[luv-main] Purchasing a new laptop
Hi, I've been using an Asus netbook for the last 2 years or so and feel I need a bit more power!:) I've done some preliminary research, but not quite sure where to start. Basically my top requirements are: 1) Reasonable CPU apparently I5 is supposed to be fairly good? 2) 6 hrs + of battery life 3) I'm looking to spend around the $1200 mark give or take. 4) Linux compatible of course! I also wouldn't mind a smaller laptop eg. 12 or 13 inch as I'm using it in a class room environment, although this doesn't really matter too much. I checked out a few of the lenovo thinkpads (T series I believe, but could be wrong) and these were way outside of my budget. I also investigated the hp envy, but this seemed to have poor battery life. I also checked out the mac book pro which looked ok... However, apparently the linux install is a bit more tricky. Does anyone have any ideas on any other machines? Is the mac book pro something I should look into? The only draw back I see so far is the battery that can only be replaced by Apple... BTW, not too concerned about graphics as I'm blind, just need something that is sufficient for any day to day use by a sighted person, eg. navigating the desktop or reading text...:) (I don't need any high performance graphics) Thanks for any suggestions, Dan
Daniel Dalton <d.dalton@iinet.net.au> wrote:
I checked out a few of the lenovo thinkpads (T series I believe, but could be wrong) and these were way outside of my budget. I also investigated the hp envy, but this seemed to have poor battery life.
Mine is a Lenovo X200: it is one of the smaller laptops, but includes a dual-core Intel CPU and 2Gb of memory. You might be able to obtain this or a similar model cheaply from a used laptop dealer. I am sure there are others on the list who can make more specific recommendations. I have also heard positive reports regarding the Linux compatibility of Dell laptops, which might be worth investigating further. This is not to say that they are all supported, of course. You need to check carefully before making a purchase. This site may be useful: http://www.linux-laptop.net/
Hi Jason, On Sat, Sep 24, 2011 at 09:57:06AM +1000, Jason White wrote:
Daniel Dalton <d.dalton@iinet.net.au> wrote:
I checked out a few of the lenovo thinkpads (T series I believe, but could be wrong) and these were way outside of my budget. I also investigated the hp envy, but this seemed to have poor battery life.
Mine is a Lenovo X200: it is one of the smaller laptops, but includes a dual-core Intel CPU and 2Gb of memory. You might be able to obtain this or a similar model cheaply from a used laptop dealer. I am sure there are others on the list who can make more specific recommendations.
Yes, although I believe there are now more modern technologies available such as I3,I5 and I7 processors...? Do you think these would be better in terms of performance than the older dual cores?
I have also heard positive reports regarding the Linux compatibility of Dell laptops, which might be worth investigating further. This is not to say that
Actually, I recently came across an interesting machine: Del Vostro 3350 (13 inch, core I5 processor 4 gb ram 320 gb hdd) which sounds reasonably good. The sales person I spoke with on the phone said the laptop has about 5 hours battery life with an 8 cell, while many of the reviews suggested 8-9 hours so I guess I'll have to see for myself. Do you think this could be a wise choice?
they are all supported, of course. You need to check carefully before making a
Yes, I found this page, which sounds promising http://www.bortzmeyer.org/dell-vostro-3350.html Hopefully I've done enough research as I'm hoping to score the $200 discount which lasts until Thursday!. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts anyway. Thanks for your help. Dan
On 27/09/11 13:27, Daniel Dalton wrote:
Actually, I recently came across an interesting machine: Del Vostro 3350 (13 inch, core I5 processor 4 gb ram 320 gb hdd) which sounds reasonably good. The sales person I spoke with on the phone said the laptop has about 5 hours battery life with an 8 cell, while many of the reviews suggested 8-9 hours so I guess I'll have to see for myself.
Do you think this could be a wise choice?
they are all supported, of course. You need to check carefully before making a
Yes, I found this page, which sounds promising http://www.bortzmeyer.org/dell-vostro-3350.html
Hopefully I've done enough research as I'm hoping to score the $200 discount which lasts until Thursday!.
I'd be interested to hear your thoughts anyway.
