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  3. Buying a Laptop - Can I have some help?

Buying a Laptop - Can I have some help?

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  • N Nagy Vilmos

    I don't know half this shit. :laugh: :laugh: I've found a Toshiba, a brand I trust and like, with an i5, 4gb and 1TB HDD all for £390. It can take a second 4gd RAM block [or so it is said] which I'll do later. It might be I are sorted.

    Reality is an illusion caused by a lack of alcohol "Nagy, you have won the internets." - Keith Barrow

    M Offline
    M Offline
    Marc A Brown
    wrote on last edited by
    #21

    Yeah, as long as you can upgrade the RAM, you should be OK with that.

    1 Reply Last reply
    0
    • M Mark_Wallace

      OriginalGriff wrote:

      Have you asked Dave? He might be able to do you a deal, provided you want a Red one!

      He's even gone one further than apple, by making it bucket shaped.

      I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!

      OriginalGriffO Offline
      OriginalGriffO Offline
      OriginalGriff
      wrote on last edited by
      #22

      That makes sense. When you find its got Win 8 and you can't get it off, you can kick the bucket... :laugh:

      This message is manufactured from fully recyclable noughts and ones. To recycle this message, please separate into two tidy piles, and take them to your nearest local recycling centre. Please note that in some areas noughts are always replaced with zeros by law, and many facilities cannot recycle zeroes - in this case, please bury them in your back garden and water frequently.

      "I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
      "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt

      1 Reply Last reply
      0
      • N Nagy Vilmos

        Okay, what spec should I look for for a dev ready laptop? I won't need over 15" screen as I have an external I'll use as well, but I'm after help on processor [i5?] and memory [4GB]. I am undecided between going down Win8 or finally switching to Ubuntu [Ubuntu, they use it in the Jungle!]. HDD capacity isn't a big thing, I've got 2TB, and growing, external. But a DVD player would be useful or should I move to an external. The budgie right now is ~£400 but I'd like to know what I should get [probably costs more] and then look at what I can get. Mercans can only suggest if they'll ship it here. For free. As in beer.

        Reality is an illusion caused by a lack of alcohol "Nagy, you have won the internets." - Keith Barrow

        V Offline
        V Offline
        vonb
        wrote on last edited by
        #23

        Hi Nagy, quick response before I go on a plane to Ibiza (Amsterdam no more good due to my knee, cannot walk to much..). On the serious side I just bought a new SONY VAIO for my friend (he paid it, 499 CHF, great machine) I have an Acer 5250 ASPIRE at home and I like it, got it for 600 CHF.. With 0.69 rate enter your budget..

        The signature is in building process.. Please wait...

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        • N Nagy Vilmos

          Have you been to Hindhead? I'd need a lot more before I went there again!

          Reality is an illusion caused by a lack of alcohol "Nagy, you have won the internets." - Keith Barrow

          OriginalGriffO Offline
          OriginalGriffO Offline
          OriginalGriff
          wrote on last edited by
          #24

          I went through there every Elephanting day in the rush hour for seven or eight years (before they started work on the tunnel). I never stopped there voluntarily...but away from the A3 it's OK, apparently.

          This message is manufactured from fully recyclable noughts and ones. To recycle this message, please separate into two tidy piles, and take them to your nearest local recycling centre. Please note that in some areas noughts are always replaced with zeros by law, and many facilities cannot recycle zeroes - in this case, please bury them in your back garden and water frequently.

          "I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
          "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt

          N 1 Reply Last reply
          0
          • OriginalGriffO OriginalGriff

            I went through there every Elephanting day in the rush hour for seven or eight years (before they started work on the tunnel). I never stopped there voluntarily...but away from the A3 it's OK, apparently.

            This message is manufactured from fully recyclable noughts and ones. To recycle this message, please separate into two tidy piles, and take them to your nearest local recycling centre. Please note that in some areas noughts are always replaced with zeros by law, and many facilities cannot recycle zeroes - in this case, please bury them in your back garden and water frequently.

