Xeon/ECC/Discrete Graphics HP, Dell, Lenovo Business laptops: Noisy Even Under Light Loads?

[soundtrek]

I realize this isn’t quite the forum for this question but it’s one of many where I think I might get some answers from experienced users of business laptops with this kind of hardware.

I'm very badly overdue for a new laptop; embarrassed to say how old my Sony laptop is. But as I want to absolutely minimize bit errors, it’s sensible to choose ECC memory over non-ECC memory. But ECC RAM is only supported by motherboards supporting Xeon (and some AMD?) processors.

However, a noisy laptop is not acceptable, and I’ve read that Xeon based laptops can be noisy. But under all load conditions? I never play games and the most resource hungry tasks would probably be occasionally playing 1080p youtube videos. Most tasks would be downloading youtubes, MS Office, shopping and backing up to a multi drive NAS or server with ECC RAM; Synology or Qnap.

I'd like this laptop to last ten years so I don't too much mind paying ~ $2100. for a well built one with a 15" screen that stays very cool and quiet for all the above tasks. Will Xeon/ECC HP G3 thru G7 Zbooks-or identically equipped Lenovo or Dell model laptops-be as quiet as most consumer laptops under these kinds of loads?

And will it tend to stay cooler/quieter with discrete graphics on motherboard rather than with Xeon processors with on-chip graphics and enabled?

Or does this kind of hardware usually mean a noisier laptop in any case-even when just idling, though hardly the kind of performance one would think those with normal hearing would pay > $2K for.

 

[USAFRet]

I never play games and the most resource hungry tasks would probably be occasionally playing 1080p youtube videos. Most tasks would be downloading youtubes, MS Office, shopping and backing up to a multi drive NAS or server with ECC RAM; Synology or Qnap.

Consider this alternate path:
A $400 laptop, replaced every 3 years as your needs and 'the interwebs' dictate.

Your use case is not that demanding. But locking yourself into a $2000 system today, may not not be viable a viable system in 10 years.

This gives you some flexibility, in that you can always redirect. Instead of blowing the whole wad today, on what may or may not be viable in 2031.

Just something to think about.

 

[soundtrek]

Consider this alternate path:
A $400 laptop, replaced every 3 years as your needs and 'the interwebs' dictate.

Your use case is not that demanding. But locking yourself into a $2000 system today, may not not be viable a viable system in 10 years.

This gives you some flexibility, in that you can always redirect. Instead of blowing the whole wad today, on what may or may not be viable in 2031.

Just something to think about.

Unlike non-ECC, ECC memory has parity bit error prevention to minimize data corruption when downloading, copying and backing up files. It's barely more expensive than non-ECC but for some stupid or self-serving reason Intel, AMD and/or motherboard industry did not adopt it as the standard kind of RAM.

My Sony VGN590 laptop with ultra ancient Intel T9300 core duo cpu gave me over 12 years of almost perfect service, albeit using non-ECC memory. How likely would an Intel Xeon coffeelake or new quad core mobile cpu and with more powerful discrete graphics fail to do so over ten years with the above tasks, while delivering robust protection against data corruption? And protecting the data I create and store is primarily why I use computers in the first place.

I just wish I could find someone who uses their xeon laptop as I would and can report on its heat and noise performance.