I picked up a Lenovo Thinkpad Edge 13" laptop a few months ago.. Think it cost $450 or so. That has a ultra-low-voltage Core i3 dual-core processor, 4GB of ram, and some large amount of disk. The main points I liked about it were the fairly light weight and good battery life, and that it seemed like a reasonably solid chunk of hardware. (Unlike my previous laptop, where the plastic-mounted hinges broke off..) Works alright with recent Ubuntu releases. Just thought I'd toss it out there as another potential option for you. Cheers, Toby
Hi, I decided to go with a Dell vostro 3350, which is a 13 inch display, core I5 2.4 ghz, 4 gb ram 320 gb hdd (7200 rpm I believe), and an 8 cell battery which is reasonably big! Linux compatibility is fantastic just about everything worked out of the box except the broadcom wifi, which I believe required non-free modules. Once these were installed, wifi is functioning well. Battery life is excellent, about 5 hrs but even more when I turn my screen off (I'm blind). The only thing that doesn't work is the finger print scanner, but this really isn't much of a problem for me, although it would be pretty cool if it was supported one day. Haven't tested webcam or internal mic... So thanks very much for all the advice provided... Cheers, Dan On Sat, Sep 24, 2011 at 09:57:06AM +1000, Jason White wrote:
Daniel Dalton <d.dalton@iinet.net.au> wrote:
I checked out a few of the lenovo thinkpads (T series I believe, but could be wrong) and these were way outside of my budget. I also investigated the hp envy, but this seemed to have poor battery life.
Mine is a Lenovo X200: it is one of the smaller laptops, but includes a dual-core Intel CPU and 2Gb of memory. You might be able to obtain this or a similar model cheaply from a used laptop dealer. I am sure there are others on the list who can make more specific recommendations.
I have also heard positive reports regarding the Linux compatibility of Dell laptops, which might be worth investigating further. This is not to say that they are all supported, of course. You need to check carefully before making a purchase. This site may be useful: http://www.linux-laptop.net/
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On Sun, Oct 09, 2011 at 12:36:31PM +1100, Trent W. Buck wrote:
Daniel Dalton wrote:
life is excellent, about 5 hrs but even more when I turn my screen off
How are you turning the display off entirely?
I use the vbetool package, vbetool dpms off # turn screen completely off vbetool dpms on # turn screen on. So it's very efficient to turn on and off the screen eg. when I need to show a teacher some work. Saves plenty of battery life though.:) Cheers, Dan
Hi I'm using a Dell E6510 and I know someone using a Dell X series (with the Hybrid graphics). The E series Latitude is great and working really well with Magia. The X series machine (sorry don't know the model number) works fine with the Intel garphics, but the Nvidia graphics refuses to run outside the setup for Ubuntu for some reason. Peter. On Sat, 24 Sep 2011 08:21:14 AM Daniel Dalton wrote:
Hi,
I've been using an Asus netbook for the last 2 years or so and feel I need a bit more power!:)
I've done some preliminary research, but not quite sure where to start. Basically my top requirements are: 1) Reasonable CPU apparently I5 is supposed to be fairly good? 2) 6 hrs + of battery life 3) I'm looking to spend around the $1200 mark give or take. 4) Linux compatible of course!
I also wouldn't mind a smaller laptop eg. 12 or 13 inch as I'm using it in a class room environment, although this doesn't really matter too much.
I checked out a few of the lenovo thinkpads (T series I believe, but could be wrong) and these were way outside of my budget. I also investigated the hp envy, but this seemed to have poor battery life.
I also checked out the mac book pro which looked ok... However, apparently the linux install is a bit more tricky. Does anyone have any ideas on any other machines? Is the mac book pro something I should look into? The only draw back I see so far is the battery that can only be replaced by Apple...
BTW, not too concerned about graphics as I'm blind, just need something that is sufficient for any day to day use by a sighted person, eg. navigating the desktop or reading text...:) (I don't need any high performance graphics)
Thanks for any suggestions, Dan _______________________________________________ luv-main mailing list luv-main@lists.luv.asn.au http://lists.luv.asn.au/listinfo/luv-main -- Peter Nunn Director InfoTeq Pty Ltd 0412 174 230
participants (5)
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Daniel Dalton -
Jason White -
Peter Nunn -
Toby Corkindale -
Trent W. Buck