The Best High-End Laptops For Your Money

Updated on December 24th 2011.

The Alienware MX18 laptop, recommended as the best gaming laptop for $2950, equipped with an Intel quad-core CPU and two GTX 580M in SLI!

The best laptops for your money?

By that, I mean the laptops that offer the best performance at a given price. Why would you want that, you ask?

Because you want the best bang for the buck, because you want the best possible laptop for your hard-earned money and because you want the best features possible!

If you have the time to do research… but who does in this crazy world?

If you have the time, reading detailed laptop reviews and specs are a lot of fun. However, most of us don’t have the time to do the research and just want the answers. In other words, what we want to know is what is the best laptop for our budget and requirements.

So if you don’t have the time to do the research, or just don’t care to do it, don’t worry. I’ll come to your help with this series on the best laptops for your money.

A few reminders:

I’ll use this opportunity to remind you that this article is only a guideline for the prices I’ve seen on December 24th 2011. Here are a few things to keep in mind when you read this list:

1. This specific article on the best high-end laptops have three or four price ceilings for the recommended laptops: $1500, $2000, $3000 and $5000 (Workstation only). I may also suggest some alternatives to my main recommendations, for reasons that I’ll explain.
2. This list is based on the best U.S. prices from NewEgg and/or Amazon and/or directly from the manufacturer. Prices and availability change everyday. I can’t keep up with accurate pricing everyday, but I can suggest to you great laptops that you won’t regret buying at the price ranges that I list.
3. All prices are based on new laptops prices, no refurbished or open box laptops are listed; they might be a good deal, but they come with trade offs, such as missing accessories, higher failure rate, limited return policy, limited warranty, etc.
4. I recommend a few different types of laptops, such as Gaming, Ultra-portable and Workstations. Each type has its pros and cons, so make sure to read the details to figure out which type suits you best.

Summary

Click on any of these links to jump to the section that interests you. Alternatively, scroll down to see them all, in this order.

Gaming:

1. Up to $1500
2. Up to $2000
3. Up to $3000+
   

Ultra Portables:

1. Up to $1500
2. Up to $2000
3. Up to $3000+
   

Workstations:

1. Up to $1500
2. Up to $2000
3. Up to $3000
4. Up to $5000

Personalize your laptop with a skin:

1. Personalize your laptop with a skin

Upgrade the RAM and/or the hard drive:

1. Upgrade the RAM
2. Upgrade the hard drive to a larger/faster hard drive or to a SSD

Gaming Laptops:

About Gaming laptops:
Gaming laptops are optimized to offer the best gaming experience possible and come with more powerful than average video cards. On the downside, those powerful video cards draw more power, so gaming laptops have lower battery life than the average laptop. They also tend to be heavier, due to the additional cooling required for the more powerful video card.

Best Gaming Laptops for up to $1500:

$1499 – MSI GT683DXR-633US

About the MSI GT683DXR-633US:

Pros:

1. Powerful Intel Core i7-2670QM 2.2-3.1GHz Turbo Quad-Core + Hyper-Threading CPU
2. Simple overclocking with a dedicated button.
3. Powerful Nvidia Geforce GTX 570M with 1.5GB of dedicated VRAM
4. 12GB of RAM
5. 4 RAM slots, allowing for up to 32GB (4x8GB) of RAM.
6. Two 500GB 7,200rpm hard drives in RAID 0: High-Performance and 1TB of total storage capacity.
7. 15.6″ 1920 x 1080 matte screen means that you get no reflection in the screen.
8. Two USB 3.0 and two USB 2.0 ports
9. E-SATA port
10. 4 audio jacks with support for 5.1 surround speakers.
11. 4 speakers
12. 7 in 1 card reader
13. Various LED located on various spots on the laptop.
14. Numpad: Useful for spreadsheets and more.
15. Bluetooth

Cons:

1. Limited battery life: Expect 2-3 hours of web browsing time.
2. Limited portability with dimensions of 14.97” (L) x 10.24” (W) x 1.77” (H) and a weight of 7.7lbs
3. Average build quality: Plastic everywhere.

Ideal for:

• Someone who wants a powerful gaming laptop to play video games and needs the portability of a laptop (Otherwise, a desktop Gaming PC offers a LOT more performance for the same price.)

To avoid for:

• Someone who’s traveling a lot and who wants an highly-portable, lightweight laptop to carry around all day.
• Someone who needs a laptop with a long battery life.

Compared to similar laptops:
No other laptop under $1500 offers the Geforce GTX 570M, making the MSI GT683DXR-633US the most powerful gaming laptop under $1500.
Click here to go back up to the summary
Specifications:

Components	MSI GT683DXR-633US
OS	Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
CPU	Intel Core i7-2670QM 2.2-3.1GHz Turbo Quad-Core + Hyper-Threading
Screen Webcam Video Card	15.6″ 1920 x 1080, matte Yes: 720p (1280 x 720) Nvidia Geforce GTX 570M 1.5GB
RAM Slots/Max RAM	12GB (3x4GB) DDR3 4 Slots, maximum 32GB
Storage	2x 500GB 7,200rpm Hard Drive RAID 0, Total Capacity: 1TB
Optical Drive	8x DVD+/-RW SuperMulti
Audio	THX TruStudio PRO – 4 audio jacks for 5.1 output Built-in microphone Four Dynaudio Tech built-in speakers
Networking	LAN: 10/100/1000Mbps 802.11b/g/n Wireless LAN Bluetooth
Ports	71-in-1 Card reader Four 3.5mm jacks: 5.1 + microphone in 2 x USB 3.0 2 x USB 2.0 E-SATA LAN VGA Output HDMI Output
Dimensions Weight	14.97″ x 10.24″ x 1.77″ 7.7lbs
Battery Size Battery Life	9 cells ~2-3 hours

Click here to go back up to the summary

16GB RAM/Blu-Ray drive alternative:

The $1699 – MSI GT683DXR-634US is pretty much the same laptop, but equipped with 16GB of RAM and a Blu-Ray Burner.

Click here to go back up to the summary

Best Gaming Laptops for up to $2000:

$1850 – ASUS G74SX-DH73-3D

About the ASUS G74SX-DH73-3D:

Pros:

1. Powerful Intel quad-core (with Hyper-Threading) Core i7-2630QM processor.
2. Numpad: Useful for spreadsheets and more.
3. Fairly powerful Geforce GTX 560M 3GB allows you to play recent video games, with settings depending on the game.
4. 3D screen with 120Hz refresh rate, 1920 x 1080 resolution and included 3D Nvidia glasses allow for 3D Gaming.
5. 12GB of RAM
6. Four RAM slots, allowing you to upgrade to 16GB of RAM
7. Two 750GB 7,200rpm hard drive in RAID 0: High performance and total storage capacity of 1.5TB
8. Blu-Ray Burner
9. 2.0MP Webcam
10. One USB 3.0 port.
11. Two years warranty, including 1 year of Accidental Damage Warranty that covers drops, fires, spills and surges.
12. Reliable: ASUS ranks amongst the top brands (often #1) when it comes to reliability.
13. A unique striking design that is also useful by channeling cold air through the front and exhausting by the back.
14. Rubberished keyboard at a 5 degree angle

Cons:

1. Limited battery life: Expect 3-4 hours of web browsing time.
2. Glossy screen: Forget about using this laptop in direct sunlight.
   Not exactly small or light at 16.6″ x 12.8″ x 0.8″ – 2.3″ and 9.4lbs

Ideal for:

• Someone who wants to play video games with 3D and needs the portability of a laptop (Otherwise, a desktop Gaming PC offers a LOT more performance for the same price.)

