Hi, basically i've narrowed it down to two models. Not going to consider other brands. Just these two models.

The new Dell XPS 15

PROCESSOR: 2nd generation Intel® Core™ i7-2720QM processor 2.20 GHz with Turbo Boost 2.0 up to 3.30 GHz

DISPLAY: 15.6" (39.6cm) FHD (1920x1080) B+RGLED display with TrueLife™

MEMORY: 8GB Dual-channel 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM (2 x 4G)

OPTICAL DRIVE: Tray Load 8X DVD+/-RW Drive with DVD+R double layer write capability

WIRELESS NETWORK CARD: Intel® Centrino® Advanced-N 6230 with Bluetooth v3.0+HS

The new Alienware M14x

PROCESSOR: Intel® Core™ i7-2720QM processor 2.20 GHz with Turbo Boost 2.0 up to 3.30 GHz

DISPLAY: HD DISPLAY 14" (35.6cm) WLED HD+ (900p) display (1600X900)

MEMORY : 8GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM (2 x 4GB)

HARD DRIVE : 750GB 7200RPM Hard Drive

VIDEO CARD : 3.0GB DDR3 NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 555M using NVIDIA Optimus™ technology (Stealth Black)

OPTICAL DRIVE Slot Load 8X DVD+/-RW Drive with DVD+R double layer write capability

WIRELESS NETWORK CARD Intel® Ultimate N WiFi Link 6205 a/g/n 2x2 MIMO Technology

ANOTHER cheaper option

Dell Vostro 3750


PROCESSOR (CPU) 2nd generation Intel® Core™ i5-2410M processor 2.30 GHz with Turbo Boost 2.0 up to 2.90 GHz

LAPTOP DISPLAY SCREEN 17.3 HD+ WLED Anti-Glare (1600x900)

MEMORY (RAM) 6GB 2 DIMM (2GB x1 + 4GB x1) DDR3 1333Mhz

HARD DRIVE (HDD) 500GB Hard Drive, 7200 RPM

OPTICAL DRIVE 12.7" SATA tray load DVD+/-RW

VIDEO CARD Nvidia® Geforce™ GT 525M ,1GB(Dual Core)

WIRELESS NETWORK CARD Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 1030, Bluetooth v3.0+HS for MY


Price is not an option. I would just like to know which one will AUTOCAD work best on. Thanks =)

This post has been edited by marcuslpm: Apr 28 2011, 10:31 PM

XPS 15 for me...

becuz of Full HD...

XPS gets my vote also, unless you want gaming then should go for Alienware M14X, but the GPU on the Alienware is kind of lousy also, not worth to get it at this price tag.

144SP with 192-bit memory controller in a 14"...

lousy?

This post has been edited by astria: Apr 28 2011, 08:03 PM

any laptop with lower specs than that can run autocad..

Which version of AutoCAD are you trying to run?

my pentium M vaio could run autocad no lag

Alienware looks 100000000000000000000000000000000x better than Dell XPS.

Running AutoCAD 2011 64-bit. hmmm. cant make up my mind. lol.
anyway i found out from somewhere that it says SSD is better for rendering compared to HDD. but SSD is freaking ex compared to normal HDD

This post has been edited by marcuslpm: Apr 28 2011, 09:13 PM

I don't mean the GPU is lousy, just saying it should have a more powerful GPU like GTX460M pair with Alienware. Since the price is so expensive.

---

Added on April 28, 2011, 9:19 pmYou could choose other laptop like Acer 5750G or HP DV6 which are much more lower price but with even better performance than the XPS15, and you could save the money and opt for SSD.

This post has been edited by reevephon: Apr 28 2011, 09:19 PM

and end up frying eggs, boiling coffee and play games at the same time?

be realistic... heat is the major consideration y we dun ve a GTX/HDx800 GPU in a 14"...

unless u re willing to pay for an all silver heatsink...

