End of 2021 PC recommendations

Hi all,


Took a look for similar threads, but couldn't find any recent ones.


So the age old question, any recommendations for laptops? As in, specific make/models. My previous laptop was a Dell Precision 7510, which I loved. My current laptop is a Dell Precision 3541, which I hate.


Looked online, and see the Precision is still being recommended, but I am really hesitant to buy more Dell products. Other laptops being recommended are gaming laptops, but I am not sure those will hold up my occasional field trips.


Anyway, has anyone bought a laptop in the last year and is very happy or very unhappy with it? Please let me know


Thank you all!

I just 'upgraded' to a Dell Precision 5550. It's ok - does cad and 3D really well, and the USB-C docking station is pretty nice. For a desktop computer it is great. I have serious doubts about it in the field (haven't done that just yet).

I absolutely hate the idea that it doesn't have an ethernet port. However, laptops are becoming more and more scarce with these in it - they will probably be a dinosaur like the headphone jack in another 5 years or so (if they aren't already).

I still have my Dell Precision M4800 - that thing is a beast. It's big and heavy, but it is reliable, takes a beating, has a great 17" screen, has a full keyboard (with number pad), and has easy access to hard drives and ram. It is my every-day computer at home. There are days I've thought about bringing it in and just using it in place of my work computer - but I don't want to muddy those waters. You can buy a fully-upgraded one (with graphics card, 1TB HDD, 32GB ram) on amazon right now for about $650 or less - but I would be hesitant to rely on 10+ year computers (why, I don't know. I rely on 30+ year PLCs a work) and it probably won't be able to get windows 11 when that becomes a thing.

Short answer - I'd love suggestions as well. I don't love my new precision as much as my old one. I don't think there will be many laptops for our niche market in the future.

boneless said:

Hi all,


Took a look for similar threads, but couldn't find any recent ones.


So the age old question, any recommendations for laptops? As in, specific make/models. My previous laptop was a Dell Precision 7510, which I loved. My current laptop is a Dell Precision 3541, which I hate.


Looked online, and see the Precision is still being recommended, but I am really hesitant to buy more Dell products. Other laptops being recommended are gaming laptops, but I am not sure those will hold up my occasional field trips.


Anyway, has anyone bought a laptop in the last year and is very happy or very unhappy with it? Please let me know


Thank you all!

Click to expand...

what don't you like about the 3541? I'm on a 3551 and I think it's great, I couldn't be happier, but maybe I've just been used to being handed an old dell latitude E machine leftover from the office ladies who say it's too slow to look at their daily mail websites and office Emails "take too long". So they hand it down to the factory floor, because "it's not like they're working in an office, why do they need a new computers, it's dirty down there".

HP Z-Book.
I have had mine for like 5 years (so no not last year I know), and it has taken a beating. The fans are beginning to struggle but I have been using this thing in some harsh environments where you would normally have used a Siemens Field-PG. I am certain that a lighter built laptop would have given up.
I am slated to get a new one next year. HP Z-Book again, and I am happy with that.

Btw, I dont care about a 'real' serial port, but a real ethernet port is a must-have.

IanM8040 said:

what don't you like about the 3541?

Click to expand...

First of all, it just isn't performing as it should. It hangs, it's slows down. I know this could be a windows problem, driver problem. Might be able to resolve it with a clean install, but...


The screen sucks, the resolution is unusable. This is 100% my mistake when ordering it.


It is loud, and hot, it did this from the start. I think a bigger chassis (like the 5 or 7 series) would resolve this.


No expansion slot for storage.


Battery is just not sufficient.

I bought a Dell Latitude 7420 with a 14" Display earlier this year, and so far i like it. Its got a 4core/8thread 3ghz 11th gen I7, 32GB ram, and a 1TB SSD. What I like about it is it is small and extremely light, so easy to carry to the floor. It doesn't have a built in network port, but that doesn't bother me because i find it easier to mount a USB network port to a VM than to deal with bridging. When I'm in my office, it is connected to a dock so the smaller screen and keyboard doesn't bother me.