            N Offline
            N Offline
            Nagy Vilmos
            wrote on last edited by
            #25

            OriginalGriff wrote:

            but away from the A3 it's OK, apparently.

            If you believe that, I have a bridge you might be interested in...

            Reality is an illusion caused by a lack of alcohol "Nagy, you have won the internets." - Keith Barrow

            OriginalGriffO 1 Reply Last reply
            0
            • N Nagy Vilmos

              OriginalGriff wrote:

              but away from the A3 it's OK, apparently.

              If you believe that, I have a bridge you might be interested in...

              Reality is an illusion caused by a lack of alcohol "Nagy, you have won the internets." - Keith Barrow

              OriginalGriffO Offline
              OriginalGriffO Offline
              OriginalGriff
              wrote on last edited by
              #26

              I say "apparently" because I went boozing there one night. Or at least I think it was one night - it could easily have been a few days as well given the friends I was drinking with. I seemed to have had a good time, but I don't remember much at all...and any town where I could get that drunk in those days and still get home with more cash than I started with couldn't be all bad! :laugh:

              This message is manufactured from fully recyclable noughts and ones. To recycle this message, please separate into two tidy piles, and take them to your nearest local recycling centre. Please note that in some areas noughts are always replaced with zeros by law, and many facilities cannot recycle zeroes - in this case, please bury them in your back garden and water frequently.

              "I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
              "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt

              1 Reply Last reply
              0
              • N Nagy Vilmos

                Okay, what spec should I look for for a dev ready laptop? I won't need over 15" screen as I have an external I'll use as well, but I'm after help on processor [i5?] and memory [4GB]. I am undecided between going down Win8 or finally switching to Ubuntu [Ubuntu, they use it in the Jungle!]. HDD capacity isn't a big thing, I've got 2TB, and growing, external. But a DVD player would be useful or should I move to an external. The budgie right now is ~£400 but I'd like to know what I should get [probably costs more] and then look at what I can get. Mercans can only suggest if they'll ship it here. For free. As in beer.

                Reality is an illusion caused by a lack of alcohol "Nagy, you have won the internets." - Keith Barrow

                M Offline
                M Offline
                Marc Clifton
                wrote on last edited by
                #27

                4GB RAM is fine - I've had an i5 laptop for about 2 years where I was doing all sorts of SQL Server, Oracle, VS development. However, having recently forayed into Ubuntu (yuck) and Ruby on Rails, 8GB became absolutely necessary to run Ubuntu in a VM. Fortunately, I've been able to get all the RoR stuff to work under Windows so I can do all my development there. Yay! Marc

                Unit Testing Succinctly

                S 1 Reply Last reply
                0
                • N Nagy Vilmos

                  Okay, what spec should I look for for a dev ready laptop? I won't need over 15" screen as I have an external I'll use as well, but I'm after help on processor [i5?] and memory [4GB]. I am undecided between going down Win8 or finally switching to Ubuntu [Ubuntu, they use it in the Jungle!]. HDD capacity isn't a big thing, I've got 2TB, and growing, external. But a DVD player would be useful or should I move to an external. The budgie right now is ~£400 but I'd like to know what I should get [probably costs more] and then look at what I can get. Mercans can only suggest if they'll ship it here. For free. As in beer.

                  Reality is an illusion caused by a lack of alcohol "Nagy, you have won the internets." - Keith Barrow

                  L Offline
                  L Offline
                  Lost User
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #28

                  Take care with the resolution available with an external monitor. I have a 2 year old Samsung that was very expensive, i7, 8gb, ssd, blah blah. It wont do more than 1024*768 resolution on an external monitor..

                  L 1 Reply Last reply
                  0
                  • N Nagy Vilmos

                    Okay, what spec should I look for for a dev ready laptop? I won't need over 15" screen as I have an external I'll use as well, but I'm after help on processor [i5?] and memory [4GB]. I am undecided between going down Win8 or finally switching to Ubuntu [Ubuntu, they use it in the Jungle!]. HDD capacity isn't a big thing, I've got 2TB, and growing, external. But a DVD player would be useful or should I move to an external. The budgie right now is ~£400 but I'd like to know what I should get [probably costs more] and then look at what I can get. Mercans can only suggest if they'll ship it here. For free. As in beer.

