Add this to the list of problems my laptop has: the battery life is now approximately 15 minutes, with the only programs open being Firefox and LyX (along with the background operating system stuff).
So yea, I want a new laptop. (It's not quite urgent yet, as the computer still runs, but it's something to think about). Question: What to get?
The requirements are, for the most part, pretty simple; I mostly just need a laptop for the usual internet/word processing stuff. It should be portable, with a good battery life, because I plan to take it to work where there's no outlet for me to plug into. At least 2 USB ports, preferably 3. No netbooks.
There's one caveat, though: the candidate laptop should support computational chemistry activities. This means (off the top of my head) the ability to run a Unix environment (e.g. X11) and reasonable* CPU power; I really would rather not wait for 20 hours for a transition metal complex calculation that may or may not fail! I should be able to leave the laptop on doing something heavy without worrying about overheating or the fan prematurely dying or something unfortunate like that.
To be honest, this is a weird time to be getting a laptop; I was hoping that the current one will last through undergrad. Anyway, assuming that I can get into grad school (which won't even be on the horizon for about 2-3 years, sadly**), this new laptop should either a) last me through graduate school or b) self-destruct right when I finish undergrad. (I have a feeling I'll be too broke during graduate school to replace laptops.)
Target budget is $1000, but if the laptop's built to last more than 5 years, I can spend more than that.
To address the Mac-vs-PC thing - I grew up with PCs, so that's what my natural inclination would be (especially with the coming advent of Windows 7). Also, Windows is compatible with most things at all the workplaces I've been in. On the other hand, Macs are pretty. And they have X11, as well as Keynote (which is *Really* pretty). And they are known to last for a decent length of time.
So. Any comments? Advice?
*A certain someone's desktop has the ability to run my 20-hour calculation in 1.5 hours, without otherwise slowing performance. It's gorgeous! (Yes, I am jealous, but it's a desktop...)
**I'd whine about how I'm graduating after everyone else in my peer group, but nobody wants to hear that.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
In Search for a New Laptop
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1 comment:
Ouch. :(
I don't recommend any Dells--they're cheapish, sure, but they don't last. A friend of mine has had to replace hers several times.
My last computer was a Sony Vaio, which had a touch of hardware bulimia ("BLEAHHH i reject the CD burner!" "BLEEHHH i don't like the wireless card!") but lasted a very solid five years with no problems otherwise--even with about a pound of cat fur sucked up into the innards. It's technically still alive, but I replaced it (with a Mac) because the fan was making a death rattle.
Macs are freaking awesome, though, and OSX is extremely intuitive--I was a Windows native too, but making the switch was really quite easy...and it's nice to be running an OS that's not completely paranoid. (plus, you can run windows from a mac if you really want to.)
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