Lenovo P70 as MBP replacement?

[DanielStone]

Hey all,

I am currently using an early 2011 15" Macbook Pro (2.3Ghz, 16gb ram, SSD, etc). Runs really well, and I like it. However, I'm considering moving to Windows, and have been looking at the workstation-grade laptops from the different manufacturers, especially Lenovo.

I am NOT looking for a "lightweight" laptop. However, a huge 19" gaming-oriented laptop isn't what I'm after. I'm after a high-performing, desktop-replacement level performance machine. The newest 17" Lenovo, P70, seems to be the ticket. Not cheap, but I generally do my best to have a 5 year turnaround on laptops, in general.

Normally, I'd go for another MBP. Frankly, the built-in batteries, non-expandable ram, etc is what drives me away. Lenovo seems to allow customer-expandability, external batteries(so I could carry multiple extras, for location-based work away from plug power, when needed).

I would plan to spec it out, 64GB of ram, perhaps the Xeon processor option, but I'm not in a rush so would plan accordingly. My MBP is meeting my current needs, but am looking at the next 6 months, and would most likely want to upgrade within that timeframe.

thanks,
Dan

[acktdi]

Consider the Dell Precision 5000 and 7000 series also.  They have the option of Xeon processors, 32gb ram, PCIE based SSD plus another bay for a 2.5" disk drive.  4k screen resolution.

I have a MBP 15 now but will probably get the 5510 with i7 proc as a replacement.

I don't have any experience with the Lenovo P series, but we have W series in the office, they're built solid and have been stable for the past year of service.

http://www.dell.com/us/business/p/precision-m5510-workstation/pd?oc=xctop551015us
http://www.dell.com/us/business/p/precision-m7710-workstation/pd?oc=xctomp771017us

[alatreille]

Hi Dan,

I've had a Lenovo W530 for the past 4 years. Solid as a rock.
I'm actually currently tossing up between a desktop or replacing it with a P50. 
If I decide to go the portable route, I won't have a second thought spending the money on a P series workstation.

The best think about the W530 that I have enjoyed over 4 years has been the ability to upgrade as I go:

I started with 20 gigs of ram (1x4 and 2x8) and a single spinning drive.
I then upped the ram to 32
Then I added another drive in the optical disk slot in a caddy.
I then added an msata HDD for the operating system and switched out one of the spinning drives for an SSD.

The flexibility and ease to upgrade has been great! 

If you have any other questions, drop me a line.

Cheers

Andrew

[BobShaw]

Hey all,

I am currently using an early 2011 15" Macbook Pro (2.3Ghz, 16gb ram, SSD, etc). Runs really well, and I like it. However, I'm considering moving to Windows,

Well if you want to sell your MBP contact me as it's a lot better spec'ed than the 2010 MBP 4GB HDD that I am using in the studio with the H3DII-39! I never edit on a laptop though as I can't really see the point. Anyway, good luck. I encourage all of my competitors to move to Windows.

[Rhossydd]

The Lenovo Thinkpads retain their old IBM dna, really solid build quality, easily upgradeable all with fantastic screens and keyboards.
I've been using an X220 for the last two years and it's been best laptop to work with I've ever owned.

Beware of over spec'ing it though. Do you really need 64gb ram and Xeon cpu on a laptop, or even a desktop ?

[DanielStone]

Thanks all for the replies.

Is Lenovo the only option that offers the "dual battery" option? Meaning there is the smaller (3?) cell internal battery, but you can clip on the external 6-cell battery, without shutting the computer down. This was explained to me by a friend(who is much more knowledgeable in all things "computer" than I). He was the one who recommended the Thinkpads as the best option for my needs.

Reason for no desktop you ask? Precisely that, actually. For now, I am trying to reduce my footprint both in terms of "things", but also keep as mobile as possible. Yes, an ipad or galaxy tablet might be able to "do" a lot of what I need, but it can't run C1(which I actually use to batch process film scans more than digital files !), and since I also work from large size starting files(drum scans) on occasion, it'd be nice to have a single computer that does most of what I need.

I still need to write down a list of "needs" vs. "wants", as I said before I'm not in a rush per se, but I am looking at upgrading in the next 6 months or so.

BobShaw, why do you recommend your "competitors" go to Windows?

-Dan

[Dan Wells]

The P70 is a very heavy machine - not at all comparable to a MacBook Pro in portability... It is over 8 lbs in most configurations and uses a 2 lb power adapter. It's actually closer in weight to a 21" iMac (12.5 lbs plus a bit for the keyboard and mouse) than it is to the 4.5 lb MacBook Pro. The p50 is the true laptop in the Lenovo workstation line - a bit heavier than the Mac, but not unreasonably so. It can have most of the same configuration options, although no dvd drive...

[michaelbiondo]

I am also interested in upgrading from my current setup which is a MBP 15" early 2013, 2.7 GHz Intel Core i7, 16 GB 1600 MHz DDR3. NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M 1024 MB with a Apple SSD 750GB drive.

Shooting with a Pentax 645Z  tethered to lightroom, I do a lot of stitching with PT GUI and layered files get pretty big (over 1 gig).

I am still surprised with how well the MBP deals with these files but if there is a faster solution, I want it!

A heavy laptop does not bother me too much as I would rather have the speed (processing files & stitching in particular)

Interested in everyone's thoughts, wait for an updated MBP? or switch to a windows machine?

Thanks!

Michael