To avoid for:

• Someone who’s traveling a lot and who wants an highly-portable, lightweight laptop to carry around all day.
• Someone who needs a laptop with a long battery life.

Compared to similar laptops:
No laptops in this price range offers both the 3D capabilities and the reliability/features of this ASUS laptop.
Click here to go back up to the summary
Specifications:

Components	ASUS G74SX-DH73-3D
OS	Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
CPU	Intel Core i7-2630QM Quad-Core + Hyper-Threading 2.0-2.9 GHz Turbo
Screen Webcam Video Card	15.6″ 1920 x 1080 LED backlight, 120Hz, 3D capable, glossy Yes: 2.0MP (1920 x 1080) Nvidia Geforce GTX 560M 3GB 3D capable
RAM Slots/Max RAM	12GB (3x4GB) DDR3 1333MHz 4 Slots, maximum 16GB
Storage	2x 750GB 7,200rpm hard drives RAID 0, Total Capacity: 1.5TB
Optical Drive	Blu-Ray Burner
Audio	Integrated Sound Card Built-in microphone Two built-in stereo speakers
Networking	LAN: 10/100/1000Mbps 802.11b/g/n Wireless LAN Bluetooth
Ports	Multi-in-1 Card reader Headphone and Microphone 3.5mm jacks 1 x USB 3.0 2 x USB 2.0 LAN VGA Output HDMI Output
Dimensions Weight	16.6″ x 12.8″ x 0.8″ – 2.3″ 9.4lbs
Battery Size Battery Life	8-cell Li-ion ~2-3 hours

Click here to go back up to the summary

Alienware alternative

For $1999, you can get this Dell Alienware M17x which offers a slightly faster Core i7-2670QM processor (200MHz faster at regular and Turbo frequencies.), a bit less RAM (8GB, but it’s 1600MHz instead of 1333MHz and you still can upgrade to 16GB with the four RAM slots. Besides 8GB is plenty enough to handle games), only a single 7,200rpm 500GB hard drive (but you have two hard drive bays so you can add a second hard drive or a SSD) and the usual Alienware laptop case, with the backlight multiple colors keyboard, etc.

You still get the GTX 560M video card and the 3D screen+glasses for gaming though.

If you’re into Alienware laptops styling, the Dell Alienware M17x is certainly a viable alternative to consider.

Keep in mind that those links bring you to the online configuration page, so you can change the configuration to your desires.

Click here to go back up to the summary

Best Gaming Laptops for up to $3000:

$2949 – Dell Alienware M18x

If you take the basic Alienware M18x that I link to ($2000) and change the following options on the configuration page:

- CPU: Upgrade to i7-2760QM (2.4-3.5Ghz Turbo): +$150
- RAM: Upgrade to 8GB DDR3 1600MHZ: +$200 (Yes, you could upgrade it for much less yourself, but would void the warranty in the process.)
- GPU: Upgrade to GTX 580M SLI: + $600

You end up with an Alienware M18x with a powerful CPU and the best video cards setup available for a laptop, for $2949. Keep in mind that the links bring you to the online configuration page, so you can change the configuration to your desires.

About the Alienware M18x:

Pros:

1. Powerful Intel quad-core (with Hyper-Threading) Core i7-2760QM processor.
2. Easy to overclock.
3. Rubberish keyboard with colors that you can customize to your tastes.
4. Keyboard, numpad and other parts of the laptop that are lit up by LEDs, with colors that you can customize to your tastes.
5. Numpad: Useful for spreadsheets and more.
6. Faster video card setup available for a laptop: Two Nvidia Geforce GTX 580M in SLI
7. 8GB of DDR3 1600MHz RAM, upgradable to 16GB via the four RAM slots.
8. Two USB 3.0 port.
9. 18.4″ screen 1920 x 1080
10. Fast 7,200rpm 500GB hard drive.
11. 5.1 Surround Sound.
12. Top-notch wireless adapter: Intel Advanced-N 6200 a/g/n 2×2 MIMO Technology
13. Bluetooth 3.0
14. Can be customized with the parts that YOU want.
15. Personalized laser etched metal plate on the bottom of the laptop

Cons:

1. Limited battery life: Expect 3-4 hours of web browsing time.
2. Huge and heavy: 17.17″ x 12.68″ x 2.13″ (WxDxH) and 11.93lbs
3. Glossy screen: Forget about using this laptop in direct sunlight.

Ideal for:

• Someone who wants an ultra-powerful gaming laptop (Otherwise, a desktop Gaming PC offers a LOT more performance for the same price.)

To avoid for:

• Someone who’s traveling a lot and who wants an highly-portable, lightweight laptop to carry around all day.
• Someone who needs a laptop with a long battery life.

Compared to similar laptops:
Very few laptops offer two GTX 580M in SLI and the few that do don’t offer the features and looks of an Alienware laptop.
Click here to go back up to the summary
Specifications:

Components	Alienware M18x (As configured for $2949, feel free to upgrade as you wish)
OS	Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
CPU	Intel Core i7-2760QM Quad-Core + Hyper-Threading 2.4-3.5 GHz Turbo
Screen Webcam Video Card	18.4″ 1920 x 1080 LED backlight, glossy Yes: 3MP 2x Nvidia Geforce GTX 580M 2GB in SLI
RAM Slots/Max RAM	8GB (4+4GB) DDR3 1600MHz 4 Slots, maximum 16GB
Storage	500GB 7,200rpm hard drive, two hard drives slots
Optical Drive	Slot-loaded DVD Burner
Audio	2.1 Speaker configuration with Subwoofer Audio Powered by Klipsch 7.1 Digital Audio out using HDMI out or S/PDIF Optical port Dual built-in digital microphones
Networking	LAN: 10/100/1000Mbps Intel Advanced-N 6200 a/g/n 2×2 MIMO Technology Bluetooth 3.0
Ports	9-in-1 Media Card reader 54 mm ExpressCard slot 2x Audio 1/8″ ports Combo S/PDIF Optical output / Analog Headphone Line Out (7.1 digital audio output via S/PDIF) Line In Microphone 1/8″ Port (retaskable for 5.1 analog audio output) 2 x USB 3.0 2 x USB 2.0 1 x E-SATA/USB 2.0 combo port LAN VGA Output HDMI 1.4 Output HDMI 1.3 Input Mini-Display port
Dimensions Weight	17.17″ x 12.68″ x 2.13″ 11.93lbs
Battery Size Battery Life	12 cell/97Wh Lithium Ion ~3-4 hours

Click here to go back up to the summary

Ultra-portable:

About Ultra-portable laptops:
Ultra-portable laptops generally have a screen that’s 13.3″ or smaller, a relatively thin profile and a weight under 4lbs. They usually have a better than average battery life. These are ideal for road warriors and people who carry their laptop around all day long.

