New Laptop For Working

[Turnips]

Hello again,

I bought a gaming PC from PCS a couple of years ago, mainly due to solid community advice from everyone here on the forums.

I have been offered a laptop for my job; I have requested that I supply my own. My employers are not very tech savvy, and all existing hardware in the office is lacking in processing power and memory. I usually work from home, and use my own PC, but go into the office once a week. The ability to connect to multiple monitors in the office would be a plus.

The work is not particularly demanding, but our work desktops struggle to keep up with what I do. I work on pretty chunky spreadsheets and databases, and write up and execute scripts. I connect to my work PC from home using TeamViewer if I need to access something on the network.

I'm not really up on laptops, but I know a bit about PCs and I know that a custom will be miles ahead of an off the shelf in terms of performance and value for money. With that in mind, is anyone able to suggest either a spec or even just a chassis (and I will suggest my own spec) for a machine that will do do what I need?

Thanks

 

[SpyderTracks]

What’s your max budget?

 

[Turnips]

What’s your max budget?

What a dork! Literally the most important part!

Budget is "around £1000"

The closer to that, the more palatable it is to get it past finance.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Apologies, got sidetracked with work

This is the one I'd recommend on build quality and performance, but be aware some have reported the fans are a bit loud, I have no idea if it will be something that affects you or not

Chassis & Display
Lafité Pro Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD 60Hz 72% NTSC LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i5 12 Core Processor i5-1340P (3.4GHz, 4.6GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair 4800MHz SODIMM DDR5 (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
Integrated Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics (DUAL CHANNEL RAM) OR Intel® UHD Graphics (SINGLE CHANNEL RAM)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB CORSAIR CORE XT MP600 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 5000 MB/R, 3500 MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB CORSAIR CORE XT MP600 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 5000 MB/R, 3500 MB/W)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated Micro-SD Memory Card Reader
AC Adaptor
1 x 90W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre Cloverleaf UK Power Cable
Battery
Lafité Pro Series Integrated 73WH Lithium Ion Battery
Sound Card
2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Wireless Network Card
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6E AX210 (2.4 Gbps) + BT 5.3
USB/Thunderbolt Options
1 x THUNDERBOLT 4 + 1 x USB 3.2 (TYPE C) + 1 x USB 3.2 + 1 x USB 2.0
Keyboard Language
LAFITÉ PRO 15 SERIES BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
Keyboard & Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 1MP WINDOWS HELLO CAMERA
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Chassis
Clevo NS50AU (i5-1340P, FHD, 60Hz N7, Thunderbolt, 73WH, Blank KB)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 3 to 5 working days
Price: £964.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/lafite-pro-III-15/fgJBfvzYTt/


This is an AMD alternative which is also a very good option and has a bit more power overall.

Chassis & Display
Elimina Pro Series: 16" Matte FHD+ 165Hz sRGB 100% LED Widescreen (1920x1200)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen™ 7 Eight Core Processor 7735HS (3.2GHz, 4.75GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair 4800MHz SODIMM DDR5 (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 3050 - 4.0GB GDDR6 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB CORSAIR CORE XT MP600 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 5000 MB/R, 3500 MB/W)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 3 in 1 Card Reader (Full Size SD / SDHC / SDXC)
AC Adaptor
1 x 180W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre Cloverleaf UK Power Cable
Battery
Elimina Pro Series Integrated 62Wh Lithium Ion Battery
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
Nahimic by SteelSeries 2 Channel HD Audio
Wireless Network Card
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 (2.4 Gbps) + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
1 x USB 3.2 PORT (Type C) + 2 x USB 3.2 PORTS + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Keyboard Language
ELIMINA 16" SERIES MULTI COLOUR BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
Keyboard & Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 1MP HD WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Chassis
TongFang GM6BGEQ (4GB RTX-3050, R7-7735HS, 165Hz FHD)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 3 to 5 working days
Price: £1,004.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/elimina-pro-16-M/BXChqXetsR/

 

[Turnips]

Apologies, got sidetracked with work

This is the one I'd recommend on build quality and performance, but be aware some have reported the fans are a bit loud, I have no idea if it will be something that affects you or not

Chassis & Display
Lafité Pro Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD 60Hz 72% NTSC LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i5 12 Core Processor i5-1340P (3.4GHz, 4.6GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair 4800MHz SODIMM DDR5 (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
Integrated Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics (DUAL CHANNEL RAM) OR Intel® UHD Graphics (SINGLE CHANNEL RAM)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB CORSAIR CORE XT MP600 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 5000 MB/R, 3500 MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB CORSAIR CORE XT MP600 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 5000 MB/R, 3500 MB/W)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated Micro-SD Memory Card Reader
AC Adaptor
1 x 90W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre Cloverleaf UK Power Cable
Battery
Lafité Pro Series Integrated 73WH Lithium Ion Battery
Sound Card
2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Wireless Network Card
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6E AX210 (2.4 Gbps) + BT 5.3
USB/Thunderbolt Options
1 x THUNDERBOLT 4 + 1 x USB 3.2 (TYPE C) + 1 x USB 3.2 + 1 x USB 2.0
Keyboard Language
LAFITÉ PRO 15 SERIES BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
Keyboard & Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 1MP WINDOWS HELLO CAMERA
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Chassis
Clevo NS50AU (i5-1340P, FHD, 60Hz N7, Thunderbolt, 73WH, Blank KB)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 3 to 5 working days
Price: £964.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/lafite-pro-III-15/fgJBfvzYTt/


This is an AMD alternative which is also a very good option and has a bit more power overall.

