It's becoming increasingly clear to me that an emerging requirement for scientists is that they possess a laptop computer in addition to any desktop. It just seems to be an essential feature for giving talks at conferences and (crossing fingers) for jobs. For whatever reason it seems like you just can't ever trust that your presentation will ever work on somebody else's computer. Plus, on the rare occasions that I travel it might just be convenient to have one. So, I've decided to purchase a laptop, and would like some advice based on personal experience or whatnot.
The requirements I have are pretty basic. I don't plan to do any heavy computational lifting or gaming with this machine. I need it to be capable of word processing, running Powerpoint (or equivalent), displaying images, and accessing the web. It also needs to work smoothly with external projectors (this used to be a problem with Macs; is it still?), have good battery life, and be hardy enough to get knocked around in a plane or in my car and still function well. I would strongly prefer that it not put out enough heat to neuter me if I have the misfortune to actually use it in my lap. Obviously, since this will be a secondary computer, I want it to be relatively inexpensive, not much more than my rebate check if I can help it.
So, any recommendations? Are there any Macs that fit the bill, or are they all in the way too expensive zone? Are the Dells (Vostro, Inspiron) a suitable option, or are they also too pricey? Does HP make any laptops that won't burn your pants right off? Can laptops running Linux deal with LCD projectors?
11 comments:
I updated my Dell Inspiron in December (I have a 1521 now) and I like it. The base model is not particularly expensive--I don't recall the exact price, but it was definitely cheaper than a Mac. I beefed mine up a bit since it's essentially my multi-media center, but it doesn't sound like you'd have to for your needs.
As for durability, I haven't put my new Dell through its paces, but I once fell on top of my old one (an 1100) when it was in my backpack (not a padded backpack either) and I fell off my bike. It suffered a slight crack in the case, but it never affected the computer and I used it for years afterwards.
Don't know about Linux. I'm a troglodyte when it comes to operating systems, still using Windows. Good luck!
Macs are probably still expensive compared to low-price-point PC laptops, *but* I would never switch back.
Especially if your presentation involves any photos, graphics, or movies: the Mac will easily repay the investment. Certainly had I been giving my job talks with a slow PC, I would have been much less confident and effective (lag is a killer when trying to change 'slides').
I just bought my third Mac laptop: this is a 17" MacBook Pro, and it came in at $2500. So, yeah, a chunk of change. But it is crash-proof, virus-proof, and gorgeous to use :). No problem now interacting w/ projectors: all Macs ship with the needed small connector for interfacing, and they auto-recognise such. I upgraded from my previous MacBook (i.e. non-Pro), and limited experience thus far suggests that it was worthwhile for the superior keyboard and faster speed.
p.s. Heat is not an issue with the Macs; you sound as though you might well get away with a base-level MacBook, which comes in I believe at around $1300, also.
I've carried the just-retired (still in use, but not as my primary machine) in a backpack with minimal protection for 3 years and it has never blinked. I did invest in a schmancy case for the new one, though, as the old one's case has a longish crack in by now :).
Battery life is getting better; realistically I can use this one for 3-4 hours, with display dimmed.
FWIW, I just got a myself a Thinkpad X61s for the same purpose... i bought it for its rugged casing (tougher than most things on the market), the comparatively low clockspeed CPU (1.6GHz dual core) for prolonged battery life and low heat emmission and low weight/bulkiness. It performs well for office apps and even quite tough number crunching. The onboard graphics chip is fast enough for the (comparatively basic) molecular graphics apps I use. Battery life is good, 5 hours with the 8-cell battery under moderate use can be reasonably expected. It's also got a very nice keyboard, compared to cheaper laptops I've used previously. However, considering Lenovo sell on supposedly "great engineering" the battery has noticeable play; all Thinkpads I've seen seem to have it and it doesn't really affect function, but it's still something that annoys me. All in all I'd say I'm satisfied and would buy one again.
A word of warning: mine came with a stuck pixel which was rather annoying, especially considering the price of Thinkpads. Lenovo will only replace it for you if it has 5 or more defect pixels, which seems to be the industry standard (fortunately for me, the pixel became unstuck after a week of usage). So whatever brand you get, check out the company's pixel policy beforehand, or if your buying from a store, examine the screen for defective pixels before purchase. It's something that didn't even occur to me until it was too late...
Our field crews use Dell Vostro for our day to day work. No heavy computations, just internet access, navigation software, and light calculation work. With the standard battery they run about 4 hours, but extended life batteries are available. Total price tag for the base model come in around $450, the config we use is about $650. Let me know if you're interested and I can get our IT guy to send me a specs package to show you how we have ours setup.
I have been using a Mac for five years and for graphics, stability and elegance, I would never switch. And unless you are into high-def computer games, there is hardly a PC program now which does not have a Mac counterpart. On my Mac I have Pymol, Chemdraw, SciFinder, Mercury, iNMR, DeepView and of course the three MS Office programs.On the other hand, Keynote as a counterpart to PowerPoint is super. I find Safari as a web browser to be perfectly adequate and there's also Firefox. On the new Macs, the tiny pinhole serving as a high-res camera is really neat.
I also second the comments about long battery life and virus-proof OS. Do use the battery often otherwise it may die rather early; don't keep the machine plugged in all the time as I once did. I do have a slight problem with heat but it's not that big a deal. I have never found compatibility with projectors to be a problem, although for the new Mac you *must* not forget the attachment. Two years ago, my Mac in a backpack fell rather violently from the seat to the bus floor when the dumb driver braked too hard. Didn't cause a single discernible problem.
Ok, that was my Mac pitch. The only off-putting feature is of course the price and that would be an issue for you if as you say you just want a second computer. But you can get a 13.5 inch for 1099$ or 1299$ which is quite an adequate size and price. I have not met a person who used Macs for any reasonable time and wanted to then switch to a PC.
The Mac looks like a good option if I were buying a primary computer, but $1100 is just too much for a secondary computer. The Inspirons are affordable, but they come with Vista, and if I wanted to spend all day worrying about hardware compatibility I'd just get a Linux laptop. The Vostros look affordable and come with XP, so that may be the way to go. Matt, if you could mail me those specs that would be awesome. I'm also going to look into Lenovo; they definitely have a couple of affordable options.
Happy Birthday, MWC!
From your godmother, who loves both of her Macs and would never dream of buying anything else!
Oh, I almost forgot, there are some wonderful $100 laptops that may be leftover from defunct "One Child, One Laptop" program in Birmingham (note, $100 laptops now cost $300).
It sounds like what you want is one of those trendy subsubnotebooks like the asus eeeepc et al... (i.e. you'd make your presentation on your desktop but play it form the laptop)
Still, i add my voice to the chorus that what you really want is a macbook. Air will smell sweeter, food will taste better, kittens will come out....
Hi Nice Blog The personal-computer industry was experiencing a shortage of laptop batteries partly because of a recent fire at a major supplier, but the company was working with other suppliers to limit any price increases.
Post a Comment