On the downside, these laptops are usually more limited when it comes to their CPU and video card performance and their small dimensions can also result in a cramped keyboard and a smaller than average trackpad. Of course, this varies from one model to another. For example, some ultra-portables have great keyboards (e.g. Lenovo Thinkpad X series) and some ultra-portables have relatively powerful CPUs and video cards.

Best Ultra-portables for up to $1500:

$1400 – ASUS Zenbook UX31E-DH72

About the ASUS Zenbook UX31E-DH72:

1. Incredibly thin and incredibly light, at 12.8 x 8.78 x 0.12 ~ 0.71 -inches (W x D x H) and 2.87lbs!
2. Fairly high resolution for a 13.3″ display: 1600 x 900
3. 256GB SSD that comes standard, resulting in 2-seconds resume time, faster OS boot time (less than 15 seconds)/program launch time as well as improved responsiveness.
4. Brushed aluminum chassis that looks great
5. SonicMaster audio technology that was co-developed with Bang & Olufsen ICEpower audio
6. One USB 3.0 ports
   Bluetooth 4.0
7. ASUS 1 Year Accidental Damage Protection (ADP) that covers accidental drops, spills, power surges, and fire damage
8. Reliable: ASUS ranks amongst the top brands (often #1) when it comes to reliability.

Cons:

1. Somewhat limited CPU Power, with the low-power 17W TDP Intel Core i7-2677M Dual-Core + Hyper-Threading at 1.8 – 2.9GHz Turbo. Its lower frequency limits its performance compared to standard power 35W CPUs. Then again, if you come from an older laptop equipped with a single-core, or Pentium dual-core or Core Duo or Core 2 Duo
2. Somewhat limited video card (Intel HD 3000) performance. Fine for older games or some less demanding newer games with low-resolution/minimum details settings.
3. “Only” 6-7 hours battery life.
4. Not upgrade-friendly, due to its unique thin design.
5. Mini-ports means that you have to use adapters
6. Low resolution 0.3MP webcam.
7. Glossy screen: However, it can be turned bright enough to be usable in sunlight.

Ideal for:
People looking for a very thin, and very lightweight machine that boots extremely fast, wakes up from sleep nearly instantly, launches programs extremely fast, all thanks to the 256GB SSD, without sacrificing CPU performance too much, with a good battery life.

Avoid it for:

• Heavy Audio/Photo/Video editing or heavy multitasking: The Intel Core-i7-2677M Dual-Core will hold you back due to its low frequency and dual-core architecture.
• Gaming: With its 1600 x 900 screen and the weak Intel HD 3000 IGP, don’t expect to play modern video games except perhaps at low resolutions and with low details.

Compared to similar laptops:
Ultra-portables in this price range come with a less powerful AMD E-350 CPU or an Intel low-power CPU with much lower frequencies or are larger/heavier. This is also the only ultra-portable in this price range that includes a decent CPU and a dedicated video card.
Click here to go back up to the summary
Specifications:

Components	ASUS Zenbook UX31E-DH72
OS	Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit
CPU	Intel Core i7-2677M 1.8-2.9GHz Turbo Dual-Core + Hyper-Threading
Screen Webcam Video Card	13.3″ 1600 x 900 LED backlight, glossy Yes: 0.3MP Intel HD 3000
RAM Slots/Max RAM	4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 Onboard None – Not upgradable
Storage	256GB SanDisk U100 SSD – Not Upgradable
Optical Drive	None
Audio	SonicMaster co-developed with Bang & Olufsen ICEpower Built-in microphone Built-in speakers
Networking	LAN: 10/100Mbps via an USB adapter 802.11b/g/n Wireless LAN Bluetooth 4.0
Ports	3-in-1 Card reader Headphone 3.5mm jack 1 x USB 3.0 1 x USB 2.0 mini-VGA Output micro- HDMI Output
Dimensions Weight	12.8″ x 8.78″ x 0.12″ – 0.71″ 2.87lbs
Battery Size Battery Life	6-Cell, 48Wh Up to 6-7 hours

Click here to go back up to the summary

Alternatives

1- Slightly bigger and heavier: Lenovo X220

More powerful alternative with an IPS screen:

An option is to start with the $1299 ThinkPad X220 and add the following options:
- 12.5″ Premium HD display (IPS, much better colors and angles): + $50
- 8GB of Memory: + $160

Which results in a solid ultra-portable with an Intel Core i5-2520 2.5-3.2GHz Turbo Dual-Core + Hyper-Threading CPU, 8GB of RAM, a 160GB SSD and a beautiful IPS screen for $1509. Of course, feel free to configure it as you wish.

Also to consider:
- Larger capacity 9-cell battery: $30. Downside: Doesn’t sit flush with the rest of the laptop, doesn’t allow you to use the battery slice.
- ThinkPad Battery 19+ Slice Battery: $170, but sits under your laptop and pretty much doubles battery lifetime.

By slightly bigger and heavier, we’re not talking about a huge difference and the X220 is still very much an ultra-portable. Here’s a comparison:
- ASUS Zenbook UX31E-DH72: 12.8″ x 8.78″ x 0.12″ – 0.71″ and 2.87lbs
- Lenovo X220: 12″ x 8.13″ x 0.75″ – 1.36″ and 3.31lbs.

So while it’s thicker and slightly heavier, the X220 is actually less long and less large.

Compared to the ASUS laptop above, here are some pros:

1. Much more powerful CPU
2. RAM can be upgraded to 8GB
3. More ports that are all full-size
4. Much superior keyboard
5. Excellent battery life of 8.5-9 hours, 17-18+ hours with optional Thinkpad Battery Slice
6. Matte body = No finger prints or light reflections
7. Matte screen: Allows you to use your laptop even with direct sunlight.
8. Roll-cage and magnesium-alloy top and bottom covers
9. Lid with a rubberish coating
10. Sturdy metal hinges
11. One of the best keyboard available for a laptop
12. Trackpoint
13. Spill-resistant keyboard

On the downside, you get a smaller SSD, but which can upgraded (limited to SSDs with a 7mm height though. Intel SSDs, with model numbers ending with 1, are compatible. Some SSDs can be modded to fit too.) and a lower-resolution screen, but with improved color and angles thanks to the IPS technology.

2- Slightly bigger and heavier: Sony Vaio SA3

With included battery sheer, dedicated video card, optical drive, backlit keyboard and more!

The $1350 Sony VAIO SA3 Series VPCSA35GX/BI is another option to consider.

At 13.04 x 8.84 x 1.27 inches (WxDxH) and 3.65 pounds it’s slightly bigger and thicker than both the ASUS Zenbook and Lenovo X220, but it’s still very much an ultra-portable laptop by my standards.

What does it bring to the table?
- An included battery sheet, for up to 14.5 hours of battery life.
- A 2.4-3.0GHz Dual-Core + Hyper-Threading Core i5-2430M CPU.
- A 1600 x 900 resolution 13.3″ screen
- A dedicated video card (Radeon HD 6630M 1GB) with switchable graphics
- A backlit keyboard
- An optical drive (DVD Burner)

3- Once again slightly bigger and heavier: Dell XPS 15z

With a 1920 x 1080 screen:

The $1400 Dell XPS 15z is yet another option to consider.

At 15.15 x 10.25 x 0.97 inches (WxDxH) and 5.54 pounds it’s longer and larger than the recommendations above, fairly thin and with an average weight.

