Laptop Advice? [modified]
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Hello everyone, I'll have to upgrade my development desktop PC soon, and I'm thinking of moving to a laptop. Mainly because I work both at home and in the office, and currently depend on a fast internet connection to work over remote desktop. So to avoid this, and to also avoid trying to keep my environment on 2 PCs in sync, I guess a laptop would be a better choice. I'm sure many of you here use laptops as your main development machines, so if you have any models to recommend, things to watch for, brands to look at, I'd be most grateful. I don't need the fastest & most powerful laptop available today, but want a solid and stable machine. I was looking at Acer TravelMate 8210, friend's coworker has got this one and said it's pretty good but a bit noisy, and they only offer 1-year warranty. On the other hand I've seen 2 low-end Acers that were quieter than 2 HPs I've had a chance to work with, so I don't know. Basically I'm looking for this: - A Core Duo CPU (the TravelMate above has a Core2 Duo, 2GHz) - 15" wide high-res display (1440x900 or 1600x1050) - 1 GB RAM - 100+ GB HDD - DVD-RW drive, preferrably with DVD-RAM support - good battery life Thanks for any suggestions in advance! Rado -- modified at 16:18 Thursday 11th January, 2007 I'd like to thank everyone for their suggestions, now I have a lot of information and models to go through :-)
I've got a Vaoi[^] and love it. Only 13.3" but the screen resolution is what you are after and is incredibly light with good battery life and all the bits you are after.
cheers, Chris Maunder
CodeProject.com : C++ MVP
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Hello everyone, I'll have to upgrade my development desktop PC soon, and I'm thinking of moving to a laptop. Mainly because I work both at home and in the office, and currently depend on a fast internet connection to work over remote desktop. So to avoid this, and to also avoid trying to keep my environment on 2 PCs in sync, I guess a laptop would be a better choice. I'm sure many of you here use laptops as your main development machines, so if you have any models to recommend, things to watch for, brands to look at, I'd be most grateful. I don't need the fastest & most powerful laptop available today, but want a solid and stable machine. I was looking at Acer TravelMate 8210, friend's coworker has got this one and said it's pretty good but a bit noisy, and they only offer 1-year warranty. On the other hand I've seen 2 low-end Acers that were quieter than 2 HPs I've had a chance to work with, so I don't know. Basically I'm looking for this: - A Core Duo CPU (the TravelMate above has a Core2 Duo, 2GHz) - 15" wide high-res display (1440x900 or 1600x1050) - 1 GB RAM - 100+ GB HDD - DVD-RW drive, preferrably with DVD-RAM support - good battery life Thanks for any suggestions in advance! Rado -- modified at 16:18 Thursday 11th January, 2007 I'd like to thank everyone for their suggestions, now I have a lot of information and models to go through :-)
My co-workers bought MacBooks [^] for their private use and for presentations. Incredible fast! Our .NET Windows applications run faster inside the Parallels [^] virtual machine than native on my desktop PC :-). My current desktop PC is a Shuttle brand and my notebook is an IBM. But believe me, my next desktop PC will be a Mac mini and my nex notebook will be a MacBook. Cheaper and better (i.e. more features, faster).
-- Try our Windows-based CMS: www.zeta-producer.com Try our ticket helpdesk system: www.zeta-helpdesk.com See me working: www.magerquark.com
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Since I work for them, I recommend Gateway. :-) Actually that's my work one. At home my husband and I both have HP's. I don't use mine much so I haven't had problems, but my husband has. At one of my old jobs I also had a Gateway and like it. I didn't look where you are located, but all technical support is now 100% North American based.
____________________________________________________ If at first you don't succeed, skydiving might not be for you.
Ha - I'm located in Slovakia, Europe :) I don't know if I could get a Gateway here at all, didn't see them in any of the online shops I've checked. But anyway, thank you for your response! Rado
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Ha - I'm located in Slovakia, Europe :) I don't know if I could get a Gateway here at all, didn't see them in any of the online shops I've checked. But anyway, thank you for your response! Rado
My sister in law lived in Hungary for awhile and traveled through Slovakia. I collect key chains but she couldn't find any. Apparently it's not a huge tourist destination. I know Gateway has online stores for UK/France/Spain.
____________________________________________________ If at first you don't succeed, skydiving might not be for you.
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I've got a Vaoi[^] and love it. Only 13.3" but the screen resolution is what you are after and is incredibly light with good battery life and all the bits you are after.
cheers, Chris Maunder
CodeProject.com : C++ MVP
Thanks, looks really nice! I'll have to check current Vaio models available here, you're second person to recommend a Sony.
