Sorry.. auto correct... hahaha...

Hi all sifus, I would like to ask which laptop would better suit for my work.

I'm currently into cyber security (penetration test), but I'm currently not sure if I will be needing macOS. Definitely I will be using Linux Distro for this kind of thing (boot through VM), but then is it necessary to have macOS to study the security of it? I can't find any straight answers to this as there are pentesters using Mac as well as PC. Kindly enlighten me on this because a lot of people says that if I were to go for Mac, basically I can use macOS, Windows, and Linux on it too, while for Windows laptops, I can only run Windows and Linux. The question is whether it is necessary to have macOS.

Also, I do a bit of graphic design and video edits too. And for the time being, I don't have any specific budget, however, I need it to be powerful as well as portable and light weight (I'll be carrying it around), I would personally opt for the 15" laptops due to higher specs and performance as I'll probably run a few VMs (virtual machines), but still I'd listen to any suggestions/recommendations that you guys have for 13" laptops.

I'll be using the laptop for many years, so it's best to suggest me the most recently released ones with 8th generation Intel processors.

Below are the list of laptops that I personally have in mind:
1. Lenovo X1 Extreme with NVIDIA 1050 4GB (1.7kg)
2. MacBook Pro 15" 2018 with Radeon 560X 4GB (1.8kg) mac has high second hand value
3. Dell XPS 15 9570 (most probably I'll skip this due to complaints of thermal throttling)
4. MacBook Pro 13" 2018 (not sure if 13" will be too small for my kind of work and also it doesn't have dedicated graphics card)

Thanks.

The best option would be no1 and no2. But for option no2, make sure you're good with butterfly switch on it as you'll be typing a lot and need to be fast too.

Hi sifus,

Looking for a gaming laptop.
I've been looking at MSI's GP63 8RE 299 Leopard.

Just wondering if there's anything better out there for that price range of RM5-6K.

Sifus,

Thinkpad. If I want a i5-8250, 16gb, FHD (or WQHD), for both hardiness and sexiness which model should I aim for. Budget 4-5k. May top up to increase sexiness.

A485 vs E485 vs T480 vs T480s

Hi Sifus. Looking for a basic 15.6" gaming laptop which budget around RM3k. Among the below, which is more recommended ya?

1. Asus TUF FX504G
2. MSI GL63 8RC
3. Acer Nitro 5 AN515
4. Lenovo Legion Y520

overall non...if wan compare spec only of coz got la.. but overall performance at tat price range.. msi memang win

No at the moment

Preferred max weight and minimum battery life?

Illegear Z7 (Quanta NL9U)
Illegear Raven Elite (TongFang GK5CN67)
AW15 R4
Asus GL504GM
Asus GL703GM
HP Omen 15 DC0126TX
Illegear Laguna (Quanta NL5C)
Lenovo Legion Y530
Dell G7 - low sRGB IPS ONLY

GP63 is also good

T480/A485 and T480s. E485 is 2 step below T series (still good for consumer standard)

Keep in mind that A485 doesn't have any panel upgrades so you're stuck with low sRGB IPS

E485 isn't a good choice due to fairly small battery and limited cooling (Ryzen APUs need larger battery and good cooling due to worse efficiency)

Are you a student?
Any preference on weight, battery life and display quality?

i see...thanks...even there is not much / could be no people selling dell in kuching too

Just very minimal gaming (only DOTA 2)
More look into display quality first and build quality. Weight and battery life doesnt matter
Thanks in advanced!

You won't get great display quality in gaming laptops for this budget unless you're fine with low sRGB IPS

Are you a student?

If it's going to be my long term laptop, I think it won't be an issue as I'll get used to it in time. However, I'm just worried about the reliability, any complaints for the 2018 version?

And I don't like the touch bar though, but I won't have a choice if I need one with high specs for Mac.

Preferably less than 2kg, and it's best to have more than 6 hours of battery life, but it probably won't be an issue for me since I'll be carrying the charging brick around.

If you don't need macOS, don't buy Macbook. Whether you need it or not, I cannot give you an answer since I'm no expert in OS related things

X1 Extreme (or P1) is a good choice. I'll suggest a strong CPU and 16GB RAM

If you need more GPU power and battery life isn't a concern, these are OK too:
1. Illegear Onyx
Need to do some fan speed adjustments
No TB3
Poor battery life

2. Gigabyte Aero 15 (imported by ArmoryX)
Mediocre cooling, needs LM+undervolt
Possible minor QC issues
Great battery life

3. MSI GS65
Mediocre cooling, needs LM+undervolt
OKish build quality
Good enough battery life

4. Clevo P950EP6 (from Level51 or ArmoryX)
Mediocre cooling, needs LM+undervolt
OK-good build quality
OKish battery life

Thin and light gaming laptops will have worse cooling (due to thin chassis) and maybe worse build quality too (again, due to thin chassis). You must undervolt new 8th gen CPUs and if possible, do a repaste.

One question, do you need Quadro GPU?

I'll prefer GTX over Quadro as I'm not using any CAD softwares. By the way, how is the after-sales service of Lenovo? I see that they do provide on-site warranty, but any comments on it?

Business support is good. Onsite OK (I have a service case right now, will give feedback after that) as well as carry in. It depends on luck TBH (which service center you go)

1. Budget : Below 3k
2. Usage : For student usage
3. Requirements (display size, battery life, weight etc) : Probably around 14-15inch
No specific preference in others
Probably some light gaming
Looking for a laptop for my brother since he started college.
Thank you in advance