Laptop Opinions

[Botnst]

I’m a Mac guy generally but I find myself needing a Winders machine for astronomy software.

Processing imagery is a prime memory hog so I’ll need a large amount of memory and storage. I won’t need cutting edge processor and graphics card because I’m patient. But I don’t want to fossilize while waiting, eother. So likely some modest, mid-range processor will be ok.

Also, I’ll be using it outside at night so dim-able (Red would be better) keys and display that can dim would be good.

Don’t need a big display. Need batteries with respectable time to recharge.

Weight and size not an issue. Need several ports, nothing especially fast.

Got opinions/advice? Please guide me. I haven’t used a Windows laptop in nearly three years.

Yeah, I could ask on a computer website but I know you guys as being very hands-on in general and will have opinions more in the realm of reality. I don’t need a big gaming box. Just something with lots of memory and oh yeah, RELIABILITY.

Thanks, and let the games begin!

[Mxfrank]

I like the Lenovo T series... I think the latest is T495. Best compromise for light weight and features. The thing about Lenovo is that they’ve always been good with spares, so you can keep them going forever. And they have track points which I much prefer to trackpads.

[Botnst]

Originally Posted by Mxfrank

I like the Lenovo T series... I think the latest is T495. Best compromise for light weight and features. The thing about Lenovo is that they’ve always been good with spares, so you can keep them going forever. And they have tack points which I much prefer to trackpads.

Thanks, I will take a look.

[merc lover]

Dell computers has a smokin' gaming laptop series. The hardware/keyboard looks to be bullet proof. They have advanced graphics (which for astronomy might be useful) and most important to me, the cooling system looks far better than most laptops.

Laptops, by design, suffer cooling issues and cooling fans are what keeps the chips/processors running nice and cool. The dell gaming laptop comes with thunderbolt/USB-C connectors. Yes, the dell gaming laptop cost a few nickels more than other laptops but if I were going to buy a windows machine this would be the one:

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/dell-g5-15-6-gaming-laptop-intel-core-i7-16gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-gtx-1660-ti-max-q-1tb-hdd-256gb-ssd-deep-space-black/6350874.p?skuId=6350874

Best Buy offers extended warranties as well which I believe is a no brainer.

[merc lover]

Only complaint I could find on the dell gaming laptop is apparently the cooling fans are a bit louder than most. No problem here, again, you want the chips and circuitry to be nice and cool. If you live near a Best Buy, do yourself a favor and go look at one. I'm in the market for a laptop right now and I've found going to take an actual look at the machine tells a far different story than online photos/descriptions.

[Hogweed]

i like my Lenovo unit from work.....not a big fan of HP or Dell at this point....ok when they work but seem to be poorly made,
maybe because i buy low-end units usually, as i don't have the need for anything 'better'......

Originally Posted by Mxfrank

I like the Lenovo T series... I think the latest is T495. Best compromise for light weight and features. The thing about Lenovo is that they’ve always been good with spares, so you can keep them going forever. And they have track points which I much prefer to trackpads.

[pj67coll]

Well. You are getting into it aren't you Bot. I agree with the idea of Lenovo. Years ago I'd have said HP but now I think Lenovo might have it. I agree about Dell. We have had so much trouble with them at work that we just recently dumped them for Lenovo. YMMV of course.

- Peter.

[merc lover]

Apple is the most reliable computer out there, that said, the apple macbook pro comes minus an ethernet connection port. If only apple would pull their head out and install an ethernet port, I'd be all in. That and Corel needs to port WordPerfect over to apple mac. There exists many high powered high priced programs that run only on Windows. We are seeing more of them offering both a windows and an apple mac version though not near enough.

I've been working on slindows starting with version 3.0/3.1 back in the early 1990s. As far as I'm concerned it sucked from the very beginning. The PC never was submitted for ISO 9001 engineering standardization. It has been a junk yard dog from the very beginning. Chrysler and Ford parts installed on a Chevrolet. What could go wrong?

[tbomachines]

Originally Posted by merc lover

Apple is the most reliable computer out there, that said, the apple macbook pro comes minus an ethernet connection port. If only apple would pull their head out and install an ethernet port, I'd be all in. That and Corel needs to port WordPerfect over to apple mac. There exists many high powered high priced programs that run only on Windows. We are seeing more of them offering both a windows and an apple mac version though not near enough.

I've been working on slindows starting with version 3.0/3.1 back in the early 1990s. As far as I'm concerned it sucked from the very beginning. The PC never was submitted for ISO 9001 engineering standardization. It has been a junk yard dog from the very beginning. Chrysler and Ford parts installed on a Chevrolet. What could go wrong?

Well the good news is that ethernet adapters are less than 20 bucks and very widely available.

Windows PCs are fine, and for the OPs use case way more bang for buck than trying to use parallels or something.

[Botnst]

Originally Posted by pj67coll

Well. You are getting into it aren't you Bot. I agree with the idea of Lenovo. Years ago I'd have said HP but now I think Lenovo might have it. I agree about Dell. We have had so much trouble with them at work that we just recently dumped them for Lenovo. YMMV of course.

- Peter.

You busted me! Yeah, I’ve lost my mind. Hopefully in a good way.

[Mxfrank]

My experience is that Dell sells the computer of the week. If you need a new part a year out, you're SOL. When I bought them on a corporate level, we had to pay extra for a standard design, so that we could have a uniform inventory.

[Botnst]

Originally Posted by Mxfrank

My experience is that Dell sells the computer of the week. If you need a new part a year out, you're SOL. When I bought them on a corporate level, we had to pay extra for a standard design, so that we could have a uniform inventory.

Dell seems very much targeted on big accounts. When I was in fedgov we had to write-up excuses NOT to buy a Dell. But Dell offered a good array of different configurations and our geek department was familiar with them. I bought several killer workstations for GIS and image processing. Had to prove I needed Panasonic Toughbooks for field work.

Iirc Lenovo used to be IBM. For me, that’s a psychological plus. Dunno if it means anything 30-odd years later. People online like Lenovo price/performance.

[Diseasel300]

Originally Posted by Botnst

Iirc Lenovo used to be IBM. For me, that’s a psychological plus. Dunno if it means anything 30-odd years later. People online like Lenovo price/performance.

Lenovo made IBM's laptops and workstations at least since the mid-late 1990s, possibly earlier. The machines that gave IBM the reputation for toughness and reliability were all Lenovo beneath the skin. When IBM divested their consumer division, Lenovo bought the rights to the Thinkpad and Thinkcentre lines and kept right on building them. The "Thinkpad/Centre" models produced by Lenovo today are very much the descendants of the IBM's you remember (which were actually Lenovos).

[Tony H]

I have been buying used Dell corporate laptops based on my experience at work. The ones I used were very reliable in harsh conditions like on the hood of a truck in 90 deg weather and outside when snowing. The parts are unlimited and cheap. The E6410/6420 are solid machines. I have been running Win10 on a used D630 for about 5 years.

[rocky raccoon]

I use an 11" tablet as a travelling auxiliary computer for my Red Cross field activities. It does everything I need with a few limitations and at a slower pace. The best part is that it costs just a little over $100.