Thread: I need a laptop before Fall this year.

  1. #1
    Registered User Hexadakota's Avatar
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    I need a laptop before Fall this year.

    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?

  2. #2
    (?<!re)tired Mario F.'s Avatar
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    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.
    Originally Posted by brewbuck:
    Reimplementing a large system in another language to get a 25% performance boost is nonsense. It would be cheaper to just get a computer which is 25% faster.

  3. #3
    C++まいる!Cをこわせ!
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    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.
    Quote Originally Posted by Adak View Post
    io.h certainly IS included in some modern compilers. It is no longer part of the standard for C, but it is nevertheless, included in the very latest Pelles C versions.
    Quote Originally Posted by Salem View Post
    You mean it's included as a crutch to help ancient programmers limp along without them having to relearn too much.

    Outside of your DOS world, your header file is meaningless.

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    Devil's Advocate SlyMaelstrom's Avatar
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    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.
    Sent from my iPadŽ

  5. #5
    (?<!re)tired Mario F.'s Avatar
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    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.
    Originally Posted by brewbuck:
    Reimplementing a large system in another language to get a 25% performance boost is nonsense. It would be cheaper to just get a computer which is 25% faster.

  6. #6
    C++まいる!Cをこわせ!
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    But just buying something won't get you what you want.
    90&#37; of all laptops comes with 5400 RPM drive and too little RAM.
    Quote Originally Posted by Adak View Post
    io.h certainly IS included in some modern compilers. It is no longer part of the standard for C, but it is nevertheless, included in the very latest Pelles C versions.
    Quote Originally Posted by Salem View Post
    You mean it's included as a crutch to help ancient programmers limp along without them having to relearn too much.

    Outside of your DOS world, your header file is meaningless.

  7. #7
    (?<!re)tired Mario F.'s Avatar
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    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.
    Originally Posted by brewbuck:
    Reimplementing a large system in another language to get a 25% performance boost is nonsense. It would be cheaper to just get a computer which is 25% faster.

  8. #8
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    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.
    Last edited by MikeyIckey; 02-22-2008 at 01:20 PM.

  9. #9
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    It's MacOS, not UNIX. It's based off of UNIX somewhat, though.

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    C++まいる!Cをこわせ!
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    Quote Originally Posted by MikeyIckey View Post
    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.
    At least, if you're really lucky, you can get a rare HD-DVD drive included!
    Quote Originally Posted by Adak View Post
    io.h certainly IS included in some modern compilers. It is no longer part of the standard for C, but it is nevertheless, included in the very latest Pelles C versions.
    Quote Originally Posted by Salem View Post
    You mean it's included as a crutch to help ancient programmers limp along without them having to relearn too much.

    Outside of your DOS world, your header file is meaningless.

  11. #11
    C++ Witch laserlight's Avatar
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    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.
    Ironically, I had good tech support for my Toshiba laptop. Unfortunately, I had to visit the tech support too many times.
    Quote Originally Posted by Bjarne Stroustrup (2000-10-14)
    I get maybe two dozen requests for help with some sort of programming or design problem every day. Most have more sense than to send me hundreds of lines of code. If they do, I ask them to find the smallest example that exhibits the problem and send me that. Mostly, they then find the error themselves. "Finding the smallest program that demonstrates the error" is a powerful debugging tool.
    Look up a C++ Reference and learn How To Ask Questions The Smart Way

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    Quote Originally Posted by robwhit View Post
    It's MacOS, not UNIX. It's based off of UNIX somewhat, though.
    ok, you're correct, i should have been more specific.

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    Quote Originally Posted by laserlight View Post
    Ironically, I had good tech support for my Toshiba laptop. Unfortunately, I had to visit the tech support too many times.
    Same here.

  14. #14
    (?<!re)tired Mario F.'s Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by laserlight View Post
    Ironically, I had good tech support for my Toshiba laptop. Unfortunately, I had to visit the tech support too many times.
    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.

    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.
    Originally Posted by brewbuck:
    Reimplementing a large system in another language to get a 25% performance boost is nonsense. It would be cheaper to just get a computer which is 25% faster.

  15. #15
    Lurking whiteflags's Avatar
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    >> 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. Perhaps it's an Apple phenomenon.

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