                    Reality is an illusion caused by a lack of alcohol "Nagy, you have won the internets." - Keith Barrow

                    L Offline
                    L Offline
                    Lost User
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #29

                    I know it's a little over your budget - but hey, the girls won't need uniforms for another three years :) Go the MacBook air

                    MVVM # - I did it My Way ___________________________________________ Man, you're a god. - walterhevedeich 26/05/2011 .\\axxx (That's an 'M')

                    1 Reply Last reply
                    0
                    • N Nagy Vilmos

                      Okay, what spec should I look for for a dev ready laptop? I won't need over 15" screen as I have an external I'll use as well, but I'm after help on processor [i5?] and memory [4GB]. I am undecided between going down Win8 or finally switching to Ubuntu [Ubuntu, they use it in the Jungle!]. HDD capacity isn't a big thing, I've got 2TB, and growing, external. But a DVD player would be useful or should I move to an external. The budgie right now is ~£400 but I'd like to know what I should get [probably costs more] and then look at what I can get. Mercans can only suggest if they'll ship it here. For free. As in beer.

                      Reality is an illusion caused by a lack of alcohol "Nagy, you have won the internets." - Keith Barrow

                      A Offline
                      A Offline
                      Andrei Bozantan
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #30

                      Maybe you should look to have a DisplayPort also (this is for external displays with resolutions bigger than 1920x1200). i5 should be enough (I have an i3 and it's still good), but definitely go with more than 4 Gb RAM and an SSD.

                      If you can't explain something to a six year old, you really don't understand it yourself. (Albert Einstein)

                      1 Reply Last reply
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                      • N Nagy Vilmos

                        Okay, what spec should I look for for a dev ready laptop? I won't need over 15" screen as I have an external I'll use as well, but I'm after help on processor [i5?] and memory [4GB]. I am undecided between going down Win8 or finally switching to Ubuntu [Ubuntu, they use it in the Jungle!]. HDD capacity isn't a big thing, I've got 2TB, and growing, external. But a DVD player would be useful or should I move to an external. The budgie right now is ~£400 but I'd like to know what I should get [probably costs more] and then look at what I can get. Mercans can only suggest if they'll ship it here. For free. As in beer.

                        Reality is an illusion caused by a lack of alcohol "Nagy, you have won the internets." - Keith Barrow

                        S Offline
                        S Offline
                        Simon ORiordan from UK
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #31

                        Take a look in the BT shop. (Unless it is restricted to customers only). I saw an i3 with 4G and a 320 drive plus a 20G ssd(don't ask me how that works) for £350. Built-in DVD RW. Or pad out a used Elitebook with new bits for a couple of hundred(smelly I know).

                        1 Reply Last reply
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                        • M Marc Clifton

                          4GB RAM is fine - I've had an i5 laptop for about 2 years where I was doing all sorts of SQL Server, Oracle, VS development. However, having recently forayed into Ubuntu (yuck) and Ruby on Rails, 8GB became absolutely necessary to run Ubuntu in a VM. Fortunately, I've been able to get all the RoR stuff to work under Windows so I can do all my development there. Yay! Marc

                          Unit Testing Succinctly

                          S Offline
                          S Offline
                          Simon ORiordan from UK
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #32

                          Funny that. I run Ubuntu with W :laugh: indows virtual machines and get away with 2GB RAM. It must be some bloatware you're using to put up VM. What host are you using?

                          M 1 Reply Last reply
                          0
                          • N Nagy Vilmos

                            Okay, what spec should I look for for a dev ready laptop? I won't need over 15" screen as I have an external I'll use as well, but I'm after help on processor [i5?] and memory [4GB]. I am undecided between going down Win8 or finally switching to Ubuntu [Ubuntu, they use it in the Jungle!]. HDD capacity isn't a big thing, I've got 2TB, and growing, external. But a DVD player would be useful or should I move to an external. The budgie right now is ~£400 but I'd like to know what I should get [probably costs more] and then look at what I can get. Mercans can only suggest if they'll ship it here. For free. As in beer.

