[SOLVED] Buying Laptop For Work

[mstrlucky74]

Hey so starting at new company and buying laptop. At my current job I have a Dell Precision 5510 with an Intel HD 530 graphics card and a 42" 4k monitor. I think the graphics card I have is 4k.

I only view PDF black and white construction drawings.I need the lines to be crisp and clear as possible. I notice that sometimes I need to zoom in to see symbols but for the most part the clarity is ok. Guess I really have to wait for 8k to see the drawing the best.

Anyway, looking for some recommendations for graphics card for best viewing of these drawings. Guess 4k is best I can do for now. Thank you very much!!!

Also have Precision line now but think Latitude line might be fine especially since I can get the 2 in 1 and I'm on job sites a lot.

 

[justin.m.beauvais]

Well, the best results are going to be going with a 4K monitor with a Display Port input. That will give you a slightly better picture than what you have been using. Or you could look into a professional 5K monitor, of which there aren't many and they aren't anywhere near 42" so if size is what you are after then 4K is going to be your best bet.

As for a graphics card to drive it, Intel HD 500 or 600 series graphics can output 4K, but not 5K. You have to go up to something like a GTX 1050 to get anything more than 4K output. The GTX 1050 can actually support a desktop resolution of 8K over display port.

When you are talking about these ultra high resolutions it is important to remember that certain display connector versions only go so high. For example, your HD 530 graphics only support HDMI version 1.4 which only has enough power to push a 4K signal at around 24Hz, where as the 630 has enough power but is limited by the HDMI standard to 4K at 30Hz. The GTX 1050 has support for 4K at 60Hz because it has a newer HDMI standard, specifically HDMI 2.0b.

Best case on a laptop, you get 1 HDMI 2.0 port, which will do 4K at 60Hz with absolutely no problem with a GTX 1050, which are REALLY easy to find from every major manufacturer (except Apple) and not terribly expensive. They are usually paired with powerful CPUs and a good portion of RAM also. So, you should be spoiled for choice.

 

[mstrlucky74]

Justin, thank you very much. Very helpful. Right now I'm using the laptop I mentioned earlier with two of the monitors in the link. One via HDMI and one display port.

I really like the the Dell 2 in 1's but not sure I can find one with 4k graphics card with HDMI 2.0 and display port.

I'm thinking the Dell 2 in 1 for $1679

https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/dell-laptops-and-notebooks/new-precision-5530-2-in-1/spd/precision-15-5530-2-in-1-laptop


https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA2F865F1762&ignorebbr=1&nm_mc=KNC-GoogleMKP-PC&cm_mmc=KNC-GoogleMKP-PC-_-pla-_-Monitors+-+LCD+Flat+Panel-_-9SIA2F865F1762&gclid=Cj0KCQjwuuHdBRCvARIsAELQRQG0Rr506ooGrmtSUjusEBSboCSvIEeFa8_avqf3zgRPxtYA1XqAdnsaAjJfEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[justin.m.beauvais]

Holy crap! That laptop has Vega GL graphics! That would work great. That will give you great 4K desktop performance. Additionally, it has two Thunderbolt 3 ports, which means that if you need more graphics power you can buy an external GPU enclosure. You can also output Display Port video over them, as well as the USB-C ports. You could easily hook up several monitors to this.

As for your monitor, it would be a good choice, but it doesn't support the video output options on your laptop very well. I'd actually suggest this monitor.
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA4P05TW1856
It is a little more, but it supports Display Port over USB C as well, making connections easier. You won'd need an HDMI cable at all, just a USB C one. Additionally, it supports charging over USB C so when you have your laptop plugged into the display it will actually charge the laptop without need for the power brick, but expect it to charge more slowly than a power brick.

 

[mstrlucky74]

Justin this is the docking station I'm getting. Yes that monitor is nice but a little too pricey unfortunately.

https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/dell-business-thunderbolt-dock-tb16-with-240w-adapter/apd/452-bcnu/pc-accessories