[TriLUG] Shopping for new laptop...

[Andrew C. Oliver]

Actually you may want to avoid the core2duo for the moment.  There are 
some bugs and intel is being mum again.


OlsonE at aosa.army.mil wrote:
> 1) No issue with Intel or AMD. Same with single or dual core. I won't
> comment on the AMD vs. Intel bit.
> 2) SATA isn't an issue.
> 3) Graphics. Same here, ATI vs. Nvidia. I've had more successes with
> Nvidia than I have ATI.
> 4) Wireless. Broadcom is your best bet, although preferred is anything
> Atheros / Prisim based.
> 5) RAM. If you're considering running vista, than you WANT 2gb or more
> of RAM. You'll thank me later. 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: trilug-bounces at trilug.org [mailto:trilug-bounces at trilug.org] On
> Behalf Of Tom Eisenmenger
> Sent: Wednesday, July 11, 2007 3:20 PM
> To: Triangle Linux Users Group discussion list
> Subject: [TriLUG] Shopping for new laptop...
> 
> I've been floored by recent price cuts on laptops and have decided it
> might be time to retire my Dell Latitude C610 (256mb RAM, 40g HD, 1MHz
> PIIIM).  One of the reasons for my upgrading is that I need to have a
> machine capable of running Vista (no catcalls, please!) - my work as IT
> instructor and occasional PC troubleshooter really require that I keep
> up with the latest software;  sadly, my Dell won't even load Vista
> unless I upgrade it, then there's the price of the OS itself - I might
> as well buy new.
> 
> Since I run a Linux distro as the primary OS on my notebook (currently
> running Mint along side XP and about to try eLive), I want to find a
> Linux-friendly notebook but knowing how various distros balk at one
> technology/chipset I want to buy smart as well as  
> cheap.   With that in mind, here are a few comments/questions:
> 
> 1) I'd prefer going AMD;  is there a problem or caveat if I go with one
> of their 64-bit X2 chips?  Better to stick with single core?  32- bit?
> Any reason why I should seriously consider Intel instead?
> 
> 2) Storage:  I'm assuming SATA is a non-issue in Linux?
> 
> 3) Graphics chipsets:  if I go AMD it'll probably have ATI (which is
> what my Dell has now).  Is there a compelling reason to look for nVidia
> instead?  Does Linus handle the newer widescreen monitors reasonably
> well (1280 x 800)?
> 
> 4) Wireless:  It  looks like most of today's offerings include Broadcom
> wireless;  how's its Linux support?  Should I opt for something else if
> it's out there?
> 
> 5) Anything else I should consider?  I'm looking most closely at 15.4"
> widescreen models as I actually do use mine as a laptop on occasion -
> 17" is more of a desktop replacement in my book...
> 
> FWIW, there are some great deals out there.  Of particular interest is
> the Compaq Presario F572US (15.4" "Briteview" widescreen, Athlon
> 64 X2 TK-53, 1gig DDR2, 80g 5400RPM SATA (might have to upgrade that)
> $479 at Staples after rebates.  Comparable Turions seem to up the price
> by about $200.  Comments?
> 
> Thanks all,
> 
> Tom Eisenmenger


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