Yes, I know I had a topic on the old board about this, but I cannot get to the post and the parameters of the situation is different now. I am no longer with the prior company that was going to pay for the machine. So my budget has decreased to a max of about $1100 or so.

Primary needs:
  • Will become my daily machine for an e-commerce business, so heavy use and daily travel with me to and from day job.
  • Has to be reliable as possible, I will sacrifice features and performance for reliability.
  • Handle some heavy graphic strain from intensive programs like 3D Studio Max, Photoshop and AutoCAD2011.
  • Good size monitor for above programs.
  • Quadcore processor if possible.
  • 4+ gig ram.
  • Moderate HD space.
  • 64-bit


Secondary needs:
  • BOINC.
  • GPU that is BOINC friendly.
  • Heavy Internet traffic.
  • Minimal Bloatware.


I have a few personal preferences, but due to BOINC and software needs, the Macbook preference is nixed. I do favor Toshiba and Dell, but I am open to ideas. I have been scouring Newegg every few weeks.