MBP or W520? (and where is the latter?)

Hi all,



I'm a Mac fan in general but lately I'm been using office extensively for work and found the Office for Mac 2011 to be a POS.



I need to buy a new powerhouse laptop and have 2 options:



MBP 15" quad-core with 8GB RAM and a regular HDD or a similarly equipped W520 (when is this thing out btw?)



If I go Mac, I'll still have to run Windows 7 (vmware maybe) on it so I really don't see the point of buying it except having the option of running OS X when I feel like it. OTH, the configuration of W520 is appealing. I love having all those ports, docking station, FHD screen etc.



One thing I noticed about the W520 is the Quadro 2000M. This thing is not for games is it? I'm not a gamer in any means, but would be nice to be able to actually run some graphics extensive games.



TIA for your input.



Cheers.

Reply 1 : MBP or W520? (and where is the latter?)

Quadros are not for gaming, however there are a myriad of drivers for Quadro cards. You will be able to game, but not have the highest frame rates.



You are comparing an essentially high end multimedia laptop to a mobile workstation laptop. Macbook Pro have always had a crappy cooling system design and cannot do CPU intensive tasks for long before it turns into a portable space heater. By buying the W520 you get a proven mobile workstation.



If you want durability, reliability get the ThinkPad. If you want something that looks pretty...get the Macbook Pro.

Reply 2 : MBP or W520? (and where is the latter?)

I have a 11" Air and the Sony in the signature. And also a T400 from work. Need a laptop with a big screen so thought a FHD 15.6" would be ideal.



Couldn't care less about looks. I want something that works, and works well. I don't do CAD or graphics stuff so the Quadro is pretty much useless to me. Might be running some games. How good/bad is the Quadro compared to the ATI in the MBP when it comes to games?

Reply 3 : MBP or W520? (and where is the latter?)

The way I understand Quadros is they go for accuracy of the polygons while GeForce are about massive throughput as fast as possible to get the highest frame rates.



Quadro are based off GeForce cores but run at much lower clock speeds. Again you'll be able to play modern titles but not at highest resolution/detail. You might be able to experiment with different drivers or get modded drivers that will allow GeForce ones to recognize a Quadro chip.



The W520/T520 are good bets then. If you don't really CAD or rendering, then Quadro graphics will only decrease battery life and generate additional heat.

Reply 4 : MBP or W520? (and where is the latter?)

If you want a thinkpad to play games, go for the w series (even if you cannot play games on highest quality, its better than the t series).



From my perspective, it seems to me as if you want a different windows brand. ie: Asus G73/G71/G51 or a Dell XPS.



If you really want a thinkpad, you can get an external GPU for your thinkpad via express card slot.

Reply 5 : MBP or W520? (and where is the latter?)

I would wait another month and configure a T520 with the proper hardware you need. Unless you do a lot of CAD work, I wouldn't bother with the W series.

Reply 6 : MBP or W520? (and where is the latter?)

Quote:

Originally Posted by ComputerNewb If you want a thinkpad to play games, go for the w series (even if you cannot play games on highest quality, its better than the t series). From my perspective, it seems to me as if you want a different windows brand. ie: Asus G73/G71/G51 or a Dell XPS. If you really want a thinkpad, you can get an external GPU for your thinkpad via express card slot.

Actually I rarely game, but when paying $2000 I expect to be able to, you know, game. My main use will be vmwares, emails, browsing etc. The most important part is the FHD screen.



I do have a T400 currently from work and I like the build and quality of the Lenovo's. That's why I'm going either Lenovo or MBP.

Reply 7 : MBP or W520? (and where is the latter?)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quanger I would wait another month and configure a T520 with the proper hardware you need. Unless you do a lot of CAD work, I wouldn't bother with the W series.

I don't do CAD at all actually. I want a snappy laptop that could do whatever I throw at it.



The T520 is only dual core though right? How would it do with multiple vmware's running?

Reply 8 : MBP or W520? (and where is the latter?)

The T520 could be quad if you configure it to be quad.



It's probably possible to install GeForce drivers on a Quadro card (AFAIK, the hardware's the same); there was a thread earlier that claimed 30% FPS increase in SC2 on the NVS3100M.



Also, in case you haven't noticed, the 2011 MBP's are overheating and freezing at the moment.

Reply 9 : MBP or W520? (and where is the latter?)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Colonel O'Neill The T520 could be quad if you configure it to be quad. It's probably possible to install GeForce drivers on a Quadro card (AFAIK, the hardware's the same); there was a thread earlier that claimed 30% FPS increase in SC2 on the NVS3100M. Also, in case you haven't noticed, the 2011 MBP's are overheating and freezing at the moment.

Yeah read the news. I think 10.6.7 addresses that issue though?



And wanted to ask what wait a month? I can configure the T520 right now but there is no quad-core option.



If I do play games, it's gonna be some strategic games, last one I played was Generals by EA if you know that one.



BTW, I did have a 15" MBP pro before, core i7 and 8GB RAM. I wasn't comfortable using the damn thing because of the sharp edges. If I do get a MBP again, I'm so using it with an external keyboard and a mouse. I'm leaning towards the Lenovo though.