This post has been edited by astria: Apr 28 2011, 09:23 PM

i'm actually looking at dell vostro now. do you guys think its good?

consider HP Pavilion DV6-6001TX..a good buy ... im just bought not long ago... pretty smooth... doesnt heats up during normal use... during 3d modelling im not sure.. since its still new... but the spec is definitely better than XPS 15

autocad 2D or lite will work the same on both laptops cause its actually not that hardware demanding but i say XPS cause the screen is larger for u to do your work

Asus N53SN ! But too bad now got no stock and is EOL dy ><

that is a rumour...

but still, none beats the Full HD monitor of XPS...

+1 to the XPS 15
One of the best screens on a laptop+good keyboard+good touchpad
In terms of pure cpu/gpu performance there are cheaper laptops with better parts but they have bad screens.Example being the HP DV6 and the Asus N53SN.

I would vote for the vostro 3750 becoz of the size 17"3 screen. Easy for navigatiion and line focusing if its have a bigger screen.
I guess all depend on someone preference whether he/she want it.

I definitely pick that FHD XPS 15. U gonna need that extra space for your workspace.

2nd pick will go to Vostro 3750 for that 17".

Definitely XPS 15 with Full HD, it helps a lot in AutoCAD with that extra space.
I have been using Solidworks and Ansys modelling software previously, and trust me, that extra space
is really important so that you can view your model as a whole easily.

This post has been edited by hidz7: Apr 29 2011, 06:07 AM

Frankly speaking, any of your three models will run AutoCAD 2011 64 bit smoothly. Chances are the Vostro will run it a little slower because it's an i5 compared to the i7 of the other two models, but it's not going to be something you will notice unless you have a huge drawing with lots and lots of XREFs and point elements... and with Sandy Bridge processors, you're not even going to notice that unless you are a post-human cybernetic intelligence with half the Internet forming your brain.

The main deciding factor will be what kind of AutoCAD work you want to do. If you're going for 3D rendering work, obviously the one with the stronger video card will be better. Otherwise, pick the one that can support the most RAM: if one of the models can allow you to expand up to 16GB RAM, get that and expand it to the maximum possible.

My pick of the three would be the Alienware one, but that's only because I don't know what video card the XPS15 comes with and whether any of the three have more than two RAM slots.

This post has been edited by ThisIsBoletaria: May 1 2011, 06:06 PM

XPS15 because of fullHD screen

i lol'ed at this

15" screen are you sure your eye suitable for Full HD, how you can draw ? Full HD for 21" up Screen that a suitable. are you sure you known autocad ?

I test on I7-2720 computer, all autocad product slow, for harddisk loadding, better SSD, 7200 also slow.

also for the screen, apple computer is better. apple user 0.25 perpixel, other is 0.28

But you thinking 15", use FHD for design, you are start learning design ?
is you has a money buy a apple hi-end model, you known what a quality for design!

hmm. ok. so anyway i've talked to a few friends and they recommend Toshiba as well.

Toshiba Qosmio x500-D831

# Intel Core i7-740QM processor (1.73GHz with Turbo Boost up to 2.93GHz)
# 8GBB (4GBx2) DDR3 1066MHz
# 500GB HDD (7200rpm)
# 18.4' HD+ (200NIT) Clear SuperView TFT display (16:9), resolution 1680 x 945
# NVIDIA GeForce GTS 360M (ext 1GB VRAM)

Toshiba Satellite A665

Intel Core i7-740QM processor ( 1.73GHz with Turbo Boost Technology up to 2.93GHz )
6GB DDR3 1066MHz
640GB (SATA) HDD with shock absorbers
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium
15.6” WXGA HD Clear SuperView LED Backlight 3D Vision display (16:9) 1366 x 768
Nvidia GeForce GTS350M 1GB VRAM


apparently Toshiba Qosmio in Malaysia is different from the one i saw in the website in US. no such x500-D831 model.

