Business Laptop Build (suggestions please)

[Bellagiofan]

As much as I know about building nice gaming rigs (this is my baby I built mid 2011), I know practically nothing about laptops. This will be the first laptop I've ever owned.

Budget: I'd like to keep it under $2000

My primary and almost exclusive use will be for business. HEAVY excel spreadsheet work where the data is so large, you need Excel 64 bit that isn't capped at 2 GB of ram.

I don't need a cd/blu ray drive because I will install the operating system and office 365 via flash stick. I'd rather have the space for secondary storage both for backup and audio.

I'm looking to go with xoticpc and here is the build I'm contemplating...

Sager NP3265 / Clevo W25AEF - ETA: 3/22 Sager NP3265 / Clevo W25AEF - ETA: 3/22
- FREE!!! – U.S. UPS GROUND SHIPPING (Use Coupon Code "FREESHIP" in Checkout) [U.S. Lower 48 ONLY / Restrictions Apply]
- SAGER Winter Sale!!! - $50 OFF When you spend $1350.00* or more per system! (*excludes non-sager parts, accessories, shipping, & taxes)
- 15.6" FHD 16:9 "Matte Type" Super Clear Ultra Bright LED Anti-Glare Sager Screen w/ 95% NTSC Color Gamut (1920x1080) (SKU – S1R205)
- Standard Dead Pixel Policy
- NO Professional Monitor Color Calibration
- Sager - 3rd Generation Intel® Ivy Bridge Core™ i7-3740QM (2.7GHz - 3.7GHz, 6MB Intel® Smart Cache, 45W Max TDP) (SKU - S2R202)
- -Stock OEM Thermal Compound
- nVidia GT 635M 1024MB PCI-Express GDDR3 DX11 with Optimus™ Technology (SKU – S3X519)
- No Copper Cooling Upgrade
- No Video Adapter
- No External Mobile Display
- 16GB - DDR3 1600MHz Dual Channel Memory (2 SODIMMS) (SKU - S4S822P)
- Remove All Branding
- Standard Laptop Finish
- 128GB Crucial M4 Series Solid State Drive [SSD2 Serial-ATA III] (SKU - S5R061)
- 1,000GB [1TB] 5400RPM [Serial-ATA II 3GB/s] in Optical Bay (SKU - S7R353)
- No Extra Optical Bay Hard Drive Caddy
- No Back Up Hard Drive
- NO External USB Optical Drive
- USB Bluetooth Adapter
- Sager - Bigfoot Networks Killer™ Wireless-N 1103 (3x3) (SKU - S8R056)
- No Network Accessory
- Internal 9-in-1 Card Reader (MMC/RSMMC/SD/Mini SD/SDHC/SDXC/MS/MS Pro/MS Duo)
- Built in 1.3Megapixel Camera
- No TV Tuner
- Sound Blaster Compatible 3D Audio - Included
- SLAPPA - Velocity Matrix Backpack (fits laptops up to 17.3")
- Smart Li-ion Battery (6-Cell)
- No Car Adapter
- No Spare AC Adapter
- No Dock/Hub/Adapter
- No Fingerprint Reader
- No Headset
- No External Keyboard
- No External Mouse
- No Notebook Cooler
- No Thanks, Please do not Overclock my system (Overclocking will add 3-6 business days to build time)
- No Operating System Redline Boost
- No Operating System Standard - Drivers & Utility Software Only
- None
- No Antivirus Essentials Software Bundle
- No Back Up Software
- - No Microsoft OFFICE Software
- No Software Bundle
- Sager 3 Year Parts & LIFETIME Ltd Labor Warranty w/ Lifetime 24/7 DOMESTIC Toll Free Customer Support - Special! (SKU - S9P211)
- * 24/7 LIFETIME U.S. based telephone technical support
* Extreme QA testing by dedicated technicians
* 72 Hour stress testing and benchmarking to ensure top performance and stability
- Standard Production Time
- No Outside of US Shipping Coverage
- No thanks, standard double boxed packaging is okay with my order
- No Xotic PC Gear


I'm a student so I can get a discount on the operating system separately. Already have a mouse and 300w car adapter.

I'm not sure if the matte screen vs standard is that much better but some basic searches on google seem to show praise for that matte screen.

Any suggestions?

 

[goose90proof]

We originally got one of the Lenovo Ideapad Yoga 13 in my office for testing, but it is outstanding for general work use.

 

[Bellagiofan]

I appreciate the suggestion, but I need a larger screen (allows for viewing more columns in a spreadsheet).

15" is the min I would consider.

 

[SteveLord]

For a budget under 2k, I would get a 17'' screen without a doubt.

 

[fall]

Unless I am misunderstanding this as you want no OS or software

- No Operating System Redline Boost
- No Operating System Standard - Drivers & Utility Software Only
- None
- No Antivirus Essentials Software Bundle
- No Back Up Software
- - No Microsoft OFFICE Software
- No Software Bundle

if that is correct, Possibly System76 Bonobo Extreme or Gazelle Pro then just install Windows on them?

If all your using is Excel you really dont need a dedicated GPU the intel GPU would be more than fine.

 

[ssjwizard]

I have two different generations of the HP elite book line of Mobile Workstations, and both have served me extremely well for years. They are built very ruggedly, and have top notch screens. The 8770W starts at around $1500 and is fully customizable.