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Hello everyone, I'll have to upgrade my development desktop PC soon, and I'm thinking of moving to a laptop. Mainly because I work both at home and in the office, and currently depend on a fast internet connection to work over remote desktop. So to avoid this, and to also avoid trying to keep my environment on 2 PCs in sync, I guess a laptop would be a better choice. I'm sure many of you here use laptops as your main development machines, so if you have any models to recommend, things to watch for, brands to look at, I'd be most grateful. I don't need the fastest & most powerful laptop available today, but want a solid and stable machine. I was looking at Acer TravelMate 8210, friend's coworker has got this one and said it's pretty good but a bit noisy, and they only offer 1-year warranty. On the other hand I've seen 2 low-end Acers that were quieter than 2 HPs I've had a chance to work with, so I don't know. Basically I'm looking for this: - A Core Duo CPU (the TravelMate above has a Core2 Duo, 2GHz) - 15" wide high-res display (1440x900 or 1600x1050) - 1 GB RAM - 100+ GB HDD - DVD-RW drive, preferrably with DVD-RAM support - good battery life Thanks for any suggestions in advance! Rado -- modified at 16:18 Thursday 11th January, 2007 I'd like to thank everyone for their suggestions, now I have a lot of information and models to go through :-)
Keep in mind that most of the brand name laptops are made by ODM's (original design manufacturers) and sold to OEM's for retail sale. It would make sense to find one you like, find out who makes it and then find the less expensive brand of the same machine. For example, Quanta makes some Dell, IBM and Sony Vaio laptops; Compal makes some Dell, HP and Compaq laptops. Here's a company that has some info. on the topic.[^] Hope that helps. Cheers, Drew.
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My sister in law lived in Hungary for awhile and traveled through Slovakia. I collect key chains but she couldn't find any. Apparently it's not a huge tourist destination. I know Gateway has online stores for UK/France/Spain.
____________________________________________________ If at first you don't succeed, skydiving might not be for you.
We're a small country and still recovering from 40+ years of communism, you know, it'll take more than those 15 years! ;) We've got a lot to offer, but for tourism, the quality of services is very important (transportation, accommodation etc). If you lived here, you could see the improvement over the years, but it's a long-term process... I guess that the mentality of the people will need to change, and that'll take at least 1-2 generations. The laptop availability is quite funny. Dell has a huge support center here for most of German speaking Europe, and still I can't find Dell laptops in the online shops (and their own website sucks). There are plenty of HP, Lenovo, Acer, ASUS, Fujitsu Siements, and others, but didn't see a Dell or Gateway yet. What kind of keychains are you after? Maybe I could get something for you ;) Rado [EDIT]Oh my, this year it'll be 18 years since it broke down, not 15, the time runs fast! :)[/EDIT]
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Keep in mind that most of the brand name laptops are made by ODM's (original design manufacturers) and sold to OEM's for retail sale. It would make sense to find one you like, find out who makes it and then find the less expensive brand of the same machine. For example, Quanta makes some Dell, IBM and Sony Vaio laptops; Compal makes some Dell, HP and Compaq laptops. Here's a company that has some info. on the topic.[^] Hope that helps. Cheers, Drew.
Thanks for the link! I recently read about this in Chip (PC magazine). I'll check it out. Rado
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My co-workers bought MacBooks [^] for their private use and for presentations. Incredible fast! Our .NET Windows applications run faster inside the Parallels [^] virtual machine than native on my desktop PC :-). My current desktop PC is a Shuttle brand and my notebook is an IBM. But believe me, my next desktop PC will be a Mac mini and my nex notebook will be a MacBook. Cheaper and better (i.e. more features, faster).
-- Try our Windows-based CMS: www.zeta-producer.com Try our ticket helpdesk system: www.zeta-helpdesk.com See me working: www.magerquark.com
Hmmmmm, these MacBooks are really tempting but I've always been a Windows person... hmmm. You're not making it easy for me :)
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One of the Lenovo/IBM Thinpads or an Apple MacBook Pro (quiet, good battery, Core 2 Duo, 1GB RAM, 100+ GB HD, 15" screen at 1440x900.)
regards, Paul Watson Ireland & South Africa
Shog9 wrote:
I don't see it happening, at least not until it becomes pointless.
Thanks Paul, I read so much positive feedback on MacBooks, but I don't know if I would ever get used to it being a Windows person...
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We're a small country and still recovering from 40+ years of communism, you know, it'll take more than those 15 years! ;) We've got a lot to offer, but for tourism, the quality of services is very important (transportation, accommodation etc). If you lived here, you could see the improvement over the years, but it's a long-term process... I guess that the mentality of the people will need to change, and that'll take at least 1-2 generations. The laptop availability is quite funny. Dell has a huge support center here for most of German speaking Europe, and still I can't find Dell laptops in the online shops (and their own website sucks). There are plenty of HP, Lenovo, Acer, ASUS, Fujitsu Siements, and others, but didn't see a Dell or Gateway yet. What kind of keychains are you after? Maybe I could get something for you ;) Rado [EDIT]Oh my, this year it'll be 18 years since it broke down, not 15, the time runs fast! :)[/EDIT]
I just collect key chains from wherever. I'm trying to get as many countries as possible. My sister in law just brought me back keychains from Cyprus, Rome, Egypt and another Greek island I can't remember. While in your country her rental car broke down and I believe it was a Sunday so no one was around. She finally found a local man (who didn't speak English) to help her. He was very interested in her Swiss army knife and she tried to give it to him for payment but he wouldn't accept. So she has a very positive view of the people!