There are more powerful laptops, but for me, this was the perfect trade of power for size and weight. My old precision was a workhorse, but I hated to have to pick that thing up and carry it somewhere.

boneless said:

First of all, it just isn't performing as it should. It hangs, it's slows down. I know this could be a windows problem, driver problem. Might be able to resolve it with a clean install, but...


The screen sucks, the resolution is unusable. This is 100% my mistake when ordering it.


It is loud, and hot, it did this from the start. I think a bigger chassis (like the 5 or 7 series) would resolve this.


No expansion slot for storage.


Battery is just not sufficient.

Click to expand...

probably is just me then. maybe you have the absolute bare bones version with no upgrades for ram or something then.

they are almost identical except for optional ram amounts, mine has 32g installed, and i think the 3541 can get the same for it's maximum allowed.

the battery life is the same and I haven't had any complaints, I can go a whole 8 hours troubleshooting something and don't need to plug in (without adjusting typical screen brightness or performance either).


are you doing mobile graphics work or something that requires a ton of processor power?

but I hated to have to pick that thing up and carry it somewhere.

Click to expand...

Whenever I hear a comment like that I have to chuckle, remembering the days of dedicated PLC programming devices weighing in excess of 25 kg.
Of course those were also the days when I had to walk 5 miles to and from school, in the snow, uphill both ways, all the while dodging dinosaurs...

I bought one of these and very happy with it - good screen - goes - proper Ethernet port not one of those stupid drop down ones or having to use a USb plug in one. https://www.harveynorman.com.au/asu...6gb-512gb-ssd-rtx-3070-8gb-gaming-laptop.html

+1 on ASUS TUF for bang for the buck.

Steve Bailey said:

Whenever I hear a comment like that I have to chuckle, remembering the days of dedicated PLC programming devices weighing in excess of 25 kg.

Click to expand...

Those were generally on large wheeled cart though, and the electrical cabinets were large and in a logical location. You didn't need to connect it to every sensor and junction box on the machine.

I have been happy with Lenovo Thinkpad laptops for many years. Thinkpad T series is tough, very nice to work on (Lenovo have the best laptop keyboards imho) and performs. T4xx for 14", T5xx for 15". If you need yet more performance, the Thinkpad P range is the mobile workstation. Quite heavy, drains the batteries more quickly, but these are beasts - both in terms of performance as well as expandability. These can take up to 3 SSD drives, unholy amounts of RAM and Nvidea Quadro graphics cards. Great for VM's. These are no featherweights and they ain't cheap either.

Toine said:

I have been happy with Lenovo Thinkpad laptops for many years.

Click to expand...

Yes, I had several Lenovo machines prior to switching to Dell, and have been happy with those. Not sure why I switched, I think Lenovo changed their line-up and I got confused .

IanM8040 said:

probably is just me then. maybe you have the absolute bare bones version with no upgrades for ram or something then.
....
are you doing mobile graphics work or something that requires a ton of processor power?

Click to expand...

I have 32 GB RAM, Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-9850H, with the Nvidia Quadro P620. It should perform way better than it is. I think that is my main issue .
I do no explicit graphics work, but Siemens TIA is a hog.


Thanks all for the info, I will take a look at my options! I am open for more!

I use a full spec 15" Alienware gaming laptop and it does everything I need at a canter. It's bigger and heavier than my previous laptops and the power supply is 250w which can sometimes trip the breaker in panels when I first plug it in but I have no regrets at all in buying it.

I'm lucky we can order whatever we want. I got one of these about 18 months ago, been fantastic and you don't pay the usual manufacturer's 'tax'.

https://www.gigabyte.com/Laptop/AERO-15-OLED--Intel-9th-Gen#kf

I wouldn't go back to a Dell / HP / whatever ever again.