Recommend me a business laptop for IT field role

Forums › Laptops and mobile computers › Recommend me a business laptop for IT field role

lNomNoml

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#288493 3-Jul-2021 19:51

I'm going to be moving to the IT field team soon, I've been on the IT remote team and have a Lenovo T495: https://www.lenovo.com/nz/en/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpad-t-series/T495/p/22TP2TTT495?cid=nz_sem_ata7pm&gclid=CjwKCAjwlYCHBhAQEiwA4K21m0p_wLNj0t8zWpAjbnbfLbnVrfGHUJnTusz8ouq2PV-341OkoUYSEhoCemgQAvD_BwE

but I feel this laptop might not be up for the job, I'm looking for a faster more study beast to carry around with me from site to site, any recommendations?

requirements would be for it to have a ethernet port, at least 14inch screen and 16GB of RAM

nzkc

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#2738533 3-Jul-2021 20:19

I dont know what you mean by "the IT field team". I can interpret that so many ways.

Looking at the specs of your current machine I'd be surprised if it wasnt capable enough - looks a pretty good machine overall. But, as I say first, not knowing what you need makes it hard to suggest alternatives.

xpd

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#2738573 3-Jul-2021 22:15

Nothing wrong with that......

Otherwise, look at something along lines of a HP Probook - although these are getting hard to find at the moment due to stock/supply issues.

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arcon

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#2741086 8-Jul-2021 11:20

There are so many laptops that would fit the bill as others have said, but the support contract should determine if its actually a viable business laptop, i.e. if they don't have next day on-site repair or replace (like Dell's basic ProSupport contract) then its not worth considering.

MadEngineer

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#2741178 8-Jul-2021 15:11

No numerical keypad on that Lenovo. That won’t make for much fun when you’re punching in IP addresses.

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lNomNoml

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#2741277 8-Jul-2021 18:43

MadEngineer: No numerical keypad on that Lenovo. That won’t make for much fun when you’re punching in IP addresses.

Yeah it's one of the reasons I want to change laptops.

1024kb

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#2741342 8-Jul-2021 19:10

A 15" workstation class laptop then? Equipped with everything & built tough from the ground up. Machines like HP Z-Book, Dell Precision or the P series ThinkPads.

Ordering usually involves a multitude of options not available in regular laptops - often Xeon processors & a selection of discreet graphic cards are amongst the choices.

Yes, you do pay a premium when you buy but you'll likely keep a workstation far longer than a consumer laptop. I have a Dell Precision that lacks nothing hardware-wise & delivers storming performance. It does need a sturdy carrying solution but that's expected in a 17.3" desktop replacement laptop - the equivalent 15" Precision is noticeably lighter.

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arcon

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#2741451 8-Jul-2021 19:46

Be sure to check pricing for workstation laptops on US websites as we gauged here. I haggled $2.5K off my Dell Precision laptop lol.

hio77

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#2741453 8-Jul-2021 19:53

Thing to watchout for right now, is there is quite a shortage of 'business grade' laptops.

Those with stock are generally an extra 500$ above buying straight from dell for example.

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networkn

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#2741520 8-Jul-2021 21:12

hio77:

Those with stock are generally an extra 500$ above buying straight from dell for example.

Money well spent if it means avoiding a Dell :) (I'd also potentially considering spending $500 to avoid Adele)

networkn

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#2741521 8-Jul-2021 21:13

Business Grade. You can tell. They are the ones that have 3 year warranties by default (usually Next Business Day) and Windows 10 Pro by default.

There are massive shortages. There are some good deals on the HP Zbook 14" series to be had.

lNomNoml

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#2741541 8-Jul-2021 22:38

Cool thanks all, I will look around.

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sonyxperiageek

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#2741548 8-Jul-2021 23:50

Can recommend this ZBook, but you won't be able to get one in the country until 12 Oct. Has numpad and RJ45, and not too bad weight and dimension wise either.

Sony

lNomNoml

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#2742733 11-Jul-2021 20:55

sonyxperiageek:

Can recommend this ZBook, but you won't be able to get one in the country until 12 Oct. Has numpad and RJ45, and not too bad weight and dimension wise either.

Thanks, this seems to be the next generation that I am looking at currently: https://www.pbtech.co.nz/product/NBKHNB5192727/HP-Zbook-Firefly-14-G8-Mobile-Workstation-14-FHD-I

sonyxperiageek

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#2743207 12-Jul-2021 16:18

lNomNoml:

sonyxperiageek:

Can recommend this ZBook, but you won't be able to get one in the country until 12 Oct. Has numpad and RJ45, and not too bad weight and dimension wise either.

Thanks, this seems to be the next generation that I am looking at currently: https://www.pbtech.co.nz/product/NBKHNB5192727/HP-Zbook-Firefly-14-G8-Mobile-Workstation-14-FHD-I

Personally, I would think having no dedicated full size RJ45 port and a numpad for typing in IP addresses would make IT field work harder.

Sony

networkn

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#2743210 12-Jul-2021 16:26

sonyxperiageek:

Personally, I would think having no dedicated full size RJ45 port and a numpad for typing in IP addresses would make IT field work harder.

I never use the numberpad, and USB RJ45 has worked fine for me for a number of years. It used to bother me, but much less so these days.