I need a new laptop

[clairebun]

It's been a good run, but this one's about on its last legs. Noisy fan, semi-broken headphone jack, eerily red screen at startup. I think it's time to pick a new one up. Before I do, I'd like suggestions and tips for buying laptops.

First and foremost, I won't be getting a mac, and I probably will be getting Windows 7. I may look into Ubuntu, although I've never tried the operating system before. My questions are:

How does Ubuntu relate to Windows?

Which systems can run SRB2 and which systems can't?

And which kind of laptop (pocket or regular size, brand, whatever) would you personally recommend for which reasons?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Cue]

Look around for one of those OS-less laptops, I can pick up a dual core with 4gb for £300 over here, which is damn cheap.

 

[Blitzzo]

Right now I'm using a Lenovo Thinkpad T400. It's 14-inch, has comparable performance to an entry-level or mid-range desktop, and great Linux compatibility (save for the optional fingerprint reader, and the switchable ATI graphics if you choose them, since ATI drivers in Linux kinda suck, though you can always switch to the Intel graphics in the BIOS).

It has a few annoyances (EG. PC speaker beep on holding too many keys down, but you can also turn that off in the BIOS), and the Windows OS it ships with it is a bit bloated (slow startup - I'm still trying to figure out how to shed some pounds from it). On the other hand, I love its keyboard layout (much, much better than the vast majority of laptops, since it's actually similar to that of a desktop system), has good battery life (I typically get around 4-6 hours with the 9-cell battery. People claim you get get up to ten hours (!!) but I chose the CCFL-backlit 1440x900 display over the LED-backlit 1280x800 screen - the LED one is supposed to be more efficient with power), and again, great Linux support.

14-inch is a nice size. It's small enough to fit nicely into a backpack but not so small that it's forced to have weak performance, and it's large enough to sport a typeable keyboard.

Ubuntu basically == Linux, so I'm going to speak on behalf of my experience with it. Linux is a very, very flexible operating system, and it can be fitted for pretty much any purpose. There are desktop environments and window managers to fit just about any taste (from minimalist and geeks-only, to simplistic and easy-to-use design, to a maximalist "everything is integrated" experience). Linux has more useful free utilities available than any other system out there. It's definitely lacking in hardware support, but the situation is getting better. When it comes to software, packages are typically handled by the Linux distribution you are using. These packages are held on a repository for easy installation. For programs that aren't being maintained by your distro, obtaining the software is significantly more difficult, and is geared toward intermediate/advanced Linux/Unix users.

As for SRB2, I haven't really tried the Linux version. Blame Callum for not making an Arch Linux package. ;P

 

[Cue]

I would note, though, that due to the hardware thing with Linux, laptops come out worst here, because they often use a lot of obscure hardware.

I still say OS-less. What do you plan on using it for?

 

[Blitzzo]

Hence why I mentioned that Thinkpads have great Linux support. First of all, Lenovo owns IBM, and IBM likes Linux. This means things like proper ACPI support (several manufacturers still refuse to do it in a way that Linux understands, so the Linux kernel is forced to employ several workarounds at the expense of proper functionality). Secondly, Thinkpads often have several Intel components (processor, wireless, etc.) and Intel is also generally Linux-friendly.

Battery life under Linux is still not quite as great as Windows (I usually get around 5 hours in Linux where I would be getting 6 in Windows), but I enjoy using Linux enough that I don't really care about the loss. I use Linux for my organizer program (KOrganizer is way better than Reminderfox and Google Calendar, IMHO. It does what I need it to do, and does it well), RSS reading, and other things such as Python scripting (Eric is the only good Python IDE I've ever come across, and getting it to work on Windows looks like it'd be a pain). Plus, I absolutely love working in KDE4. It has the kind of workflow I like, providing me with enough options that I can tweak things at my will. It's also evolving very rapidly, and I feel that it has a lot of promise.

 

[clairebun]

I still say OS-less. What do you plan on using it for?

Basically speaking, I need a computer to replace my Windows XP laptop, not because it sucks, simply rather because it's about to kick the bucket. So, by default, Windows 7 seems like the closest option to what I have while not being out of date. However, while I'm not much of a scripter or programmer by any means, I'd like as much flexibility as possible, and any non-bloatedness is always plus, so in that sense I'm willing to try any other types of systems out, particularly Ubuntu/Linux or OS-less, even though I don't think I've had any experience with either.

Naturally, I want all of my programs to be able to run on it, especially Adobe/Macromedia, SRB2, and my (somewhat outdated) music software. I'd also like a laptop that's able to run TF2, as I'm considering buying that as well.

 

[Callum]

1. Flash works just as well under Linux as under Windows for the x86. PhotoShop and related programs run under Wine.
2. See my packages thread for SRB2, if using an RPM-based or DEB-based system (and FoxBlitzz, don't worry, Arch support will happen!).
3. Outdated software is more likely to run under Wine, so you should be okay with this =P If it doesn't work (unlikely), you can always use Audacity, IMO THE best music editing software.