_________________________________________________________________________________ Some buildings don't have a Floor 13 because of superstition...yet every airport has a gate C-4.
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Thanks Paul, I read so much positive feedback on MacBooks, but I don't know if I would ever get used to it being a Windows person...
Well you can wipe OS X off it and run Windows XP/Vista on it just fine. Couple of keyboard differences (the same can be said of most laptops) and it is hard getting used to having a computer that is aesthetically pleasing :)
regards, Paul Watson Ireland & South Africa
Shog9 wrote:
I don't see it happening, at least not until it becomes pointless.
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My new employer let me pick and I chose a Dell Precision m65. It's durable and fits your specifications. I'd recommend it. On the other hand, my previous employer stuck me with a Stinkpad. A T42 I think. I wasn't happy with them when they were IBM, and I'd avoid them even more now that they're Lenova.
Thanks, I'll check it out, though Dells seem to be harder to get around here than other brands...
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Look at the thinkpad t60 widescreen (15.4"), I love this machine. also available with 7200 rpm drives etc if performance is an issue. very good battery life. definitely sold & stable.
Thanks, those models equipped with 7200 rpm drives seem to be a bit over my budget, so I'll stick with 5400. :) They have a T60 with Core2 Duo CPU and a 5400 rpm drive at the same price as the Acer I'm looking at, so I'll be looking at this one too.
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Well you can wipe OS X off it and run Windows XP/Vista on it just fine. Couple of keyboard differences (the same can be said of most laptops) and it is hard getting used to having a computer that is aesthetically pleasing :)
regards, Paul Watson Ireland & South Africa
Shog9 wrote:
I don't see it happening, at least not until it becomes pointless.
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if you do that you have to buy a full windows license which makes the macbook ~$200 more expensive than a PC.
-- Rules of thumb should not be taken for the whole hand.
It is a good laptop. Plus you may have a license lying around (maybe from MSDN subs.) you can use.
regards, Paul Watson Ireland & South Africa
Shog9 wrote:
I don't see it happening, at least not until it becomes pointless.
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if you do that you have to buy a full windows license which makes the macbook ~$200 more expensive than a PC.
-- Rules of thumb should not be taken for the whole hand.
A good point...
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I just collect key chains from wherever. I'm trying to get as many countries as possible. My sister in law just brought me back keychains from Cyprus, Rome, Egypt and another Greek island I can't remember. While in your country her rental car broke down and I believe it was a Sunday so no one was around. She finally found a local man (who didn't speak English) to help her. He was very interested in her Swiss army knife and she tried to give it to him for payment but he wouldn't accept. So she has a very positive view of the people!
_________________________________________________________________________________ Some buildings don't have a Floor 13 because of superstition...yet every airport has a gate C-4.
leckey wrote:
I just collect key chains from wherever. I'm trying to get as many countries as possible. My sister in law just brought me back keychains from Cyprus, Rome, Egypt and another Greek island I can't remember.
I'll check if I can get something and let you know, though it can take me days or longer. ;)
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Hello everyone, I'll have to upgrade my development desktop PC soon, and I'm thinking of moving to a laptop. Mainly because I work both at home and in the office, and currently depend on a fast internet connection to work over remote desktop. So to avoid this, and to also avoid trying to keep my environment on 2 PCs in sync, I guess a laptop would be a better choice. I'm sure many of you here use laptops as your main development machines, so if you have any models to recommend, things to watch for, brands to look at, I'd be most grateful. I don't need the fastest & most powerful laptop available today, but want a solid and stable machine. I was looking at Acer TravelMate 8210, friend's coworker has got this one and said it's pretty good but a bit noisy, and they only offer 1-year warranty. On the other hand I've seen 2 low-end Acers that were quieter than 2 HPs I've had a chance to work with, so I don't know. Basically I'm looking for this: - A Core Duo CPU (the TravelMate above has a Core2 Duo, 2GHz) - 15" wide high-res display (1440x900 or 1600x1050) - 1 GB RAM - 100+ GB HDD - DVD-RW drive, preferrably with DVD-RAM support - good battery life Thanks for any suggestions in advance! Rado -- modified at 16:18 Thursday 11th January, 2007 I'd like to thank everyone for their suggestions, now I have a lot of information and models to go through :-)
I've got an Acer Travelmate 8215WMLi (similar spec, but 2GB RAM and 160GB HDD), and so far it's solid. Not particularly noisy as far as I can tell - and the battery life is good, even when running under heavy load. :)
Anna :rose: Linting the day away :cool: Anna's Place | Tears and Laughter "If mushy peas are the food of the devil, the stotty cake is the frisbee of God"
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I've got a Vaoi[^] and love it. Only 13.3" but the screen resolution is what you are after and is incredibly light with good battery life and all the bits you are after.
cheers, Chris Maunder
CodeProject.com : C++ MVP
Just wait until you have to upgrade the disk... :evil grin:
Anna :rose: Linting the day away :cool: Anna's Place | Tears and Laughter "If mushy peas are the food of the devil, the stotty cake is the frisbee of God"