This post has been edited by marcuslpm: May 1 2011, 10:33 PM

chill bro, everyone's juz chipping in their own opinion for TS to consider...

unless TS dun mind lugging a 17" around, by all means go ahead, else it's 1 step back to 15.6"...

and have u seen how Full HD looks like on a 15.6"/17"? sure it makes the font look small and stuff, but u ve a much larger working area as well, that's a compromise u need to make if u want to use AutoCAD from a laptop...

as for monitor, if u do read around, the best is probably RGBLED panel from Dell, which is only available on Studio XPS (already EOL), followed by MacBook's monitor... but if TS insist on Windows, then next best would be the B+GLED (is that the name? ) on current XPS...

yeah. i prefer windows because i tried using autocad on mac. dont really like it. still more used to using it on windows =)

no doubt mbpro is a good laptop. just not for me i guess.

i won't really recommend these as they are all using old hardware... Nehalem and GeForce 300M...

but i think MSI GX780 suits u pretty nicely... if u dun mind the blink blink keyboard
http://www.msi.com/product/nb/GX780.html#?div=Specification

Core i7 2630QM
GeFOrce GT 555M 1GB GDDR5
17.3" Full HD (need clarification)
4 DDR3 SO-DIMM slots
dual HDD bays

This post has been edited by astria: May 1 2011, 10:50 PM

I have to admit doing AutoCAD or any other works will be better by using a large monitor, such as 21" that you mentioned,
but we are talking about doing works from mobile perspective, so of course, the size of the screen would be a little bit smaller.

I have been using full hd resolution on 15.6 inch for a while, and yes, it looks small, but you'll get used to it and more importantly, you'll get more work space,
easier to play around with the model, and the menu as well. I haven't use AutoCAD before, but I have used Solidworks, and Ansys modelling software
and I believe they are quite similar.

Just my humble opinion.

how much is this?

not out yet, but as a gaming laptop, take note of the GPU, it's 96SP, 128-bit GDDR5 instead of 144SP, 192-bit GDDR3 on AW m14x...

MSI GX780, cool. haha. too bad its not out yet =(

My friend used macbook book run windows 7(bootcamp) 100% compatible. quality very ok. now people buy mac used for run windows. sometime learning mac os too. very good. but on pc run mac os, want do many thing and not 100% compatible. f has a more money , apple is a first choice.

you see the US movies most used apple product now.

hidz7 brings up a good point about real estate that I totally forgot. If you're not a power user and haven't memorised a lot of the keyboard shortcuts for commands in AutoCAD, chances are you'll have 273,102 toolbars lying around your screen. A higher res screen will give you more real estate, but I don't think that's a good idea with notebook screens, even at 15.6"; just be prepared to squint.

I find that I can get away with using a 14.0" screen at 1024xsomething-or-other resolution at work; I scroll in and out a lot using the mouse wheel, so screen size isn't really an issue for me. But then, I do engineering work, so I don't need to look at full renders or the entire drawing on screen a lot.

As for the Toshibas, until they put out Sandy Bridge models, don't bother. For the same price, you can get better performance from other makers, even if build quality and reliability is not as good.

getting a Mac and use Windows as the main OS... that's juz plain stupid isn't it? u get Mac becuz u want to use Mac OS X, not becuz u want to use Windows...

y not juz get a laptop, which has better hardware, for the same price? especially when it's some heavy duty work that we re talking abt... or, laptop with the same hardware, for a cheaper price, and slot in a SSD or get a monitor (eg Dell's IPS monitors)?

many ppl get MacBook juz becuz it's Apple, or that it's cool, not that they really want to use Mac OS X...

+1.
And they are not going to get the same battery life in windows as they would get by using Mac OS.
If in case TS bought Mac, then I'm sure he's going to use Windows more due to his work.

This post has been edited by hidz7: May 2 2011, 05:58 PM

Used apple can choice windows and mac os. mac os boot os just need 9sec. If not need more software, use apple os enougn.

On hk, most apple user, install windows 7. also Apple HK ads, apple can run windows. now world is change, apple used windows why not ? same a windows user used vmware run linux`mac, is a stupid ? multi os very popular. new intel cpu, has vxd function for vmware and multi os.(I7-26301m not, but 2720 has)

Apple quality world no.1, that a true. higher price also true. same a branch bag , 1 RM10000, some Rm80-100. that all is money problems. is a rich, why not using good quality product ?

Apple quality no1? well how do u explain the excessive heat coming from the butt of my MacBook Air?

many MacBook user put Windows in their rig is juz becuz they want to be cool, but without leaving the comfort zone of Windows... that's juz plain stupid in my eyes, cuz by using Windows on a Mac, u re literally removing the biggest advantage of MacBook - UNIX like OS, even more UNIX like than Linux...

but no, many ppl juz want to look cool on the outside...

