[Cialug] laptop suggestions

[Mike]

Deal sites that can have good laptop prices with a much larger selection.

http://dealnews.com
http://dealnews.com/c49/Computers/Laptops/

http://slickdeals.net/
http://slickdeals.net/deals/computers/

http://www.gottadeal.com/
     -product category Laptops


It really just depends on the day and what you are looking for in your 
laptop.

-get a laptop with an Nvidia chipset based video card (even if Linus 
flips them the bird occasionally) their graphics acceleration still 
seems to be the best
-Intel Core i5 or better (Sandy Bridge or Ivy Bridge chipset) (recommended)
     -if you spend 500 instead of 350 but, it will still do the things 
you want to for an extra year or so it will be a better purchase 
amortized over the duration of your ownership
-4GB of RAM (minimum) 8GB of RAM (recommended)
-screen size is totally up to you
     -gaming I recommend 15" or better with a display resolution no 
lower than 1650x1080 and preferably HiDef 1920x1080

If you need to go really low budget you can get away with a Core i3 
chipset with integrated video card but, games will suffer.
If you want descent gaming performance it really ramps up what you need 
to buy.

For example if you just want a working laptop with newer hardware I found:

Lenovo B570 for $277.00

http://slickdeals.net/f/5132456-Lenovo-outlet-laptop-i3-4gb-500gb-277-tax

It has enough to do tons of stuff but, you lose out in a few areas not 
just gaming.
If you want to run Virtual Machines I recommend a Core i5 or at a 
minimum a processor that will allow you to run 64-bit VMs otherwise you 
are stuck running them as 32-bit.
Performance on any graphics like editing, sound editing, or video 
editing need the bigger horsepower, RAM, and graphics card upgrade.

-Make a list of the things you absolutely need (minimums) and then 
search extensively
-once you find something you think you like google the heck out of it
     -so if I wanted the *Lenovo Z580* my searches would look like

Lenovo Z580 reviews

Lenovo Z580 purchase

Lenovo Z580 review video info

-and so on

Read all the reviews you can find. Several times I was going to buy a 
computer or a "whatever" and after reading reviews (from multiple sites) 
I learned something about it that killed it for me.
     -youtube review showing horrible build quality
     -bad positioning of keys, crappy keyboards
     -running hot, disabled settings in the BIOS etc...
     -never take only 1 reviewer for gospel find as many as you can


*Note: *
-for Linux compatibility take the hardware specs and research it online 
like you would with the reviews for the laptop itself.
     Video Card: Nvidia Chipset Model xYxY111 Linux compatibility 
drivers (etc)
-there are plenty of reference sites out there too (many are outdated or 
will not provide information specifically on the exact "barn burner" of 
a deal you are likely to find at a deal site though

http://www.linux-laptop.net/
http://www.linux-drivers.org/

I have seen both ZAReason and System76 laptops and was impressed with 
their offerings, build quality, and support. However, they are going to 
cost you more money and you wont get the
newest form factors *ultrabook etc..

Another thing you can do is look at the hardware offered in the "Linux 
compatible" systems and then look for those same hardware models 
elsewhere. I did that with my netbook, ZAReason had a netbook fully 
Linux compatible for $400, I found an Acer Aspire One D255 on Craigslist 
for $175 and if you compare the hardware line by line it was identical.

Brands I have had good Linux compatibility with:
     -Acer, Dell, IBM-Lenovo (ThinkPads) {did have some key mapping 
weirdness with the lower-end Lenovos}, higher-end HP's with Intel 
processors, high-mid to extremely high-end Sonys

Hope this helps.

Good Luck,

Mike


On 10/4/2012 6:49 AM, Hawkins wrote:
> CIALUG,
>
> I just got back from a week long trip to visit some relatives and see 
> more in the future.  It has become clear to me I need to pickup a 
> laptop or tablet to use so I am not stuck using a relatives Windows 
> machine.
>
> I see that newegg has ASUS A53U-ES21 Notebook AMD Dual-Core Processor 
> E-450(1.65GHz) 15.6" 4GB Memory DDR3 320GB HDD 5400rpm DVD±R/RW AMD 
> Radeon HD 6320  on sale today for $329.
>
> Any suggestions for a better option or deal?
>
> Steve