Best laptop for a Calibre Power User

[Rellwood]

I am in need of a laptop to run multiple HUGE Calibre libraries. Plus a ton of other productivity/coding programs.

17" and above, preferably one that doesn't burn through the power bricks super fast. My previous one went through a power brick every four months.

It was an HP Z-Book17 G3.

I keep getting steered to an Alienware M18 R2 but it's too big.

Asus ROG Strix 17 looks good.

I had an Envy back in the day that I liked.

I will need to have a dual boot function and the ability to upgrade ram and storage to at minimum 4 TB

[DNSB]

The new laptops the IT department I used to work for purchased just before I retired were ThinkPad P1 Gen 7 Intel (16″) Mobile Workstations. i9 processor, 64GB memory, 4TB nVME SSD, 3940x2400 display, USB A, USB C, Thunderbolt 4 ports. Sadly, I only got to use mine for a couple of weeks before I left.

[theducks]

Gaming PC's (including laptops) are peaked for Graphics performance.
If you are not doing Games with realistic graphics, stay away from those as they are power hungry (lots of heat).

Leneovo T series used to be the work horse of the IT industry in the 2000's
IMHO buy Business Class, for solid construction and longer life.

But let's address the Brick failures. Was it the Plug into the Laptop end that failed (HP had longevity issues with that back when) or was it smoke escaping fails?
Do you move the PC between locations frequently (wear and tear) or it lives mainly on your desk and rarely gets transported?
How good is the quality (steady voltage, rare outages) of your Electric service in Fullerton? Bad power can be hard on the bricks (or internal PSU of a desktop). Heat is another enemy. Never cover or place in the sun, a brick while in use.

The size OF or QUANTITY of Libraries is just Disk space Those could probably be on an external Spinning HD (no need for SSD for the Libraries, only for the OS and applications).

[Rellwood]

I don't want my libraries on a separate drive. I am on a couch and to have my external drives hanging over is a pain. I currently have a 2TB SSD on my Z-book (which somewhere has a short and the computer guy can't figure out).

The power bricks basically just plug into the computer, there is no smoke but basically, one day they work, then I have to fiddle around to get them to be shown on the computer, then one day they just no longer show up at all. I got the computer used and used the brick it came with, but it died within a couple of months, another brick I got that was specific to this computer died soon after as well.
No problems with power where I live, the computer is kind of tossed around, but it lives either on my lap, or on a dedicated filing cabinet.

There might be a problem with the power strip the brick was plugged into.

[Sirtel]

Hmm... holding a laptop on one's lap may cause it to overheat (yes, despite the name). Best to use a side table or a stand (I use both, and yes, on a couch).

[DNSB]

You can also get laptop trays or lap desks without or with fans to keep the laptop from trying to suck air through your clothing when on your lap.

[ratinox]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Hmm... holding a laptop on one's lap may cause it to overheat (yes, despite the name). Best to use a side table or a stand (I use both, and yes, on a couch).

This is quite literally why the class is called "notebooks" and not "laptops". They haven't been laptops for going on 30 years.

Anyway, to address the OP's question: Realistically? The only real requirement here is storage. You don't need CPU or tons of RAM for Calibre, just storage. For this you can go with a custom build like frame.work for an extreme example or something off the shelf like my "dinky," "little" 15 inch ASUS Zenbook which weighs in at just under a kilo and a half, 32GB RAM and a 1TB NVMe drive that could easily be swapped for something larger. And it draws only 65W max if memory serves.

[Rellwood]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Hmm... holding a laptop on one's lap may cause it to overheat (yes, despite the name). Best to use a side table or a stand (I use both, and yes, on a couch).

How do you do that? I put a coolpad under mine while running it. I have to lay on my couch length wise.

[Rellwood]

Originally Posted by ratinox

This is quite literally why the class is called "notebooks" and not "laptops". They haven't been laptops for going on 30 years.

Anyway, to address the OP's question: Realistically? The only real requirement here is storage. You don't need CPU or tons of RAM for Calibre, just storage. For this you can go with a custom build like frame.work for an extreme example or something off the shelf like my "dinky," "little" 15 inch ASUS Zenbook which weighs in at just under a kilo and a half, 32GB RAM and a 1TB NVMe drive that could easily be swapped for something larger. And it draws only 65W max if memory serves.

I want to get a computer I can dual boot from. if possible. I have a 2TB memory card in my old computer I want to put into the new on. Also, I am weird that I want to separate my music/pics/docs from my Calibre stuff.

[Rellwood]

Originally Posted by DNSB

The new laptops the IT department I used to work for purchased just before I retired were ThinkPad P1 Gen 7 Intel (16″) Mobile Workstations. i9 processor, 64GB memory, 4TB nVME SSD, 3940x2400 display, USB A, USB C, Thunderbolt 4 ports. Sadly, I only got to use mine for a couple of weeks before I left.

If it were a 17.3 inch I would totally look for those, but I am pretty sure 3500 - 6000 is out of my price range

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by Rellwood

How do you do that? I put a coolpad under mine while running it. I have to lay on my couch length wise.

Depends on the table. There are side tables that have an overhanging top, reaching out over the couch and you on it. The height can be adjusted. (I use a table with a slight overhang, but then I don't have to lie lengthwise while using a computer). There are various designs - I've browsed "side table" or "laptop stand" on Amazon and elsewhere.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by Rellwood

I want to get a computer I can dual boot from. if possible. I have a 2TB memory card in my old computer I want to put into the new on. Also, I am weird that I want to separate my music/pics/docs from my Calibre stuff.

Not bothered with Dual boot since Dec 2016 (Win7 & Linux). A VM makes more sense if you he enough RAM (8 to 32 depending on Host & Guest OSes).

I have 256G SSD (NVMe /PCIe) and 2T HDD in laptop and that's very cost effective good performance. Linux Mint 21.3, Mate desktop and Vbox has XP, Win7 & Win10 that are not actually used!a

[ratinox]

Originally Posted by Quoth

Not bothered with Dual boot since Dec 2016 (Win7 & Linux). A VM makes more sense if you he enough RAM (8 to 32 depending on Host & Guest OSes).

I have 256G SSD (NVMe /PCIe) and 2T HDD in laptop and that's very cost effective good performance. Linux Mint 21.3, Mate desktop and Vbox has XP, Win7 & Win10 that are not actually used!a

Agreed.

In practice I switched to OpenSUSE Tumbleweed early this year and have needed bare metal Windows for exactly two things since: firmware updates on my Surface Pro; and the specific case of needing an iTunes hack to restore an older version of Raivo OTP after the nonsense the new owner pulled. The latter probably could have been done with a VM but I had the bare metal available.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Rellwood

If it were a 17.3 inch I would totally look for those, but I am pretty sure 3500 - 6000 is out of my price range

You want a power laptop. You have to pay.

[Quoth]

I got a portable QHD matt 16.5″ screen for my RPi4b. It was about €230 and comes with a cover/stand as if it was a skinny tablet. HDMI and USB-C Alt DP video in.

My Lenovo 17″ laptop is only HD, but the USB-C port does power and video to the portable screen, which can sit on existing screen if desk space is limited, or work as a 2nd screen. Fits in laptop bag.