Just a one case for macbook air, compare other many problems. that not a cool, first a quality. why other branch not 'cool' ? why apple cool ?

apple is "cool" because of the stupid apple logo of which many girls (fags literally) consider "ohhhh so stylish and unique!".
bah- to me, apple is more likely a junk. their ipad2 is just an enlarged ipod touch. please, their slimmer, better propaganda is pissing me off.

and u say apple quality is good? fool you are. steve jobs simply wants to earn 200% by putting 10% effort in his products. EG: i said ipad2 is just an enlarged ipod touch right? well ipad2 has a SLIGHTLY faster processor, 3g + wifi. ipad 1 is SLIGHTLY slower and has no 3g. so take a good look at the price difference?
people are just crazy about apple because it USED to be good, and now stevie is using that as an advantage to profit and spend less.

apple is just bullshit

I don't think slightly is an appropriate word here since ipod uses single core processor while Ipad2 uses 2 cores A5 processors.
Price?At least it is cheaper than Motorola Xoom.

But I do admit that I have no interest in Apple Macbook though, since Mac OS didn't suit my lifestyle.

This post has been edited by hidz7: May 2 2011, 08:17 PM

nah, a bunch of guys from xda proved that the dual core isnt a huge boost in speed. they claimed that the htc flyer is faster than ipad2

That's due to the applications that didn't fully utilized both cores.
For me, in tablet I'm not looking for best processor or spec, enough if it can handle all the apps smoothly.
It's not that you want to have a hardcore gaming on that small tablet, you have a laptop/desktop to handle that.
What's most important for me is the battery life and user experience(being user friendly,smooth.etc).

We are being off-topic here.

This post has been edited by hidz7: May 2 2011, 08:30 PM

yes, you might be right. but still what apple did was very shadowy. i hate it when people go around saying windows sucks compared to mac.

haha agree with that

My friend now all used apple product, Iphone, macbook...because her (not girls) bussiness, now very rich. That is her reason: because bussness need 'show up' and has a money why not choice a better ?

and her say apple quality very good compare before her compaq notebook. so, you think, richman fool ? If richman fool, why clever man not became to richman ?

sorry bad english and off topics. this world 'face look' also is a quality, some time very need. appe can became the 'branch', pc can't, why ? that a apple clever. lower cost, gain higher money, but richman not problems. That richman gain back poorman money, buy again 'apple' product.

I have to agree about the things you mentioned.
Since they are both on different category, not worth comparing imho. I hate it when people says Windows sucks as well, meanwhile
they didn't know the true advantage of having Mac OS at all other than to show off.

I didn't really understand what are you trying to say, but what do you say about the aluminium unibody that gets extremely hot
on load?
Apple use the enclosure/casing as heatsink?
I didn't mean to make you mad, it just it depends on what you really do with your computer, then choose whether Mac or Windows that suit you most.

This post has been edited by hidz7: May 2 2011, 08:51 PM

then tell ur friends, time to get real pc. no mac osx which is shit. get real windows.
so what does business have to do with iphone and macbook? are u implying that rich people only use apple products? if yes, they're rich. so why give a damn?
compaq? dude. what era do u live in? why take a 10 year old compaq and compare with 2011 apple? of course apple win in terms of design n performance but still lose out to PRICING.

seriously? a fxking macbookpro costs rm 6k and specs only equal to a rm 3k notebook? are u fxking kidding? and macbookpros are heat monsters if u havent noticed.