With its 15.6″ screen, 0.97″ thickness and 5.53lbs weight, it can be considered as a 15″ ultra-portable.

What does it bring to the table?
- A 2.8-3.5GHz Dual-Core + Hyper-Threading Core i7-2640M CPU.
- 8GB of RAM
- A large and fast 7,200rpm 750GB hard drive
- A 1920 x 1080 resolution 15.6″ screen
- A dedicated video card (Geforce GT 525M 2GB) with Optimus switchable graphics
- 7-8.5 hours of battery life
- A backlit keyboard that’s spill-resistant
- A slot-load optical drive (DVD Burner)
- Microsoft Office Home and Student 2010 included in the price

Click here to go back up to the summary

Best Ultra-portables for up to $2000:

$1698 – Sony VAIO Z-series VPC-Z212GX/B

About the Sony VAIO Z-series VPC-Z212GX/B:

Pros:

1. Very compact (13″ x 8.27″ x 0.66″) and incredibly light at only 2.57lbs!
2. Great battery life (Up to 8-10 hours), which can be doubled using a $123 Sony Sheet Battery.
3. Great CPU for such a small laptop: Core i5-2410M 2.3-2.9 GHz Turbo Dual-Core + Hyper-Threading.
4. 1600 x 900 resolution on the matte 13.1″ screen
5. Included dock with AMD Radeon HD 6650M with 1GB dedicated VRAM video card: Not a powerhouse, but superior to the Intel HD 3000 for gaming and to handle multiple monitors.
6. Dock also has a DVD Burner
7. Backlit keyboard.
8. Bluetooth 2.1
9. Two 64GB SSDs in RAID 0 for an incredibly fast 128GB of storage.

Cons:

1. Only 4GB of RAM
2. Only 128GB of storage space

Ideal for:
People looking for an incredibly small and lightweight machine with the ability to attach it to a dock, with a long battery life.

Avoid it for:

• Very Heavy Audio/Photo/Video editing or very heavy multitasking: The Intel Core-i5 2410M 2.3-2.9GHz Turbo Dual-Core + Hyper-Threading packs a punch, but it’s still not comparable to the processing power of a quad-core processor.
• High-resolution gaming: While gaming with reduced details on the screen at 1600 x 900 will be fine for most games, don’t expect to play modern video games on a 1080p display or HDTV with high details. Be realistic about your gaming expectations.

Compared to similar laptops:
This is the lightest 13.3″ laptop available on the market and unlike “ultrabooks”, it is equipped with a full speed 2.3-2.9GHz Intel Core i5 processor, no other ultra-portable offers two SSDs with RAID 0 and the media dock is a unique solution too, with the optical drive and the Radeon HD 6650M in it.

Click here to go back up to the summary
Specifications:

Components	Sony VAIO Z-series VPC-Z212GX/B
OS	Windows 7 Home Professional 64-bit
CPU	Intel Core i5-2410M Dual-Core + Hyper-Threading 2.3-2.9GHz Turbo
Screen Webcam Video Card	13.1″ 1600 x 900 LED backlight, matte Yes: 720P (1280 x 720) Intel HD 3000 onboard / Radeon HD 6650M 1GB when docked
RAM Slots/Max RAM	4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 Onboard – not upgradable
Storage	128GB SSD (2 x 64GB RAID 0) – Onboard, not upgradable
Optical Drive	DVD Burner on the dock
Audio	Dolby Home Theater (v4) audio processing Built-in microphone Built-in stereo speakers
Networking	LAN: 10/100/1000Mbps 802.11b/g/n Wireless LAN Bluetooth 2.1
Ports	Card reader (SD, SDHC, SDXC, MMC, Memory Stick Pro/Duo) Headphone/Microphone 3.5mm jack 1 x USB 2.0 1 x USB 3.0 (Used to connect dock) LAN HDMI Output VGA Output On the dock: HDMI output VGA output 1 x USB 3.0 1 x USB 2.0 LAN
Dimensions Weight	13″ x 8.27″ x 0.66″ 2.57lbs
Battery Size Battery Life	4000 mAh lithium ion Up to 8-10 hours Can be doubled using a $123 Sony Sheet Battery.

Alternatives:

Same Sony VAIO Z-series laptop, but with a Blu-Ray drive

The $1790 – Sony VAIO Z-Series VPC-Z213GX/B is the same laptop as recommended above, the difference being in the dock, which now comes with a drive that can read Blu-Ray disks and burn CDs/DVDs.

1920 x 1080: Dell XPS 15z

With a 1920 x 1080 screen:

The $1819 Dell XPS 15z is another option to consider.

At 15.15 x 10.25 x 0.97 inches (WxDxH) and 5.53 pounds it’s longer and larger than the recommendations above, fairly thin and with an average weight.

With its 15.6″ screen, 0.97″ thickness and 5.53lbs weight, it can be considered as a 15″ ultra-portable.

What does it bring to the table?
- A 2.8-3.5GHz Dual-Core + Hyper-Threading Core i7-2640M CPU.
- 8GB of RAM
- A 256GB Samsung 470 Series SSD
- A 1920 x 1080 resolution 15.6″ screen
- A dedicated video card (Geforce GT 525M 2GB) with Optimus switchable graphics
- 7-8.5 hours of battery life
- A backlit keyboard that’s spill-resistant
- A slot-load optical drive (DVD Burner)
- Microsoft Office Home and Student 2010 included in the price

Macbook Pro Alternative:

Intel quad-core CPU, 5-7 hours of battery life, solid build

Love them or hate them, Macbooks are popular laptops for various reasons, one of them being that they are quite unique.

Here I’m recommending it because it is one of the lightest and most solid laptop to feature an Intel quad-core cpu.

At 14.35 x 9.82 x 0.95 inches (WxDxH) and 5.6 pounds it’s slightly smaller and just a little tiny bit heavier than the Dell XPS 15z.

The $1698 Apple MacBook Pro MD318LL/A 15.4″ Latest Version is the mainstream-level Apple Macbook Pro based on the late 2011 refresh.

Here’s what it offers:

Pros:

1. Intel Core i7-2670QM 2.2-3.1GHz Turbo Quad-Core + Hyper-Threading CPU
2. Top notch display: Black levels, Contrast, Color Accuracy and Color Gamut % of the AdobeRGB 1998 are amongst the best compared to other laptops, according to AnandTech.
3. OS X Lion: A pro or a con depending on your opinion. If you never tried OS X, ask a friend with a Macbook or visit an Apple store to give it a shot to see if you like it. Of course, if you’re switching from Windows, there will be a period of adaptation. You can always run Windows 7 on it if you want to.
4. Mac-only software: Some pros prefer Mac do to some video/audio programs only available on a Mac.
5. Thunderbolt port: Transfer rates twice as fast as USB 3.0, allows to plug in a monitor and daisy-chain various peripherals.
6. Top-notch large glass touchpad, with support for inertial scrolling, pinch, rotate, swipe, three-finger swipe, four-finger swipe, tap, double-tap, and drag capabilities
7. Unibody aluminum frame, making the Macbook one of the most solid laptops available. As solid as the Thinkpad? That’s debatable, but I’d say no.
8. Backlit keyboard
9. MagSafe power adapter: In my opinion, the best power adapter out there. The power adapter is held in place magnetically, so if someone trips over it, the cord disconnects harmlessly while the MacBook Pro stays put on your desk. It also has flip out legs for winding the cord for storage.