                            Reality is an illusion caused by a lack of alcohol "Nagy, you have won the internets." - Keith Barrow

                            F Offline
                            F Offline
                            Fran Porretto
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #33

                            I recently bought a refurbished DELL XPS 1730 for development purposes that meets the mini-specification you cited in all particulars: 32 GByte SSD, 1 TByte normal hard disk, 4G Bytes RAM, DVD reader-writer, and so forth. $700 on eBay, and there were others available at the same price. I'm quite happy with it. Among persons I know who've bought refurbished laptops, the experiences appear to be generally positive. The machines we've purchased have proved reliable...so far!

                            (This message is programming you in ways you cannot detect. Be afraid.)

                            1 Reply Last reply
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                            • S Simon ORiordan from UK

                              Funny that. I run Ubuntu with W :laugh: indows virtual machines and get away with 2GB RAM. It must be some bloatware you're using to put up VM. What host are you using?

                              M Offline
                              M Offline
                              Marc Clifton
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #34

                              Simon O'Riordan from UK wrote:

                              It must be some bloatware you're using to put up VM. What host are you using?

                              I'm using Virtual Box. It would be fine, but in the VM I was running Ruby on Rails with the RubyMine IDE doing lots of feature test runs, and it's slow, plus switching to Windows using my own Intertexti application (see article somewhere here, haha) for taking meeting notes, etc. Which is why it was really nice when I solved various problems with native gems to get the whole web app running under Windows with RailsInstaller and Cygwin. Marc

                              Unit Testing Succinctly

                              S 1 Reply Last reply
                              0
                              • M Marc Clifton

                                Simon O'Riordan from UK wrote:

                                It must be some bloatware you're using to put up VM. What host are you using?

                                I'm using Virtual Box. It would be fine, but in the VM I was running Ruby on Rails with the RubyMine IDE doing lots of feature test runs, and it's slow, plus switching to Windows using my own Intertexti application (see article somewhere here, haha) for taking meeting notes, etc. Which is why it was really nice when I solved various problems with native gems to get the whole web app running under Windows with RailsInstaller and Cygwin. Marc

                                Unit Testing Succinctly

                                S Offline
                                S Offline
                                Simon ORiordan from UK
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #35

                                Rails-I mentioned one Ruby automation ute I wrote for softie admin at one company, and now I get loads of job ads aimed at Rails experts. My favourite fun time is Mono c# on Linux(I'm tight, only free stuff); one toy I've written is a cross-platform encryption pad( GUI-based of course so that anybody's mum could use it). Should I put the project up in an article, you think? Maybe not. When I put it on my anon FTP, the host had a 'policy change' and stopped anon. Nudge nudge, wink wink.

                                M 1 Reply Last reply
                                0
                                • S Simon ORiordan from UK

                                  Rails-I mentioned one Ruby automation ute I wrote for softie admin at one company, and now I get loads of job ads aimed at Rails experts. My favourite fun time is Mono c# on Linux(I'm tight, only free stuff); one toy I've written is a cross-platform encryption pad( GUI-based of course so that anybody's mum could use it). Should I put the project up in an article, you think? Maybe not. When I put it on my anon FTP, the host had a 'policy change' and stopped anon. Nudge nudge, wink wink.

                                  M Offline
                                  M Offline
                                  Marc Clifton
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #36

                                  Simon O'Riordan from UK wrote:

                                  and now I get loads of job ads aimed at Rails experts.

                                  I haven't update my online resume to include the Rails work I've been doing - I've got more than enough work at the moment and more in the pipeline, but its good to know there's a demand out there, even though RoR has only something like .2% of the web development market (some stat I saw on CP a couple months ago.)

                                  Simon O'Riordan from UK wrote:

                                  Should I put the project up in an article, you think?

