I recently showed my boss the wonder that is SSD, and he's tasked me with $2,000 to buy him an over-the-top laptop.
Obviously, he doesn't need a super overpowered GPU, so I turn to OZB for recommendations.
Here's the only requirements:
What's the consensus on how I should go about it? I can't seem to find one with those specs that don't come with a powerful GPU.
The ones which you've presented don't have a 750-1TB SSD options, any advice or other suggestions on where I should be looking for bigger space?
Many ultrabooks are build with non-detachable batteries, meaning that you cannot change the batteries unless you open up the chasis. If detachable batteries are something that you want to get, I think you'd have to look at laptops that are not ultrabook or not Macbook. Of course, there are ultrabooks with detachable batteries, but I can't think of any other than ThinkPad T440 Ultrabook, but I am sure there are more.
Does he need something portable as well? Thinkpad X series are portable business laptop line as far as I know, with 12 inch screen.
Though Lenovo is notorious for horrendous service, so that might put people off from buying it from them.
Also, 750GB-1TB SSD option would be hard to find, as far as I know.
SSD alone would cost $400~$500.
Why don't you just get a laptop that you can replace the SSD?
You can spec up to 1tb ssd from the manufacturer but it'll cost a fortune. I would recommend you look for something around $1500 and buy a 1tb ssd with the rest to replace.
OK, from what you've said, you may need to compromise on branding, price or disk capacity.
I think you could get a nice MSI or Clevo ultrabook for the money - they are more flexible on disk options. But bosses with no clue are sometimes reassured by a well known brands.
I'd compromise on SSD capacity. 256GB is more than enough for most people for work purposes - the information assets of the company should be managed carefully on centralised storage, not wandering around on a laptop. Get him an external drive to hold all his torrents.
In a sense the safest option is Apple. They all have great keyboards, trackpads, battery life and so on. Whereas the other brands can be a little hit and miss in these areas. Plus they have the fastest SSDs you can get (PCIe not SATA). Is he already kitted out with iPhone and iPad?
Does he want one that will mainly live on his desk, or is he a real road warrior?
Does your IT department have any rules about laptop procurement?
Considering the above, you are looking for an Ultrabook from the following ranges:
Best value for money for most uses is the Macbook Air, but some IT departments will prefer a Windows machine which is more user-servicable.