Cons:

1. Slower 5,400rpm 500GB hard drive.
2. Can get hot on your lap.
3. Only 4GB of RAM.
4. Getting heavy for an ultra-portable laptop, weighting in at 5.6lbs.

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Best Ultra-portables for up to $3000:

$2599 Sony VAIO VPC-Z216GX/B

About the Sony VAIO VPC-Z216GX/B:

Pros:

1. Very compact (13″ x 8.27″ x 0.66″) and incredibly light at only 2.57lbs!
2. Great battery life (Up to 8-10 hours), which can be doubled using a $123 Sony Sheet Battery.
3. Great CPU for such a small laptop: Core i7-2620M 2.7-3.4 GHz Turbo Dual-Core + Hyper-Threading.
4. 1920 x 1080 resolution on the matte 13.1″ screen
5. Included dock with AMD Radeon HD 6650M with 1GB dedicated VRAM video card: Not a powerhouse, but superior to the Intel HD 3000 for gaming and to handle multiple monitors.
6. Dock also has a Blu-Ray reader and can burn CDs and DVDs.
7. Backlit keyboard.
8. Bluetooth 2.1
9. Two 128GB SSDs in RAID 0 for an incredibly fast 256GB of storage.

Cons:

1. Only 4GB of RAM.

Ideal for:
People looking for an incredibly small and lightweight machine with the ability to attach it to a dock, with a long battery life.

Avoid it for:

• Very Heavy Audio/Photo/Video editing or very heavy multitasking: The Intel Core-i7 2620M 2.7-3.4GHz Turbo Dual-Core + Hyper-Threading packs a punch, but it’s still not comparable to the processing power of a quad-core processor.
• High-resolution gaming: While gaming with reduced details on the screen at 1920 x 1080 will be fine for most games when attached to the dock, don’t expect to play modern video games with high details. Be realistic about your gaming expectations.

Compared to similar laptops:
This is the lightest 13.3″ laptop available on the market and unlike “ultrabooks”, it is equipped with a full speed 2.7-3.4GHz Intel Core i5 processor, no other ultra-portable offers a 1920 x 1080 resolution screen, two SSDs with RAID 0 and the media dock is a unique solution too, with the optical drive and the Radeon HD 6650M in it.

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Specifications:

Components	Sony VAIO VPC-Z216GX/B
OS	Windows 7 Home Professional 64-bit
CPU	Intel Core i7-2620M Dual-Core + Hyper-Threading 2.7-3.4GHz Turbo
Screen Webcam Video Card	13.1″ 1920 x 1080 LED backlight, matte Yes: 720P (1280 x 720) Intel HD 3000 onboard / Radeon HD 6650M 1GB when docked
RAM Slots/Max RAM	4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1333MHz Onboard – not upgradable
Storage	256GB SSD (2 x 128GB RAID 0) – Onboard, not upgradable
Optical Drive	Blu-Ray Reader that can burn CDs/DVDs, on the dock
Audio	Dolby Home Theater (v4) audio processing Built-in microphone Built-in stereo speakers
Networking	LAN: 10/100/1000Mbps 802.11b/g/n Wireless LAN Bluetooth 2.1
Ports	Card reader (SD, SDHC, SDXC, MMC, Memory Stick Pro/Duo) Headphone/Microphone 3.5mm jack 1 x USB 2.0 1 x USB 3.0 (Used to connect dock) LAN HDMI Output VGA Output On the dock: HDMI output VGA output 1 x USB 3.0 1 x USB 2.0 LAN
Dimensions Weight	13″ x 8.27″ x 0.66″ 2.57lbs
Battery Size Battery Life	4000 mAh lithium ion Up to 8-10 hours Can be doubled using a $123 Sony Sheet Battery.

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Workstation:

About Workstation laptops:
Workstation laptops are generally optimized for high-performance and durability. They usually have an average or poor battery life, due to being equipped with powerful CPUs and video cards. These are ideal for professionals who make a living off their laptop and who need a “workhouse”: A powerful and reliable laptop that won’t let them down.

Best Workstation for up to $1500:

$1370 Lenovo ThinkPad W520 427637U

About the Lenovo Thinkpad W520:

Pros:

1. Black matte body = No finger prints or light reflections
2. Chassis is mostly made out of a magnesium alloy for added strength with minimal weight.
3. Roll cage: An internal carbon-fiber skeleton that protects the components within from flex.
4. Lid with a rubberish coating
5. 1920 x 1080 screen resolution
6. Powerful CPU: Intel Core i7-2720QM Quad-Core + Hyper-Threading 2.2-3.3GHz Turbo
7. 8GB (2x4GB) of RAM and you have two free RAM slots, for a total of four RAM slots and a maximum of 32GB (4x8GB).
8. Pro-level video card: NVIDIA Quadro 1000M with 2GB of dedicated VRAM
9. Nvidia Optimus technology, that turns on the Quadro 1000M when required and uses the Intel IGP when not, for longer battery life.
10. Matte screen: Allows you to use your laptop even with direct sunlight.
11. DVD Burner that’s removable (Ultrabay) and that can be replaced by an additional hard drive or SSD.
12. Sturdy metal hinges
13. One of the best keyboard available for a laptop
14. Trackpoint
15. Spill-resistant keyboard
16. Noise-cancelling microphones
17. Two USB 3.0 ports
18. FireWire 400 port
19. USB 2.0/eSATA combo port
20. All-in-One Card Reader
21. 7,200rpm hard drive allows for faster booting and faster program launches than a slower 5,400rpm hard drive.
22. Up to 10.8 hours of battery life
23. Windows 7 Professional 64-bit

Cons:

1. I guess if you want to be picky, you could say that there’s no SSD, but really, when you look at the price of the laptop and all the 23 pros, there’s isn’t much to complain about in my opinion. Besides, you can always replace the hard drive by a SSD or remove the optical drive and replace it with a SSD.

Ideal for:

• Someone who needs a laptop that had a pro video card, a powerful quad-core CPU, that’s solid enough to last him/her many years, with an excellent battery life and that’s relatively portable.
• Businesses.

To avoid for:

• Gaming: While you can play some older video cards, the video card is designed for precision and reliability, not performance.

