Best laptop for a Calibre Power User

Rellwood · Today, 07:35 PM

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 · Today, 08:01 PM

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 · Today, 08:04 PM

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 · Today, 08:09 PM

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 · Today, 08:34 PM

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 · Today, 09:19 PM

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.

Today, 07:35 PM	#1
Rellwood Library Breeder (She/Her) Posts: 1,180 Karma: 1900479 Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Fullerton, California Device: Kobo Aura HD (1) PW3 (4) PW3 2019 new edition (1)	Best laptop for a Calibre Power User 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

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Today, 08:01 PM	#2
DNSB Bibliophagist Posts: 38,609 Karma: 152905840 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Vancouver Device: Kobo Sage, Libra Colour, Lenovo M8 FHD, Paperwhite 4, Tolino epos	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.

Today, 08:04 PM	#3
theducks Well trained by Cats Posts: 30,233 Karma: 57979022 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: The Central Coast of California Device: Kobo Libra2,Kobo Aura2v1, K4NT(Fixed: New Bat.), Galaxy Tab A	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).

Today, 08:09 PM	#4
Rellwood Library Breeder (She/Her) Posts: 1,180 Karma: 1900479 Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Fullerton, California Device: Kobo Aura HD (1) PW3 (4) PW3 2019 new edition (1)	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.

Today, 08:34 PM	#5
Sirtel Grand Sorcerer Posts: 10,916 Karma: 226731282 Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Estonia Device: Kobo Sage & Libra 2	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).

Today, 09:19 PM	#6
DNSB Bibliophagist Posts: 38,609 Karma: 152905840 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Vancouver Device: Kobo Sage, Libra Colour, Lenovo M8 FHD, Paperwhite 4, Tolino epos	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.

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