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I'm majoring in Computer Science at the University of Minnesota and I need a laptop. It would make everything easier, and I need to be able to program pretty much at any point in the day.
I don't know jack about laptops. Does anyone know of a good, speedy laptop that can complike huge C++ programs super fast? Anyone experienced with this subject?
Go to top the vendors (toshiba and asus being my favorite) websites and check the most expensive ones. Buy one of those, it doesn't matter which.
Ah, be picky instead.
Fast processor should be a good thing. Dual core, absolutely. AMD's offerings for laptops is rather poor, so intel is the way here.
A healthy amount of ram doesn't hurt - go for 1 GB or 2 I say. Thankfully, it's usually possible to upgrade RAM once purchased. But watch out for the roof! Some laptops only support max 2 GB.
When writing code, it's nice to have a big widescreen monitor, and a numeric pad is always nice, so I like 17 inch or bigger screens.
You absolutely need to replace that default hard drive, those 4200 or 5400 RPM crap. Get a nice 7200 Travelstar and add it and you'll get a nice speed boost. Just make sure it's possible to replace the hard drive!
This is what I can think of, from my own experiences.
Elysia, you were doing so well, too... :)
I'd say all of the suggestions above are valid, but I must disagree with a few. First of all, I value portability in a laptop, so a 17" screen is just not necessary to me. Many 17" screens on notebooks don't offer a better resolution than a quality 14.1" screen and if you don't mind a slightly smaller resolution and have good eye sight, I'd go even smaller. I, myself use a 12" screen and I am very satisfied. I would also have to say that if you aren't doing anything that is very intensive on load times, then a 7200RPM harddrive will cause more harm than good when running on battery. For many people a 5400RPM will do, but if you honestly feel like you would be unsatisfied with the boot times and don't mind hurting your battery life, then a 7200RPM is fine.
I would, however, invest in an extended battery because they normally give you ga-bage with a laptop and if they offer the extended battery direct from the manufactuer, you're probably paying way too much for it.
it's just like buying a desktop. Go for the best or the best within your budget. Things are about the same.
Just don't get fancy. For instance, one of toshiba laptops has a rotating screen. Cool? Probably. But since the hinge that connects the screen to the base of the laptop is so small, I foresee problems sooner or later. Buy a traditional laptop. Don't waste your money on fluff.
But just buying something won't get you what you want.
90% of all laptops comes with 5400 RPM drive and too little RAM.
I did say the bst within your budget. Not just something. Since laptops are so similar to desktops, I see no science in buying a laptop.
as for 5400 RPMs... I don't know. Naturally if I can afford better and that doesn't mean a large increase in power consumption, why not? It's within the idea above. But if I can't I won't be crying over it. It's not because my project will now take 2 or 3 seconds more to load that I will throw a fit.
get a mac.
it runs unix so you can program with it out of the box.
i wouldn't go for one of those mac airs though, it's too new.
get a macbook or a macbook pro.
-M.i.
P.S.
and for the love of god, do not buy a toshiba. if anything goes wrong with it you're borked!
they have the worst customer service track record of all the laptop manufacturers.
It's MacOS, not UNIX. It's based off of UNIX somewhat, though.
At least, if you're really lucky, you can get a rare HD-DVD drive included! :DQuote:
Originally Posted by MikeyIckey
Ironically, I had good tech support for my Toshiba laptop. Unfortunately, I had to visit the tech support too many times.Quote:
and for the love of god, do not buy a toshiba. if anything goes wrong with it you're borked!
they have the worst customer service track record of all the laptop manufacturers.
ok, you're correct, i should have been more specific.Quote:
Originally Posted by robwhit
Same here.Quote:
Originally Posted by laserlight
It may vary from country to country, I guess. I have to say I had a different experience with the same machine in two countries.Quote:
Originally Posted by laserlight
My Toshiba used to overheat and stall after a while. In Portugal I went for support and they wanted to charge me. I couldn't afford it at the time since I was planning my move to Australia. Back in Australia, a few months later, I went to a tech support in Adelaide to have it fixed. Didn't ask for a quote. Just wanted it fixed. It did take over 1 month and it was starting to annoy me.
Turns out my laptop had been sent to Japan and its motherboard completely replaced at no charge since it was in fact a flaw of many units of that model (Satellite Pro SP6000). All this, over 1 year after guarantee expired.
It's the same machine I'm using today. The best laptop I ever bought. It experienced everything; subzero temperatures, falling to the floor, ... almost 6 years of use and abuse. Some keyboard keys don't work anymore though. The rest is top notch.
>> Ah, be picky instead.
Haha, I know people who buy everything Steve Jobs raises above his shoulders. People aren't necessarily using as many shopping heuristics as you may like unfortunately. You think about how well the iPod's sold, and like, Steve was holding it towards the sky, way above his head. :D Perhaps it's an Apple phenomenon.
Let's put it this way. I'm happily using a 5 year old laptop without any complaints. A new machine would cost me now... hmm... let's go to the low end and say $800. Well, I spent less of that in all books and software I bought to learn and program in C++. What's more valuable?Quote:
Originally Posted by citizen
5 years? Well at least we both by durable goods. My Compaq laptop died after about eight years. I suppose it could still work if I replaced some parts, but I originally purchased it in 1999.