Compared to similar laptops:
Most laptops at this price range are build out of plastic, will not feature solid hinges, a roll-cage, a magnesium alloy chassis, a spill-resistant keyboard, a pro-level video card, a matte screen, Windows 7 Professional 64-bit nor a up to 10.8 hours battery life, making this laptop the ideal Workstation laptop if your budget is around $1400.
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Specifications:

Components	Lenovo Thinkpad W520
OS	Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
CPU	Intel Core i7-2720QM Quad-Core + Hyper-Threading 2.2-3.3GHz Turbo
Screen Webcam Video Card	15.6″ 1920 x 1080 LED backlight, matte Yes: HD NVIDIA Quadro 1000M 2GB + Intel HD Graphics 3000
RAM Slots/Max RAM	8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1333MHz 4 Slots, maximum 32GB
Storage	500GB Hard Drive running at 7,200RPM
Optical Drive	DVD Burner – Can be replaced by Ultrabay for additional HDD or SSD
Audio	HD Audio Built-in microphones Built-in speakers
Networking	LAN: 10/100/1000Mbps 802.11b/g/n Wireless LAN Bluetooth 3.0
Ports	All-in-One Card reader Express Card Slot/34 Finger-print reader 1x Headphone/Microphone 3.5mm combo jack FireWire 400 2x USB 3.0 2x USB 2.0, one that’s a USB 2.0/E-SATA combo LAN Displayport Output VGA Output
Dimensions Weight	14.7″ x 9.7″ x 1.4″ 5.75lbs
Battery Size Battery Life	9-cell lithium ion Up to 10.8 hours

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Best Workstation for up to $2000:

$1929 – HP EliteBook 8760w

About the HP Elitebook 8760w:

Pros:

1. Gunmetal casing and military-grade testing against drop, vibration, dust, humidity, altitude and high temperature.
2. 1600 x 900 screen resolution
3. Powerful AMD FirePro M5950 1GB GDDR5 workstation-class video card
4. Four RAM slots allowing you to upgrade up to 32GB of RAM.
5. Matte screen: Allows you to use your laptop even with direct sunlight.
6. Sturdy hinges
7. Three buttons trackpad
8. Trackpoint
9. Spill-resistant keyboard with numpad
10. 3 years warranty
11. Five USB ports: Two USB 3.0 and three USB 2.0, including one USB 2.0/eSATA combo port
12. 7,200rpm hard drive allows for faster booting and faster program launches than a slower 5,400rpm hard drive.
13. Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
14. Optical drive can be replaced by a hard drive/SSD using a caddy or filled by a weight saver.
15. Smartcard reader

Cons:

1. Fairly bulky and heavy at 16.4″ x 10.7″ x 1.47″ and 7.66lbs.
2. “Only” a dual-core cpu at this price.
3. “Only” a 500GB 7,200rpm hard drive, which can be upgraded to a larger hard drive or a SSD though.
4. Only 4GB of RAM, although you have four RAM slots that can be upgraded all the way to 32GB.
5. No HDMI Output, although you do get VGA and Displayport outputs.
6. Short battery life due to the power-draining powerful video card. This is typical of high-end workstations though.

Ideal for:

• Someone who needs a workstation with a powerful workstation-class video card.
• Someone who needs a laptop that’s solid enough to last him/her a few years.
• Businesses.

To avoid for:

• Very Heavy Audio/Photo/Video editing or very heavy multitasking: The Intel Core-i5 2540M 2.6-3.3GHz Turbo Dual-Core + Hyper-Threading is by no means slow, but it’s still not comparable to the processing power of a quad-core processor.
• Someone who’s traveling a lot and who wants an highly-portable, lightweight laptop to carry around all day.

Compared to similar laptops:
Few laptops at this price range are equipped with such a powerful workstation-class video card.
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Specifications:

Components	HP EliteBook 8760w
OS	Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
CPU	Intel Core i5-2540M Dual-Core + Hyper-Threading 2.6-3.3GHz Turbo
Screen Webcam Video Card	17.3″ 1600 x 900 LED backlight, matte Yes: HD AMD FirePro M5950 1GB GDDR5
RAM Slots/Max RAM	4GB (1x4GB) DDR3 1333MHz 4 Slots, maximum 32GB
Storage	500GB Hard Drive running at 7,200RPM
Optical Drive	DVD Burner
Audio	SRS Premium Sound Dual-microphone array Two built-in speakers
Networking	LAN: 10/100/1000Mbps 802.11b/g/n Wireless LAN Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
Ports	Multi-in-1 Card reader Fingerprint reader Headphone and Microphone 3.5mm jacks Two USB 3.0 One USB 2.0 Charging One USB 2.0 Combo E-SATA/USB 2.0 VGA FireWire Displayport LAN Express Card/54 Smartcard Reader
Dimensions Weight	16.4″ x 10.7″ x 1.47″ 7.66lbs
Battery Size Battery Life	8-cell (83 WHr) Up to 2-3 hours

Macbook Pro Alternative:

Intel quad-core CPU, 5-7 hours of battery life, solid build

Love them or hate them, Macbooks are popular laptops for various reasons, one of them being that they are quite unique.

Here I’m recommending it because it is one of the lightest and most solid laptop to feature an Intel quad-core cpu.

While it does not feature a workstation-class video card, it still features a AMD Radeon HD 6770M with 1GB of GDDR5 video with switchable graphic, allowing the Macbook to boast a very nice 5-7 hours battery life.

The $2035 – Apple MacBook Pro MD322LL/A 15.4″ Latest version is the high-end-level 15.4″ Apple Macbook Pro based on the late 2011 refresh.

Here’s what it offers:

Pros:

1. Powerful Intel Core i7-2760QM 2.4-3.5GHz Turbo Quad-Core + Hyper-Threading CPU
2. AMD Radeon HD 6770M with 1GB of GDDR5 with switchable graphics
3. 5-7 hours of battery life
4. Top notch display: Black levels, Contrast, Color Accuracy and Color Gamut % of the AdobeRGB 1998 are amongst the best compared to other laptops, according to AnandTech.
5. OS X Lion: A pro or a con depending on your opinion. If you never tried OS X, ask a friend with a Macbook or visit an Apple store to give it a shot to see if you like it. Of course, if you’re switching from Windows, there will be a period of adaptation. You can always run Windows 7 on it if you want to.
6. Mac-only software: Some pros prefer Mac do to some video/audio programs only available on a Mac.
7. Thunderbolt port: Transfer rates twice as fast as USB 3.0, allows to plug in a monitor and daisy-chain various peripherals.
8. Top-notch large glass touchpad, with support for inertial scrolling, pinch, rotate, swipe, three-finger swipe, four-finger swipe, tap, double-tap, and drag capabilities
9. Unibody aluminum frame, making the Macbook one of the most solid laptops available. As solid as the Thinkpad? That’s debatable, but I’d say no.
10. Backlit keyboard
11. MagSafe power adapter: In my opinion, the best power adapter out there. The power adapter is held in place magnetically, so if someone trips over it, the cord disconnects harmlessly while the MacBook Pro stays put on your desk. It also has flip out legs for winding the cord for storage.

Cons:

1. Slower 5,400rpm 750GB hard drive.
2. Keyboard isn’t spill-resistant
3. No USB 3.0 ports, although you do get Firewire and Thunderbolt ports.
4. Can get hot on your lap.
5. Only 4GB of RAM.
6. Not a workstation-class video card

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Best Workstation for up to $3000:

$3029 – HP EliteBook 8760w

About the HP Elitebook 8760w:

Pros:

1. Gunmetal casing and military-grade testing against drop, vibration, dust, humidity, altitude and high temperature.
2. Powerful Intel Core i7-2820QM 2.3-3.4GHz Turbo Quad-Core + Hyper-Threading CPU
3. Nvidia Quadro 3000M 2GB workstation-class video card
4. 1920 x 1080 screen resolution
5. Four RAM slots allowing you to upgrade up to 32GB of RAM.
6. Matte screen: Allows you to use your laptop even with direct sunlight.
7. Sturdy hinges
8. Three buttons trackpad
9. Trackpoint
10. Spill-resistant keyboard with numpad
11. 3 years warranty
12. Five USB ports: Two USB 3.0 and three USB 2.0, including one USB 2.0/eSATA combo port
13. 7,200rpm hard drive allows for faster booting and faster program launches than a slower 5,400rpm hard drive.
14. Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
15. Optical drive can be replaced by a hard drive/SSD using a caddy or filled by a weight saver.
16. Smartcard reader

Cons:

1. Fairly bulky and heavy at 16.4″ x 10.7″ x 1.47″ and 7.66lbs.
2. “Only” a 750GB 7,200rpm hard drive, which can be upgraded to a SSD though.
3. No HDMI Output, although you do get VGA and Displayport outputs.
4. Short battery life due to the power-draining powerful video card. This is typical of high-end workstations though.