[b]so, you think, richman fool ? If richman fool, why clever man not became to richman ?[/]

i cant fxking understand this. translator pls.

and what do u mean by branch pc? isnt ASUS a BRANCH? isnt ACER a BRANCH?
your reasoning has no logical explanation in it. all you do is naively backup apple and not knowing anything about windows

u want showoff? Asus-Lamborghini is the one... no, not even Alienware can match it...

honestly, we can juz go on and on forever... Apple make good product, no doubt, but they are no where near the best... some of their practices are very shady as well...
1) MacBook Pro (Nehalem) heat issue
2) easily hacked Mac OS X (as easy as Windows XP)
3) Apple's silent response to Mac OS X security
4) iPhone tracking ur location, stores a record of a year in the phone, back it up to the computer, all without encryption
5) pathetic cameras on iPad2
6) iPhone 4 antenna-gate
7) iTunes monopolising the market

the list juz goes on... all these are some issues that have never been officially addressed by Apple... people find it, media report it, write some articles, and Apple juz keep quiet, let everything cools down, and life continues...

gtx 460m is kinda a let down though xD
i mean for the price tag..

well, Asus -Lamborghini is all abt design, who cares abt the hardware... but honestly my all time favourite is VX5... VX7 lacks surprises as it looks too much like G53...

oh, and before i forgot, Apple's trigger happy legal team as well... the latest row with Samsung is totally a joke in the industry... at the rate they are suing other companies they may run out of hardware makers soon...

When you look into the details, Samsung has a stronger case in that respect.

Go for XPS 15 because of FHD

despite the face both cases are plastic, my vote still goes to samsung

apple is more or less a fashion statement. whether it suits the person or is crap people just wanna follow the trend and use whatever thats popular or the 'in' thing. media is influenced mainly by america and thats where apple started to spread as well. whatevers popular there is a must follow for the rest of the world. wacomuse u saying apple has the best quality..my friends macbook pro died after a year and he changed to dell not bothering to pay 2k for the fix. again why are all ur friends and rich ppl using it its because they wanna use whats popular and i dont wanna include iphone in this but macs. and how can u be so sure that apples is 'better'? can u try asking ur friends to compare macs with laptops of the same price and not a compaq.

exactly. he probably compared 2011 macbook with compaq v3000 lol

Totally agreed.
If want to compare with Windows why choose Compaq?
Apple fans only chase the 'coolness', we PC people chasing real power,
and coolness? oh yeah we got Alienware.

dont forget lamborghini series

popcorn time.. din ask me lol..
why other branch not 'cool' ? why apple cool ?
this 1 only i can answer u bro.. i know u apple fan but who care right?
av brand also cool but apple different.. very easy concept.. apple cre8 a flow of trend to let us follow.. that's y it expensive + cool..
other brand provided us better option.. unlike apple.. they wan earn big buck.. play creative = win! conquer whole market like iphone, ipad... ishit & isuck!
expensive due to the design + using a lot brain to cre8 this shit out.. u feel me? iF

This post has been edited by ngkhanmein: May 3 2011, 11:55 AM

have you considered the HP Pavilion dv6-6001tx ? Its about rm3699 and it comes with a Beats headphone as well to boot

Am considering it myself, I think the specs is allright for me to do some 3d work in Maya / 3dsmax on it...what do you guys think?

dont mean to hijack the thread but since autoCad is 3d as well, so figured I just join in the discussion

^
yes, dv6 is overkill for autocad.. and minus the beats, it costs rm 3199

i think the main pt of debate now is Full HD monitor instead...

full hd definitely goes to xps..

If TS is not doing 3d renders, then why not get a full HD monitor in addition to a notebook? Best of both worlds.

Also, why not start a "Why we like/don't like Apple" thread? Bet it will become the most popular thread within 2 days.

if we start such thread it looks more like a troll thread haha...

that's 1 of the options that i ve suggested...

or, slot in SSD...

wow wow... getting out of ts's budget range here haha...

haha. i actually went out to look at some laptops today. tried the XPS and also saw some asus laptops. not really interested in HP. had some bad experience. ACER as well @@

YES!!! ssd..over budget!

This post has been edited by marcuslpm: May 3 2011, 09:27 PM

if u refer to the heat problems, then let me assure u there's no longer any.. in fact the new hp dv6 ran alot cooler than my asus n53sv lol.. and it's i7 +6770 gddr5(hp) somemore compared to my i5 + gt540m asus

hmm. never really consider HP. maybe i'll go check it out tomorrow.

But anyhow I still feel like XPS 15 better.

coz of the FHD screen?