                                  Suer, why not? Marc

                                  Unit Testing Succinctly

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                                  • N Nagy Vilmos

                                    I don't know half this shit. :laugh: :laugh: I've found a Toshiba, a brand I trust and like, with an i5, 4gb and 1TB HDD all for £390. It can take a second 4gd RAM block [or so it is said] which I'll do later. It might be I are sorted.

                                    Reality is an illusion caused by a lack of alcohol "Nagy, you have won the internets." - Keith Barrow

                                    L Offline
                                    L Offline
                                    Lost User
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #37

                                    Nagy Vilmos wrote:

                                    I've found a Toshiba, a brand I trust and like, with an i5, 4gb and 1TB HDD all for £390. It can take a second 4gd RAM block [or so it is said] which I'll do later. It might be I are sorted.

                                    Check to see that you have access to put the 2nd 4gb stick of RAM in. I have a Toshiba i5, came with 4GB and is able to take 8GB. When I got it 12 - 18 months ago I bought 8GB of RAM to stick in it. Turns out, all I have to do is remove the keyboard, then the motherboard, put the RAM in and put it all back. If only all things were this fucking easy. Still has 4GB by the way.

                                    Michael Martin Australia "I controlled my laughter and simple said "No,I am very busy,so I can't write any code for you". The moment they heard this all the smiling face turned into a sad looking face and one of them farted. So I had to leave the place as soon as possible." - Mr.Prakash One Fine Saturday. 24/04/2004

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                                    • L Lost User

                                      i5's are fine, but 4GB RAM seems a little tight to me

                                      B Offline
                                      B Offline
                                      BrainiacV
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #38

                                      harold aptroot wrote:

                                      4GB RAM seems a little tight to me

                                      I agree. I'm running Weven and my observation is that it likes to run in 8GB. At work, they got me a 16GB i7 and I really have to lean on it to get it to use more than 8GB (once I start running virtual machines it uses more). Whereas my quad core AMD Phenon II system at home seems to be wheezing with its initial 4GB. I added 2GB to it for 6GB and it seems only marginally better.

                                      Psychosis at 10 Film at 11 Those who do not remember the past, are doomed to repeat it. Those who do not remember the past, cannot build upon it.

                                      1 Reply Last reply
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                                      • L Lost User

                                        Take care with the resolution available with an external monitor. I have a 2 year old Samsung that was very expensive, i7, 8gb, ssd, blah blah. It wont do more than 1024*768 resolution on an external monitor..

                                        L Offline
                                        L Offline
                                        Lost User
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #39

                                        _Josh_ wrote:

                                        It wont do more than 1024*768 resolution on an external monitor..

                                        What connector is used to connect to the external monitor? Can't believe anything that new couldn't do better.

                                        Michael Martin Australia "I controlled my laughter and simple said "No,I am very busy,so I can't write any code for you". The moment they heard this all the smiling face turned into a sad looking face and one of them farted. So I had to leave the place as soon as possible." - Mr.Prakash One Fine Saturday. 24/04/2004

                                        L 1 Reply Last reply
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                                        • N Nagy Vilmos

                                          Okay, what spec should I look for for a dev ready laptop? I won't need over 15" screen as I have an external I'll use as well, but I'm after help on processor [i5?] and memory [4GB]. I am undecided between going down Win8 or finally switching to Ubuntu [Ubuntu, they use it in the Jungle!]. HDD capacity isn't a big thing, I've got 2TB, and growing, external. But a DVD player would be useful or should I move to an external. The budgie right now is ~£400 but I'd like to know what I should get [probably costs more] and then look at what I can get. Mercans can only suggest if they'll ship it here. For free. As in beer.

                                          Reality is an illusion caused by a lack of alcohol "Nagy, you have won the internets." - Keith Barrow

                                          R Offline
                                          R Offline
                                          Ravi Bhavnani
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #40

                                          • i5/i7 • 7200rpm drive, but SSD much preferred • RAM = 8G or more (RAM is cheap) /ravi

                                          My new year resolution: 2048 x 1536 Home | Articles | My .NET bits | Freeware ravib(at)ravib(dot)com

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