Ideal for:

• Someone who needs a workstation with a powerful workstation-class video card.
• Someone who needs a laptop that’s solid enough to last him/her a few years.
• Businesses.

To avoid for:

• Someone who’s traveling a lot and who wants an highly-portable, lightweight laptop to carry around all day.

Compared to similar laptops:
Few laptops at this price range are equipped with such a powerful CPU and a workstation-class video card within a solid chassis. The Dell Precision M6600 workstation laptop is an excellent laptop that I can also recommend, although it is currently pricier for similar specifications and features.
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Specifications:

Components	HP EliteBook 8760w
OS	Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
CPU	Intel Core i7-2820QM 2.3-3.4GHz Turbo Quad-Core + Hyper-Threading CPU
Screen Webcam Video Card	17.3″ 1920 x 1080 LED backlight, matte Yes: HD Nvidia Quadro 3000M 2GB GDDR5
RAM Slots/Max RAM	8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1333MHz 4 Slots, maximum 32GB
Storage	750GB Hard Drive running at 7,200RPM
Optical Drive	DVD Burner
Audio	SRS Premium Sound Dual-microphone array Two built-in speakers
Networking	LAN: 10/100/1000Mbps 802.11b/g/n Wireless LAN Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
Ports	Multi-in-1 Card reader Fingerprint reader Headphone and Microphone 3.5mm jacks Two USB 3.0 One USB 2.0 Charging One USB 2.0 Combo E-SATA/USB 2.0 VGA FireWire Displayport LAN Express Card/54 Smartcard Reader
Dimensions Weight	16.4″ x 10.7″ x 1.47″ 7.66lbs
Battery Size Battery Life	8-cell (83 WHr) Up to 2-3 hours

Macbook Pro Alternative:

Intel quad-core CPU, 5-7 hours of battery life, solid build

Love them or hate them, Macbooks are popular laptops for various reasons, one of them being that they are quite unique.

Here I’m recommending it because it is one of the most solid laptop to feature an Intel quad-core cpu and it also offers great battery life (5-7 hours) despite the powerful hardware.

While it does not feature a workstation-class video card, it still features a AMD Radeon HD 6770M with 1GB of GDDR5 video with switchable graphic, allowing the Macbook to boast a very nice 5-7 hours battery life.

The $2460 – Apple MacBook Pro MD311LL/A 17″ Latest Version is the 17″ Apple Macbook Pro based on the late 2011 refresh.

Here’s what it offers:

Pros:

1. Powerful Intel Core i7-2670QM 2.4-3.5GHz Turbo Quad-Core + Hyper-Threading CPU
2. AMD Radeon HD 6770M with 1GB of GDDR5 with switchable graphics
3. 5-7 hours of battery life
4. Top notch display: 1920 x 1080 resolution, Black levels, Contrast, Color Accuracy and Color Gamut % of the AdobeRGB 1998 are amongst the best compared to other laptops, according to AnandTech.
5. OS X Lion: A pro or a con depending on your opinion. If you never tried OS X, ask a friend with a Macbook or visit an Apple store to give it a shot to see if you like it. Of course, if you’re switching from Windows, there will be a period of adaptation. You can always run Windows 7 on it if you want to.
6. Mac-only software: Some pros prefer Mac do to some video/audio programs only available on a Mac.
7. Thunderbolt port: Transfer rates twice as fast as USB 3.0, allows to plug in a monitor and daisy-chain various peripherals.
8. Top-notch large glass touchpad, with support for inertial scrolling, pinch, rotate, swipe, three-finger swipe, four-finger swipe, tap, double-tap, and drag capabilities
9. Unibody aluminum frame, making the Macbook one of the most solid laptops available. As solid as the Thinkpad? That’s debatable, but I’d say no.
10. Backlit keyboard
11. MagSafe power adapter: In my opinion, the best power adapter out there. The power adapter is held in place magnetically, so if someone trips over it, the cord disconnects harmlessly while the MacBook Pro stays put on your desk. It also has flip out legs for winding the cord for storage.

Cons:

1. Slower 5,400rpm 750GB hard drive.
2. Keyboard isn’t spill-resistant
3. No USB 3.0 ports, although you do get Firewire and Thunderbolt ports.
4. Can get hot on your lap.
5. Only 4GB of RAM.
6. Not a workstation-class video card

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Best Workstation for up to $5000+:

$4997 – Dell Precision M6600

If you take the $1998 base model Dell Precision M6600 and upgrade it with the following options:

1. CPU: Core i7-2860QM 2.4-3.5GHz Quad-Core + Hyper Threading (+$240)
2. RAM: 16GB DDR3 1333MHz (+$555)
3. Graphics: Nvidia Quadro 5010M 4GB (+$1640)
4. Screen: 17.3″ UltraSharp 1920 x 1080 (+$85)
5. Storage: 256GB SATAIII SSD (+$450)
6. Fingerprint Reader: Intelnal Swipe Fingerprinter Reader (+$29)

You end up with a top of the line $4997 Workstation laptop with a powerful Intel Quad-Core CPU, 16GB of RAM, a top of the line Nvidia Quadro 5010M 4GB Workstation-class video card, a 256GB SATA III SSD and a 17.3″ 1920 x 1080 RGB LED-backlit IPS screen.

The links bring you to the Dell configuration page, so feel free to upgrade the Dell Precision M6600 to your tastes.

About the Dell Precision M6600:

Pros:

1. Black matte body = No finger prints or light reflections
2. Backlid keyboard with numpad
3. Aluminum and magnesium alloy chassis
4. Designed for durability and MIL-STD-810G tested for extreme temperatures, vibration, dust, altitude and shock.
5. 1920 x 1080 RGB LED-backlit IPS screen and optional touch display (+$275) that supports stylus and simultaneous four-finger touch.
6. Powerful CPU: Intel Core i7-2860QM Quad-Core + Hyper-Threading 2.4-3.5GHz Turbo
7. Top of the line Workstation-class video card: NVIDIA Quadro 5010M with 4GB of dedicated VRAM
8. Multi-touch touchpad with three buttons
9. FireWire port
10. All-in-One Card Reader
11. 256GB SATAIII SSD allows for faster booting and faster program launches than a hard drive.
12. Two hard drive bays, allows you to add a second SSD or a hard drive.
13. Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
14. Four RAM slots allowing you to upgrade up to 32GB of RAM.
15. Matte screen: Allows you to use your laptop even with direct sunlight.
16. Sturdy hinges
17. Three buttons trackpad
18. 4 years warranty
19. Five USB ports: Two USB 3.0 and three USB 2.0, including one USB 2.0/eSATA combo port
20. Optical drive can be replaced by a hard drive/SSD using a caddy or filled by a weight saver.
21. Smartcard reader

Cons:

1. Fairly bulky and heavy at 16.41″ x 10.65″ x 1.3″ – 1.46″ and 7.77lbs
2. Short battery life due to the power-draining powerful video card. This is typical of high-end workstations though.