And better speakers, that's a plus though.

hmm imho the audio on hp dv6 is better, it has dual subwoofer and so called "beats audio"

Go with whatever brand you feel comfortable with, as long as it has a Sandy Bridge CPU. Buying for any other CPU right now is not worth the money unless you're really on a shoestring budget (below RM 2500).

Edit: And GPU, screen size and resolution don't matter one bit, unless you're doing 3D rendering work in AutoCAD. Go for the Sandy Bridge notebook that can support the most RAM and replace the built in HDD with a fast non-SSD hard drive.

This post has been edited by ThisIsBoletaria: May 3 2011, 10:08 PM

yes, agreed

Built quality maybe, feel like XPS more solid.

The body is made up from aluminium, it feels nice to the touch but I don't really like the XPS design. But for AutoCAD I would go with this one.

u mean xps or hp?

Since when it got dual subwoofer

yeah the feel is nice. i like the exterior =) the inside and the keyboard is just the same as any other model.

I mean the XPS, and for AutoCAD the FHD screen would be useful.

If you don't mind the exterior of the laptop and have around RM 4k budget, Sager NP8130 might be a good choice, comes with I7 Sandy Bridge, full HD LCD monitor (1920 x 1080) and comes with a GTX 460m graphics card, take note, it's GTX, not GT......

It has most of the ports you need, USB 2.0, USB 3.0, eSATA, HDMI, DVI
3D audio comes with sub woofer.

Not to fail to mention that it has great temperature, good cooling system (2 fans with GPU and CPU each owning one)

Here is a full review of NP8130 with the exterior and interior of the laptop by XoticPC, hardware and fans are easily accessible, means you can easily clean the fans, easily take out the parts :]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swp7aC05h5w

This post has been edited by jimmykvt: May 3 2011, 11:49 PM

every1 knows about sager's greatness.. but the design is too plain

I bet not everyone knows since this brand is not really known by fellow Malaysians. You know, very limited knowledge, hardly look out of the box but only those brands that are available in Malaysia's market, thanks to the high publicity, people know Sony, Toshiba, Fujitsu, Asus, HP, Dell, Acer, Apple, IBM Lenovo, ThinkPad but not Sager/Clevo. I believe MSI laptop shares the same fate as Sager's, but at least people do know that MSI manufacture graphics card (not the GPU). I had done very in depth research, I never knew Sager, all I had in mind was Alienware M15X. After that, I looked into Asus G53 and G73, and at the end, I looked into Sager. Did quite some comparison mostly on the interior design and performance.
On the other hand, I agree that many people do value the exterior of the laptop more than how much it can perform.

This post has been edited by jimmykvt: May 4 2011, 12:31 AM

dont really mind the exterior! if its good and for that price i might just get it =)

+9000 for Sager.

Go for it and u'll nvr look back.

If you don't really care about exterior design which is actually pretty subjective, then have a look at Sager NP8130
as suggested by jimmykvt.
Sager is well known for its great price to performance ratio, and undoubtly it will win in term of specs.
But if you decided to pull the trigger on Sager, do learn about the warranty for a bit, at least you know what to do in case something happen.

Required reading for Sager: http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopic=1794588&hl=

Also, talk to ThisIsALamp or soundsyst64. They will be able to tell you about the things to watch out for when getting a Sager, and soundsyst64 especially can tell you about what you need to do when importing one into Malaysia.

yea i think i will go for sager np8130. looks good to me.

hmm, if u think sager suits u well, then give it a shot. then post reviews and benchmarks

hmm went into a hp store over the weekend checking out the dv6..kinda like the built and sturdiness of the hp compared to the dell which feels kinda flimsy for me that is.

Regarding the audio, I wanted to test out the audio to check out the difference between a standard speaker and this so-called Beats speakers/tech, the salesperson played one of those pre-loaded music that comes together with windows...haha and I cant tell the difference between the Beats speakers and the normal ones on the other laptops haha

but i think the hp could serve me well as a desktop/work companion whenever I do any 3d work in maya/3ds max..i think..the specs seems allright and not too expensive like rm5k ++

This post has been edited by faridz7: May 4 2011, 11:01 AM