A "workstation" notebook for CS student

[Burbot]

I am looking for a cheap workhorse machine that I can use for basic computer activity (internet, word processing) and programming. I have virtually no knowledge about notebook market, since I was never interested much in it, and I would be grateful if someone could explain me what I actually need .

I need:
Large, higher-resolution screen, to fit all those IDEs (1152x864 on my desktop is a bit too low). Colour reproduction precision matters a lot less then good contrast.
Wireless connectivity: 802.11b would be enough, since all I need is Internet connection on uni premises.
Processor: For dev box, Pentium M or Athlon would probably be better then P4.
Memory: I think I will need at least 512 MB, probably even 1 gigabyte (Java loves it)
Hard disk: I am really not up to date on laptop HDDs. Probably something with lower access times (5400 RPM?)
Moderately decent headphone output quality. I don't care about speakers of the notebook itself, those can be "system information beep" variety.
Comfortable keyboard.
Linux support
Average battery life. I don't think I would ever spend more then an hour or two unplugged.

I do not need:
Cool looks - I am completely inept in style area, and my machine can be, too.
Low weight - while urban existence made me somewhat anemic, I stil can lift four or five kilos
Fast graphics core - I do not do much gaming. Mobile versions of Radeon 9000 or FX 5200 are going to be perfectly fine, or probably even an overkill.
Bluetooth, Firewire, IrDA - couldn't care less about all this
Gigabit Ethernet - "regular" 100MBps, present on virtually every machine, is going to be enough
Pay an arm and a leg - I am still a student.
DVD or CDRW - a regular CD-ROM would be more then sufficient for a random installation.

From what I see, machines like Asus A2500D or Dell Latitude D600 fit. Are there any other similar cheap notebooks I should have a look at?

 

[Frightcrawler]

Could you give us a price? We could recommend a million systems, but all of them could be shot down due to no price specification.

 

[Burbot]

I'd say the price should be around $1500 US ($2000 canadian). It could be a bit more (although it will be hard for me to spend much), and I will certainly welcome a machine that costs less.

 

[alisajid]

Well, since you mentioned Linux support on laptops, I would not expect a seamless experience. Many notebooks' ACPI BIOS doesn't work well in Linux, you may have to patch it or edit it yourself. Only the latest kernel versions come with laptop mode which prevents flushing of I/O buffers to keep disk spin-ups (i.e.) power usage low. Setting up suspend-to-ram and suspend-to-disk is a PIA.

Getting back to your question, if you care about battery life stick with a Pentium-M. Four or five kg. for a latop, IMO is too much. If you're lugging it in school, about 5-6lbs is just right. If you want to save money look at the Compaq X1000, it meets pretty much all of your requirements, and its cheap.

 

[aakerman]

maybe spec out an ibm thinkpad R40 or R50 with 15" SXGA+ ?

I think such a machine would be perfect for you.. seems like a lot of people like to have linux on their thinkpads, so you should be able to google up some info on that.

 

[Burbot]

Hey, I am a Gentoo person. If it is possible to make it work, I will eventually make it work.

I had a look at Compaq machine, and X1000 is a slight bit about my price range. However, I have noticed fairly cheaper R3000Z that they offer. Extra 1.5 pounds should not be that much of a problem. Are there any unexpected downfalls with that machine?

 

[nabeels]

I have an IBM T42 now, I love it, I'm also headed to college next year, though I'm not doing CS anymore, it would def be able to handle dev environments (I have .NET 2003 installed, works perfectly) It also runs alot of games really well.

I'm not sure if the new Centrino systems have Linux support (the wireless network cards mainly), but IBM seems to be pushing Linux, so perhaps their systems do have better *nix support. You'd have to call them and see.

I recommend the T42 2378-FVU, it's the same one I have. It's 1800$, but they also give a discount for college students.