Chassis & Display
Elimina Pro Series: 16" Matte FHD+ 165Hz sRGB 100% LED Widescreen (1920x1200)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen™ 7 Eight Core Processor 7735HS (3.2GHz, 4.75GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair 4800MHz SODIMM DDR5 (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 3050 - 4.0GB GDDR6 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB CORSAIR CORE XT MP600 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 5000 MB/R, 3500 MB/W)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 3 in 1 Card Reader (Full Size SD / SDHC / SDXC)
AC Adaptor
1 x 180W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre Cloverleaf UK Power Cable
Battery
Elimina Pro Series Integrated 62Wh Lithium Ion Battery
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
Nahimic by SteelSeries 2 Channel HD Audio
Wireless Network Card
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 (2.4 Gbps) + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
1 x USB 3.2 PORT (Type C) + 2 x USB 3.2 PORTS + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Keyboard Language
ELIMINA 16" SERIES MULTI COLOUR BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
Keyboard & Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 1MP HD WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Chassis
TongFang GM6BGEQ (4GB RTX-3050, R7-7735HS, 165Hz FHD)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 3 to 5 working days
Price: £1,004.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/elimina-pro-16-M/BXChqXetsR/

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

Noise is something that is somewhat important - is it just the Lafite chassis that suffers with this?

A final consideration would be that I may want to use Steam Remote Play if I'm working away. Would either of these Laptops be able to handle that?

I should have clarified too, I can get up to "around " £1000 ex VAT so there is a little more room in the budget

 

[SpyderTracks]

Noise is something that is somewhat important - is it just the Lafite chassis that suffers with this?

Yes, that's right, apparently the fans are set at 35% at baseline, so even if they have a low workload on them, they're at say 50% and can be a bit destracting.

A final consideration would be that I may want to use Steam Remote Play if I'm working away. Would either of these Laptops be able to handle that?

Yes, the second one would be able to cope with that absolutely fine.

I should have clarified too, I can get up to "around " £1000 ex VAT so there is a little more room in the budget

On the second one, I missed out a secondary SSD which would be beneficial to keep the OS and data separate.

 

[Turnips]

Yes, that's right, apparently the fans are set at 35% at baseline, so even if they have a low workload on them, they're at say 50% and can be a bit destracting.


Yes, the second one would be able to cope with that absolutely fine.


On the second one, I missed out a secondary SSD which would be beneficial to keep the OS and data separate.

Gotcha, thanks.

I clocked the secondary SSD, you taught me that when you spec'd my gaming PC at home.

Going to get this ordered now before I break up for Christmas.

Any last minute advice on m.2 brand?

 

[SpyderTracks]

Gotcha, thanks.

I clocked the secondary SSD, you taught me that when you spec'd my gaming PC at home.

Going to get this ordered now before I break up for Christmas.

Any last minute advice on m.2 brand?

Either the Corsair Cores or the P44/P41's are excellent.

 

[Turnips]

Chassis & Display
Elimina Pro Series: 16" Matte FHD+ 165Hz sRGB 100% LED Widescreen (1920x1200)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen™ 7 Eight Core Processor 7735HS (3.2GHz, 4.75GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair 4800MHz SODIMM DDR5 (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 3050 - 4.0GB GDDR6 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 6500MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 6500MB/sW)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 3 in 1 Card Reader (Full Size SD / SDHC / SDXC)
AC Adaptor
1 x 180W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre Cloverleaf UK Power Cable
Battery
Elimina Pro Series Integrated 62Wh Lithium Ion Battery
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
Nahimic by SteelSeries 2 Channel HD Audio
Wireless Network Card
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 (2.4 Gbps) + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
1 x USB 3.2 PORT (Type C) + 2 x USB 3.2 PORTS + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Keyboard Language
ELIMINA 16" SERIES MULTI COLOUR BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD
Operating System
Windows 11 Professional 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
Carry Case
Wenger Insight 15.6" - 16" Single Case
Keyboard & Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 1MP HD WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 3 to 5 working days
Welcome Book
PCSpecialist Welcome Book
Price: £0.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/elimina-pro-16-M/k7h98wdtJE/


Thanks for your help @SpyderTracks . Something to look forward to in a dreary January when I'm back at work.