extended warranties are usually covered under the original price?

Thank you!

Peppery

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#2076507 20-Aug-2018 20:39

Andib:
durpdurp:

Hey guys,

I just had another quick question for HP owners. The laptop comes with a standard 1 year warranty with the option to pay $121 for HP 3 Year Next Business Day Onsite Warranty.

Just wondering if this is worth it as I remember people saying extended warranties are usually covered under the original price?

Thank you!

I would double check but my understanding is the Elitebooks & ZBooks come with 3 year NBD Warranty. It's part of what sets them apart from the Probooks.

The ZBook Studio looks like it is 3 years but the second link shows 12 months on PB & HP.

Just from my experience, the Surfaces' seem to have a lot of reliability issues (the Pros anyway, I haven't seen many Books around) paired with zero reparability/upgradability down the line.

sparkz25

750 posts

Ultimate Geek
Inactive user

#2076999 21-Aug-2018 18:23

durpdurp:

Hey guys,

I just had another quick question for HP owners. The laptop comes with a standard 1 year warranty with the option to pay $121 for HP 3 Year Next Business Day Onsite Warranty.

Just wondering if this is worth it as I remember people saying extended warranties are usually covered under the original price?

Thank you!

check the model number on the hp website for the specs and so on, it might already have a 3year warranty if its a business laptop