Specs:
1.7PM Dothan
Radeon 9600 64mb
256mb (I upgraded mine to 512)
40gb 5400rpm drive
cdrw/dvd combo
wireless intel b/g
10/100/1000 nic
2 usb 2.0
trackpoint and trackpad
It's also about 5lbs, 14"

They also have older T41/T42s which are a little cheaper which may be worth checking out.

 

[Burbot]

IBM machines probably won't work for me. They might be great, but a bit too pricey.

 

[Burbot]

Here's what I got so far on US HPShopping site. Unfortunately, I can't find the same machine on Canadian version of site.

price $1,573.00 *
mail-in rebate ? $50.00
price after rebate $1,523.00

Processor AMD Athlon(TM) 64 3000+ 1.80 GHz
Operating System Microsoft(R) Windows(R) XP Home
Memory 1.0GB DDR SDRAM (2x512MB)
Hard Drive 40 GB 4200 RPM Hard Drive
Primary CD/DVD Drive 8X DVD Drive
Networking 54g(TM) Integrated Broadcom 802.11b/g Wireless LAN
Display 15.4" WVA WSXGA+ (1680x1050)
Graphics Card 64MB NVIDIA(R) GeForce(TM) 4 440 Go +1394 & 5-in-1
Productivity Software Microsoft(R) Works/Money
Primary Battery 12 Cell Lithium Ion Battery

Any comments? Seems quite good to me, except the slower HDD.

 

[alisajid]

Not sure about the R3000Z, but I'd suggest you poke around x1000forums.com for info. on the R300Z and get the 10% off HP Shopping coupon.

 

[Mellman]

you can get a LOT of laptop for $1500 usd

i think a low end centrino with 9700 pro is about that. Just something to consider

 

[Burbot]

As I said before, I have no need for high-end 3D acceleration. What will I do with it if I do not game? Put it's specs in my signature?

 

[kumanchu]

what about the newer emachines. they are definately budget, and have lots of power with the athlon 64.

but then again getting *nix to work on those might prove to be very difficult.

 

[gopunk]

look into apple... a lot of the students here use it, since it's built off of *nix

 

[Burbot]

Newer eMachines? Hmmm, they look very good to me. It does not have an option for a faster hard drive, but neither do other notebooks I had a look at. However, I am very interested in higher resolution screen (one of those 1400 x 1050 would be great), so I'd first visit a Future Shop and check whether it is possible to see anything on that kind of screen.

Apple laptops? Their cheapest machine with resolution above the severely constricted 1024x768 is 15" Powerbook that costs $2,649.00 CDN for the cheapest model with 256 megs of RAM. Add the price for two 512 meg SODIMMs, and it goes way overbudget.

 

[kpd489]

Check out the Mountain Wolf Concepts They offer a wide range of notebooks great support and pricing.

 

[jeffbui]

If your university has an agreement with IBM or if you can find a friend willing to order you one then it should be viable for you. As far as I know, it's one of the only notebooks with Linux support. It also has the high resolution screen you desire.

Here's one I specced through my school's website:

EDU R51 INTEL PENTIUM M1.5 15 SXGA 512 60 CMBO XPP INTEL11BG

IBM '1830BUU' CLOSE WINDOW

- IBM ThinkPad R51 1830
- Pentium M 1.5 GHz
- RAM 512 MB
- HD 60 GB
- CD-RW / DVD
- Mdm
- LAN EN, Fast EN, Gigabit EN, 802.11b, 802.11g
- Centrino
- Win XP Pro
- 15" TFT SXGA+
- academic Web Price
$2,249.00

Your Price
$1,484.34

 

[Mik3y]

i would go emachines and get a really souped up laptop for really cheap.

 

[Burbot]

My uni does not have any agreements with IBM, and I am not sure if there is a higher education institution in my city that does. As a result, I will be unable to get an educational discount, and that rules out IBM from list of choices.

I had a look at some HP/Compaq and Emachine boxes. HP ones discourage me, since they have two 256 DIMMS instead of one 512, forcing me to dump one if I upgrade. Emachines seem to use Broadcom wireless adapters, which are one of the few that happen to suck under Linux.