 

[Blitzzo]

I think Blue Warrior is referring to MIDI making in this case (since that's generally the kind of stuff he does). Last time I checked, the MIDI situation on Linux wasn't so hot.

 

[clairebun]

Yeah, I'd need my midi making software to work as well as the XG synthesizer I use, or else it's sort of a deal breaker for me. I'm guessing more likely than not, any software I use will be compatible with Windows 7, or will at least have a more updated counterpart that runs in it.

 

[akirahedgehog]

I've had four laptops before. A Gateway, Dell, HP, and Toshiba. However the Toshiba laptop that I have now has performed the best so I'd recommend looking at what they have to offer.

 

[srb21103]

My friend was looking at an AMD 2.1ghz laptop for AU$600. It was a Compaq, have you looked at those?

 

[Cue]

Do note that by OS-less, I mean there's nothing on the hard drive, so you have to buy your own, it generally works out cheaper and you don't get the bloatware that's generally installed by the OEM.

Also, Adobe Audition is far superior to Audacity, period. :(

AU$600 for a laptop with a 2.1GHz processor is a lot, I'd be looking at a dual core system with 4gb of RAM at that kind of price. I kid you not.

 

[Project Dark Fox]

My friend was looking at an AMD 2.1ghz laptop for AU$600. It was a Compaq, have you looked at those?

Stay away from Compaq. They have a tendency to break down faster than you can imagine as their parts are built with a much lower quality overall.

 

[Snowyfox]

^ agreed. My dad has a compaq and it doesn't work because of the freakin' monitors.

Best Suggestion,Dell,It has cheap prices,I found a Core 2 Quad in the 500's.

 

[Autosaver]

There is going to be REALLY GOOD laptop deals on black friday.

http://www.black-friday.net/bf/bestbuy-black-friday.html

 

[Project Dark Fox]

^ agreed. My dad has a compaq and it doesn't work because of the freakin' monitors.

Best Suggestion,Dell,It has cheap prices,I found a Core 2 Quad in the 500's.

Dell has good hardware, however I warn that their tech support is sketchy and their laptops always run hot.

 

[Blitzzo]

No heat problems with my Thinkpad. During idle/desktop usage, the only place where I can really feel any kind of warmth is the hard drive. Most of the time I don't even notice it. It does increase somewhat when I play games, but it's still very bearable. I don't need to place anything between it and my lap.

 

[clairebun]

I ended up getting a Dell Studio two days ago, its specs being an Intel Core Duo Processor (T6600), a CPU speed rated at 3 and a half gigahertz, 4GB RAM, and an intel video card that is either DirectX 8 compatible or DirectX9, with the OS being Windows 7. $800, and it came with Microsoft Office and a free year of Norton Antivirus which I probably will not use; ah well.

I haven't installed all of my programs yet, but it seems to be serving me well so far. Almost all of the games I have run at full speed; SRB2 1.09.4 seems to crash at specific times when certain addons like Botanic Serenity and Mystic Realm are loaded, but 2.0 appears to be extremely stable. Mushroom Kingdom Fusion runs at a perfect framerate, which is also good news. The only games I've tried so far that don't work at all are my outdated N64 emulators and a game I made in GM6 a long while back, both of which crash when I start the game. Go figure.

Team Fortress 2 actually runs on this computer (a step up from my old craptop!), but I've tried a bunch of low settings and I can't seem to get rid of some framerate lag I'm having. I would have assumed this was a fault of the video card (since systemrequirementslab.com doesn't recommend it), but I've been getting framerate lag in SRB2 netgames as well, which definitely shouldn't be happening. What's weirder is the fps counter in SRB2 is giving me 19/20 frames in SP which is seamless (even CEZ2 experiences no side effects on my comp), yet multiplayer games give me 19/20 on the counter and it's still incredibly stuttery, no matter which server I join. I'm guessing my computer doesn't know how to handle games that connect online, but it's hard to say what exactly is wrong and I don't know quite how to troubleshoot it.

Anybody got any ideas? To reiterate, this is a Windows 7 OS.

 

[Blitzzo]

Don't trust SRB2's FPS counter. SRB2 doesn't even run at 20 FPS - its target is 35 FPS. And when I purposefully slowed the game down to 5 FPS (via large resolution and screen-wide semi-transparency + water post-processing), the FPS counter still reported about 15/20. If you want an FPS counter, use Fraps.

As for TF2, try the command +showbudget in the console. You'll need to enable the console first through the Advanced keyboard options (and be sure to hit Okay to dismiss any options dialogs, instead of just hitting Esc to return to the game, as these settings won't be applied until you do so).

Edit: +showbudget requires sv_cheats, so don't expect to be able to use it during online games. Try the Developer Commentary. Of course, this is less representative of a real game situation, but it's better than nothing.

 

[Max the hedgehog]

I've had four laptops before. A Gateway, Dell, HP, and Toshiba. However the Toshiba laptop that I have now has performed the best so I'd recommend looking at what they have to offer.

I recommend not geting a toshiba laptop. Mine been having alot of problems. It gets too over heated and charger acts weird. Not only that, if you have window vista on it you can't record sounds or music! other then those stuff it's pretty ok.