Ideal for:

• Someone who needs a workstation with a powerful workstation-class video card.
• Someone who needs a laptop that’s solid enough to last him/her a few years.
• Businesses.

To avoid for:

• Someone who’s traveling a lot and who wants an highly-portable, lightweight laptop to carry around all day.

Compared to similar laptops:
Few laptops at this price range are equipped with such a powerful CPU and a workstation-class video card within a solid chassis. The HP EliteBook 8760w workstation laptop is an excellent laptop that I can also recommend, although it is currently pricier for similar specifications and features.
Click here to go back up to the summary
Specifications:

Components	Dell Precision M6600
OS	Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
CPU	Intel Core i7-2720QM Quad-Core + Hyper-Threading 2.2-3.3GHz Turbo
Screen Webcam Video Card	17.3″ 1920 x 1080 RGB LED-backlit IPS screen Optional (+$30) NVIDIA Quadro 5010M 4GB
RAM Slots/Max RAM	16GB (4x4GB) DDR3 1333MHz 4 Slots, maximum 32GB
Storage	256GB SATAIII SSD
Optical Drive	DVD Burner
Audio	Dual integrated noise cancelling digital array microphones Dual integrated high quality speakers
Networking	LAN: 10/100/1000Mbps 802.11b/g/n Wireless LAN Bluetooth 3.0
Ports	2x USB 3.0 2x USB 2.0 eSATA / USB 2.0 combo LAN VGA DisplayPort HDMI FireWire Express Card/54 1x Headphone and 1x Microphone 3.5mm jacks Smartcard Reader
Dimensions Weight	16.41″ x 10.65″ x 1.3-1.46″ 7.77lbs
Battery Size Battery Life	9-cell (97Wh) Up to 2-3 hours

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Personalize your laptop with a skin!

If you want to personalize your laptop, get a laptop skin from Skinit.com.

They even make it easy for you to upload your own photos and to create a truly one-of-a-kind custom made skin.

Upgrade your RAM or Hard Drive

Upgrade your RAM:

RAM can easily be upgraded on most laptops. Do note that some ultra-portables cannot be upgraded at all, due to their unique design.

If you aren’t sure about what you can upgrade to, check the specifications table or feel free to ask me in the comments section at the end of the article.

Pick one of the following recommendations below, depending on if your laptop comes with a single stick of RAM or two, or if you can have up to 4 sticks.

My recommendations should be compatible with all the laptops recommended in this guide, except for the Macs in some cases, as they are particularly picky about RAM as far as I know.

I recommend the most reliable sticks that I can find.

Add a single 4GB stick:

$20 – Kingston 4GB 1333MHz DDR3 SODIMM Notebook Memory

Replace the 2x2GB (4GB) kit by a 2x4GB (8GB) kit:

$40- Kingston 8GB (2x4GB) 1333MHz DDR3 SODIMM Notebook Memory Kit

For laptops with two RAM slots or to keep two RAM slots free for future upgrades:
16GB (2x8GB) memory kit:

$175 – CORSAIR 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 1333MHz SO-DIMM

For laptops with four RAM slots: 16GB (4x4GB) memory kit:

Get two of these kits: $40- Kingston 8GB (2x4GB) 1333MHz DDR3 SODIMM Notebook Memory Kit

For laptops with four RAM slots: 32GB (4x8GB) memory kit:

Get two of these kits: $175 – CORSAIR 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 1333MHz SO-DIMM
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Upgrade your hard drive:

You can also upgrade your hard drive to a faster and/or a larger hard drive. Alternatively, you can also replace it with a tremendously faster SSD (Solid State Drive), which also consume a tad less power than laptop hard drive, so replacing a hard drive by a SSD will slightly boost your laptop’s battery life.

Do note that most laptops accept hard drives with a 9.5mm height. Some laptops, such as the Lenovo Thinkpad X220, can only accept drives with a 7mm height. SSD wise, Intel SSDs, with model numbers ending with 1, are compatible. Some SSDs can be modded to fit too. Do also note that some ultra-portables cannot be upgraded at all, due to their unique design.

Keep your old hard drive for external storage via an USB 3.0 enclosure:

(Note that USB 3.0 is backward compatible with USB 2.0, if your laptop does not have USB 3.0 ports)
When you replace the hard drive that your laptop came with, I recommend putting in this $26 – Kingwin 2.5-Inch USB 3.0 External Hard Drive Enclosure – Aluminum and using it for external storage, such as backups.

750GB, 7,200rpm hard drive:

As fast as it gets for a standard laptop hard drive:
Western Digital Scorpio Black 750 GB SATA 3 GB/s 7200 RPM 2.5-Inch Mobile Hard Drive

750GB Hybrid Hard Drive with 8GB SSD cache

The Seagate Momentus XT 750 GB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s Hybrid Drive is a hard drive equipped with a 8GB SSD cache which allows it to be quite a bit quicker than standard laptop hard drives.

1TB, 5,400rpm hard drive:

As large as it gets for a laptop hard drive capacity. Not as fast as the 750GB hard drive above, due to its slower rotation speed (5,400rpm vs 7,200 rpm) and smaller cache.
Western Digital 1 TB Scorpio Blue SATA II 5400 RPM 2.5-Inch Notebook Hard Drive
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Upgrade to a SSD

If you want to upgrade your hard drive to a SSD, I recommend to you the Crucial M4 line-up of SSDs, which offers the best balance of reliability and performance, at a great price.

Furthermore, I recommend these particular Crucial M4 SSDs, for they include a CD with software and an USB adapter, to help you transfer the content of your current hard drive to the SSD, in order to minimize downtime and make your life easier.

• $115: Crucial M4 2.5″ 64GB SATA III SSD with Transfer Kit
• $222: Crucial M4 2.5″ 128GB SATA III SSD with Transfer Kit
• $399: Crucial M4 2.5″ 256GB SATA III SSD with Transfer Kit
• $870: Crucial M4 2.5″ 512GB SATA III SSD with Transfer Kit

Alternatively, I invite you to read The Best SSDs and HDDs For Your Money article, to decide yourself which SSD is right for you.

Backups: Because all hard drives and SSDs are prone to failure!

Remember: No matter are reliable they can be, all hard drives and all SSDs are prone to failure, which is why you should consult the following article, for more backup solutions, including software: Have a Backup System that you can rely on!

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Conclusion

I hope that you’ve enjoyed this latest edition of the Best High-End Laptops For Your Money.

Of course, with this being the first update in a long time and this being such a large article (over 8,000 words!) with many recommendations and alternatives, you may find some typos.

Alternatively, you may believe that there’s a better option than my recommendation.

If that happens, feel free to leave a comment below and remember, you can join us on our forums to discuss with everyone else the laptop that you’re planning to buy, ask your questions and join our helpful community!