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b0ng0
June 13th, 2007, 04:23 PM
I'm looking to buy a new laptop this summer before I do a post-grad next year so i'll be away from home most of the day and need something to work on.

I'm looking for something mainly for portability, I don't care too much about massive widescreens,etc. I have a desktop for films and stuff. It would be cool if it could run Ubuntu as well (although I need windows for Reason and Sonicstage) and my price range is about £300-£500 ($590-$980).

Any advice or help is appreciated, i'm a bit out of touch with the laptop market at the moment :p.

Thanks

smoker
June 13th, 2007, 04:35 PM
I'm looking to buy a new laptop this summer before I do a post-grad next year so i'll be away from home most of the day and need something to work on.

I'm looking for something mainly for portability, I don't care too much about massive widescreens,etc. I have a desktop for films and stuff. It would be cool if it could run Ubuntu as well (although I need windows for Reason and Sonicstage) and my price range is about £300-£500 ($590-$980).

Thanks

i'm not sure when exactly it will go on sale in the uk, but i think i would wait!
http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/114773/asus-stuns-computex-with-100-laptop.html

stmiller
June 13th, 2007, 05:22 PM
The IBM Thinkpads are always nice. Just make sure to avoid one with ATI graphics.

mips
June 13th, 2007, 05:54 PM
Thinkpad!!! Go for a T61 as you have a choice of Intel X3100 or Nvidia GPU.

b0ng0
June 13th, 2007, 08:59 PM
Cool i'll check them out. No one would recommend dell mobility laptops then? Or Asus?

zAo
June 13th, 2007, 09:04 PM
One WITHOUT an ATI card I'd say.

bsdrocker
June 13th, 2007, 09:28 PM
I use an Acer Aspire 3000 and it works great! I've had no problems with it in the year I've been using it. Its a little big, 15'' widescreen but its not that bad. The battery life is a litte sad (I get just over 45 minutes). It was about $400.

Acer's are pretty well priced for what you get. The Lenovo Thinkpads are also really awesome as well...

DrOlaf
June 13th, 2007, 10:26 PM
I have an Acer notebook (Aspire 5002WLMi) and it is true that they work well in Ubuntu and provide a good performance in the price range you're talking about. Having used it as my main machine for a year, however, I have come to realise that they aren't built very tough. I don't abuse my notebooks, they get transported to and from my office in a padded sleeve in a tough briefcase, but this Acer has already developed visible hairline stress cracks at the base of the screen case, where the hinges are, and has somehow acquired a crack at the top left hand corner of the screen bezel. As it's right by the Gnome menus I see it all the time and it's driving me crazy.

Right now, I'm looking to replace it with something tougher and I really like the look of the T61. One of my PhD students has a T60 and it's tough like iron (Magnesium, actually, I realise). I'll put my Acer out to grass at home and use the T61 as my mobile workstation. It looks like it could handle some serious use.

Mazza558
June 13th, 2007, 10:32 PM
Inspiron 1501. You can get one the equivalent of the one in my sig for £399. Sure, it has ATi, but it's really easy to set up.

bsdrocker
June 13th, 2007, 11:03 PM
I have an Acer notebook (Aspire 5002WLMi) and it is true that they work well in Ubuntu and provide a good performance in the price range you're talking about. Having used it as my main machine for a year, however, I have come to realise that they aren't built very tough. I don't abuse my notebooks, they get transported to and from my office in a padded sleeve in a tough briefcase, but this Acer has already developed visible hairline stress cracks at the base of the screen case, where the hinges are, and has somehow acquired a crack at the top left hand corner of the screen bezel. As it's right by the Gnome menus I see it all the time and it's driving me crazy.

I have the same scratchs on my notebook as well. I have also noticed the very little duribility. Its works well for me but I would never travel a great deal with it...

I LOVE the new Thinkpads because of how tough they are. Some of the HP business class notebooks are very tough as well. I also think the Toshiba Toughbooks are a rip off...

mips
June 14th, 2007, 12:05 PM
Right now, I'm looking to replace it with something tougher and I really like the look of the T61. One of my PhD students has a T60 and it's tough like iron (Magnesium, actually, I realise). I'll put my Acer out to grass at home and use the T61 as my mobile workstation. It looks like it could handle some serious use.

The T61 is even tougher than the T60. They seem to use carbon fiber reinforced plastic which is good as well. Really, you cannot go wrong with a Thinkpad.

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/hands-on/lenovo-t61-thinkpads-magnesium-rollcage--wolverines-bones-258878.php
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=129585